Scotland
The long-standing issue of the Scottish independence is to be settled with a referendum scheduled for September 18.
Initially planned by the ruling Scottish Nationalist Party as a three-option ballot - independence, independence-lite and further devolution within the union - the referendum was approved by the British government on October 15, 2012, to have two options - independence or union. As a result, about 60 percent of voters who prefer the intermediate option of further devolution have to make a difficult choice with no option that fully corresponds to their preferences, which makes the results of the referendum unpredictable.
Apparently, London assumed that full independence would scare off most Scottish people. However, this plan could now go awry. If a majority votes for secession, Europe could witness the rebirth of the Scottish state on March 24, 2016.
Earlier in September, YouGov, a company that previously had been painting pessimistic pictures for the "Yes" side ahead of the referendum, published a poll showing that they had finally outweighed the "No" camp, though the margin remains too narrow.
Comment: See our SOTT Focus on Scottish independence: People of Scotland! You are being Lied to! Vote "YES!" - you won't regret it!
Comment: Scotland may be emboldening other European countries, but Crimea got the ball rolling, voting to secede from Ukraine and rejoin Russia. Of course, the entire Western world considers their referendum illegal, showing the West's blatant disregard for the feelings and convictions of Crimeans.