Scotland: Winners and Losers

In case you haven’t heard, there was a pretty big vote in Scotland Thursday. Nearly FOUR million people turned out to cast their ballot for a chance to end their 307-year marriage with Great Britain. The independence party put together a massive campaign, urging Scots to break away and form their own government. It was a valiant effort, one that likely would’ve made Mel Gibson proud, but it fell short. 55 percent of the people chose to continue their close ties with the United Kingdom. Now, with the other 45 percent of the people left to pick up the pieces of their dashed hopes and dreams, we’re taking a look at some of the biggest winners and losers in the whole process.

The most obvious winner is Prime Minister David Cameron. Had Scotland divorced the UK, his job would have probably been lost. The correlating loser: Alex Salmond, the leader of the independence movement. Salmond conceded defeat on Friday morning, before announcing his resignation later on.

Another big winner was the pound, and the immediate positive impact on the stock markets. Investors glibly poured money back into the markets Friday morning after fears of uncertainty vanished away with the NO vote. Another loser in the fray, the separatist movement in Catalonia. The wealthy Spanish region has been pushing for independence, but now the national leaders are optimistic they can keep them reigned in.

But the biggest winner in all of this is without a doubt, the people of Scotland. Hats off to a country that came out in full force to stand up and let their voice be heard. Not only will they now have far greater powers in the UK, but the sheer turnout showed the true patriotism and the measure of investment from people all over the country. Overall, well over 80 percent of the entire voting populace showed up to vote, and in some regions, as many as 97 percent voted. Even the youth of Scotland showed up in droves. For the first time, polls were open to 16 and 17 year olds, and they seized the opportunity to decide their future. Imagine what it would take to get that kind of citizen expression here in America. To give you an idea, the largest voter turnout in the last 100 years was almost 63 percent. Speaking of winners and losers, that was the 1960 election when John F Kennedy beat out Richard Nixon.

Another winner in all of this is Democracy. Sure, maybe it’s just an idea. But today, we learned how powerful it can be. A true Democracy is at it’s best when the people who care about it the most come out to the polls and lead the way along with their fellow countrymen. United, a country stands, divided, they fall, and silent, their freedoms just fade away. The United Kingdom just regained a courageous partner, as strong as ever before, and empowered by the process of democracy.