Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland sign pact on UK split; Trump remarks stoke row

Britain, once said to be an empire on which the sun never set, now faces its biggest ever challenge to its unity. At a high-level meeting in the Welsh capital Cardiff, the heads of the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland came together and signed a historic memorandum of understanding, or MoU. The aim of the agreement is clear: to reject the central authority of the Westminster Parliament in London and secure the right of citizens of the three nations to decide their own future. This is the first time in modern British history that the three nations have come together on a single platform over the issue of independence.

The agreement was signed by Scotland's First Minister John Swinney, Wales's First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Northern Ireland's First Minister Michelle O'Neill. Also present at the meeting was Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, who voiced her support. The agreement states clearly that the British Parliament or any government in London has no right to suppress the democratic will of the three nations. The three nations will now cooperate directly with each other in four key areas: the economy, energy resources, relations with the European Union and constitutional future.

This recent political upheaval in Britain has shaken Westminster politics. Scotland's First Minister John Swinney adopted a very aggressive stance and issued a direct warning to British Prime Minister Andy Burnham. According to Swinney, the current administrative system has completely collapsed and Prime Minister Burnham must now accept the bitter truth that he may prove to be the last prime minister of a united Britain.

Prime Minister Burnham had earlier said that a referendum could be considered if public opinion was clear, but later rejected the demand for a second referendum in Scotland. Even so, through this agreement, separatist leaders have sent a clear message to the government in London that the three nations will choose their own path without waiting for Westminster's approval.

Adding fuel to this entire political development were remarks by US President Donald Trump. Speaking to reporters during a visit to Dublin, Trump said openly that he would prefer to see Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland unified rather than a divided Ireland. "A united Ireland would be a very natural and wonderful thing, and it should happen soon," Trump said.

According to observers, Trump is taking this political stance to please the large Irish-American voter base ahead of upcoming elections in the United States. In 1998, then US President Bill Clinton played a key mediating role in the Good Friday Agreement and won the support of America's Irish community. Now Trump too is following the same path, indirectly fanning the campaign for Northern Ireland's separation from Britain.

Major changes have come to Britain's provincial politics since the general elections in May. In Wales, the pro-independence party Plaid Cymru defeated the Labour Party, which had long been in power, to become the largest party, and Rhun ap Iorwerth became First Minister of Wales. Currently the SNP is in power in Scotland, Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, and Plaid Cymru in Wales.

For the first time in history, pro-independence parties are at the helm in all three of Britain's nations, leaving the United Kingdom appearing to stand on the brink of a split. All three nations have expressed a wish to rejoin the European Union. The whole world is watching to see whether Britain remains united or splits into four in the times ahead.