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The 300th anniversary of the signing of the Act of Union between Scotland and England took place on 16 January. The Act of Union was the birth of Great Britain, which also includes Wales. The agreement involved the bringing together of the Scottish and English parliaments into one, located at the Palace of Westminster (London, England). The anniversary took place amid forecasts of a vote in support of independence at May's Scottish parliamentary elections.

A number of opinion polls published recently have predicted an electoral triumph for the centre-left Scottish National Party (SNP). Founded in the 1930s, the SNP is unequivocally in favour of independence. Stressing that 80% of Scots believe that independence is the best option for Scotland's future, SNP leader Alex Salmond has promised to call a referendum on independence if his party wins at the polls.

Whatever the outcome, predictions of an SNP victory and the party's intention to hold a referendum have stirred up a debate on the future of Britain. The British government has warned that independence for Scotland would have a negative impact on the standard of living in the country, an argument that is rejected by the SNP which points to small countries which enjoy great prosperity such as Denmark, Finland and Norway.