Thursday, September 18, 2014

The Scottish Referendum

Today the people of Scotland are being asked "Should Scotland be an independent country? Yes/No".

While I've been keeping track of the referendum for just over a year, many have been on top of it (and part of it) for decades (and some would even argue centuries). If you're new to the issues, or are simply looking for some clarification, here are some links to help you learn more. They cover news of the referendum, why it's happening, and what might be the possible outcomes of today's vote.

BBC News: Scotland Decides - As always the BBC has done an excellent job of keeping it's readers informed. Everything from what would happen to food prices, currency, defence, and citizenship have been covered from multiple angles. They also have a poll tracker that compiles data from several different sources, and maps out events that may have changed the minds of voters.

The Scottish Government: Scotland's Referendum - This site offers highly accessible and easy to understand facts on the history of the Scottish Government, and answers questions that every day people would have about a possible Yes outcome. They even claim to have an entire section of infographics to help people understand the various issues related to the vote... I say claim because I don't think that coloured font qualifies as an infographic, but you can see for yourself.

The Telegraph - The UK-based newspaper has compiled its articles (which include opinion pieces, polls, and photos) on the referendum online; one of which explains how everyone's finances will be effected by the referendum. Likewise, The Guardian has dedicated a page to their coverage.

Here in Canada, the CBC has also covered the election, although not nearly as comprehensively.

If you'd like to learn more about the YES campaign for an independent Scotland, you can visit www.yesscotland.net For the Better Together campaign for a continued United Kingdom, visit www.bettertogether.net The Better Together site also claims to have infographics, and ones that you can share on Facebook no less... the thing is, is that these aren't infographics* either, they're just photographs.

Going through the above sites should give you a pretty good idea about what's at stake for either campaign. If you'd like even more background about why the Scots feel the need to have a referendum in the first place, the following histories are recommended:

Neil Oliver / BBC's, A History of Scotland
J.D. Mackie's, History of Scotland (You can read my review of this work here)
Michael Lynch's, Scotland: A New History
Daniel Szechi's 1715: The Great Jacobite Rebellion
Geoffrey Plank's Rebellion and Savagery: TheJacobite Rising of 1745 and the British Empire

Final results of the Scottish referendum will be made public the morning of September 19th 2014.

*For the record, an infographic is "a visual image such as a chart or diagram used to represent information or data". Here is an example, and one of my favourites: Star Trek The Original Series

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