2022.1.26

     In today's class, we continued on learning about the United Kingdom. The first topic was history, specifically religion. Henry VIII is known for six marriages, as well as the separating Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church for allowance of divorce. And centuries after, James, a king who wanted to be catholic appeared, and he was basically kicked out after new price William was brought over. What I found interesting was that the influence of alternation in religion still remains in modern society. For example, no catholic can be king or president of the UK. We can see similarities between the US too. In the US, you have to be believing in a god to be in a significant position. I was quite surprised because most Japanese politicians are atheists and there is very little chance that religion can define your job or role in society.

     The second topic was the union of the crown. It refers to the personal union that was formed when England lost the king's blood and King James VI of Scotland became King of England and the Kingdom of Ireland as James I. By learning the very basic information of the origin of the United Kingdom, I could deepen my understanding on the relationship of the countries in and around the UK. One of the surprising pieces of information from today's class was the Darian case, in which the loss of life property occurred due to a failed plan to create a Scottish colony in the Panama area(the cause is basically England). Throughout Mr.Paterson's class, I was getting a feeling that England is prioritized among the 4 countries. It is understandable as England has the biggest population, but I can not deny the fact that its historical act is leading to diplomatic issues nowadays, symbolized by terrorism by Irish people and the independence movement in Scotland. 

     The last topic was the independence referendum. As Scottish National Party (SNP), whose party policy is Scottish independence, made a leap forward, the first Scottish devolution referendum happened in 1997. Although the approval was about 52%, the absolute vote rate of 40% of the total number of voters given as a special condition could not be achieved and the reform of delegation of authority was postponed. For the independence referendum, there was a huge game-changer (but in a negative way) for Scotland. The ratio of Stay: Indy was about 50:50 but after purdah was broken, it became 54:46. Moreover, English people living in Scotland were allowed but Scottish people living in England or foreign countries were not allowed. I felt like these referendums are very unfair and the system itself is becoming a huge disadvantage for Indy. However, as the number is very close, I am anticipating that Scotland would be Independent in a few years or a decade. Two class was a good opportunity for me to learn about UK relationship because honestly, I never even knew there was a problem between these countries. Thank you fort the class!