Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Watch John Oliver make a grand, romantic gesture to prevent Scotland from leaving the UK

On the latest Last Week Tonight, John Oliver took on the Scottish independence debate, with typically hilarious results.

Oliver begins by skewering the campaigns on both sides of the debate, pointing out that the “better together” campaign sounds like “something people say to convince themselves to stay in a dead marriage,” and that the pro-independence campaign has received 80 percent of its funding from one lottery-winning couple. “They’re like an adorable Scottish version of the Koch brothers.”

However, Oliver notes, both sides do have solid arguments in their favor. There are legitimate political reasons for Scotland to want more autonomy over its affairs. Especially right now, with David Cameron as the Prime Minister: "That is the face of a man who fast-forwards through the servant parts of Downton Abbey."

And there are good arguments on the pro-union side too: if Scotland leaves the UK, it might lose the pound, and have to revert to its old currency: “sheep and threats.”

Finally, Oliver, drawing on his knowledge gleaned from “the last four minutes of British romantic comedies,” decides to make a big, romantic gesture to win Scotland back. I don’t want to spoil the elegant tapestry he has woven out of Richard Curtis monologues for you, but I will say that it involves a haggis and ends with Oliver making “the ultimate sacrifice.”

The whole thing is worth a watch, but if you just want to see what it looks like when John Oliver loves you and will do anything to win you back, skip to the 13-minute mark. You won’t regret it.

Read more:

See More:

More in archives

archives
Ethics and Guidelines at Vox.comEthics and Guidelines at Vox.com
archives
By Vox Staff
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will decide if the government can ban transgender health careThe Supreme Court will decide if the government can ban transgender health care
Supreme Court

Given the Court’s Republican supermajority, this case is unlikely to end well for trans people.

By Ian Millhiser
archives
On the MoneyOn the Money
archives

Learn about saving, spending, investing, and more in a monthly personal finance advice column written by Nicole Dieker.

By Vox Staff
archives
Total solar eclipse passes over USTotal solar eclipse passes over US
archives
By Vox Staff
archives
The 2024 Iowa caucusesThe 2024 Iowa caucuses
archives

The latest news, analysis, and explainers coming out of the GOP Iowa caucuses.

By Vox Staff
archives
The Big SqueezeThe Big Squeeze
archives

The economy’s stacked against us.

By Vox Staff