UK Leader Rushes To Fend Off Scottish Independence

[Purveyor]

Source: Associated Press

By PAUL KELBIE and JILL LAWLESS
Sep 10, 1:21 PM EDT

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) -- The British political establishment descended on Scotland Wednesday to plead for a united United Kingdom, after polls suggested that the once-fanciful notion of Scots voting to break from Britain has become a real possibility in next week's referendum.

The leaders of the three main London-based parties - all of them unpopular in Scotland - poured warm appeals on wavering voters. But some Scots seemed unmoved, and increasingly confident independence leader Alex Salmond accused his opponents of succumbing to panic.

In a rare display of cross-party unity, Prime Minister David Cameron, Labour leader Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat chief Nick Clegg all pulled out of a weekly House of Commons question session to make a campaign dash to Scotland, as polls suggest the two sides are neck-and-neck ahead of the Sept. 18 referendum.

Cameron said Scottish independence would break his heart, in a personal plea aimed at preserving the 307-year-old Anglo-Scottish union - and preventing himself from going down in history as the last prime minister of Great Britain. He is likely to face pressure from his Conservative Party to step down if Scots vote to secede.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_BRITAIN_SCOTLAND?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2014-09-10-13-21-23

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Let's see.....Clegg and Cameron against it.....

Sounds like Independence is a pretty good idea then.

[BumRushDaShow]

2. "the last prime minister of Great Britain"

So if this happened, they were planning to ignore that Wales exists and dump the name "Great Britain"? Or is this the usual AP idiocy again (confusing "U.K." with "Great Britain" although there would still be a somewhat-U.K. left in nebulous terms considering Ireland is basically indie but in the area)?

(am thinking the latter)

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Great Britain came into use to indicate Scotland and England, with James VI/I

http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/history/articles/james_vi/

Wales was incorporated into England, in legal terms, in 1536 and 1543: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/tudors_06.shtml , but never made it into the official titles, which remained 'England' until replaces by 'Great Britain' : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Style_of_the_British_sovereign#Styles_of_English_sovereigns

So it is pretty accurate to say this would be the break-up of Great Britain.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. Poor Wales. nt

[quadrature]

4. who gets their Perm 5 seat?

dice roll
personal combat
Scotland v. England at rugby


some other method?

[roamer65]

6. If Cameron really cared about the union...

he would immediately dissolve Parliament and call for new elections. Stop the Scottish independence vote from becoming a referendum on conservatard rule.