Alex Salmond has evidently taken some time off from his duties presiding over the Scottish parliament to watch Braveheart. Though fortunately he has yet to reach for the broadsword and the wode he has taken to calling for Scottish independence rather loudly and rather frequently.
I can't say I'm impressed by this. I am a Scotsman (in case you hadn't guessed from previous posts) and I am fiercely proud to be so. I wear my kilt regularly, I stand six inches taller when I hear the bagpipes and I actively encourage (nay force) friends to visit. That said, I live in England and I enjoy doing so. Employment wasn't the only reason I chose to move down. I think the south of England is also a wonderful part of the world. Tied up with all this is the fact that as well as being a Scot, I am also extremely proud to be British. Had fate (and genetics) dealt me a better hand, I would be serving in the Army defending and representing Britain (ok it wouldn't hurt to be in a Scottish regiment; the combination of a kilt and military uniform would certainly not damage my ability to get interest from girls!!). I am not alone in these sentiments. I know and know of many Scots living in England and indeed around the world that view themselves as both Scottish and British.
Herein lies the crux of the problem with Scottish independence as I see it. Culturally, having a Scottish and a British identity are not mutually exclusive. Arguably, they are complimentary. Yes, we rather vocally support England's opposition in sporting fixtures. Yes, we mock "softy southerners" and yes we create many, many other slights against our neighbours but as far as I can tell, this is done with the utmost of affection (as is the banter between the two main cities Edinburgh and Glasgow).
A straw poll of friends and family both in and out of Scotland is very much against the dissolution of the union. To me, this suggests that Mr Salmond was elected as an anti-labour vote rather than a pro-SNP measure. Forcing a referendum may provide rather a sharp wake-up call. Of course there are many economic and political arguments both for and against. I can't pretend to understand these well; partially because I haven't really been paying attention to them but mostly because I think with this vote, more than most, decisions will be made subjectively rather than objectively. Frankly, when decisions with such effects on national identity are made, I hope they are taken subjectively.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. It will be interesting to hopefully hear the opinions of others on this topic... from either side of the border.
JR
I can't say I'm impressed by this. I am a Scotsman (in case you hadn't guessed from previous posts) and I am fiercely proud to be so. I wear my kilt regularly, I stand six inches taller when I hear the bagpipes and I actively encourage (nay force) friends to visit. That said, I live in England and I enjoy doing so. Employment wasn't the only reason I chose to move down. I think the south of England is also a wonderful part of the world. Tied up with all this is the fact that as well as being a Scot, I am also extremely proud to be British. Had fate (and genetics) dealt me a better hand, I would be serving in the Army defending and representing Britain (ok it wouldn't hurt to be in a Scottish regiment; the combination of a kilt and military uniform would certainly not damage my ability to get interest from girls!!). I am not alone in these sentiments. I know and know of many Scots living in England and indeed around the world that view themselves as both Scottish and British.
Herein lies the crux of the problem with Scottish independence as I see it. Culturally, having a Scottish and a British identity are not mutually exclusive. Arguably, they are complimentary. Yes, we rather vocally support England's opposition in sporting fixtures. Yes, we mock "softy southerners" and yes we create many, many other slights against our neighbours but as far as I can tell, this is done with the utmost of affection (as is the banter between the two main cities Edinburgh and Glasgow).
A straw poll of friends and family both in and out of Scotland is very much against the dissolution of the union. To me, this suggests that Mr Salmond was elected as an anti-labour vote rather than a pro-SNP measure. Forcing a referendum may provide rather a sharp wake-up call. Of course there are many economic and political arguments both for and against. I can't pretend to understand these well; partially because I haven't really been paying attention to them but mostly because I think with this vote, more than most, decisions will be made subjectively rather than objectively. Frankly, when decisions with such effects on national identity are made, I hope they are taken subjectively.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out. It will be interesting to hopefully hear the opinions of others on this topic... from either side of the border.
JR
