UK: 300 years old

The United Kingdom is 300 years old on 16 January. The signature of the Act of Union merging the Kingdoms of Scotland and England was commemorated at the time by the planting of some trees which still survive. Nothing much by way of celebration seems to have been planned this time round, apart from a commemorative £2 coin. The Union may not, in fact, survive much longer, as support for Scottish independence slowly grows.Gordon Brown has been trying to combat the drift towards separation, but a recent poll showed 52% of Scots in favour of independence. 59% of English voters were in favour.