Things may be coming to a head in Great Britain.

The Scottish Parliament has announced plans to hold a vote in the fall of 2014 on whether or not to secede from the rest of the UK.

The dissatisfaction with policies of 30, 40 years economic deprivation, all of these sort of things really have driven the demand for independence.

Hi, I'm Rick Steeves. Friends from England, Wales and Scotland join us in the hour ahead to look at the pressures that may fracture what we still call the United Kingdom.

It was only when Britain lost its empire and Scotland found oil in the North Sea that the cry for independence came back.

While at the same time living inside the European

We'll examine choices about the EU.

We'll examine choices about where to call home from several European angles.

It's just ahead on Travel with Rick Steeves.

Being a resident of the European Union has made it a lot easier to make choices about where you live.

We'll hear what it's like to relocate to a country with a different climate and even a different language later in the hour ahead today on Travel with Rick Steeves.

Political and economic pressures are making these interesting times in Europe as well as for the

rest of the world.

And if you live in Great Britain, serious

internal political issues are on the horizon. The central power in London has been

slowly devolving as residents in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland cultivate greater autonomy.

But plans by the newly enhanced Scottish government to hold a referendum on complete independence

from Britain have clouded the future of the UK.

Joining us to discuss the issues propelling the potential fracturing of Britain are Roy Nichols

who lives in Dorset in the south of England, and Doyk Dick, who's from Edinburgh, Scotland, and Martin

Delandovitz, who, despite his surname, is a Welshman through and through, and lives in the

north of Wales. Martin Ann and Roy, and Roy, thank you for being here.

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