... under current conditions, any of these are unlikely. For instance, Scotland has no real reason to leave the UK or Puerto Rico the US. But they have an established right to secede from their national union. Places like Kashmir or Balochistan lack that right, but the national governments have little or no support there, and expensive and costly occupations are required indefinitely to repress and squash the popular will.

Why would Iran or Indonesia split?

@ SAM FROM CALIFORNIA..........You have mentioned Kashmir, Scotland....but there is a possibilty of California, Texas, Florida, NYC too joining this list of yours. It may not happen in our generation or in our childrens generation....but look at the examples of British Empire or the best the Soviet Union. A quarter century ago nobody would have dreamed that the behemoth Soviet state would disintegrate into more than dozen or so countries. The world is constantly changing and who knows 100-150 years from now we may see new countries emerge out of China, India, USA, Australia...

I think your list shows something important. Globalization has brought many benefits and people generally like being in closer contact with others and sharing their cultures. On the other hand, management of large states has become unwieldy. The desire shared by people around the world is to have their voice be of some effect on how they are governed and certainly to receive a degree of justice. So this list grows on.

US states in a federal system are finding that their voices are usurped by other forces at the national level that represent only their own interests. This causes disgruntlement back home. The extent of that disgruntlement in Ohio, for example, is growing. Our recent election and congressional delegation was bought and sold by money beyond the state. The mood is sour. However I don't see Ohio declaring independence any time soon. There must be far more outrage, a steady stream of propaganda and organizing in the communities to see anything like there is in other regions of countries on your list.

which are bastions of Unionist sentiment. Now Dixie ...

I was just basing my statement on the fact that the SNP does well, but never wins. I'm of Scottish heritage, but since you live there I'll give you the benefit of the doubt on this one.

Anyways, all I meant really was that it's possible but unlikely if things as they are remain the same. It sounds from what you say that i might be right about that. But I don't know how much, or as you indicate, how little, would really need to change before independence becomes a serious issue.

Hi,

I think it would be a great shame to see a country like Britain break up into several small states, as it would make you easier meat than you already are for the bigger nations in Europe. Also what happens to your remaining colonies, such as the Falklands, Gibraltar, Bermuda, British Antartic Territory, etc? The geology and current research suggests huge quantities of oil are to be found in at least two of the above (Falklands Basin and Antartica), while oil reserves in Scotland have almost dried up. Someone is going to loose out quite badly in any break up of the UK. Another question, would be over the status of Rockall - another area of geology that suggests large oil and gas reserves; currently the Rockall Basin is calimed by Denmark, Iceland, Republic of Ireland and UK!

I also wonder what happens to minorities in Scotland or Northern Ireland for example? There is the example of the Republic of Ireland which in 1921 became an independent state with a 20% Protestant minority only to see that community decimated within a few short years, suffering at the hands of a political and relgious backlash. My great grandparents came to the States from Cork in the 1930's after their farm was raised to the ground and they were forced to leave. It's a history few people want to talk about now. However, I can definatly tell you the English people I spoke to when I was in Scotland last didn't feel to comfortable by the rise of Scotish nationalism.

When I was in the Shetland last year, the locals I spoke to there didn't seem too interested in independence. I wonder if your interest in Scottish nationalism changes dependent on what part of Scotland you orginate from? In the Lowlands, there is the Anglo-Saxon influence on language and culture, while in the Highlands there is the Celtic and Galic influence and language and culture, while in the Orkneys and Shetland they see themselves as being more Scandivavia than Celtic, there are also large numbers of English people living in Scotland, those I've spoken too seem quite alienated by rising Scottish nationalism. I wonder if Scots living in England may feel similar if Scotland chooses to go it's own way? Alex Hammond was on CNN quite recently telling everyone how much Scotland needs immigrants, as it has more people leaving than coming in. This begs another question, is Scotish nationalism about the best interests of the Scots or is it really about big business?

I find nationalism quite ugly. The idea that there is a race called the Scots, or a race called the English is obscene in reality! It is not born out by the history of the British Isles or the facts,. The history of the British Isles is one of settlement and cross settlement. It is this history than makes Britain unique and gives Britain it's character of strength and resiliance as a place not attracted by the propaganda of nationalists. Without it and a Unitied Kingdom who would have stood against the Nazi's? The Irish were certainly not interested. The Battle of the Atlantic (where millions of tons of shipping was lost due to the extra distances traveled to a safe British port) is a testimony of Irish intransigence to the plight of Europe, Britain and the free world at the hight of the Nazi threat.

It would be a shame to loose Britain - although - it seems like it will soon come. I hope when it does, you do not find yourselves replacing a political union within the British Isles, with a political union with the more distant parts of Europe that has far less interest in a partnership of prosperity, culture, geography and history but one of self gain at the expense of a rival.

Yugoslavia is a classic example of nationalism used internatlly and externally for nafarious reasons - none of which were connected to the welfare of the peoples involved. Nationalism presents itself on a plate for such uses!

Who is going to discipline defiant teenagers in Quebec if they end up their own country?

In the recent elections the Scottish Nationalist Party probably had the most pro-immigration parties in the UK, the hardcore nationalists grief is with the English, no-one else. In football (soccer to Americans) we have a thing called Anyone But England, where we support any time who plays, English people don't like that but to us it is joke, we don't genuinely hate English people (although I can see why people might think we do). Scottish nationalism is liberal nationalism though, Scottish people are very left-wing and unlike in England immigration isn't as much of an issue. The first foreign born msp in Scotland was with the SNP, many South Asian people I know support Scottish independence. Also Scottish would never take up war for independence, comparing us to Yugoslavia or Northern Ireland is ridicoulous. Scottish and English people are ethnically the same, we just like to believe we have a different mind set, you do get many Scots who will say they are not British, but don't support independence. We are not racist nationalists, look into the SNP manifesto and you will see that. As far as I am concerned if you have got the accent, you are Scottish.

The only real conflict between catholics and prodestants is during Rangers-Celtic football matchs, during the game people are secteranian but as soon as the game as over they are normal again. Scotland it mostly athiest these days, people do like to exaggerate tension between catholics and prodestants here.

The thing is most people don't view themselves as British, and I think nationalism here is more due to political differences than historical/ethnic differences. Like we didn't vote for the Conservative government, why should we let them rule us, when we can get out of it.(They only got 1-out-of-58 seats here). And we didn't vote for Thatcher yet she probably changed our country more than any other post-war politican.

Certainly while I was in Edinburgh there seemed to be a lot of anti English sentiment on the part of tour guides who appear to blame the English for everything, while this wasn't offensive to me - an American - it certainly seemed to be offensive to the English on the tour bus we were on, you could see it on their face and I spoke to several afterwards.

What I find ashame is that you're all on the same small island, you share a lot of history and culture, your both diverse groups of people but have more in common, than you have that is different, yet there appears to be a growing divide. As I said I have Scots-Irish routes, and they discovered how nationalism stirs up hatred, no matter what it's origins are. I saw this clearly in Yugoslavia in the early 90's.

The worst part of this growth in Scottish, English, Welsh, Cornish and continued volatile Irish nationalism is that it will make the British isles into a series of smaller states, themselves divided and easy prey for economic predators and regional powers such as France and Germany. It also creates a a very real problem for those areas of the world where there is a reliance on the UK for security and protection. The Falklands spring to mind. They see themselves as British, the Argentinians call them Argentinian and refuse to recognize British sovereignty. Meanwhile the oil in the North Sea is depleting, there is a growing energy, food, security and economic crisis in the world and all the people of the UK seem to be in the grip of growing nationalist sentiment and division, rather than working together. It's been seen before and it never produces anything good. If it hadn't been for Britain in 1939, the world would be a very different place. Without Britain and the traditions of democracy and freedom it promotes, the world could be a very different place by the middle of the 21st century, people will take note of Scotland and England as much as they take note of Belgium or Finland.

It is uterly false, would never happen here.

Many of the Scots that support independence, do so because there is a belief that Scotland would be better off economically because of independence not out of extreme nationalism like you get in other pro-independence non-countries. You do get alot of anti-Englishness here, although I don't think of it is serious (although I can completely understand why English people might be offended, as we see it as a joke and don't really think of it as offensive). I don't there would be any reason to believe there would be any sort of anti-English violence if independence came, you don't racially motivated violence against English people, the only times you do here about it is when they are in areas that they shouldn't be in (areas most Scots would try to avoid).Scottish people know we are the same ethnicity but we do have different cultural identities. I will say i feel your idea of "easy prey for economic predators" is utter rubbish. Since Thatcher destroyed our manufacturing we need all the investment we can get. Scotland, England and Wales are not divided nationalistly we aren't arguing over independence, the SNP have toned down the independence rhetoric since they won the election here. Britain is very divided over whether the cuts to the budget should happen but that is nothing to do with the "countries". The Labour party are the most popular in Scotland right now, I would not say the debate over independence is at a stage where it is currently realistic idea (though it could be in the future).

Talking about Britain and promoting freedom and all that I think is outdated with the rise of the EU, we are certainly as powerful as we were then and the EU is what really dominates that idea. England won't be irrelavant in the world as long as The English Premier League (soccer) is the world's most viewed sports league. Scotland might be end up being as known as Belgium or Finland but I don't think being in the union makes Scotland as an area any more known.