UNITED (?) KINGDOM

So Scotland remains as part of the United Kingdom. But the story is — by no means — over. The next chapter of this story will be written when the British government makes good the concessions it promised to the Scots in order to keep them within the fold.

And if the Scottish feel that the promises they have been made are thoroughly delivered and are not a mere exercise in window-dressing.

Moreover, it remains to be seen how Wales, Northern Ireland and — why not — England will react to the changes and their economic, social, institutional and political costs. A pessimist would go as far as saying that the United Kingdom remains “United” only for the time being.

Unfortunately, in the life of States the concept of “unity” is not linked only to a single flag or an anthem. There are serious constitutional, management and economic issues involved not to mention lifestyles and what the beneficiaries consider “rights” and those on the other side of the divide, privileges. And most, if not all, of these issues, carry costs and consequences, economic, social or political. Worse still, often both sides of any claim end up dissatisfied because they fail to find all their demands met completely.

In the particular case of the recent referendum, Prime Minister David Cameron as well as other political leaders like former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown made promises that could turn thorny at the time of delivery.

One example is that of the devolution of spending powers to the Scottish Parliament, which could trigger several issues, One of them is that it automatically will create inequality with — say — Wales. Then, there is the question about where will the money come from. And then, there will be the need to agree if the powers which are transferred really honour the campaign promises.

But there is more. The promises made to Scotland, and the way in which they are supposed to be implemented, are being divisive within the British political parties. Many members of the Conservative Party are less than happy with the promises which their Leader made in order to “buy” (say the angry Tories) a vote against independence. And the Labourites have their own grievances. The vast majority of Scottish MPs are either Labour or Scottish National Party. As a quid pro quo for devolution, Scottish MPs would lose their right to vote in Parliament about matters which concern exclusively England. So the Tories would have an absolute — guaranteed — majority on those votes.

There is already talk about changes to the British Constitution. For many admirers of that — unwritten — example of institutional excellence, the sole idea seems tantamount to the change of a civil Bible. Moreover, although “Britannia does not rule the waves” any more, there is some concern that the Scotland issue could a herald more international problems of similar nature. Spain’s Catalonia seems to be the most immediate. With the added problem that whilst the Scottish referendum took place in a situation of consensus, that does not seem to be the case between Barcelona and Madrid. So it remains to be seen how the issue is sorted out.

Many years ago, Europe was the continent of civil wars, with countries like France and Germany jumping at each other’s throats with certain frequency. Then came World War II.

The sheer horror of it, pushed for imaginative solutions. Which came by unifying European countries in common goals. First came the “European Coal and Steel Community” (ECSC). Although established as an economic alliance, the real objective of the ECSC was far more ambitious. In the words of one of its founding fathers, the aim of the Community was to “make war not only unthinkable but materially impossible.” The trick was to make supranationalism prevail — in some instances — over sovereignty. A bold thought for the times.

The experiment worked, and the new creature — with six European members — evolved first into the European Economic Community in 1957, and then (in 1993) into what we now know as the EU with a total membership of 28 member countries. The good news is that their interdependence has contributed to a peaceful Europe. The bad news is that separatist tensions in some of them seem to be very much at work.

@andresfederman

CREDITS: BUENOS AIRES HERALD