Hi folks!

Throughout this dedicated article, I would like to take this opportunity first, to provide a brief summary of what the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament are, and second, to explain what their functions are.  The sources for this article vary from different national websites and journals, which I had had occasion to read.

The Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government are separate and distinct organizations. The UK Parliament plays a major role, as it shall set up their powers and duties and budget operations since both their creation in 1999.

Headed by the first Minister (Nicola Sturgeon), the Scottish Government is in charge of deciding how the country is run for devolved matters such as health, justice, and education and responsible for the formulation of policy. While the Scottish Parliament is made up of 129 MSPs (Member of the Scottish Parliament), has legislative authority and, thus, oversees the executive branch (The Scottish Government) and passes laws.

In sum then, the Scottish Government is accountable to the Scottish Parliament, and both organisations are accountable to the people of Scotland.

Currently, it exists five major political parties in Scotland:

1. Scottish National Party (SNP) - Centre-Left, Pro-Independence (68 MSPs)

2. Labour Party - Centre-Left, Unionist (37 MSPs)

3. Conservative and Unionist Party – Right Wing, Unionist  (15 MSPs)

4. Liberal Democrats - Centre, Federalist (5 MSPs)

5. Scottish Green Party - Environmentalist, Pro-Independence (2 MSPs)

As we can see, the SNP is the largest party in Scotland. In fact, it supports and campaigns for Scottish independence. Thereby, it leads us to discuss about a significant moment in Scotland’s history: the Scottish independence referendum (18 September 2014). People in Scotland voted in a referendum to remain in the United Kingdom. However, for some better understanding of this event let's briefly discuss and discover the reasons why.

The Scottish National Party, whose central aim is independence, won the 2011 Scottish Parliament election. This historic occasion resurrected the rivalry and tensions between Scotland and England that have existed for a long time through countless wars and royal weddings.

Nonetheless, one major issue have emerged during the campaign: the North Sea oil. It was one of the key element ahead of the Scottish independence referendum because of its economic weight and its potential. Indeed,” North Sea oil supplied 67% of the UK's oil demand in 2012 and 53% of the country's gas requirements and is a major boost to the country's economy.”

On the other hand, it was unclear whether Scotland could get by without Europe and UK. There were too much doubts concerning benefits after independence. Strictly speaking, does Scotland cost more than their financial resources generate?

Finally, Scotland voted “No” (55%) to independence following an historical campaign between “Yes” Scotland and “Better Together” since people though that England and Scotland were better off together. Perhaps let us can think itself that that was because people were satisfied with choices made by the UK Government in the past.

I hope you have enjoyed this interesting article about the Scottish Government and ongoing internal conflicts between Scottish and British people which almost led to the independence of Scotland in 2014!