I am a huge fan of secession. So much, that I believe secession is legitimate down to the individual. If Scotland doesn’t want to be ruled by Westminster, I support their right to secede. If Glasgow doesn’t want to be ruled by Edinburgh, I support their right to secede. If the Eastern side of Glasgow want to govern themselves in a different way than the Western, I support their right to secede. If neighborhoods want a different political structure for their local communities, I believe they have a right to govern themselves – all the way down to the individual’s right to secede from any political system he finds himself under.
Yes, this makes me an anarchist. But that’s OK – I am a peaceful one.
The Scotland referendum is a bit trickier, however, because – from my limited understanding – the pro-independence movement is quite nationalist and are in favor of a strong Scottish government. So, on the one hand, I support Scotland’s right to self-governance apart from England, but on the other hand, I more strongly support the individual Scot’s right to self-governance, which is incompatible with a strong Scottish state.
So, I have a simple solution: dissolve Scotland’s political ties to England, and then dissolve the Scotsman’s ties to the any resulting Scottish government. The result: maximum freedom for every individual in Scotland. After that point, they are free to associate how they please. It’s a win-win for everybody involved.
But something tells me individual secession will not be on a referendum any time soon.
