Looks at the state of the union today and the reasons why its continued existence is more unsure than it has ever been.
The union between Scotland and England in 1707 was forged out of political necessity at the time with next to no recourse about how it would maintain itself in the future. Indeed, the union that came to be was but one of a number of potential ‘imagined’ unions underpinned by different political, dynastic, and religious philosophies.
This chapter examines the union in historic terms, assessing the reasons that brought it into being, the structure of the union and the profound impact later union with Ireland had on the 1707 settlement, and the reasons why the union has endured. The chapter concludes by assessing the state of the union today and outlining the reasons why its continued existence is more unsure than it has ever been.