Scottish Nationalism Examined

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31784, 14 September 1968, Page 5

Scottish Nationalism Examined

(Specially written for ‘'The Press" by

GARDNER MILLER)

Ever since 1707, when the union of England and Scotland took place, Scotland has been a land of discontent. It might be said that England took advantage of the hungry horde, but a firm appraisal of the course of history would seem to indicate that England had bitten off more than she could chew.

The advantages of the union ultimately proved to be more to the benefit of the northern half of the disgruntled Scots.

The urge within Scotland for freedom from the restrictions of the English way of life has always irked my fellow Scots. But reason would indicate that such resentments have really no basis in fact.

Britain is a polyglot community. There are more than a million Coloured people in the British Isles today. In recent history Scotland has moved away from the stiff nationalism that has characterised her history. It should always be remembered that a King in England is not a King in Scotland. There has never been a King in Scotland, he is the King of Scots.

Through our chequered history the country of England has. been conquered on three occasions. Scotland has never been conquered; it has been a country of free men.. The sovereign is the head of the family. He is the representative of the race. At the union of Scotland and England in 1707 the King was called King of Great Britain: not that it makes a pennyworth of difference. The name is of no consequence. It is the quality of the men and women that impresses its stamp upon the character. The rank is but the guinea's stamp: The man’s the gowd (gold) for a’ that. Wars of Independence Through centuries the rising current of the rebel strain in the Scots spurted out every now and then. As far back as the fourteenth century Scotland had many Wars of Independence within her borders. Towns like Stirling,

Bannockburn, Bothwell, Perth and others were always in a state of war with their neighbours.

Even the sleepy wee toon of Methven had a quarrel—about what I don’t know—and had a rumpus about it. New Zealand has a Methven, but I don’t think anybody has any record of the local upset, or perhaps it was just a landlord’s attempt to collect the local rents.

But every attempt to win local quarrels led in the longrun to the determination to loosen the bonds that bound the people. Scottish Nationalism grew slowly. The ebb and flow of national life was never a steady movement. There were too many dissidents to make for a common cause. Even today although Scottish nationalism is riding a rising wave—there are many rocks diverting the flow. A Political Union Students of the Scottish way of life were not long in stating that the union of 1707 was a political union and nothing else. Anything based on politics is like attempting to hold a structure together on foundations which are in moving water. Scotland and England although in union—but were never really united —reveal that there were two nations, each preserving and presenting its own systems of law, institutions and ways of life.

At the present time many high officials are busy turning wheels to keep the machine from breaking down. Almost every important aspect of Scottish domestic affairs now has headquarters in Edinburgh. But such officials are not chosen by the Scottish people. They are nominated by the Prime Minister and are answerable not to the Scottish electorate but to the British electorate as a whole. For too long this long-handled way of administration has been more than a nuisance.

The times are crying out for direct control. There is no desire to break up the union or disrupt the United Kingdom.

The Looming Danger

Self-government is not dissolution from partnership. The two nations that together attempt to control our affairs —if not our destinies—are really complementary. Both are essential for the welfare of Scotland and especially for England. Admittedly there is great and serious danger in any attempt to thrust nations together to form a great coalition of power. Such a group, or groups, become greedy for power. A powerful bureaucracy becomes contemptuous and small nations are ruthlessly crushed. t Nothing should be tolerated to come in between selfgovernment and loyalty to the British Commonwealth. A measure of self-government in Scotland would bring power into the hands of the people and go far to solve many of the desperate problems of our society. It may be thought by many that the uproar of the militant disrupters of the peace brought about by the tens of thousands of young people, especially within our universities, will destroy our democratic institutions. Not so. These in all forward and bustling countries, and especially those of our kith and kin, are in a tearing hurry for change.

Time will not cure the headiness of strong feelings. The youth of today are not only forging ahead in making new hopes and raising the blood level but breaking up many aspects of out-worn conceptions hindering the march of time. The ferment of youth is heady. The froth will die down and leave something behind that will quicken and refresh tomorrow’s thinking.