I am not a member of any political party. I am however a strong supporter of Scots Independence. Any views which I express in this Blog are purely my own.
This Blog intends to be a place where I will be putting my views on Scots Independence. It will primarily concern itself with the upcoming Referendum In Scotland. However It will also be somewhat diverse in the range of day to day issues which are evident to me in modern day Scotland. Not all of it will be political, and indeed may take me off into avenues I am not even aware of yet.
Please come and join in on this journey, and any comments are welcome provided they are not abusive!
All the best from a new acquaintance!
Rod Macfarlane
Auld Acquaintance 
Other European countries and regions that have lost their identity, language and autonomy through being swallowed up by a more powerful neighbour:
Ireland (Eire)
Cornwall
Brittany (France)
Wallonia (Netherlands)
Aragon (Spain)
Kashubia (Germany and Poland)
Sami (Finland)
Chuvashia (Russia)
Provencal (France)
Catalonia (Spain)
Can Scotland go where others have failed to go before?
Ireland have been free for quite some time, unless of course you been a Unified Ireland. In which case that is a thorn which is taking some time in removing.
I guess the difference between Scotland and most of these, Is that Scotland went into a partnership rather than being taken over. However, the partnership has been unequal, and dissolving it is somewhat problematical.
The Scottish people are still legally sovereign. Hence why even a consultative referendum is binding.
But the course of it will be somewhat acrimonious I think, and plenty of underhand tricks and dirty play Is expected…mostly from the Unionist side.
Interesting times !
Could be.
In my own research into loss of cultural, ergo national, identity I have come up with a matrix by which to quantify. I believe that without that strength of national identity, recovery of nationhood is not possible.
A case in point is General Hugh MacKay of Scourie in Sutherland who – fought for King Billie, defeated the Irish under King Seamus a’ Chac, cleared the Highland Glens of rebel highlanders, subdued Scotland, and took on Dutch nationality as a final insult.
See
http://westernisles.wordpress.com/q-celt-identity-4/
and
http://hebridesweb.wordpress.com
Just to let you know the http://www.identityexploration.com/ipseus_output.asp link on both pages is listed as unfound or removed.
My personal take on it, is that the Scots Identity is very much intact and thriving nicely.
I don’t have all the figures available, but even the English are starting to reclaim their identity, although still lagged well behind the Scots, who by a vast majority see themselves as Scottish not British.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/news/politics/fears-for-union-s-future-as-english-ditch-britishness-1.1135959
Thanks for pointing that out.
The URL then for Identity Exploration is:
http://www.identityexploration.com/
One listen at this makes me come over all patriotic again!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHgC49wuZ9Q
Beautiful!!!! Thanks for this!
Anyone like to debate the feature in today’s Sunday Times by Prof Niall Ferguson, Glaswegian Professor of History (Oxford and Harvard), on his imagined future for Scotland and Ireland in ten year’s time:
” … The financial crisis put the Scots off independence; other small countries fared abysmally. Irish (north and south) voted to exchange the austerity of the USE (United States of Europe)!for the prosperity of the UK, and celebrated their citizenship of a Reunited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland with the slogan, “Better Brits than Brussels”.
Ferguson doesn’t say whether the Irish have to swear allegiance to the British monarch!
I don’t have access to the article, but I take it this quote is tongue in cheek??
You know me too well! On this occasion, however, I’m not winding up! See page 9 of News Review of today’s Sunday Times. I’ll keep my powder dry till I see what others make of it! You have to Google Ferguson to get an idea of who he is (including his recent marriage to Hirsi Ali) and what he is about, then make a judgment. Personally, I think he is a plonker.
The Times site is behind a paywall, and as I dont want to give Murdoch my money, I can’t access or make any comment on the article in question. If somebody else can access it, please feel free to comment.
I note that she is a feminist with a Fatwa on her head and he is a serial adulterer, interesting combination!
I note also that he is currently a professor in History at Harvard and a member of a Tory Think Tank and advisor to David Cameron on promoting Britishness!
I suspect I don’t even need to see the article to know what I would think of it!
But if even the quoted section is at all supposed to be serious, he is surely demented if he thinks that the republic of Ireland would ever voluntarily subject themselves to British rule ever again…Hell Would freeze over first!
Even under the heavy constraints that the Republic has after the Banking Collapse, they still currently rank higher than the UK in GDP tables , as do Iceland for that matter!! Indeed Icelands rate of growth is considerably higher per annum than Britain’s is.
Scotland is fairing better than the rest of the UK in growth and employment,and that is with both hands tied behind its back!
I think Prof Ferguson had better stick to History, predictions are not his strong point!
Interesting point. I hadn’t noticed this either, being in favour of this forced marriage coming to an end!
I missed your blogs. I checked in every few days because I enjoy what you write..it has meaning to me on our road to independence. I wondered if you were on holiday, and am saddened to find you have been feeling down.
I’m sure many others missed your witty poems with their very sharp points.
I have now subscribed to your RSS feed and look forward to more of your musings.
Jean
Thanks Jean…much appreciated.
And just for you…a new poem today.
Unfortunately every day just now just seems to bring more bad news for me…but at least I am trying to remain bright and positive… Not much else for it, but trying to keep my spirits up. 🙂
Rob, would you be interested in embedding/sharing the below youtube videos of Saturday’s rally with your readership and with other blogs?
if you haven’t managed to make it to the Rally on Saturday and want to catch up with what some of the speakers said, or are undecided on independence and need convincing still (in which case you should pay particular attention to Margo MacDonald, Allan Grogan, Ruth Wishart and Alan Bissett’s pieces), or if you’ve been at the rally and want to embed the videos below, here they are below.
if you could share the links with everyone else you know who wants to make independence happen or needs to be convinced, that’d be very helpful.
Cheers, and Saor Alba!
Tim
PS.: Any issues with the links, please let me know, but I tested and they should play ok for everyone.
LINKS:
MARGO MACDONALD: http://youtu.be/8JLANNZgAbw
RUTH WISHART: http://youtu.be/sWLgwqZUYYM
AAMER ANWAR: http://youtu.be/1hzVaYTfoxs
DOUGIE MACLEAN: http://youtu.be/t5S1CSE-hl8
ALEX SALMOND: http://youtu.be/uwj7upBRyW8
DAVID CANAVAN: http://youtu.be/ry8lTA_VCic
ALLAN GROGAN: http://youtu.be/20hS6bS9tB0
ALAN BISSETT: http://youtu.be/uwZBk1_Hc-Q
I like you wish to see Scotland become an Independant nation again. Not because I would be better off or worse off financially, nor do I wish independence for some ego trip or petty political squabbles. Scotland is a nation allways has been and allways will be. Whether Scotland votes yes or no in the referendum Scotland will become a a Independant nation again. I may not see it in my lifetime but it will happen. A nation needs more than just controlling its Economy and standing its ground in world affairs we need to talk to ourselves, sing our own songs recognise our strengths and weekneses but most of all celebrate who we are. I need not seek anyone’s permishion for loving and being proud of my nation.
North Sea Oil has given us the opportunity to show what we can do. You can’t land on a oil rig anywhere in the world without someone asking if you have a Press & Journal. We as a Nation have so much potential, but this can only be achieved with Independance.
Sorry, that’s
http://www.chap-chap.com
of course….
Very useful tool..Thanks Rob