The die is cast. Parliament has backed Boris Johnson’s withdrawal agreement, putting Britain on course to leave the EU on January 31. It is now clear that the future of the UK union itself will move centre stage next year. The Scottish National party, armed with electoral gains this month and the argument that Brexit is a material change to the UK’s constitutional make-up, wants a new vote on independence. Supporters of the union must make the case for its survival.
大局已定。英国议会支持鲍里斯•约翰逊(Boris Johnson)的退欧协议,英国将在明年1月31日退出欧盟。现在已很明确的一点是,英国作为联合王国本身的未来将成为明年的焦点。由于在本月的大选中赢得更多议席,以及主张英国退欧使得英国宪法构成发生实质性变化,苏格兰民族党(SNP)希望就苏格兰独立举行新的公投。联合王国的支持者必须为它的存续提出理由。