This paper examines the break-up of Britain from three paespectives: Scottish nationalism, English nationalim, and the dysfunction of Britishness as a bond connecting Scotland and England. It is beyond doubt that Scottish nationalism exists as a movement or ideology seeking autonomy. Support for independence, however, has remained unchanged since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, despite the increased popularity of the Scottish National Party, whose main policy is Scottish independence. The reason for this unchanged support seems to be"anxiety" about Scotland's sustainability as"a small country". England, on the other hand, has a different type of anxiety, namely, anxiety about the unsustainablity of remainig"a big country". While Scotland's anxiety is likely to be mitigated by becoming a member of supranational and intergovernmental institutions such as the EU and NATO, England's anxiety appears to be aggravated by the development of these institutions. In other words, the modification of Westphalian sovereignty and the advent of a post-national age have introduced opposing types of nationalisms: independence in Europe and Euro-skepticism. Warfare necessitated both England and Scotland to form Britain, and Britain served as a welfare state promoted solidarity among them. However, there is no common and visible enemy after the demise of the Soviet Union, and neo-liberal policies replaced welfare ones to enable Britain to survive its dismal economy and adapt to globalization. Consequently, Britain lost its function as a bond connecting England and Scotland; herein lies the fundamental cause of the nationalism we are currently witnessing in England and Scotland.
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