The abject failure of multiculturalism, and an increase in the thirst for nationalism -as exhibited within UKIP growth- is partly driving a new review of several international alignments.   Scotland possibly breaking away from the United Kingdom is a reflection of such a nationalistic sentiment… 
[Extract from earlier NBC Report]  More than 4.2 million people in Scotland — or 97 percent of the adult population — have registered to vote on whether or not to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Scotland was an independent country until 1707, when the Act of Union with England led to the creation of Great Britain and, ultimately, the United Kingdom — which also includes Northern Ireland and Wales.
It retained its own separate legal and education systems and was granted its own devolved parliament in Edinburgh in 1999 but control of defense, borders and taxation remain with the U.K. parliament in London’s Westminster and ultimate authority lies with Queen Elizabeth II.

Britain’s government agreed to recognize the referendum, gambling that a likely ‘No’ vote would kill off the issue of Scottish independence for decades. But with polls now putting a ‘Yes’ vote within reach, the U.K. faces the serious prospect of a break-up.
The ‘Yes’ campaign is led by First Minister Alex Salmond, whose Scottish National Party has governed since 2007. It says Scots should have total control of their own affairs and that revenue from Scotland’s offshore oil fields would sustain the country’s economy.
The ‘No’ campaign says and independent Scotland would be weaker on the world stage and would have to raise taxes to pay for the replication of institutions and services currently shared with England, such as defense forces and state pensions. Many cross-border businesses have warned that they might withdraw from Scotland in the event of independence, threatening jobs.
Scotland is home to 58 U.S. Trident II D-5 missiles leased from Washington by the British government, but Scotland’s government wants to ban nuclear weapons on moral grounds within four years of gaining independence. That could force London to relocate the weapons to alternative bases in England or return the weapons to the U.S., costing billions of dollars and leaving NATO without a European nuclear deterrent precisely at a time of heightened security concern. (More Info)