I'm still largely 'plugged out' of political news, but I have just caught up with the information that the No campaign in the independence referendum are provisionally calling themselves "Keep Scotland in Britain". My problem with that choice is roughly the same as my problem with the name "Scotland for Marriage" - it expresses a sentiment that the campaign's opponents do not actually disagree with. Scotland is part of an island called Great Britain - Scots were British before the union in 1707 and will remain British after independence. That's a geographical fact. Any hypothetical "Get Scotland Out of Britain" campaign would require a pretty hefty chainsaw.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - "Britain" belongs to all Britons. It's not the name given to whatever political entity London happens to be the capital city of.
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I go to a book club every month, and I had a moment of immense private satisfaction at the most recent meeting when someone nominated The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and it turned out that hardly anyone had actually heard of her. (If only I could say the same.) Sanity 1, Kevin Baker Fan Club 0.
In the 70s there was a local anti nuclear group where we lived.
ReplyDeleteIt was called "Parents for Survival"
Nobody could really get their heads around that, how to alienate people who don't already sing from their hymn sheet.
Given the circumstances, I wish I'd joined a campaign group called "Citizens Against Hut Roofs Blowing Off", but it's far, far too late now.
ReplyDeleteThe gales are still howling here, James. More slates are in the garden than on the roof and chimney pots litter the streets. It's a miracle no one was killed. If a hut roof lands in the garden, I'll pop it across to you on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteYes like it or not, Scotland, like the Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland and the Channel Islands (all of them) are part of the British Isles, and that's the way it's likely to remain for the foreseeable future.
Still if anyone wants to saw Scotland off and tow it south towards the Mediterranean, you'll not hear a word of complaint from me.
o/t
ReplyDeleteAn opinion poll for Scotland
http://www.ipsos-mori.com/researchpublications/researcharchive/2890/Scottish-Public-Opinion-Monitor.aspx