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Global Ethics Corner: Scotland Steps Up: Will it Become Independent?

From: Carnegie Council
Series: Global Ethics Corner
Length: 02:00

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With a recent resurgence of nationalism, Scottish independence is once again a topic of discussion. Do Scotland's vast oil reserves make this a realistic possibility? Or would reliance on a single resource cause the new country to struggle economically after breaking away from the U.K.? Read the full description.

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Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues. It presents both sides of an issue, asking viewers to weigh the information and make up their own minds.

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Piece Description

Global Ethics Corner is a weekly 2 minute segment devoted to newsworthy ethical issues. It presents both sides of an issue, asking viewers to weigh the information and make up their own minds.

Transcript

For more than three centuries, Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom—a sovereign state consisting of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. As such, it has been largely ruled by London, the U.K.'s capital. But a resurgence of Scottish nationalism is threatening this unity.

In January 2012, prime minister of Scotland Alex Salmond announced he would hold a vote on Scottish independence in 2014. Salmond is also head of the Scottish Nationalist Party, which had its heyday in the 1970s with the discovery of Scotland's massive oil reserves. Oil prices hit historic levels. The nationalists rallied for control over royalties and for home rule.

Yet, in the end, the nationalists failed in the 1970s. In 1998, the British parliament gave Scotland more autonomy, allowing the creation of a Scottish parliament and giving Scottish elected officials the power to make health and educatio...
Read the full transcript

Additional Credits

Deborah Carroll – Executive Producer
Marlene Spoerri – Contributing Writer
Julia Kennedy - Content Editor
Robert Smithline - Editor
Terence Hurley - Editor
Gusta Johnson - Image Researcher

Related Website

www.carnegiecouncil.org