Scottish Independence: A UK-wide referendum would be required

Below is the text of a post of mine published on the OurKingdom site last week. It stimulated a lively debate, which has led me to think further about the fundamental issues involved. I discuss these below after the copy of the OurKingdom post:
Giving only Scotland a say on independence negates the existence of Britain
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EU: Where Next?

Ireland’s ‘no’ vote to the Lisbon Treaty (aka the EU constitution) is a victory for democracy over the political class and the supporters of ever-greater integration of the EU member states. It’s also a victory for Britain, and for England, which was unjustly denied the referendum it had been promised by an arrogant and unrepresentative [...]

Campaign For a National Referendum (4): Frank Field again on the record in favour of a referendum

The Sunday Times reported yesterday that Frank Field has urged Gordon Brown to hold an immediate UK-wide referendum on the future of the Union. The Labour MP is quoted as saying, “Unless Gordon Brown wrongfoots [Alex Salmond] by addressing the English question and by holding a UK-wide referendum before he has the chance to build [...]

Campaign For a National Referendum (3): Frank Field backs a UK-wide referendum

In his speech to the University of Hertfordshire on Tuesday of this week, Labour MP Frank Field made out a strong case for the right of all UK citizens, not just Scottish voters, to determine the future shape of the UK: “Wendy Alexander . . . recently called for an early referendum on independence. Yet [...]

Campaign For a National Referendum (2): Downing Street Referendum Petition

Just signed the Downing Street petition for a referendum on English independence I came across today. This actually calls for a referendum on English independence irrespective of whether the Scots are offered a referendum on independence for Scotland, or if they go ahead and have one anyway whether the British government, or the Scottish First Minister for England, [...]

Campaign For a National Referendum (1): A Lifeline For Gordon Brown

This is the first of a new mini-series in which I’ll be putting the argument for a referendum on new constitutional arrangements between the nations of the UK, which should be offered to all those nations not just one or two (e.g. Scotland and Wales).
Below is a copy of a comment I made the other [...]

No way back for Britain: federation or independence are the only options

Another way to address the question of the constitutional options that should be put to all the nations of the UK at the same time as a Scottish referendum on independence for Scotland (see previous post) is to say that we should all have a vote, not just on independence for our respective countries, but [...]

Should England have a referendum on independence?

At some point in the next few years (maybe as early as 2010; or 2011, 2012 or later), the people of Scotland will be offered a referendum on whether to become an independent country. In my view, it’s highly likely they’ll vote ‘yes’.
At the same time as this Scottish vote, the people of England (and, [...]