Scotland's vote to break from U.K. too close to call

For the first in modern history. London could be at risk of losing its control over Scotland.

On September 18, voters in Scotland will be presented with a yes/no question: Should Scotland be an independent country?

Scottish independence campaign gaining ground, polls suggest

If Scots choose independence, they will have more than oil as a cash crop.

Scotland exports $6.9 billion in whiskey every year. It's second only to oil and gas. If Scotland didn't have to pay high taxes to London for every bottle sold they'd have more of it to spend.

CNN's Erin Burnett has more.

Filed under: International • News • The Number

soundoff (5 Responses)

Christian_Wright

If it’s a NO thanks to independence in the referendum it won’t be the end of the world, it’ll just feel like it. I WILL feel emotion again (after therapy) and the first one to surface will be a sense of shame that my country bottled it – so far as I know, the only established, recognised nation, ever to do so.

My Scottish cringe which took decades to exorcise will return with a vengeance, only this time it will have legitimate reason to be.

Maybe I’ll affect an Irish accent and folk won’t know I’m from the nation that said NO because it didn't have the b*lls to say YES. It refused to take responsibility for it’s own governance.

I’m worried about my wee Scotty dug, Hamish, though. His wee face is so iconically Scottish, I’m going to have to paint his bum and teach him to walk backwards. The wee soul – I’m afraid he’ll get kicked every which way by a disgusted world.

September 10, 2014 at 2:43 am | Reply
glades2

A fractured UK would make Moscow and ISIS very happy – I understand the desire for a separate country, but this is not the time nor place...

September 9, 2014 at 9:20 pm | Reply
- Phil
  
  The Scots can do with a vote what took us (America) two wars to do, get their independence from London. I hope the vote passes.
  
  September 10, 2014 at 4:45 am | Reply
Terry

In all honesty, more for historical romanticism than anything else..I'll be sad to see us break apart and hope I never require a passport to visit.. however, it's up to the Scots, whether the peoples choice turns out yes or no we must honour their decision realizing it will not have been something every person wanted. There might come a day where Scotland chooses to move away from the Crown; it would not be the Queen, or Charles for that matter that would give up on Scotland. I really do believe they personally feel best when (for the time being) they are in the northern stretches of our country. There's many Islands that that have two soverign nations, the only one I can think of right now is Ireland and Hispaniola home of the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

September 9, 2014 at 2:49 am | Reply
James

The Scottish don't export whiskey, the Irish do. The Scottish export whisky.

September 9, 2014 at 12:53 am | Reply