Union crack ... English and Scottish demand home rule
THE break-up of the United Kingdom became a stark possibility last night as thousands of English and Scottish voters demanded home rule.
Most people on both sides of the border want their countries to ?divorce? after almost 300 years together, according to a poll.
National pride ... Olympic heroine Kelly Holmes
It showed that more than half of Scots and three out of five English folk want the two countries to go it alone. And thousands more want breakaway governments for Wales and Northern Ireland, too.
The survey revealed that backing for Scottish home rule has hit 52 per cent among Scots and 59 per cent south of the border.
Two-thirds ? 68 per cent ? of English people quizzed want their own parliament, an idea supported by 58 per cent of Scots.
And almost half of English voters ? 48 per cent ? want complete independence.
Only two weeks ago a Scottish poll found 51 per cent of Scots want to break away from the UK.
The shock findings come only six months before elections for the devolved Scottish parliament and next year?s 300th anniversary of the Act of Union between the two countries.
The growth of nationalism revealed in the ICM survey rang alarm bells in Downing Street yesterday.
The collapse of the UK would spell a constitutional crisis ? and scupper Gordon Brown?s dream of becoming British Prime Minister.
All three main political parties want the union to stay strong but have begun internal debates on its future. If public hunger for a parting of the ways grows they will be under pressure to act.
Experts warned last night that a four-way split would be the costliest and most traumatic divorce in world history.
Flying the flag ... Armed Forces would be carved up
The re-birth of four smaller nations would throw the Queen?s role as head of state into turmoil.
The Union Flag would be consigned to the history books as each country reverted to its own national standard.
Each would adopt its own national anthem and passports, and every British embassy around the world would be replaced by four.
Historic institutions like the armed forces would be carved up.
We could end up having to change money when we cross the border if the Scots vote to join the euro and the English do not.
Independence would also turn the Westminster parliament into a seat of power for England only.
Scots MPs ? like Chancellor Mr Brown and leadership hopeful John Reid ? would be banned from sitting in a London parliament. The fact that Scots MPs can decide English laws is already contentious.
Anxious ministers were forced to defend the union at the Scottish Labour conference in Oban yesterday. Mr Brown said: ?There is a debate to be had about the future of the United Kingdom.
?But when you look at the arguments, when you look at the family ties, economic connections, shared values, the history of our relationship which has lasted 300 years, people will decide we are stronger together.?
And Dr Reid said: ?When I hear polls and the pollsters and pundits tell us there is an unstoppable, inexorable march to separation, I say we?ve heard it all before.
?Separation would mean hundreds of thousands of children and grandchildren being forced to choose which passport to hold.?
Last night Tories blamed the creeping popularity of home rule on Labour?s ?botched? devolution.
Seat of power ... Westminster parliament
Shadow constitutional affairs secretary Oliver Heald said: ?They have left an imbalance in the system which has given the English a raw deal. It is important to give English voters some way of being heard but breaking up the UK is not the answer.?
But Scottish National Party leader Alex Salmond said that Scots were tired of being ruled from London.
He added: ?The onset of devolution has made people realise that since we have a devolved parliament, it?s time to have a real parliament with real powers.
?No amount of scaremongering from Brown and Blair will stop the independence tide.?
Lib-Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said: ?Once devolution has bedded down in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland it would be entirely appropriate to consider the role of MPs from all three countries at Westminster.?
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My god just the thought of this excites me. If Northern Ireland finally broke free it'd be the most positive thing to happen historically and otherwise......for some of us.
