In August 2009 the SNP announced a Referendum Bill would be included in its package of bills to be debated before Parliament in 2009–10, to hold a referendum on the issues of Scottish independence in November 2010.
The bill did not pass due to the SNP’s status as a minority administration, and due to the initial opposition to the Bill from all other major parties in the Scottish Parliament.
Following the Scottish Parliament general election, in 2011 the SNP had a majority in parliament and again brought forward an Independence Referendum Bill.
The Scottish Government also suggested that full fiscal autonomy for Scotland (known as “devo-max”) could be an alternative option in the vote.
The negotiation of the Edinburgh Agreement (2012) resulted in the UK government legislating to provide the Scottish Parliament with the power to hold the referendum.
The “devo-max” option was not included, however, as the Edinburgh Agreement stipulated that the referendum had to be a clear binary choice between independence or the existing devolution arrangements.
The Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013 was passed by the Scottish Parliament and campaigning commenced. Two days before the referendum was held, with polls very close, the leaders of the three main UK political parties made “The Vow”, a public pledge to devolve “extensive new powers” to the Scottish Parliament if independence was rejected. They also agreed to a devolution timetable proposed by Gordon Brown.
After heavy campaigning by both sides, voting took place on 18 September 2014. Independence was rejected by a margin of 45% in favour to 55% against.
J’ai regardé le premier épisode de la série The Newsroom, actuellement diffusée sur HBO, et – sans avoir réellement accroché aux personnages ou à l’histoire – j’ai tout de même bien apprécié ce petit moment :
La vidéo est constamment retirée de YouTube et ne peut être intégrée sur des sites tiers donc en voici une version kinétique :
What Makes America The Greatest Country In The World
[Jenny] Hi, my name is Jenny, I’m a sophomore and this for all three of you. Can you say in one sentence or less – what – (laughing in background) you know what I mean: “Can you say why America is the greatest country in the world?”
[Emily Kathleen A. Mortimer – As Sharon] Diversity and opportunity.
[Debate Moderator] Louis?
[Louis] Ah freedom and freedom, so let’s keep it that way.
[Debate Moderator] Will?
[Jeffrey Warren “Jeff” Daniels As Will] The New York Jets.
[audience laughs]
[Debate Moderator] No, I’m gonna hold you to an answer on that. What makes America the greatest country in the world?
[Jeff Daniels] Well, Louis and Sharon said it. Diversity and opportunity and freedom and freedom.
(audience member holds notebook) IT’S NOT. BUT IT CAN BE.
[Debate Moderator] I’m not letting you go back to the airport without answering the question.
[Will] Well, our Constitution is a masterpiece. James Madison was a genius. The Declaration of Independence is for me the single greatest piece of American writing.
[Will] You don’t look satisfied.
[Debate Moderator] One’s a set of laws and the other is a declaration of war. I want a human moment from you.
IT’S NOT
[Debate Moderator] What about the people? Why is it?
[Will] It’s NOT the greatest country in the world, Professor. That’s my answer.
[Debate Moderator] You’re saying?
[Will] Yes.
[Debate Moderator] Let’s talk about…
[Will (Speaking to Sharon] Fine. Sharon, the NEA is a loser. Yeah, it accounts for a penny out of our paycheck, but he gets to hit you with it anytime he wants. It doesn’t cost money. It costs votes. It costs airtime. And column inches. You know why people don’t like liberals? Because they lose. If liberals are so fuckin’ smart then how come they lose so goddamn always?
[Sharon] Hey!
[Will (to Lewis] And with a straight face, you’re gonna sit there and tell students that America is so star-spangled awesome that we’re the only ones in the world who have freedom? Canada has freedom. Japan has freedom. The U.K. France. Italy. Germany. Spain. Australia. BELGIUM has freedom. (laughs) Two hundred and seven sovereign states in the world, like, a hundred and eighty of them have freedom.
[Debate Moderator] All right…
[Will] And you, Sorority Girl, just in case you accidentally wander into a voting booth one day, there’s some things you should know. One of them is there’s absolutely no evidence to support the statement that we’re the greatest country in the world.
We’re seventh in literacy. Twenty-seventh in math. Twenty-second in science. Forty-ninth in life expectancy. A hundred and seventy-eighth in infant mortality. Third in median household income. Number four in labor force and number four in exports.
We lead the world in only three categories: Number of incarcerated citizens per capita, number of adults who believe angels are real, and defense spending, where we spend more than the next twenty-six countries combined, twenty-five of whom are allies.
Now none of this is the fault of a twenty-year-old college student, but you nonetheless are without a doubt a member of the worst, period, generation, period, ever, period. So when you ask what makes us the greatest country in the world, I dunno what the fuck you’re talkin’ about. Yosemite?
(Audience surprised.)
[Will] Sure used to be. We stood up for what was right. We fought for moral reasons. We passed laws, struck down laws, for moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not poor people. We sacrificed. We cared about our neighbors. We put our money where our mouths were. And we never beat our chest.
We built great big things, made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured diseases, and we cultivated the world’s greatest artists and the world’s greatest economy.
[pause]
We reached for the stars. Acted like men.
We aspired to intelligence. We didn’t belittle it—it didn’t make us feel inferior.
We didn’t identify ourselves by who we voted for in the last election, and we didn’t, oh, we didn’t scare so easy. Ha. We were able to be all these things and do all these things because we were informed. By great men. Men who were revered. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore.
[pause]
Enough?
Petite précision pour la sorority girl : America is not a country, the USA is.
Cet été, j’ai investi pour devenir mobilo indépendant.
Tout d’abord, j’ai acheté un vélo électrique. Moins besoin de la voiture pour aller au boulot. Moins d’essence, moins de risques et moins d’assurance.
Et puis le sport en plus. Et oui, le sport car le vélo est assisté, c’est pas une mobylette : 45 km d’autonomie, 25,5km de vitesse constante.
On arrive sec au boulot. On respire. On se détend !
Qui dit vélo dit légèreté. Exit le MacBook et bienvenue à l’iPad. Avantages, inconvénients : tout a été dit.
Seule l’utilisation que l’on en fait compte. Et moi je la trouve appropriée à mon usage. J’ai mis tous mes cours dedans. J’écris cet article avec. Je joue au Uno et aux 1000 bornes avec ma famille. Je lis mes partitions en jouant avec mon groupe.
Internet mobile devient enfin agréable à consulter. Bien sûr, il y a des défauts mais qui n’en a pas ?
Donc, pour la rentrée 2011, je serai mobilo indépendant. Peut-être….!
After France’s defeat in Canada, Britain remained the only power left in Eastern North America. The colonies were now free to spread over the vast continent and increase their wealth.
Therefore, for the British Government, it was natural that the colonists, whose prosperity was increasing, should contribute to the British economy.
The financial measures affecting trade and the arbitrary taxes decided in London soon became intolerable to the colonists. They now have the opportunity and the financial means to stand on their own feet and manage their own affairs.
Instead of being treated as equal partners, the American colonists were considered by the Prime Minister as second-rate citizens or children :
“This is the mother country. They are the children, they must obey and we prescribe”.
William Pitt
More than a rebellion against patriarchal authority, the War of Independence, was the first modern political revolution.
It started with the universal democratic slogan: “No taxation without representation“.
By rising against Britain the colonists exploded the myth of English liberty while using at the same time the principles that the people of England themselves had established one century before in the Glorious Revolution.
Origins of the Revolution
Several circumstances had put a strain on Anglo-American relations in the 18th century.
First, Britain merchants manipulated the House of Commons into voting a series of protective acts that were detrimental to the colonial economy.
Further restrictions were imposed through arbitrary taxation decided in London.
Another dissatisfaction came from the costs of the British European wars to which they were forced to contribute.
1763: the Royal Proclamation prohibited any British settlement west of the Appalachians, which created a major land problem in the colonies and restricted economic expansion.
So economic and patriotic motivations were closely linked in creating a feeling of rebellion.
On May 1st 1997, a general election took place in the UK. It was won by the Labour Party after 18 years of Conservative Government (1979-1997).
The political programme of the Labour Party included a vast number of constitutional reforms and manifestos:
devolution (power to the regions) to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and English regions (wide range).
reform of the House of Lords.
incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into British law.
The Labour Government was for devolution because there were demands for more autonomy (yet not the same demands):
Scotland: Parliament (law-making body)
Wales: Assembly
Northern Ireland: Assembly and power-sharing executive between Catholics and Protestants.
The Scotland Act
September 11th 1997: referendum in Scotland on devolution. Majority of “Yes” votes. The Scottish Bill was introduced and validated. It became the Scotland Act in 1998, which defines the Scottish Parliament, and its rules…
The next stage was the 1st Scottish General Election. Donald Dewar, who had been Secretary of State for Scotland in Tony Blair’s Government became the First Minister of Scotland. Labour did not have a majority and allied with the Liberal-Democrats (coalition executive).
Between mid-May and the end of June, the Scottish Parliament met regularly but it was officially opened by the Queen on July 1st, 1999.
