Scottish National Flag

Nearly sixty countries and territories formerly ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, or part of the British Empire, have gained their independence – but not always without bloodshed was it?

Many places you have never heard off of course, many tiny as well, but they have paddled their own canoe – sometimes successfully, sometimes less so, but it was all down to them, wasn’t it?

NO country has been under England’s control longer than Scotland, has it?

You see, England’s Cromwell took Scotland 350 years ago, and Scotland’s last ditch attempt to break free from the yoke of the English ended in a bloody massacre in the Inverness battle of Culloden two hundred and fifty years ago – when the Scots fought at the wrong time, on the wrong day, in the wrong place, and were slain mercilessly by their traitorous countrymen, employed by the English to get the job done well.

Oh yes, Scotland was granted a pseudo parliament fifteen years ago, as a gesture from London to try to placate the Scottish National Party, which was getting up the nose of those at Westminster, demanding “Home Rule”. The English were super confident that the Scots would screw up the chance of using the limited powers granted them, but clever clogs Alex Salmond, Scottish First Minister & ex UK MP, led his tartan troops to outstanding success, to the chagrin of all and sundry in the House of Commons.

The YES vote looks lost already as the beleaguered & depressed Scots have been frightened silly, not least by their own Anglicised countrymen, fighting the English corner. You have the rich & famous that have no right to a view, pontificating on behalf of the NOs (like Rod Stewart, singer, an Englishman who ‘pretends’ to be a Scot and loves living his life in the USA so WITHOUT A VOTE; or pen-named JK Rowling, author, English, but a Scotland infiltrator, wealthier now than the Queen, & providing ‘NO’ funding, who wants all those like her to have a right to re-root, when in despair, at the heart of the English’s conquered land! Or even in the YES camp, what right does Sean Connery, a lapsed Scot, get to shout his mouth off when he has spent his life away and done absolutely NOTHING for his birth-land; Shrek, Canadian actor, Alex Ferguson football manager, Emma Thompson, actress, Billy Connolly, renowned comedian, and countless others, who have good reason to mind their own business surely?

Has Salmond misplayed his referendum? Probably, but does he care? Certainly NOT a jot. He wins whatever happens! ‘YES’ means he goes down in history as the man (better than ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’) who gave the Scots their country back (without the deaths of confrontation!). ‘NO’ leaves him in the powerful position of nearly half his country supporting him (Westminster PM eat your heart out for that kind of backing!); inevitable devolution of further powers, a legitimate right to make significant demands of the UK Government, and NO REAL ACCOUNTABILITY which will STILL rest in London (a politician’s magical dream, surely?)

Rightly, Scots who have used the best road in Scotland (the A1, the road to England) to seek their fame & fortune, have no vote. Wrongly, the shysters from anywhere in the World who have gone to take advantage of the good life in Scotland, who don’t know a single thing about that land, its people, culture, history, or anything else, and CARE even less do have a vote –madness, don’t you think?

Salmond got it completely wrong saying they would use the Pound Stirling as currency – when they should have threatened to have a Scottish Pound which would have put the Bank of England (set-up by a Scot no less) & the Chancellor in a complete tizzy (rather than the other way round!). Equally, he should have threatened to pull out of the EU – leaving the rest of the UK to worry how it would justify, as a depleted unit, being allowed to stay in themselves (rather than the other way round!). [But that is politics for you isn’t it?]

It’s difficult to not feel utterly sad for the demoralised Scots; a final chance for a national identify heading for the bin, exactly while elsewhere in the World thousands of men, women, & children are losing their lives to try and regain one.

[The fearsome fighters of Scotland are now a delightful but hazy historical memory – how long before their lilting accent and distinct pronunciation & vocabulary is lost as well?]