In Scotland, 300 years after the Union, pro-independence party seems on verge of victory
EDINBURGH -- Scottish voters go to the polls Thursday for what the First Minister, Jack McConnell, has described as the "most important election in Scotland in at least a generation."
At stake, whether the country –- which this week marked the 300th anniversary of its union with England –- will vote on independence from the rest of the United Kingdom within the next three years.
At the headquarters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Edinburgh the yellow walls of its campaign room bear the election slogan "It's time."
After years of trying to bring independence to Scotland, the party believes it's on the brink of a historic victory. If the SNP does form the next government, it is promising to hold a referendum in 2010 on independence.
Claiming Scotland's right to 95 percent of North Sea oil revenues, the SNP says such a move would be economically viable despite Scotland's current heavy dependence on UK revenues.
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At stake, whether the country –- which this week marked the 300th anniversary of its union with England –- will vote on independence from the rest of the United Kingdom within the next three years.
At the headquarters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Edinburgh the yellow walls of its campaign room bear the election slogan "It's time."
After years of trying to bring independence to Scotland, the party believes it's on the brink of a historic victory. If the SNP does form the next government, it is promising to hold a referendum in 2010 on independence.
Claiming Scotland's right to 95 percent of North Sea oil revenues, the SNP says such a move would be economically viable despite Scotland's current heavy dependence on UK revenues.