State of the Union

State of the Union 4 State of the Union State of the Union 5 In the last year there has been growing disquiet about the state of the Union. [...] Some argue that the Scottish Government is reneging on past commitments, including the description of the 2014 referendum as “a once in a generation opportunity” in its 2013 White Paper19 and the First Minister herself signing the Edinburgh Agreement, which described the 2014 referendum as offering a “fair and decisive outcome” to the issue of independence.20 The Scottish Government have argued th. [...] How will voters respond to different scenarios? What factors are likely to push support for independence up, or down? And how might voters feel in the event of a vote to leave the United Kingdom, not just in Scotland but in the rest of the UK? This study reveals the high-wire politics for both the Union and Independence sides in the next few months: ● If the SNP secures a majority and the UK Gover. [...] State of the Union 28 Figure 16: “How much more or less likely would you be to support Scottish independence in the following circumstances?” Net much or a little more likely Source: Hanbury, 12 Feb - 1 March, Onward analysis The SNP win a majority in the Scottish election in May but the UK government refuses to grant a second referendum The SNP win a majority in the Scottish election in May and c. [...] State of the Union 33 Imagined communities Identity, values, pride State of the Union 34 The historian Benedict Anderson wrote that “the fellow members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of the communion...