In Pics | Scenes of Scotland, as it weighs its future within Britain

It has weathered the conquest and loss of an empire, survived two world wars and witnessed more than one deadly pandemic. But now Scotland’s ancient alliance with England is itself in poor health and could take a serious turn for the worse on May 6. When Scottish voters go to the polls to elect 129 members of Scotland’s Parliament, strictly speaking the question of independence will not be on the ballot. Yet, Scotland is grappling with an uncertain future. A centuries-old union could face its greatest test if a majority in Scotland, which joined voluntarily with England in 1707, thinks now is the time to think again. (Image Source: Reuters)

The River Tweed forms the border between Scotland and England on May 2, 2021. The town of Coldstream in Scotland, is on the left, while England is across the river on the right. If the pro-independence vote surges in elections for the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, May 6, 2021, momentum for an another referendum on independence may become unstoppable. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

An electronic billboard in Glasgow, Scotland, on May 1, 2021, features Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister and the leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party. If the pro-independence vote surges in elections for the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, May 6, 2021, momentum for an another referendum on independence may become unstoppable. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Casks of whiskey at the Highland Park distillery on the outskirts of Kirkwall, Scotland, on April 23, 2021. It is the northernmost distillery in the United Kingdom and has been in operation since 1798. If the pro-independence vote surges in elections for the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, May 6, 2021, momentum for an another referendum on independence may become unstoppable. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Ships undergoing repair on April 27, 2021, at the port of Fraserburgh, one of the United Kingdom’s main ports for Whitefish. Many of Scotland’s fishing areas, like Fraserburgh, voted for Brexit, thinking it would free them from European Union rules. Instead, they lost markets, and many are facing ruin. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Supporters of the union with England gathered on one side of George Square in Glasgow in Scotland as Scottish independence supporters held a rally on the other end on May 1, 2021. If the pro-independence vote surges in elections for the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, May 6, 2021, momentum for an another referendum on independence may become unstoppable. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Demonstrators for Scottish Independence gather at George Square in Glasgow, Scotland on May 1, 2021. If the pro-independence vote surges in elections for the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, May 6, 2021, momentum for an another referendum on independence may become unstoppable. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

Laying new rope in a mussel farm on Loch Eil, near Fort William, Scotland on April 28, 2021. The Scottish shellfish industry has been thrown into chaos by Brexit, which has closed off their former markets in the European Union. (Andrew Testa/The New York Times)

The end of the union with England is no foregone conclusion, as Scotland is divided both over its future and the prospect of another polarizing vote on independence. Some are simply weary of the upheaval wrought by years of constitutional wrangling over an issue that divides families and friends as much as it does politicians. But Brexit changed the calculus, reinvigorated Scotland’s independence movement, and called the country’s constitutional future once again into question. The pro-independence Scottish National Party, led by the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, points to the economic damage and says she would aim to rejoin the European Union after breaking away from England. In so doing Scotland could make a success of independence like other small nations like Ireland, which took that step a century ago. Her critics say that this would pile more economic misery on top of Brexit by destroying the common economic market with England, easily Scotland’s biggest trading partner. It would probably also mean a physical trade border between England and Scotland, a frontier that is in some places hard even to spot. (Image: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – AP)