Are the commitment to Scottish independence and the Scottish National Party’s surge evidence of a clash of values between Scotland and England ?

Abstract

The notion that Scotland could one day become independent owes much to the fact that Scottish society is quite often described as being more progressive than English society. The (self-)description, of course, plays no mean part in Nationalist discourse, which stresses such things as the support for the Conservatives in England and the rise of UKIP. Nevertheless, there is factual evidence that the rejection of London policies and the increased backing for anti-Union parties in Scotland should not automatically be equated with proof that the Scots’ outlook on education, social justice, the economy, immigration, etc., and that of the English are poles asunder. But if so, then it may well be that the gap between (self-)description and reality tells us a lot more about the essence of Scottish nationalism than about any discrepancy between Scotland and England.