How unite the United Kingdom really is over Brexit issue.

"United Kingdom. A mighty kingdom has stood proud in the world for over 300 years. Rising over war, plague and fire but remain unbowed. This kingdom has ruled a global empire which the sun never set, while celebrating tradition and royalty in equal measure"(Chanel, 2016). The United kingdom made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom is a unitary state operating under the same constitutional monarchy led by England. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK as well as monarch of fifteen other independent Commonwealth countries. The laws of these countries were based on Westminster Parliament and the Scottish Parliament in London which is the place where the state is governed. However, there are many issues that seems to be contrast with that concept of UK. This essay is going to analyze and discuss on each issues involve with the problem of unification of united kingdom.

First, the problem of division among UK is the issue of independent and nationalism. This is because the UK consists of many countries that has their own identity, history, culture and sense of their own nationality. as well as their own government which the different government systems was developed. Each of this nations have their own opinion of how UK should be operated especially in the contemporary event involve UK position with EU and Brexit. many accused that UK is bias toward England as they are the majority and everything is base in London and also they fear that they might lose their identity to the English that led to the issue of Scottish referendum. Thus, this rise the question of how united united kingdom is and what will the future hold for the UK.

For Welsh, they are giving over to England. This is because Welsh and England are closer in term of culture. So they don’t have the problem being under English parliament. They are more likely to negotiate to England than Scottish and Northern Island. They don’t have their own legal or educational system like in Scotland. They are OK with UK only concern on some of cultural issue e.g. language.

However, the massive division in the UK can be found in problem of Scotland and England. Scotland has last long history throughout the United Kingdom. Since 1707 the Act of Union was introduced, Scotland joined in UK’s parliament. But the Scottish still has high sense of their identities. They have their own parliament in the Whitehall that deal with the problem of Scotland only called “Scottish office”. The problem evolve around the issue of election. Scott is tend to be left than England. In the past, the labour party always gain a large support from the Scottish and the conservative’s never really hold power in Scotland. However, in the past few decade, it’s the conservative that always win the election so the Scottish found themselves under the government that they have never favor of. This is because Scotland is relatively a small country compare to England with the population only around 5 millions compare to 64 million. This led to the idea that they are better on their own. Moreover, the labour party that popular for Scottish because they, especially in the period of Gladstone, 1920, that believe that Scotland should be independent but however when they came to power, they only promote the Scotland devolution because they really don’t want Scotland to be independent because they will lose their supporter.

Because they saw nothing beneficial of being under British’s government, In 1970, there was the rapidly growth of Scottish Nationalist Party that promote the idea of Scottish independent and the belief that that they are better on their own. The Scottish Nationalist Party or SNP Founded in 1934. The party called for independence and the Labour government offered the first referendum in Scotland on the devolution issue. The Scottish devolution referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held in Scotland on 11 September 1997 over whether there was support for the creation of a Scottish Parliament with devolved powers, and whether the Parliament should have tax-varying powers. A majority voted in favor of both proposals. This is called a devomax that mean to give Scottish autonomy as much as it can get but still be a part of UK including tax-varying powers, full fiscal autonomy, gave the rights for Scotland to control its own legal and education system. The result was 'Yes-Yes': a majority voted in favor of the devolution.

However, in the Thatcher period, In 1980, Thatcher’s government introduced the Poll Tax to override the Scottish domestic taxation system. The result of this tax caused to the suffering of the poor and the damaging of conservative form in Scottish parliament. Mrs. Thatcher also got rid of the local authority to be based on Westminster or called Top-down Political System. Besides, the Scottish resource got exploited, the oil in the North Sea provided the benefit for British but it provided nothing for Scotland. For the foreigner affair, Scotland has no authority to decide on its own, including the issue of abortion and market, Britain has made decision for them.

The devolution followed by the he advent of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. “Alex Salmond” was the first leader of Scottish Parliament and also being the first minister of Scotland <which was equivalent to Prime Minister>. They saw the devolution was the way to be independence. Scotland has distinctive political, legal, economic, religious, education, agriculture, and cultural institutions. It now has power tax to legislate. Since then, the SNP since became the second largest party, serving two terms as the opposition. The SNP came to power in the 2007 Scottish general election, forming a minority government, before going on to win the 2011 election, after which it formed Scotland's first majority government.

This show the great division between Scotland and the UK in the fundamental area which once against was repeated through history and in 2014, there was the introduction of Scotland referendum for full independence. It led to the division within Scotland and the relationship with United Kingdom as well. There were two sides of YES and NO campaign. The “YES Campaign”, which led by Alex Salmond, that Scotland has their right to rule themselves and able to manage upon the foreign policies. The “NO Campaign”, by labour party, that sticking together is better than separating. Besides, Scotland didn’t have its own currency. The welfare might be cut.

There was “3 Armego” contained with David Cameron <Conservative’s prime minister>, Ed Miliband <Labour Leader>, and Nick Clegg <Liberal Democrat’s deputy prime minister>. They head up to Scotland to alter the trends of the opinion poll to vote NO. Cameron gave a speech called “a speech of desperate” to promise and provide treats. They made a big promise for what the Scottish need such as the Devolve Max and Tax power of Scotland. The result of the referendum was still “NO” for 52%

The second issue is Brexit. There was the division over the European issue within Britain on many levels which included the division among countries in UK and also within political parties itself. This is because Britain since the beginning has pursued isolationism that to be distinct, with a strong sense of identity, from the rest of Europe as they said that they won the war because they are separated form the rest of the EU. But however, Britian, without doubt is a one of European power because of the geographical tired. And after WWII, Britian fall in term of political and economical power to USA. while the rest of EU try to cooperate because they see that in the past they are always fighting each other so after WWII they agree to cooperate in term of economy to stabilize the continent. So in 1951, They introduced European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), an international organisation serving to unify certain Continental European countries after World War II. countries like France, Germany became rapidly growth. The membership under goes modernize and leave Britian behind. Beyond some prosperity in 1950 by 1960 Britain envy of theses countries. On March 25, 1957, France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg sign a treaty in Rome establishing the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market where member can trade freely.This time it create the division within conservative itself that some see that many conservative favor it as they saw the decline of Britain and joining EU could restored their status. Also in a national level where The rising of pro- Europe <who saw being membership of EU has benefit for Britain> and Euro-Sceptic led to the foundation of UKIP or United Kingdom Independence Party. However, the labour is more disagree on joining the EU because they fear that capitalism and money making culture will take over Britain. Anyway, Due to being closeness relationship with the United State, the French President, De Gaulle, veto against British to be the member for twice time in 1963 and in 1967 <later it was made by the labour government>.

Even they join EU but because of the disagreement of how much Britain should let EU have power over them. For example, the issue on “Exchanged Rate Mechanism” which is too allow EURO as base currency for the membership to reduce the exchange rate and monetary stability in Europe. However, in 1992, there was “Black Wednesday” that Britain forced to leave ERM in order to sustain the economic recovery. This could highlight the mistake of joining EU.

It led to the division within the conservative party. Some agreed in ERM to fix the value of pound by providing more prices stability of goods trade. But Mrs. Thatcher opposed this idea because she didn’t want Britain to loss control over the interest rate. In this time, the Labour Party turned itself to be more pro-Europe because Europe was the only way to promote its social and industrial policies. So the British Political ground is on the right and EC political ground is on the left. Mrs. Thatcher believed in co-operation with Europe, but she didn’t want Europe to interfere with the economic. Her opinion was being nationalist and the economic liberalism. She feared of European federalism.

In 1997, under the labour government, Britain decided to sign up the social chapter. John Major succeeded Mrs. Thatcher. There was the rise of Euro-sceptic by the younger generation of conservative. The conservative was out of power 1997- 2010 because they were divided.

The rise of UKIP or United Kingdom Independence Party as the anti- Europe has the most seats in European Parliament or MEP, 24 MEPs. The MEPs are divided ideological. It was the party that associated with the far right European politic. It was national party with the member from the former conservative party or euro-sceptic. They use their positions to campaign for British withdrawal from the EU. UKIP believed that closer economic and political union will be bad for Britain.

This lead to Brexit referendum in 2016 led by David Cameron from labour government. And the result is YES. This could lead to massive division in UK as the majority of Northern Island vote to stay as well as in London. This create tension that Ireland could leave UK to stay with EU or they will join the republic Ireland because they receive EU funding.