“The UK was formed by the Treaty of Union which brought together two sovereign nation states.
People who comment on these things should at least get some of their facts right.
I forgot of course we are now living in the world of "alternative facts"UK was formed by the Treaty of Union which brought together two sovereign nation states.
A partnership of equals not rule by one over the other.”
Here’s a few facts. Whether you class them as “alternative” or otherwise is for you to say.
Upon enactment of the Act of Union both Scotland and England ceased to exist as independent sovereign nations. The situation that now prevails is not a “partnership of equals”. It is not a partnership at all. For a partnership to exist there has to be at least two partners. There is currently only one. Scotland is no more entitled to call itself a “partner” in the United Kingdom than is England or, for that matter, Greater London or Cornwall. Perhaps it would help you (and anneasquith “…you're taking to peoples who know nothing of Scottish politics”) to grasp this if you took a glance at the Act of Union (rather than suggesting that anybody thinking contrarily to you is speaking with ignorance):
Article 1: From 1 May 1707 the kingdoms of Scotland and England were to be "united into one kingdom by the name of Great Britain". The flags of St George and St Andrew were to be combined.
Article 3: The people of Great Britain were to be represented by one parliament, known as the Parliament of Great Britain.
Article 22: Scottish representation at Westminster would be 16 Scottish peers in the Lords, and 45 MPs in the Commons. A separate Act of the Scottish Parliament [before it was dissolved] would determine the election method of election. .
Article 23: Scottish and English peers were to have the same privileges. All peers of Scotland were to be deemed peers of Great Britain.
Article 24: The Great Seals of England and Scotland were to be replaced by a Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
The root of today’s problems actually began then. Many aspects of Scottish life were not fully subsumed in the UK. For example, Scotland still has a largely separate legal system. That could be handled. But the biggest seeds of aggravation were sewn by the Blair government and its ridiculous “devolution” arrangements which gave Scotland its own “Parliament” (in inverted commas because it is no more a Parliament than is my local council). Those arrangements reinforced the delusions of grandeur that Scottish politicians suffered at that time and which have grown even more since.
Mrs May (who indeed was not elected by the public - along with every other UK Prime Minister) went to Scotland as the PM of the UK and with the support of all the Tory MPs, not just the Scottish one. She simply stated the facts. That is that the granting of a referendum is within the gift of the Westminster Parliament alone. It’s a shame that no politician has had the courage to spell that out so plainly a little earlier.