Why Scots face historic election

A pro-independence party looks set to win the May 3 vote, 300 years after Scotland united with England.

By Tim Backshall | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor

from the May 3, 2007 edition

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Edinburgh, Scotland - Scottish voters go to the polls Thursday for what the First Minister, Jack McConnell, has described as the "most important election in Scotland in at least a generation."

At stake, whether the country – which this week marked the 300th anniversary of its union with England – will vote on independence from the rest of the United Kingdom within the next three years.

At the headquarters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Edinburgh the yellow walls of its campaign room bear the election slogan "It's time."

After years of trying to bring independence to Scotland, the party believes it's on the brink of a historic victory. If the SNP does form the next government, it is promising to hold a referendum in 2010 on independence.

Claiming Scotland's right to 95 percent of North Sea oil revenues, the SNP says such a move would be economically viable despite Scotland's current heavy dependence on UK revenues.

Ironically, the swing toward the pro-independence SNP comes just as Scotsman Gordon Brown looks set to take over as prime minister from Tony Blair, who is widely expected to announce his resignation next week amid all-time low popularity ratings.

Some see the shift as a reflection of dissatisfaction with Mr. Blair's Labour party, which has been in power for 10 years this week. But others see the SNP's popularity as a fundamental shift – not just a mood for change, but a genuine desire to break away from England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

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