The independence of Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom is not on the ballot, but it's uppermost on the minds of many voters there as they make their final choices ahead of the national election next week.

The North East Fife district was the tightest in the United Kingdom's last general election - only two votes meant victory for the Scottish Nationalists and defeat for the Liberal Democrats in 2017 - and the foes are grappling again, united by their rejection of Brexit but divided over whether Scotland should vote, again, on its own independence.

The Scottish Nationalists say yes, that Brexit is so dire it merits another vote on whether Scotland should forge its own way as an independent nation, while the Liberals Democrats remain committed to remaining inside the UK, even if Britain extricates itself from the European Union as envisioned on January 31.

Retired boxer Chris Honess has no doubt where he stands - he's going to vote against the Scottish Nationalists with the hope of quelling talk of another independence referendum.

He thinks the whole structure of European defence would be threatened if Scotland breaks away.

"I am 100 percent against the breakup of the United Kingdom," said Honess, 69.

"I think we're very good at complaining, actually the UK works very, very well. If the SNP (Scottish Nationalist Party) were to succeed in breaking up the United Kingdom that would definitely weaken NATO and I'm a huge supporter of NATO."

Scottish voters are fairly split on the question, but it's clear that independence - which would send shock waves throughout the rest of the UK - is a hidden factor in the December 12 vote.

If no party gets an outright majority in the vote, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon had made clear that any party looking for SNP backing in a coalition government will have to agree to agree to authorize Scotland to hold another independence referendum - and to accept the referendum.

John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said the debate over independence and Brexit are now closely "interlaced" in Scotland, which voted against Brexit in the 2016 referendum.

He said the results in North East Fife and many Scottish districts are extremely hard to predict.

"When you're talking about Brexit, you're also tending to talk about independence," he said.

"And when you're talking about independence, you're also talking about Brexit."

Ask voters in the area about their choices and they're likely to transition seamlessly from talking about which candidate they want to send to Parliament to discussing whether or not they want another bite at independence, which voters rejected in 2014.

That was two years before the Brexit referendum upended the political landscape with its difficult-to-execute mandate of taking Britain out of the EU.

Scotland voted against Brexit by a wide margin, preferring instead to keep ties to the EU, and it was the only one of the four parts the make up the UK in which every single district voted against Brexit.

It's fair to say Scotland is being dragged into Brexit against its will, and this reality has spawned fresh talk of secession.

It's not just in Scotland - an economic player in its own right, blessed with ample energy resources, natural beauty, and a rich tradition of self-sufficiency - that Brexit is fraying UK ties that bind.

Rarely has an election been so fraught with implications for the future of the United Kingdom, a structure often taken for granted because of its familiar symbols - the queen who has reigned for more than six decades, the Parliament that is centuries old - but it's actually vulnerable as it engineers a radical change in its relations with the rest of Europe.

Heavily tattooed hairstylist Craig Boyd, who runs a small salon, said he's backing the Scottish Nationalists next week with hopes of getting a chance to vote on independence again.

He said that's far more important to him than the Brexit issue.

"I voted for independence the first time around and I'll vote for it the second time around," he said.

"Whether that is under remaining in the (European) single market and the union, who knows? But either way I'd like to see independence for Scotland."

Johnnie Balfour, whose family has operated Balbirnie Farm since 1642, is tired of all the back and forth over independence.

He remembers that voters were told ahead of the 2014 vote that this was a "once in a generation" decision - he doesn't want to revisit it just five years later.

Leven - 23 November 2019

1. Wide of Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Nicola Sturgeon arriving to cheers of SNP campaigners and supporters, SNP candidate for North East Fife, Stephen Gethins shield's the party's leader against the rain with a yellow SNP umbrella

2. Wide of Sturgeon meeting supporters

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish National Party leader:

"My message to people in Scotland is that independence is the best future because it gives us the opportunity to decide for ourselves the kind of country we want to be. But, whether you support independence or oppose it or aren't decided yet, the principle of deciding our future ourselves in Scotland rather than having (UK Prime Minister) Boris Johnson dictate it is one that I think we can all unite behind."

4. Various of Nicola Sturgeon and Stephen Gethins, SNP candidate for North East Fife, posing for photos together

5. Wide of Gethins meeting SNP supporters

6. SOUNDBITE (English) Stephen Gethins, SNP candidate for North East Fife:

"It is the biggest united remain party in the UK even though we're the Scottish National Party. And I've worked cross party with colleagues from all parties. I was one of the co-authors of the Benn Act that stopped no deal. So, people in north east Fife want somebody who can back to work the day after the election, who has a strong track record of standing up for north east Fife and its willingness to remain in the EU. Then they'll be voting for me and I know a lot of people who are maybe not pro-independence but will be voting SNP at this election."

7. Wide of Craig Boyd Hairdressing in the Leven town centre

8. Wide of Leven's high street showing various "to let" signs

9. Close of a "to let" sign

10. Medium of a homeless person wrapped up in a sleeping bag in the Leven town centre

11. Various of Craig Boyd, owner of Craig Boyd Hairdressing, cutting a woman's hair

12. SOUNDBITE (English) Craig Boyd, owner of Craig Boyd Hairdressing:

"I was for independence the first time around, I am for it the second time around, whether that is going to be us remaining in the single market and the union (European Union), who knows, but either way I would like to see independence for Scotland."

13. Medium of Craig Boyd cutting a woman's hair

14. Various of hairdresser Kirsty Newlands cutting a man's hair

15. SOUNDBITE (English) Kirsty Newlands, hairdresser:

"I want Scottish independence, I want us to be to control what goes on in our country and not be dictated to by Westminster at all."

St Andrews - 3 December 2019

16. Wide of Wendy Chamberlain sign on a house

17. Close of Scottish Liberal Democrats sign behind among plants in a front garden

18. Close of a Scottish Liberal Democrats Wendy Chamberlain pamphlet

19. Close of pamphlet reading: "There are only 2 votes in it in North East Fife. Only Lib Dems can win from the SNP here."

20. SOUNDBITE (English) Wendy Chamberlain, North East Fife Liberal Democrats candidate:

"Brexit is a 40-year union with the European Union and we have seen how difficult in the last three and a half years it is to untangle that and potentially deliver it. So, when we are talking about a union that is over 300 years old - how difficult will that be? And I think it is a very different proposition from that presented in 2014, because we are for the first time talking about potentially a hard border between Scotland and England and that was never on the cards previously, so we think it is a very different proposition and is the kind of conversations that we are having."

21. Wide of Chamberlain and Liberal Democrats candidate for the Scottish Parliament Willie Rennie talking to a shop assistant while looking at gloves

22. Various of Chamberlain looking at gift card in a shop

23. Close of Scottish flag

24. Wide tilt down of flag on building in St Andrews town centre to street

25. Various of the University of St Andrews

26. SOUNDBITE (English) Dr Chandrika Kaul, Reader in Modern History at the University St Andrews:

"I am not going to be voting the way I voted the last time around. I am going to change my vote this time around. I am going to be voting for a party that is not looking to get a mandate to get Scotland out the United Kingdom and I am also totally against Brexit. So, the party for me would be the Lib Dems."

27. Various of "The Scottish Shop, Kiltmakers" in St Andrews

28. Wide of Chris Honess, a retired boxer talking to a man

29. SOUNDBITE (English) Chris Honess, a retired boxer:

"I am a hundred percent against the break up of the United Kingdom. I think we're very good at complaining, actually the UK works very, very well. If the SNP was to succeed in breaking up the United Kingdom that would definitely weaken NATO and I'm a huge supporter of NATO."

Balbirnie Farm, Cupar - 3 December 2019

30. Various of cattle eating kale

31. Wide of Johnnie Balfour, managing director of Balbirnie Farm, walking through fielding pushing cattle feeding equipment

32. Medium of Johnnie Balfour cutting a bale of hay

33. Close of of Johnnie Balfour cutting a bale of hay

34. SOUNDBITE (English) Johnnie Balfour, Managing Director of Balbirnie Farm:

"What I want to see is a good local MP who is standing up for rural issues and yes I would find it difficult to vote for somebody who was standing up for...campaigning on a ticket of wanting another referendum (on Scottish independence)."

35. Various of a carrot harvester pulling up carrots

Edinburgh - 4 December 2019

36. Various of Professor John Curtice, Professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde typing on his laptop

37. SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtice, Professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde:

"The honest truth is that North East Fife has to be regarded as one of the more unpredictable constituencies in Scotland and there are plenty of unpredictable constituencies in Scotland. Scotland is full of marginal seats and of course North East Fife is quintessentially the marginal seat, because of the Liberal Democrats being very close."

St Andrews- 3 December 2019

38. Wide of street sign in St Andrews

39. Close of street sign in St Andrews

40. Tilt down of entrance to the University of St Andrews

Edinburgh, United Kingdom - 4 December 2019

41. SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde:

"Well, I mean the truth is of course that independence is playing a part of the crucial debate more broadly and I think what one now has to understand is that that debate is now interlaced with the debate about Brexit. So, one of the things that has happened in Scotland really since 2016 is that people's views about Brexit and their views about independence have become much more in line. So around 57% of those people who voted remain (in the 2016 Brexit referendum) are now in favour of independence, whereas amongst those who voted leave, support is much lower it is only around a third."

St Andrews - 3 December 2019

42. Close of Scottish flag

43. Tilt down of postcards of Scotland

44. Close of "Castle of Scotland" postcard