Scotland is not and never has been a colony of England, but Scotland and England share an interesting history together and have at time almost separated altogether, but today are joined under the common flag of the United Kingdom.
The History
In 1603, Queen Elizabeth I (Elizabeth Tudor) of England died with no children to inherit her throne, so the throne went to her cousin James Stuart, who was already the King of Scotland. For a century, the two countries had separate governments and courts and were separate nations, but they shared a monarch. At the turn of the century, with religious and political differences boiling up between the two nations, Scotland began agitating for a separation.
There were economic issues, though. England was growing into a great empire, while Scotland had been nearly bankrupted by their one unsuccessful attempt to create a colony in the Americas — and faced famine at home. England said that if Scotland wanted their own king, they’d be treated like foreigners. England imposed a trade embargo and Scotland was forced to recognize that they couldn’t survive economically without England. In 1707, with England’s promise to pay off Scotland’s debt, the two nations joined to become Great Britain.
Rather than a colonial relationship, they had a partnership between two sovereign nations, and they continued to share a ruler.
So how’d that go?
There have been tensions between the two nations from the beginning. Some Scots, especially those in the Highlands of Scotland, wanted to see the Stuarts back on the throne, and the English responded to their uprisings with military force. Scotland often felt like the less powerful of the two nations and there was some resentment over historical events. For example, one of the Stuart Kings was beheaded in a civil war in 1649. The last of the Stuart rulers was Queen Anne, who also died with no children. England’s parliament declared that no Catholic could be king or queen, which banned Queen Anne’s Stuart relatives. The German Hanover family came into power in Great Britain; Scotland was not consulted.
With a lot of history to get past, there was continued tension between England and Scotland. However, Scotland also joined England in the growth of the British Empire. Edinburgh, Scotland, became a center of scientific and artistic life. By now, the two nations are both fairly prosperous, though the wealthiest parts of England are richer than Scotland.
In 1999, Scotland got its own parliament again, and in 2014 there was a referendum on independence for Scotland.
The years leading up to the referendum demonstrated a slow upward tick in support for independence that appeared to crescendo in the summer of 2014. As summer turned to fall and the referendum vote neared, voters, however had second thoughts. Even the most nationalistic Scots started questioning the details of their nation’s arrangements under Independence and the related lack of certainty.
Ultimately, the majority of voters chose to stay in the United Kingdom, rejecting independence.
Does Scotland want independence now?
Polls of Scottish voters have shown a nearly even split for many years, with a majority in favor of staying in the United Kingdom in nearly all polls. Some observers believe that Brexit may have shifted public opinion: when England voted to leave the European Union in 2020, Scotland voted to stay. The fact that Scotland could not remain in the EU increased Scottish discontent with England.
The Scottish parliament is, under a 1998 law, unable to hold another referendum without the cooperation of the UK parliament, which has yet to agree.
If Scotland had another status vote and chose independence, it would be much like a divorce. Scotland and the UK would have to negotiate terms, including questions of citizenship, trade, and so forth. Scotland could go back to the European Union (if the new nation is accepted) and could return to using the euro, but the new country of Scotland could not assume that their trade relationship with the UK would remain the same.
Those who favor independence point out that Scotland has its own language, culture, and history, distinct from that of the other nations of the UK. They believe that Scotland’s energy resources would, if they were in the hands of an independent Scottish government, increase prosperity. They hope to be able to rejoin the European Union.
Those who oppose independence point out that the rest of the United Kingdom buys 60% of Scotland’s exports, making Scotland economically dependent on the UK. They are also dependent on the UK for defense and currency. They cannot be sure of reentry into the EU. For example, Spain is strongly opposed to accepting Scotland into the EU, fearing that their success would encourage separatists in Catalonia. Finally, the unionists hold that the 2014 referendum settled the question. They say the separatists want to hold vote after vote until they get the answer they want.
How similar are Scotland and Puerto Rico?
Not much. Puerto Rico was a colony of Spain and was ceded to the United States. The relationship is characterized by many people today as colonial. Scotland and England were and are two different countries, which united with each other under a single ruler. The history of Scotland’s political status situation is different from that of Puerto Rico.
Scotland has a large independence movement and a slightly larger unionist majority. Puerto Rico, on the other hand, has a clear majority favoring statehood and a small but vocal group of separatists. While it is not known how the UK would react if Scotland demanded independence, Puerto Rico has demanded statehood and continues to wait for action from Congress. The nature of the independence movements in Scotland and Puerto Rico are quite different.
Scotland is widely recognized as a country, but it is not a sovereign nation. It has home rule, but the UK is the sovereign nation. Puerto Rico is a territory, not a country, and has no sovereignty.
