UK election Scottish independence

A view from St Rule’s Tower overlooks the town of St Andrews, Scotland.
St Andrews, Scotland –It’s a bitterly cold November day in the Scottish town of St Andrews, the kind of morning when the grass crackles underfoot like broken glass.Undeterred, tourists swaddled in puffer jackets and armed with selfie sticks ascend the cathedral tower that has overlooked this coastal spot for 800 years.From the top, gazing in one direction, the sea stretches towards Europe. Looking the other way, rolling hills lead to England.As the United Kingdom faces its most momentous election in recent history, Scotland is grappling with which view to set its sights on.For Scottish voters, a key issue in the December 12 general election will be whether, in the long term, they want to remain part of the UK or to break away and become an independent country.“Independence is not about ‘oh we hate the English,’” says 22-year-old Scot and pro-independence campaigner Iona Fraser-Collins. “It’s about us wanting to be in charge of our own laws, and England being in charge of its own laws.”Scotland rejected independence at a 2014 referendum, 55% to 45%. But circumstances have changed dramatically since then, according to the Scottish National Party (SNP) — the third-largest party in the UK Parliament.In 2016 Scotsvoted overwhelmingly to remain in the European Union. Instead, they got Brexit – setting the country on a path it hadn’t agreed to and re-energizing the fight for independence.The ruins of St Andrews Cathedral date back to the 12th Century. Scotland’s national flag, also known as St Andrew’s Cross, flies from the town hall.”Historically, Scotland’s been a nation at the heart of Europe,” says North East Fife Stephen Gethins. This election, Gethins sticks closely to the SNP script, saying Scotland’s departure from the UK would be nothing like England’s shambolic exit from the EU.“It’s Brexit which is isolationist, which takes us into the unknown,” says Gethins. The nitty-gritty of what an independent Scotland would actually look like – its currency and border controls — are all laid out in the SNP’s 650-page White Paper, he says.Critics meanwhile, have labelled the SNP blueprint“incoherent.”Stronger in the unionOn the other side of town, challenger and Lib Dem candidate Wendy Chamberlain is knocking on doors with her own small army of supporters.Across Scotland, the Lib Dems’ vote share pales in comparison to that of the SNP – they hold just four of the country’s 59 seats, trailing behind the Conservatives and Labour.This election, Chamberlain is banking on her party carving out a niche – attracting voters who want to stay in the EU, but don’t want a second referendum on Scottish independence.“It’s good not be caught in your own echo chamber,” says Liberal Democrat candidate Wendy Chamberlain, whose husband is an SNP member.Chamberlain canvasses in St Andrews. She believes the same argument for staying in the EU, applies to staying in the UK. “We are better off in the UK with the relationships we have across these islands, as well as remaining in the EU and maintaining those relationships we have across the continent,” Chamberlain says, the sea breeze ruffling her long curly hair.Chamberlain’s biggest challenge may simply be convincing voters in her own home. Her husband is an SNP member, though she’s quick to laugh off politically-induced marital strife.Among those hitting the pavements alongside Chamberlain are students Joseph Luke, 20, and Alex Whitman, 21. Both are English, which they say “lends itself to unionism a little bit.”Students Joseph Luke and Alex Whitman coordinate while canvassing for Wendy Chamberlain.They now live in St Andrews and “just because we were born in England doesn’t mean we don’t get a say,” says Luke.He has relatives in both countries and says he doesn’t want to cross a hard border “just to see my family.”  Knife-edge marginWhat makes elections in Scotland particularly nail-biting is the large proportion of marginal seats. Of the top 10 most marginal seats in the UK,four are in Scotland. Experts say that’s largely down to a four-party system not seen in England.Even in a close constituency like North East Fife, some voters are still backing outside parties.Student Lottie Doherty, 21, says she’ll be voting Labour because she supports staying in the EU and the UK, but believes the Lib Dem policy on revoking Brexit without a second referendum is “undemocratic.”Chair of St Andrews University Labour Society, Lottie Doherty, right, hands out flyers on how to register to vote.Labour came a distant fourth in the last election here. This year’s candidate, Wendy Haynes, says her party’s aim is to create a radically different UK, one that Scotland will want to be part of.Meanwhile, kilt shop owner Robert Brown says he’ll be backing the Conservatives because they “support small businesses” like his. Most of Brown’s customers come from Scotland or America, where he says kilts are a popular choice for weddings.He gets very little business from Europe, and he voted to Leave in the EU referendum. Despite the political turmoil of the ensuing three years, Brown believes Boris Johnson is the prime minister to finally deliver Brexit.Surrounded by rows and rows of multicolored kilts, fox furs, and traditional silver brooches, Brown scoffs at the prospect of ever voting SNP.The Tories are the best out of a bad bunch,” says 55-year-old kilt shop owner Robert Brown. Scotland isn’t traditional territory for the Conservatives. But in the last few years the party has made significant gains while Labour, which had triumphed here since the 1960s, lost huge swaths of voters to a reinvigorated SNP.Even the North East Fife’s Conservative candidate, Tony Miklinski, admits that “Boris does alienate some Scottish voters.”The Prime Minister is “easily portrayed as the cartoon character, Eton-educated toff who’s out of touch with the working class, and with the people of Scotland.”A view of the North Sea stretches out from St Andrews’ pier towards Europe.But the “bottom line,” according to Miklinksi, is that a Conservative majority is the only way to resolve the “logjam in Westminster” and deliver Brexit. And ensure the SNP doesn’t get a second Scottish referendum.With just over a week until the election, opinion polls are predicting a Conservative majority in the UK. That said, the polls predicted the same outcome in the 2017 election – instead, the Tories failed to achieve that majority.Some, like 26-year-old fisherman Lee Gardner, still aren’t sure who they’ll vote for. Britain’s fishing industry has been vocal in favor of leaving the EU. Nonetheless Gardner voted Remain, and says he loves “traveling to Europe.”“A lot of people who didn’t vote in the last election are kicking themselves,” says Lobster fisherman Lee Gardner.“Anyway,” he adds with a cheeky smile, “I haven’t been a fisherman that long.”Hauling lobsters onto his family’s boat in St Andrews’ harbor, Gardner stands on the cliff edge. Sea on one side, hills on the other, constantly moving between the two.Soon, Scotland will decide which way to turn.CNN’s William Bonnett contributed to this report.