BTW, I’m apparently related (maternally) to the head of the Scottish Conservative Party. Goldie is a fairly obscure surname, and we’re all related. I’ve never contacted her to find out exactly how close a relation she is (probably a 2nd cousin). My Scot grandfather (whom I’m presuming would be either her uncle or granduncle) always had a strong anti-Socialist streak. He was a tool & die maker in NYC who fought like hell to keep labor unions out of his workplace.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annabel_Goldie
I have friends who remember when you heard Scottish brogues around Kearny, NJ as late as the 1960s. Now, you need to Farla Portugues in Kearny, at least in the portion closest to Newark.
BTW, if Scotland declares its independence, they can probably count on the U.S. recognizing it as independence without even asking the British Government what it thinks. Or do Scots need to convert to Islam to receive that privilege?
I believe that if the people of Scotland truly wish to be independent, that they should be independent, and feel the same way about the Basque in Spain and France and the Kurds in Turkey and Iraq. However, the U.S. government can’t immediately recognize a new nation in the face of opposition from so many countries in its continent, including several of our allies.