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In a curious coincidence, 2014 Scotland and 1994 Quebec have nearly the same population: about 5–6 million. About the same as Denmark or Norway, and half-a-million more than Ireland. Even on physical area Scotland’s no slouch: about the size of Holland or Ireland, and three times the size of Jamaica. The fact that Ireland, Norway, and Jamaica are all considered sustainably-sized countries argues for the separatists here. So small is possible. But is it a good idea? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is resoundingly “Yes!” Statistically speaking, at least. Why? Because according to numbers from the World Bank Development Indicators, among...

EDINBURGH—If Scottish nationalists win independence from Britain in this week’s referendum, they will owe at least some thanks to an unlikely ally: the late, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher. The current Scottish referendum on independence, coming down to a too-close-to-call finish on Thursday, has reignited the fire under Scotland’s long-standing resistance to Conservatism in Britain, especially the Thatcher brand of the 1970s and 1980s. “I came over to independence as a result of Thatcher,” says Douglas Campbell, a 65-year-old Yes campaigner who showed up at a canvassing push near Scotland’s Parliament in Edinburgh on the last Sunday of the...

Ukraine's defense minister said on Sunday that NATO countries were delivering weapons to his country to equip it to fight pro-Russian separatists and "stop" Russian President Vladimir Putin. Valery Heletey told a news conference he had discussed weapons deliveries in bilateral meetings with NATO defense ministers during a NATO summit in Wales on Sept. 4-5.

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)Next week’s referendum on Scottish independence has largely flown under the radar screen here in the United States. The cable news networks have devoted little attention so far to the issue, as the Isil threat in the Middle East continues to dominate international coverage. There has been no polling conducted on the Scottish question in the US, and it is doubtful that many Americans outside of the Washington policy bubble or the financial milieu of New York are particularly exercised by the outcome of a vote taking place over 3,000 miles away. They should be concerned, however. What happens in...

Global markets are suddenly jittery about the prospect that Scotland, after 307 years as part of the United Kingdom, could become its own country if Scots vote for independence in a Sept. 18 referendum. If proud but tiny Scotland can do it — which polls suggest is a distinct possibility — then America’s 28th state, Texas, will certainly take notice. If any state is fed up with the rest of America, it’s Texas. Republican Gov. Rick Perry floated the idea of seceding from the United States in 2009, though he later backpedaled. A petition for Texas to “withdraw" from the...

nvestors have pulled money out of the UK at the fastest pace seen since the financial crisis of 2008 amid fears that Scotland will break away from the Union, triggering a broader political crisis.

"Centralists in America fear that, if Scotland votes yes, it may set a chain of events in motion that could affect many more western regions," the movement organizers wrote. "Suddenly, the impossible seems possible." With some new attention on Texas nationalism comes repeated arguments for independence: Yahoo columnist Rick Newman notes that — with its GDP of $1.6 trillion and population of 27 million — Texas would be the 13th largest country in the world if it obtained independence from the United States. He also wrote Texas could lure companies away from the United States and survive on the strength...

On the south side of Glasgow, in the heartland of Scotland's Asian community, support for independence from the United Kingdom is strong as Thursday's referendum nears. Colorful displays of Yes posters outnumber those backing the Better Together campaign. Talk on the street is of opportunity and a chance to create a fairer country more welcoming to immigrants. [snip] Across Scotland, there are some 140,000 people who class themselves as Asian Scots, along with around 30,000 Africans, 7,000 from the Caribbean, 55,000 Poles and over 160,000 other non-British EU Citizens eligible to vote in the landmark referendum. These "New Scots" represent...

Historically valuable items are continually being lost or destroyed or being found. For example, most R&L readers likely missed a two-paragraph item in the middle of page 10A of last Wednesday's edition. The title of the article was "Canada Finds One of Two Explorers Ships Lost in Arctic." I feel this discovery warrants more coverage. The two vessels were the HMS Erebus and the HMS Terror, both lost during an expedition to determine the feasibility of traversing the "Northwest Passage," a route over the top of North America to link the Atlantic Ocean and Europe to the Pacific Ocean and...

Owning a car should be “outlawed” to force people on to public transport, a senior Labour MP has suggested. Motorists who want to drive should instead be forced to join communal “car clubs” where the cars are shared by drivers and used only when needed. Dr. Alan Whitehead, a Labour MP for Southampton Test and a member of the Energy and Climate Change select committee, said the increase in car ownership would lead to “something approaching a national traffic jam before 2040”. He claimed that radical action would be needed to avoid national gridlock. …

OIL GIANT BP has been threatened with nationalisation in an independent Scotland. Jim Sillars, the former SNP deputy leader, also warned that bankers’ “casino days” would be over. The prominent Yes campaigner yesterday attacked “scaremongering” business leaders, claiming they will face a “day of reckoning” if Scotland votes to break away from the UK. Mr Sillars accused large companies and banks of “subverting Scotland’s democratic process” by making high-profile interventions in the independence referendum debate. He said: “This referendum is about power, and when we get a Yes majority we will use that power for a day of reckoning with...

Today is the Scottish National Party conference in Perth. At some stage, SNP leader Alex Salmond will no doubt be crowing, as he is wont to do, about his success in transforming Scotland into the "Saudi Arabia of renewables". This is inaccurate. What he has actually done is transform Scotland into the Saudi Arabia of tourism, which is to say he has turned a once-beautiful country into a vast, inhospitable desert which no one in their right mind would want to visit. Scotland's landscape was, until recently, one of the great glories of our national heritage. What made it so...

A radical Muslim cleric alleged to have inspired the Fort Hood gunman has been praised in the past as “a preacher of peace” by a prominent SNP candidate with close links to Alex Salmond. The FBI is investigating communications between Major Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people at the US Army base in Texas, and Imam Anwar al-Awlaki, a US-born Muslim cleric now based in Yemen. Mr Awlaki has a large following in Britain and counts prominent mainstream Muslims among his supporters. In 2006 Osama Saeed, who has been selected as the SNP candidate for Glasgow Central for the next...

Controversial far-left British MP George Galloway has declared his constituency an "Israel-free zone", in comments that are bound to invite further allegations of racism. The notoriously anti-Israel Galloway told a meeting of the Respect Party which he heads that Israelis of any persuasion were "not welcome" in Bradford, where serves as MP. "We have declared Bradford an Israel free zone," he told party activists at the meeting in Leeds. "We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college. We don’t even want any Israeli...

Respect MP George Galloway has declared Bradford to be an "Israel-free zone" as a result of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Controversial far-left British MP George Galloway has declared his constituency an "Israel-free zone", in comments that are bound to invite further allegations of racism. The notoriously anti-Israel Galloway told a meeting of the Respect Party which he heads that Israelis of any persuasion were "not welcome" in Bradford, where serves as MP. video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMSM5vvAmYs "We have declared Bradford an Israel free zone," he told party activists at the meeting in Leeds. "We don’t want any Israeli goods. We don’t want any Israeli services. We don’t want any Israeli academics, coming to the university or the college. We don’t even want...

Glasgow City Council will fly Palestinian flag to show solidarity with people of GazaAug 06, 2014 THE Palestinian flag will fly from the city chambers on Friday, becoming the second council to do so as the humanitarian crisis escalates. GLASGOW City Council will fly the Palestinian flag from the city chambers this Friday in an act of solidarity with the people of Gaza, it was announced today. The move, which follows a similar display by West Dunbartonshire Council, has been welcomed by prominent campaigners, who have staged weekly demonstrations in the city as Israel has stepped up it’s offensive...

EDINBURGH -- Campaigners for an independent Scotland are struggling to convince voters that their ancient nation will be better off if it leaves the U.K. Undecided Scots like Calum Carruthers, a 36-year-old father of two from Dunblane, a cathedral town near Edinburgh, are weighing the potential benefits and risks of ending the country's longtime partnership with England, Wales and Northern Ireland. "Emotionally, my instinct is it would be a good thing," said Mr. Carruthers, who works at a bank. But he added that the economic uncertainty is a huge concern, underscoring the dilemma many Scots are grappling with: "There's an...

It’s a bold claim – but one that is absolutely correct. Scotland is, according to the Financial Times, one of the top twenty wealthiest countries in the world. Over the past five years, Scotland has been better off than the UK as a whole to the tune of £1,600 per person. And we’ve generated more tax per head than the rest of the UK in each of the last 33 years. In fact, we are richer per head than the UK, France and even Japan. It is hard to imagine that any other nation has been as well-placed as wealthy...

I think we have lost Scotland. I felt it the other day, a disturbing sensation like that moment when the tow-rope parts, the strain too great for its rotten, decayed fibres to bear. The sulky, puzzled feebleness of the London politicians’ arguments sounds desperate and defeated. Alex Salmond has already won the September referendum. [....] But this does not stop me seeing what has happened. And I am amazed that so few have noticed the real problem. The leaders of the United Kingdom cannot argue for Scotland to stay in a country they themselves are working so hard to abolish....