Two Separate Worlds

Scottish Independence is on the cards again, raising many questions, but truly there is only one that matters: Are Scotland and England really different countries?

Of course, geographically speaking, they are separate countries, but what about in the terms of the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom suggests a united front, four countries joined together to best serve the whole, each with a shared mindset and series of goals. However, in terms of Scotland and England, this could not be further from the truth.

I was born in England, and lived there for half of my life before moving to the far reaches of Scotland. I have family in England, friends and acquaintances, as I do in Scotland, and although I live in Scotland today I visit England at least once every year.

Maybe once it was debatable that England and Scotland's mission and peoples were aliened, but today, in Brexit Britain, that is evidently untrue.

In England it is not uncommon to find a small-minded view of Scotland. So many people are dismissive of this beautiful country, believing it to be small, underpopulated, cold and uneducated. It is hard to say, "I am from Glasgow" without being openly judged, and harder still to say, "I went to school in the Highlands" without being affronted by immediate country-hick ideology.

When talking to a friend about the benefits of living in Scotland to the overcrowded, smog-filled wonders of London, I was thrown off by him saying, "Yeah but you don't get jobs like mine in Scotland." He hardly believed my brother and I when we turned around and said, "Yeah, you get finance jobs in Scotland." A stark reality check for both of us on how small minded the view of Scotland is for even the Englishman who has visited often.

This is not new, but on a recent number of trips to England I was faced by the sheer differences between our two countries.

While in England I noticed some severely stark differences between the priorities of out two peoples.

Where in Scotland's cities recycling points have been made a priority, with the large blue bins lining the streets of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and peoples recycling bins always outside on collection day, England has not got this mentality. I found no recycling points in any of the cities I ventured, and shuddered to find the majority of recycling bins outside peoples homes not only to be ridiculously small but also covered in cobwebs.

Where in Scotland all new housing projects must have solar panels, and the majority of electricity comes from Scottish Hydro, a green water providing source of power, in England I failed to spot any tell-tail green initiatives. While staying with friends I was appalled to find they mindlessly left lights on throughout the day and night, once even finding the oven left on, fully on at 250'C, for no reason at all.

While Glasgow's Clyde river is almost completely clean of pollutants a lake in Camden Market, London, is so thick with allege I thought it was a green and almost went to walk across it. While the beaches in Scotland have crystal clear water, and groups comb the coast to collect any litter that appears, the water off the coast of Essex brought my skin up in such a bad rash I had to seek immediate medical advice.

In England being Green is a fashion statement, while in Scotland it's a case of trying to stop global warming and having a realistic view of the Earths worth and our duty as a nation of the world.

This of course may not seem like the biggest issue to base the difference of our two countries upon, but when we talk as a United Kingdom we are being seen by the global populace as one nation. England can skim by on the green benefits of the Scottish people, while continuing to pollute the world at great cost, allowing the people there no thought towards global warming.

This brings me happily to my next difference. On return from our latest trip south I picked up two copies of the Metro, which perfectly reflect my point. One was picked up in Birmingham, while the other was picked up in Glasgow. The front page of the English version of the paper is addressing a celebrity court case, while the front page of the Scottish paper is discussing the importance of a public vote on Brexit negotiations.

It is no surprise that this year's Love Island featured a group of people trying to figure out what Brexit actually is. It almost feels taboo when in England to bring up topics of politics, both national and international, with most people. There is a deep sense that those topics of conversation are reserved for certain groups of people and do not make polite conversation.

While in Scotland you'll be hard pushed not to start a conversation with, "This weather, huh?" And find yourself deep into a debate about the politics of the day.

Thanks to the first independence Referendum, the rise of the SNP and the outrage that is everything happening in Westminster, we have seen a massive rise in Scottish people interested in today's politics. This can be seen being reflected in the conversation between average people, the stories our news papers feel are more interesting to their readers and the increase in pressure being applied to places like the BBC to cover Scotland fairly.

When two countries politics are so disaligned, and their populaces acting so incredibly different, surely it does not serve the best cause for either to have them tied, and their political decisions effected, as one?

Which brings me to the final point, everyone in the United Kingdom is British. There are many British stereotypes which apply wherever you are in the UK, however, there is a stark difference between being Scottish and being English.

While I could list my view on this as well, I feel that that would be opening the door to a number of complaints from both parties. However, if you are Scottish or English, then you certainly know what I mean, and if you are neither, I am sure you will be able to Google a thousand memes which will make it clearer.

With all the differences between our two countries it is time to face up to the reality that a United Kingdom is no longer the best course for Scotland and England. While the English may continue to benefit from their alignment with Wales and Northern Ireland, Scotland has become cannon fodder to the shared goals of those countries.

No one will benefit from a continued UK. With Scotland dragging it's feet and demanding change, change that many in England do not understand for when they look North they see nothing but a desolate wasteland, it would be best for all involved to cut the ties that chain us together.

It is time for Scotland to step away from this UK, and embrace our place as an Independent Nation, paving the way for a greener world, a politically invested society, and a better future for all.