“…… Scottish independence referendum! Damn it! Isn't it enough that Edinburgh has been given basic financial and domestic autonomy? ”

On the top floor of Hogwarts Castle, the headmaster's room, which is like the Harry Potter novels, has a lot of silverware, but lacks a white-bearded old wizard. Potter watched the news about the Scottish independence referendum on TV and jumped to his feet in anger for a while.

Since Prime Minister Mason hurried back to London with his entire cabinet to organize Liliang to quell the riots, Chancellor Potter, who was left alone in Scotland, found himself almost an outcast. Almost all government briefings are no longer sent to him, calls back to London are always unanswered, and Scottish affairs are not even half of the time, Zuihou actually relies on TV news programs to learn first-hand information.

- Fortunately, this is not the real Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there is no magic spell to disable electrical appliances, otherwise he would not even have to watch TV.

But that's not strictly a good thing, because the news content on TV these days is pretty much bad news and bad news.

Ethnic riots broke out in London and several major southern cities, and this is not the first time, since the conflict between white England and foreign immigrants has been going on for decades, and no one can say who is right and who is wrong. It's just that this time it's a big fuss.

In order to deal with the riots, the British government was unable to muster enough police, so it had to place an order with the security company to mobilize mercenaries to quell the unrest in the capital...... This is a bit of a humiliation, and at least it shows that the United Kingdom lacks confidence in its armed Liliang. But there are precedents for such things. India, for example, has a Tibetan special forces in exile all year round, which is used to suppress domestic unrest, because these outsiders are not easily infiltrated and instigated.

But then next. Scotland is about to fall into the trap and launch another independence referendum...... This made Chancellor Potter angry.

“…… The United Kingdom is in the midst of a storm, and the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh is holding an independence referendum! This is a shameful betrayal! ”

David. Chancellor Potter waved his arms at his permanent under-secretary, Harry. Gordon exclaimed, "...... What's even more sad is that there was no reaction from the cabinet! Did this group of fools even think about if Scotland did leave the UK? So what's next for the United Kingdom? Can our Westminster Parliament continue to maintain a United Kingdom with only England, Wales and Northern Ireland? ”

“…… It's almost impossible, Your Excellency. Just like the collapse of the USSR back then. When the first domino fell. The rest of the course will not be able to hold on...... However, it is not necessary to say that such a crippled country cannot be sustained. ”

Harry. Gordon shrugged his shoulders, "...... Before the Scottish merger came in. That is, the time of the Tudor dynasty and Queen Elizabeth. Our ancestors also ruled such a shrunken version of the United Kingdom...... Either Whitehall has been overwhelmed by the riots and can no longer care about anything else; Or maybe you think it's good to go back in time...... But I agree with your statement, almost every cabinet is stupid! ”

“…… Each cabinet? This range seems to be a bit too big! "David. Chancellor Potter was a little disapprehensive of this statement.

“…… I'm not talking nonsense, Chancellor. "Harry. Gordon pouted, "...... Unlike civil servants, who are promoted through examinations and long trainings, ministers are selected at random and appointed on the basis of the prime minister's whimsical preferences to repay them for their contributions that they do not know. Or to avoid appointing real meritocracy. I can illustrate this with data: there are only 630 members of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. A party with more than 300 seats will form a cabinet, and of these 300 people, 100 will be old and stupid, another 100 will be immature and young, and the remaining 100 or so barely reliable members of the House of Commons will fill the government seats, and there is no choice at all...... Ah, of course, I don't mean you! Chancellor, your abilities certainly deserve the trust of the public! Let's put it this way! Your IQ level is almost enough to be a civil servant! ”

David. Chancellor Potter still had a stinking look on his face, glaring at him angrily, "...... Is this a compliment to me? ”

“…… Yes, Chancellor, highest appreciation. "Harry. Gordon replied with a smile, then quickly stopped and diverted the subject before the minister could go berserk, "...... Your Excellency, it seems to me that the current silence on the part of the Cabinet may be due to the fact that they have no choice but to pretend to be ostriches. But it is more likely that after some careful, scientific and reasonable discussions, Zuihou decided to let it go and wait and see. ”

“…… Decide to let it go? How is this possible? The minister's eyes widened, "...... Aren't we the central government anymore? ”

“…… Unfortunately, Scotland already has an independent parliament and government, and London's legal jurisdiction over Scotland is already weak. ”

Harry. Gordon lifted his glasses and explained with a look of experience, "...... Overall, based on my experience and speculation, Whitehall has about 6 options at this time: 1. Let it be; 2. Issuing a statement expressing regret over the Scottish independence referendum; 3. lodge a formal outcry that does not recognize the legitimacy of the independence referendum; 4. Freeze bank deposits in the Scottish Government as a warning; 5. Build a separation wall, set up a no-fly zone, block Scotland's external traffic, and block them to death; 6. Start a civil war and impose military control on Scotland. ”

“…… Well, that sounds pretty comprehensive. "David. Chancellor Potter blinked, "...... Which do you think you should choose? ”

“…… It's a very confusing choice, Your Excellency. Either choice would be a severe blow to the United Kingdom. ”

Harry. Secretary Gordon sighed bitterly, "...... First, if it is left unchecked, it is tantamount to acquiescing in this round of Scottish independence referendum;

Second, if you make a statement that doesn't hurt. It will only make Whitehall appear more incompetent and ugly;

Thirdly, if we lodge a strong protest. Denying the legitimacy of the Scottish independence referendum, then Scotland will go directly to the EU, given the bad relations between us and the EU in recent years, the neighbors of the European continent will only applaud Scotland and confirm the legitimacy of the independence referendum;

Fourthly, we can't actually freeze the Scottish Government's bank deposits, because the Scottish Government has its own banks. It is also possible to issue its own pounds, and large amounts of foreign exchange are deposited in Switzerland, we are not the United States. Unable to manage Swiss banks;

Fifth, if the wall were to be built, it would not only cost a lot, but would also be tantamount to recognizing Scotland's de facto independence. It is like the Palestinian separation wall built by Israel. and further exacerbate the hatred between England and Scotland, and we do not have enough fleets to blockade every port in Scotland, and the EU will absolutely make us troubled on this issue, saying that we are creating a humanitarian crisis;

Sixth, if we were to start a civil war regardless of the recklessness in the South, not to mention how the unrest in the South would be pacified, and how the terrible international repercussions would be appeased, with only 10 Challenger tanks and less than 3,000 infantry in the country. If it really fights, I'm afraid that even the city of Edinburgh can't suppress it. And the Royal Navy and Army are also full of Scots, and there is no telling when they will mutiny......"

“…… Sum up. Or the first option, that is, the safest thing to leave it alone. "Harry. Gordon Zuihou concluded, "...... Even if the Scottish independence referendum passes, it will take at least half a year from preparation to the official vote, and in that time, enough for Whitehall to come up with a plan to abort it. Even if the referendum does go ahead, it may not necessarily vote for Scottish independence – Quebec, Canada, has organized several independence movements over the past few decades, but none of them have been successful – and even in the worst-case scenario, where the Scottish independence referendum goes ahead and has a negative outcome for Whitehall, we still have enough cards to find a way to turn the tables around. ”

“…… Harry, something seems wrong with you! If the option of independence is passed in this round of referendum, then Scotland is about to secede, what cards do we have to play? "David. Chancellor Potter asked, confused.

“…… Ha, as long as all civil servants are willing to use their brains, Whitehall can come up with so many tricks! ”

Harry replied confidently, "...... When Gorbachev organized a referendum on the Soviet Union, more than 70 percent of Russians were in favor of retaining the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Union collapsed more than a year later, and Yeltsin and others, who finally signed the disintegration agreement, did not take the referendum result seriously at all.

Strictly speaking, the so-called referendum is nothing more than a decent basis for the legitimacy of something. Just like the usurpers who snatched the crown in ancient times, they would try their best to get relatives with the royal family of the previous dynasty. As for whether it can succeed or not, it depends on strength and luck, and the same is true for Scottish independence, as long as the general social situation does not allow independence, votes are actually of little use.

First of all, after centuries of unification, England and Scotland have become economically and culturally inseparable, and simply cannot be simply separated. At least, the cold and barren Scottish Highlands will not be able to survive on their own economically.

Secondly, we must not look at the Scottish question in such a way that we should not confuse independent self-government with separatism. Many Scots favour independent self-government not because they hate England, but because they don't want a Labour government, especially against Labour's multicultural policy of mass absorption of foreign immigrants – conservative Scots generally don't like to see Britain's demographics change.

Zuihou, Scotland's economic situation is not good, once their North Sea oil reserves are fully exploited, the cost of education and health subsidies alone can put them in bankruptcy. And now, they have at least the financial support provided by England......"

“…… Hey, don't the Scots still have the benefits of Arctic resource development and the Arctic route? "David. Chancellor Potter touched his chin and muttered in, "...... These were all under the name of my Department for Polar Development, but now they have all been snatched by the Scottish Parliament......"

“…… Arctic resource development? Although the land of Scotland is located to the north, it does not border the Arctic Ocean. Liliang, formerly known as the United Kingdom, has not been able to snatch food from the mouths of countries bordering the Arctic Ocean, Canada, Norway and Iceland. Is there a way for the Scots to squeeze in and get a kick? ”

Harry. Secretary Gordon said disapprehantly, "...... As for the benefits of the Arctic shipping route...... How so? Due to the cold weather and freezing seas, this route can only be navigated for a maximum of four months a year. And in addition to the ends of the fairway. Along the way, there is a deserted ice and snow tundra, and there is not even a port to dock at, let alone do business, and the commercial value is actually completely incomparable with the Cape of Good Hope route and the Suez route.

Let's put it this way, relying on the economic benefits brought by this route, we want to feed a small country like Iceland with a population of only 300,000 and create a 'Singapore of the Arctic Circle'. It's so-so. But Scotland, with a population of 5 million, is too big to feed such a thin blood vessel. At best, it's a big subject for financial speculation, much like the clean energy jishu we hyped up before, and the railroad stocks that Americans in the 19th century kept hyping -- the result of zuihou was nothing more than the bursting of the bubble. ”

“…… God, that's the way it is...... It is no wonder that the Scottish Parliament has just seized the lead in the development of the Arctic. In a hurry to form various Arctic companies. Listing in London and New York...... It turned out to be just a cover for a circle of money...... "Davy. Chancellor Potter took a deep breath and muttered as the corners of his mouth twitched, "...... I really thought this was a golden route with a lot of money......"

“…… There's a specialization in the arts, minister. As a political leader, it is natural for you to stand on a higher ground to take on more onerous responsibilities and propose far-reaching strategies commensurate with your exalted position, and your humble servant is the contemptible. You can only lock your eyes tightly on the superficial trivialities of the moment, and assist your far-reaching vision with hard and humble work...... "Harry. Secretary Gordon said with a humble face.

That sounds so comfortable. Although there is obviously a big difference from the truth, and ...... "What are you talking about?" Chancellor Potter asked.

“…… Well, you care about the well-being of all Britain, and I only care about how to increase the budget revenue in the department. ”

Harry replied coldly as he handed a freshly printed haode document to the Chancellor, "...... This is a co-development agreement for the Atlas proposed by Chinese peers in the Atlas, and the expected profit is considerable, which may effectively make up for the huge deficit of the British Ministry of Magic...... The question now is what capital do we have to put into it - and it is obviously impossible to want an empty glove white wolf......"

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Looking at David, who was wearing reading glasses and carefully reading the documents. The back of Chancellor Potter, Harry. Gordon couldn't help but sigh quietly - although he had said it with confidence, as a veteran civil servant, he was well aware that the question of Scottish independence was far from being easy to solve.

In fact, under the current system, the issue of the separation of Scotland can even be said to be unsolvable.

-- After the end of the Second World War, the decline of Britain was inevitable, as was the further disintegration of the United Kingdom.

What does Weishenme say? The most successful thing about the heyday of the British Empire was to establish Britain's global maritime supremacy, and then rely on its own maritime supremacy to establish a global financial and trade network that served the homeland, and continuously sucked blood from all the colonies.

But with the outbreak of the two Shijie wars and the rise of the United States, this colonial system was destroyed. With the collapse and disappearance of the colonial empire and the decline of trade revenues, Britain had to rely on the United States for security protection and eat its own old capital, that is, the financial industry.

Within the EU, Germany and France are Europe's manufacturing hubs, Spain is Europe's food basket, and the UK is Europe's financial hub...... This is a seemingly decent and high-end white-collar job, but it is also easy to replace - the industrial center and agricultural base cannot be moved casually, but the financial industry does not have this concern, don't you see that Iceland once wanted to build a "Wall Street on the tundra"?

What's more, if the financial industry does not have a supporting real economy as a support, it is purely virtual, and no matter how well it develops, it cannot be taken seriously.

Thus, after a period of affluence and prosperity, with the continued decline of the European and American systems and the overall rise of East Asian countries, the long-buried crisis within British society began to reveal itself - the financial turmoil and economic crisis were only superficial, and the social tears exposed after washing away the skin of prosperity were the real fatal crises for the loosely structured United Kingdom.

-- Strictly speaking, the national identity within Britain is very problematic, at least on a par with the dissolved Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, as evidenced by the fact that there was no unified British team in the Shijie Cup, but was divided into England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In the absence of violent deterrence and armed rule, a country with such a loose structure and complex ethnic composition can only share prosperity and prosperity, but cannot share weal and woe. As the sunset in Europe grows, the United Kingdom will be shaken and disintegrated, and local separatism will almost certainly rise. This, combined with the ongoing problems in Ireland, has led to Scotland's eagerness to take the plunge......

Therefore, after the total industrial, military, political, and economic recession of Britain, it is difficult to reverse the collapse of the country again. (To be continued......)