• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Leaders from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland meet in Cardiff.
  2. They demand UK government facilitate constitutional change across nations.
  3. Meeting follows Trump's Irish unity comments and Burnham's stance.

A day after US President Donald Trump said he would "love" to see a united Ireland, the first ministers of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are gathering in Cardiff to sign a deal to initiate the break-up of the United Kingdom.

Scottish National Party leader John Swinney, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Sinn Féin Vice-President Michelle O’Neill, and Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald will call on the British government to "prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change" across all three devolved nations.

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The summit comes after remarks made by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham during Prime Minister’s Questions. Burnham suggested that both Scotland and Northern Ireland could consider a border poll if there was a "clear consensus" that public opinion has changed. However, while a statutory trigger exists in Northern Ireland, no equivalent mechanism exists for Scotland.

Burnham later wrote to Swinney, stating that Scottish independence and a referendum were "off limits". In response, a source close to Swinney told The Sunday Telegraph that "Burnham doesn't seem to know the basics of the UK Government's position on the Union." Burnham subsequently claimed he was "simply highlighting that there is no consensus for an independence referendum in Scotland."

Adding to this, Trump on Saturday said that he would "love" to see a united Ireland happen sooner rather than later.

He doubled down on Sunday, stating, "You have Northern Ireland, and you have Ireland, and it would seem to me that one of the 'naturals' of all time is to put them together." He added that he would save his thoughts on Scotland for another day.

The meeting in Cardiff has left several thinking about how the UK was formed.

Formation Of The UK

The United Kingdom was created over several centuries through a series of legal acts and political unions:

  • 1536-1542: England annexed Wales through the Laws in Wales Acts.
  • 1707: The Union with Scotland Act merged the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into one nation: the Kingdom of Great Britain.
  • 1800: The Act of Union incorporated Ireland, establishing the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
  • 1921-1927: Following the Irish War of Independence, Ireland was partitioned. The southern portion separated, leading to the establishment of the modern state in 1927: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

How The UK Is Different From Great Britain

  • Great Britain is the collective name for the islands that make up England, Scotland, and Wales.
  • The United Kingdom (UK) is an independent sovereign state off the northwestern coast of Europe, made up of England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

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In short, Great Britain excludes Northern Ireland, whereas the United Kingdom is a fully independent sovereign state that includes Northern Ireland. While the UK operates under one central sovereign power, the four constituent nations that make it up are also distinct countries in their own right and have a certain extent of autonomy.

(With Inputs From Agencies)

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