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Scottish independence 苏格兰独立 UK RIP? 大英联合帝国要完了? Ditching the union would be a mistake for Scotlandand a tragedy for the country it leaves behind 苏格兰独立对苏格兰来说会是一个错误。对被其抛弃的英国来说，则更是一场悲剧 SCHOOLCHILDREN once imagined their place in the world, with its complex networks andallegiances, by writing elaborate postal addresses. British youngsters began with their streetand town. They understood that the UK, and all its collective trials and achievementstheindustrial revolution, the Empire, victory over the Nazis, the welfare statewere as much apart of their patrimony as the Scottish Highlands or English cricket. They knew, instinctively,that these concentric rings of identity were complementary, not opposed. 城市，这些城市组成了英格兰、威尔士、苏格兰和北爱尔兰，这几个地区组成了大英帝国，然后才是欧洲大陆，世界和宇宙。他们了解自己的国家，了解它所有的历程与成就工业革命，帝国建立，战胜纳粹，福利国家，而苏格兰高地和英格兰板球一样，也是这个国家历史文化遗产的一部分。他们本能地认为，这几个相互关联的地区是共生的，而非对立。 At least, they used to. After the referendum on Scottish independence on September 18th,one of those layersthe UKmay cease to exist, at least in the form recognisable since the Actof Union three centuries ago. As the vote nears, Scotland s nationalists have caught up with theunionist No camp in the opinion polls, and even edged ahead . More and more Scotsare deciding that the UK, which their soldiers, statesmen, philosophers and businessmen havedone so much to build and ornament, does not cradle their Scottishness but smothers it. Thisgreat multinational state could be undone in a single day, by a poll in which just 7% of itscitizens will participate. That outcome, once unthinkable, would be bad for Scotland andtragic for what remained of the UK. | 
