CFR Daily News Brief 9/19 Scotland Rejects Independence in Historic Vote

Daily News Brief September 19, 2014

Top of the Agenda Scotland Rejects Independence in Historic Vote Scotland voted to remain in the UK by a 55.3 to 44.7 percent margin after a historic referendum (Scotsman) on its independence that saw an 86 percent voter turnout and ended one of the country's most intense political campaigns (Guardian). The outcome was a deep disappointment for the pro-independence movement (NYT), led by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, whose heated nationalist campaign pushed the three main British parties into granting promises of new power to the Scottish parliament. After the Thursday vote, Prime Minister David Cameron opened the door for a federal UK (FT), pledging more constitutional power for English members of parliament. Analysis "David Cameron has escaped becoming forever known as 'the prime minister who lost Scotland.' But his task is not over. He must now manage his victory. If he fails to rise to the moment and communicate his respect for Scottish nationalism—and just as important, his willingness to address their substantive concerns—he may yet snatch political defeat from the jaws of victory," writes CFR's James A. Lindsay. "Even if the 'no' vote prevails...you're facing a high probability of another referendum perhaps in five years' time. The projected narrowness in the margin means some kind of Rubicon has already been crossed. It's going to be very difficult to go back to where we were previously." Richard G. Whitman tells CFR. "But the outcome of the vote, in many ways, is less important than its broader political context—specifically, the festering governance crisis in the United Kingdom and the European Union. The Scottish referendum will likely affect the evolution of this broader crisis, but will not resolve it," write Fiona Hill and Jeremy Shapiro for Foreign Affairs.