14 DAY TRIAL // Google has often gotten involved in major political issues in the world, creating pages where people could get extensive information about various events. It has done so for the Indian elections a while back and it’s doing it yet again for the Scottish Referendum.
While in the case of India, Google was doing this because it was the biggest democratic election in history, this time, the Internet giant is trying to help everyone stay informed on the historic referendum that is to take place on September 18.
The Scottish Referendum page hosts Google+ Hangouts and YouTube videos on the topic, allows people to connect with key players in the referendum, such as the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron or Nick Clegg, the Deputy PM of the UK.
You can also check out what two organizations have to say about the vote for Scotland’s independence. “Yes Scotland” campaigns for a “Yes” vote, while “Better Together” tries to give arguments about why a separation from the UK is a bad idea.
There’s also an area where people can read news pieces about the Scottish referendum. The idea for Scotland to separate from the UK is not new at all, but the referendum is going to make things official. Following the victory in the Parliament elections from 2011, the Scottish National Party has been working towards staging the vote.
The question “Should Scotland be an independent country?” will await voters at the polling booths on the referendum day.
The Scottish government believes the union with the UK is no longer fit and that an independent Scotland could be one of the richest countries in the world, due to all the oil beneath the ground.
If Scotland votes for independence, this would cause quite a few problems for the banking system and other companies operating in the UK. On top of this, if voters are favorable to separating from the UK, there are issues such as Scotland’s share of the national debt of the United Kingdom, which would have to be split somehow.
At this point, it seems that chances are the referendum won’t go the way the Scottish National Party wants it to. Polls indicate that about half of the voters don’t agree with the move, while under 40 percent believe it’s a good idea. There are ten percent of voters who are undecided about the issue.
As the referendum approaches, Google will display more and more information about the debates taking place and other types of events related to this.