A Royal Tweet and a massive Italian Protest

UK- The European Union has presented the UK with a steep fee of £1.7bn (pounds) that would go toward the EU budget as a result of the growth observed in the British pound. On Friday, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron released a statement stating that the EU had "another think coming" if it thought Britain would pay the bill by the December first deadline. I view this "fee" as a ridiculous attempt to take advantage of the prosperous pound in order to stabilize the sporadic euro. I'm interested to see how this situation is going to play out as I have do not believe the UK will end up paying the £1.7bn.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton's second baby is due in April. Can't wait! 

The Queen posted her first tweet to launch the British Science Museum Gallery saying, "It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the +Science Museum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R." How urban of her. It really is cool to see such a regal figure in British society in touch (to an extent) with modern trends. 

Italy- A series of mass protests are being held in the Italian capital Rome today, against Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's plans for labor market reform. The PM has planned to loosen labor protection, making it easier for firms to fire workers. The angry responses make sense since Italian youth unemployment is at a record high of 44.2%.  The PM wants workers to earn job protection and benefits over a long period of time. Almost facing its third recession in six years, Italian economic output has contracted by 9% since 2007 so the PM should really focus on making jobs more attainable rather than a struggle. Honestly, what was he thinking? 

EU- The EU has agreed to cut CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) emissions by 40% by 2030, a landmark decision. I hope this paves the way for a new era of environmental awareness (here in the US as well) as I believe the environment is an incredibly significant concern for the future of human progress. 

Ireland- Ireland has recovered economically to an extent as a result of a bailout, largely removing it as a concern for the EU, leaving them to focus on larger concerns (such as the suffering economies of Greece, Italy and Spain). 

Greece- Greece urges international lenders to let is delay pension reform plan. 

Op-Ed : The Scottish Independence Referendum

Allow me to preface this post by stating that although I realize that I had previously made a statement on this blog promoting the maintenance of Scottish dependence on the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, I have since changing my position on the argument.

This post will be a response to Niall Ferguson's article published in the New York Times titled, "Scots Must Vote Nae." http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/15/opinion/scots-must-vote-nae.html
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By beginning the article through the discussion of the unity of England and Scotland, Ferguson successfully establishes credibility and provides some background knowledge that I myself, particularly did not previously know: the fact that the two nations were united as equals, unlike the nations of Wales and Northern Ireland (previously the entirety of Ireland).

Unfortunately, this is where the author's insight comes to a complete stop. Not only does he label the movement as encompassing "petty nationalism," he also attempts to cause inconsequential concern for the economic future of a fully autonomous Scotland by reflecting on what currency it would adopt. Scotland is an economic asset to Great Britain. After the 2008 financial crisis, Scotland's finances have been more prosperous than the rest of the United Kingdom's, with relatively higher revenues, lower spending, and smaller deficits. The Scots also have huge amounts of oil and potential for renewable energy. Whatever currency they would have chosen, Scottish prosperity would have been practically assured.

Something Ferguson failed to take into account was the fact that the "Yes" campaign promoted a Scotland full of hope and new opportunity while the "No" campaign simply favored maintaining tradition and an old, potentially obsolete, political dynamic.

Pictured above: the Union Jack which would have been drastically changed if Scottish independence had become a reality.

Considering the grand scheme of things beyond this article, I am satisfied with the results of the vote. It seems that the greater political entity of the United Kingdom will actually give Scotland more political autonomy based on statements by the Prime Minister David Cameron as well as other officials after the results were publicized. Although the results favored maintaining Scottish status in the United Kingdom, there was a significant amount of individuals who favored Scottish independence and the United Kingdom must have taken notice. This vote undoubtably perpetuated a growing cultural divide between the Scottish and the remainder of the UK which will need to be actively considered.

Overall, the referendum resulted in a "happy medium," promising the establishment of increased political freedoms for Scotland while maintaining one of the most powerful and influential political entities on Earth: the United Kingdom.