John Oliver channels British romantic comedies to plead for Scotland to stay

John Oliver channels British romantic comedies to plead for Scotland to stay
(Image credit: Last Week Tonight)

This week, Scotland is voting on whether or not to sever itself from England and the rest of the United Kingdom. On Sunday night's Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver explained the vote for an American audience, made a case why everyone should care about Scotland's possible independence, then pleaded for Scotland to stay on behalf of his native England.

The U.K. isn't a country, but a "complicated political and economic union," Oliver explained. "Think of it as an archipelagic super group comprised of four variously willing members." The England-Scotland alliance, in particular, is "something of a 300-year arranged marriage," he added, acknowledging that England has been kind of a jerk since the honeymoon. There are lots of reasons for Scotland to leave, but consequences as well — an independent Scotland might well have to trade the British pound for the unstable euro or whatever its currency was 300 years ago — Oliver guesses "sheep and threats."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.