Outside the city hall in Copenhagen, I was taking a picture of the Occupy camp when I was attacked by startled pigeons. But a bit of an off topic post follows, I don't need to write anything special about Copenhagen, I think, you all follow RtCph.

A few random thoughts this morning as I read through Copenhagen's english language weekly and ate breakfast.

So the paper had an article about Scotland's eventual but as of yet unscheduled (Is that correct) referendum on (1) further devolution and (2) independence. The point of the article was to suggest that if Scotland gained independence from the UK, than it would have natural allies and friends among the Nordic nations. The article made a number of statements and assumptions, highlighting the cultural and historical similarities between Scotland and the Nordics, and also suggesting that an Independent Scotland could built something closer to the welfare state that characterizes Nordic society. This was really interesting to me, as I had never really considered the possibility of Scotland becoming a sixth member in the Nordic family.

I know there are plenty of Scots on blipfoto, so I was wondering what the response to this idea is in Scotland? How likely is full independence anyway? Would an independent Scotland look south to Britain, or east to Scandinavia? Are the political values of Scotland more in line with the Nordic welfare values? Very curious to hear what people have to say, any response on this would be great!

Second thought is on Estonia, which also considers itself a Nordic country, but is generally taken lightly by the rest of the Nordics aside from Finland, with whom they share strong linguistic ties. (And with the Sami as well). Estonia's case is a particularly odd one, as it's common history is nearly identical with those of the Baltic nations Latvia and Lithuania, yet culturally it looks north and west. I saw more Norwegian flags in Tallinn than Latvian flags. I wonder if an independent Scotland that wants to join the Nordic Council would also lead to the admission of Estonia as well.

Taken together, those seven countries, (and their colonies) would present an extremely interesting bloc on the world stage. Already the Nordic nations are world leaders in humanitarian, environmental, and peace issues, but they also have disproportionate strength in the global economy, based on their booming tech sector and their financial solvency. Although their populations are small (although Norway's is growing greatly and the Nordics remain huge destinations for immigration), their territory and resources are great. I have a feeling that the addition of Estonia and Scotland could be a move that gives even greater disproportionate influence to the frozen north of Europe. Also, I love the idea aesthetically; Scotland's highlands and Norway's fjords could create an unstoppable tourist juggernaut.

Of final note, I think Scotland's flag is similar enough to a Nordic cross to go unchanged, but Estonia will need a redesign.