Presenting the draft agreement on Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, British Prime Minister Theresa May ignores the opinion of the Scottish government; she must stop the adoption process and resume talks with Brussels, says Ian Blackford, the Westminster leader of the SNP (Scottish National Party). The word “Scotland” is not even mentioned in the document, he pointed out speaking at the House of Commons yesterday and urged May to let Britain remain in the single market and the European customs union.

Scottish leaders and MPs said earlier that they accepted neither Brexit nor the draft deal proposed by the central government in London.

It looks, however, that neither London nor Brussels is especially concerned about the opinion of Scotland with its five million population. A clear signal to that effect was sent last week, when, after five hours of debates, the British government nevertheless approved provisions of the deal that sets out the terms of its forthcoming “divorce” from the EU. That Cabinet meeting brought a tactical win for Theresa May: she managed to force a majority of ministers to support the document, even though some of them, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, declared disagreement with her stance and resigned.

On November 19, all EU countries supported the draft Brexit deal in a vote. The issue that remains unsettled is the potential extension of the transition period after Britain’s withdrawal, said Michel Barnier, Brussels’ chief negotiator. Not so long ago, he suggested that the period be extended from the earlier planned January 1, 2021, till the end of 2022. Apparently, London’s departure from Brussels will now progress without taking into account the official Edinburgh’s stance.

Will Scotland put up with this? This is far from a rhetorical question, since this part of the United Kingdom is quite critical about everything that May’s government does. To a large extent, it is linked to Scotland’s history.

For many centuries, after Anglo-Saxon tribes arrived at the British Isles, Celts, who mostly populated Scotland, Wales and Ireland, fought for their independence. And they won some outstanding victories in the course of this fight. For example, on June 24, 1314, the Scottish army led by King Robert I (Robert the Bruce) defeated the English in the Battle of Bannockburn. Scotland still celebrates its Independence Day on this day. However, the war lasted another 14 years, and it was only in 1328 that the Peace Treaty of Edinburgh-Northampton was signed, acknowledging the independence of the Scottish land.

The fight between Anglo-Saxons and Scots for dominance over the territory continued for several centuries, until the Act of Union was adopted in 1707, creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain, which comprised England and Scotland, with Northern Ireland joining later. Nevertheless, the idea of independence is still alive in the hearts of Scottish people.

To be honest, the desire of proud Scotts to part ways with the United Kingdom has recently grown somewhat weaker. The independence referendum of 2014 demonstrated this clearly, with only 45% of Scots voting for leaving the UK, contrary to expectations.

However, the referendum on Brexit in 2016 gave a new impetus to the nationalist lobby in Scotland. Then, 62% of the Scottish people voted against withdrawal from the European Union, not willing to let London decide their fate once again. But the Cabinet did not listen to their opinion or to that of Northern Ireland’s voters, who were also in favor of remaining in the EU, and launched the “divorce proceedings.”

In response to this, Edinburgh decided to hold another referendum on independence. But the Scottish hotheads were immediately cooled by the statements from Brussels. The EU rushed to announce that in case of separation from the UK, Scotland would have to join the “common waiting line” of nations willing to accede the EU and would be admitted in accordance with the standard procedure. A similar statement was made by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who warned that independent Scotland would have to join the alliance anew.

Yet Edinburgh does not seem willing to put up with the current situation and is determined to fight for its rights, notably, for the right to remain part of the European single market. Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, said in a recent interview with SkyNews, “If we are looking down the road to a situation where Belfast is still in the single market, and Glasgow is not, then any responsible first minister of Scotland is going to say 'that's a big worry for us'.” This situation can result in Scotland and Northern Ireland competing for investment, she said.

As if confirming the words of its first minister, Scotland intends to open its economic representative offices in EU countries, notably, in Berlin, already now, without waiting for Britain’s ultimate withdrawal from the EU. Because of Brexit, Edinburgh needs to at least double the number of employees in European structures, Ms Sturgeon said. Moreover, the Scottish government plans to establish a new agency that will be tasked with development of international trade and export of Scottish goods. The first minister believes that these measures will help Scotland to remain “the heart of Europe.”

One can surmise that Scotland’s dissenting opinion on Brexit will inevitably aggravate relations between Edinburgh and London. This confrontation is now purely political, but may later escalate to legal squabbles. Mass protests in Scotland are also quite possible. Still, it is hard to imagine London resorting to such barbarian methods as the ones Kiev used against people in Donbass, ordering air strikes or gunfire in Scotland. All the more so, as all British nuclear submarines are stationed near Glasgow…