Ex-DUP Leader Mocks Wales, NI & Scotland Independence Pact!

Sep 16, 2026 | Arlene Foster just called the break-up of the UK “nonsense” and “performance art.” The former DUP leader dismissed Welsh independence, Scottish independence, and a united Ireland in one clip — and the contempt is the story.

Was it a distraction… or did Brexit already crack the union she claims to defend?

This week the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland met in Cardiff to talk self-determination, just as Donald Trump backed a united Ireland.

Foster went on The Jeremy Kyle Breakfast Show and said none of them have a majority, the pact is a “destruction charter,” and it “isn’t going to happen.”

Why the United Kingdom Is Facing New Calls for Independence | DW News

Sep 14, 2026 | Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are challenging London's authority, saying its days of control running out. We explore what is at stake for the UK's various nations – and how serious the challenge to the union really is.

The UK Is a Voluntary Union, So There Must Be a Mechanism to Leave | Stephen Gethins

Sep 14, 2026 | “Let’s figure out what the mechanism [to leave the UK] is so we can get on with the debate about the substance.”

The last Scottish independence vote was “a long time ago” and the current union doesn’t properly serve the people of Scotland, says minister for Europe, external affairs and energy for the SNP Stephen Gethins.

Burnham Cannot Stop End of United Kingdom, Says Sinn Fein

THE TELEGRAPH: First ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland sign pact insisting on ‘right to self-determination’

Screenshot taken from this Telegraph article. | John Swinney, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday Credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP
Andy Burnham cannot stop the United Kingdom from breaking up, Sinn Féin said after signing a pact with the SNP and Plaid Cymru.

The first ministers of the UK’s three devolved nations – John Swinney, the SNP leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, leader of Plaid Cymru, and Michelle O’Neill, Sinn Féin’s vice-president – signed a memorandum of understanding during a meeting in Cardiff on Monday.

The deal aims to pile pressure on the Prime Minister after Donald Trump, the US president, said he would “love” to see a united Ireland.

Ms O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s First Minister, said Mr Burnham “will not be able to hold back the tide” of nationalism in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Speaking at a joint press conference by the four leaders, she said: “We’re certainly living in times of enormous change, change that is unstoppable, change that – no matter what is said by any British prime minister – will not be able to hold back the tide of what’s happening in front of our eyes right now.

“Our common cause here is the understanding that Westminster does not and will never serve our people well. Our common cause here is that we have the right to self-determination, and the common cause that we have here is that we need to collectively ensure that that message is heard in Westminster.” » | Simon Johnson | Scottish Political Editor | Monday, September 14, 2026

LIVE: Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Leaders to Call for Independence from UK

September 14, 2026

The UK, by Denying Scotland to Leave the Voluntary Union Treaty, Is Breaking International Law

Jan 8, 2024

Thousands March in Cardiff Calling for Welsh Independence

THE GUARDIAN: Rally by campaigners, who say Westminster government does not serve nation’s best interests, is second in a few months

Welsh independence campaigners in the centre of Cardiff, Wales on Saturday. Photograph: Bronwen Weatherby/PA
Thousands of people have marched through Cardiff as part of a rally for Welsh independence.

Campaigners at the event carried large flags and banners and paraded through the city centre led by a samba band. It was organised by All Under One Banner Cymru (AUOB) and Yes Cymru. It was the second pro-independence rally to take place in Wales this year, after a march attracted about 8,000 supporters in Wrexham in July.

The AUOB and Yes Cymru [Cymru is Welsh for Wales] are campaigning for independence from the United Kingdom, as they believe Westminster does not operate with the best interests of the Welsh people in mind.

Despite rail strikes across the UK, organisers estimated about 10,000 people made it to the march – at the front of which was a banner saying “Annibyniaeth”, meaning independence in Welsh.

…

Harriet Protheroe-Soltani from AUOB Cymru said: “Given the UK government’s recent tax cuts for the rich and continual erosion of workers’ rights it’s important, now more than ever, that people come along and demonstrate that we do not trust Westminster to look after the interests of Wales.” » | Gemma McSherry | Saturday, October 1, 2022

How ironic it would be if Scotland and Wales seceded from the Union and Ireland became independent, too. Scotland and Wales could be independent nations in the European Union. The Republic of Ireland is already in the European Union and is prosperous as a result of its membership; so, if Northern Ireland joined Eire, the whole of Ireland would be in the EU. That would leave England truly isolated. Perhaps it could apply to the US to become its 51st state! I'm sure Disney could do something splendid with England's royal heritage! A sad irony indeed. Sad, that is, for the English. – © Mark Alexander

'Stop the World, Scotland Wants to Get On'

Jun 15, 2022 • The leader of the Scottish National Party in Westminster Ian Blackford MP, echoed his colleague Nicola Sturgeon's words calling for a new referendum on Scottish independence….

Verwandt.

Calexit? California Paves Way for Independence Vote

EURONEWS: Grassroots organisers have received the green light to start campaigning for California to secede from the United States.

Spurred by widespread discontent towards Donald Trump’s presidency, the Yes California group has begun collecting signatures to pave the way for the western US state to effectively become its own independent country. » | Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Independence from Rome! Venice Floating Away Unnoticed as Crimea Steals Show

While the Crimean referendum tops world media headlines, an attempt at secession is going on in Veneto, Italy, with its major city Venice. But as it is being virtually ignored by media, people in Europe are hardly aware of what's happening next door.

'Project Fear': UK Launches PR Offensive Against Scottish Independence

Scotland is looking ahead to its September 2014 vote on whether to become an independent country but in London, the government is campaigning hard against succession. RT's Polly Boiko has been investigating the warnings from Westminster that Scottish nationalists have dismissed as scaremongering.

Scottish Referendum: Alex Salmond Says Scotland Can Afford Independence

BBC: Scotland can "more than afford' to be a successful independent country, its first minister has said.

Alex Salmond was speaking as he launched a paper outlining the nation's key economic strengths.

He said the document offered a consolidated picture of the country's strong financial foundations, diverse economy, ingenuity and natural resources.

Scotland's electorate will vote in a referendum on independence next year. (+ video) » | Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Inside Story: Will the United Kingdom Be Divided?
As a deal for a historic referendum on Scottish independence is signed, we ask if Scotland can really go it alone.

David Cameron: Scottish Independence 'Deeply Sad'
Prime Minister David Cameron began his visit to Scotland today with the message that he is ''a patriot for the whole United Kingdom''.

Read the article and comment here | Thursday, February 16, 2012

The End of Great Britain? Scottish Separatists Have High Hopes for Referendum

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Though their relationship has always been fraught with problems, Scotland and England have been partners for over 300 years. But Scottish nationalists, with their charismatic leader Alex Salmond, believe their chances of gaining independence are closer than ever.

No, there are no Englishmen hanging from the trees in the Scottish Highlands. There are no Scottish terrorists setting off bombs, and someone who speaks with an English accent here isn't likely to be targeted for a beating. Likewise, it's only rarely that you'll see the "Free Scotland" slogan along the highway from Glasgow to Edinburgh. So where exactly are all these separatists supposedly intent on splitting Britain apart?

Though they might be hard to spot, they do exist, they're active and they might even reach their goal in less than four years -- and all in a way that is perfectly democratic.

On Jan. 25, the Scots were commemorating Robert Burns, their national poet. Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, Alex Salmond, the charismatic leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), announced how he intends to dissolve Great Britain. In a referendum to be held in the fall of 2014, the Scots will be asked to answer the following question: "Do you agree Scotland should be an independent country?" If a majority votes that it should be, the partition could already be completed by 2016.

The move would put an end to what will have been a 309-year partnership -- and be a serious blow. Although it boasts its own nuclear arsenal, Britain is now only a mid-sized power that sometimes still suffers from the loss of its empire. Likewise, it is increasingly isolating itself within Europe. Were Scotland to go its own way, Britain would suddenly see its population drop by 5.2 million, and its economic output could shrink by about £120 billion (€145 billion/$190 billion). However, as one of the few positive consequences for the government in London, the move would also lead to a reduction of nearly the same sum in its mountain of debt. » | Marco Evers | Thursday, February 02, 2012

Scots Land First Blow in Battle to End Union

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: EDINBURGH: Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, has taken the first formal step towards an independence referendum that the government in Edinburgh hopes will secure a mandate for the country's withdrawal from the United Kingdom in as little as five years.

In a Scottish government consultation paper published on Wednesday, the leader of the Scottish National Party said the 2014 referendum would ask Scotland's 4 million voters: “Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?”

Mr Salmond's plan for the independence vote set the stage for what some in Britain have described as a high-stakes constitutional poker game pitting Mr Salmond against the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, with the prize the right to dismantle, or preserve, Britain's existence as a united country.

Mr Cameron has insisted that only parliament in London has the legal power to approve a referendum on the potential breakup of the union between England and Scotland, which was forged in the Act of Union of 1707. He has also said London, not Edinburgh, should set the terms and timing of the vote.

Mr Salmond has rejected those positions and on Wednesday he threw down the gauntlet. Outlining his own terms for the ballot, he set a May deadline for the conclusion of a public consultation['] on its terms and suggested that Mr Cameron would have little choice in the end but to bow to whatever format Mr Salmond's government adopted. » | John Burns, Alan Cowell | Friday, January 27, 2012

Alex Salmond: Scotland Could Be Independent by 2016
Alex Salmond today vowed to break up Britain by 2016 as he set out his timetable for a referendum on Scottish independence and its aftermath.

Read article and comment here | Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Braveheart Speech (HD)

Scottish independence: a history of Anglo-Scottish rivalry: The stand-off between David Cameron and Alex Salmond over the future of the Union is the latest confrontation in a 2000-year history of rivalry between Scotland and England. » | Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Related »

Scotland Warned It Could Lose the Pound and Be Forced to Join Euro as Price of Independence
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Scotland may be forced to join the Euro as the price of independence from the United Kingdom, Downing Street warned today.


A spokesman for David Cameron said there were no guarantees that the Scots could keep sterling if they voted against remaining affiliated with the rest of the union.

Mr Cameron’s spokesman said: “Once you start asking the question about independence, one part of that is what currency to have. Would Scotland retain the pound, and if so, how does that work? Or does it join the euro? That’s one part of the independence question.”

Other issues which Downing Street said would need ironing out are shared defence capabilities, the national debt and border security.

A carve up of assets between England and Scotland could leave both countries facing years of legal wrangling. » | James Kirkup, and Simon Johnson | Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Related audio »

Salmond: Cameron Should ‘Butt Out’ of the Independence Referendum
BBC: The Scottish Secretary Michael Moore has said he hopes the row over the independence referendum can be worked out amicably and would not end up in the courts.

The Scottish government has said it has a mandate to hold the vote in the autumn of 2014 but ministers at Westminster say that would be unlawful under current devolved powers.

They are prepared to give Holyrood the authority to hold a binding vote provided its a single question, is overseen by the Electoral Commission and the minimum voting age is 18.

First Minister Alex Salmond told BBC Good Morning Scotland he thinks Mr Moore is wrong about the voting age. Listen to the audio » | Tuesday, January 11, 2012