Should Scotland leave the UK? On 4 July the USA will celebrate its independence day. Some Scottish nationalists are hoping that in years to come, they will be able to join in.
‘Make July 4th Scotland’s independence day’
Breakaway: Some want to turn the coming general election into a referendum on a historic struggle. Glossary
House of Commons - The democratically elected house of the UK Parliament. It consists of 650 Members of Parliament.
Seceded - When a group or region withdraws from a larger political entity. In the run-up to the American Civil War, 11 states seceded from the USA and set up a new nation, known as the Confederate States of America or the Confederacy for short.
Scottish nationalists - People who want Scotland to be an independent country.
Westminster - An area of London known for its government buildings and parliament.
Unilaterally - Deciding on or doing something without asking or agreeing with others.
House of Stuart - A royal house of Scotland that ended in 1714.
Highlands - The Scottish Highlands are a mountainous region in northwest Scotland.
Clans - Close-knit groups of families.
Kilt - An item of clothing similar to a knee-length skirt, traditionally worn by Scottish Highlands men.
GDP - Short for Gross Domestic Product, the measure of all the goods and services produced inside a country.
Liberal - Liberalism is a school of political thought that stresses individual liberty. Liberals believe that society should not try to impose values or behaviours on individuals but should be tolerant of different lifestyles. A leading exponent of liberal thought was the 19th-century English philosopher John Stuart Mill, the author of the classic work On Liberty.
EU - European Union. An economic and political union of 27 countries.