Ok, so it didn't happen.
At the risk of sounding a wee bit cheeky, there, there.
Having been born south of the border, but having a good deal of Scottish heritage, I'm personally relieved the 307 year old union has remained intact. I think if independence had gone through, it would have felt a little as though someone had gouged out part of my chest (and that's as sentimental as I'm likely to ever be on this blog!)
Of course, the fact that the "ringleaders" of this experiment weren't rounded up after the defeat and publicly executed is a good sign of how progressive we've become since 1746! Let's look at some reasons why this may be a blessing in disguise for those that were banking on independence:
1) Don't trust politicians, particularly when they are smiling, and especially when they're telling you that if you vote their way, everything will get a lot better.
This is the equivalent of Wiley Coyote with a pile of bird seed with a sign stuck in it that states "Free bird seed."
There's always that feeling that you're missing something and that something eventually, but inevitably comes sneaking up behind you with a big ACME hammer.
For some reason, the year 1936 keeps coming to mind.
2) Politicians love to blame the obvious Bogeyman.
All politicians do this. It's the easiest way of getting the most support from a large majority of the public who can't be bothered hearing complex arguments. Besides, there's a football match on the tele starting in ten minutes.
Admittedly, it is pretty easy to blame England for a lot of Scotland's problems. It's almost a national pastime. Of course, if you start leafing though Scottish history, it also becomes quite apparent that Scotland can also be blamed for a good number of Scotland's problems.
Why is Scotland in the Union in the first place? Well, back in the late 1600's a lot of Scots invested in a poorly conceived investment to start a Scottish colony in what is now Panama.
Now everyone who was anyone back in those days was setting up nice wee colonies in the Caribbean, however in this case, they couldn't have chosen a worse site. And really, what business does a race of pale blue people with a propensity for sunstroke and sunburns have for starting a resort in one of the hottest, sunniest places on the planet? If the heat and sun didn't get to you, then the restless natives, hostile Spanish, lack of food, proper supplies and massive swarms of malaria infested mosquitoes would. Fewer than a few hundred survived to return and it nearly bankrupted the nation. England ended up bailing out those who had financed the disaster and to cut a long story short, it had a great deal to do with the Act of Union of 1707. Robert Burns later wrote: "We're bought and sold for English gold - Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!" in reference to the people of Scotland that had sold the country up the river... literally in this case, the River Thames.
The politicians at Holyrood will always find something to blame on the English. It's easy. Even if independence had happened, England would continue to be the default Bogeyman for the foreseeable future. I'm almost certain that the SNP party would have eventually floated the idea that independence wasn't enough. To be truly be rid of the evil influence of the English, they would concoct a scheme to physically detach Scotland from the British Isles and float it as far away as possible. And on the way to the Pacific, the scheme would have run out of cash, and Scotland would have been stuck off the coast of Somalia.
There are worse neighbours to be stuck with.
3) Defaulting on your debt is bad.
I'm no economics expert, and I barely understand how my mortgage works, but even I can tell you that defaulting on your debt is bad.
Sure, you can flip off "the man", and that's a pretty awesome feeling... until (and I'll use a basic analogy here), you need a loan for an unexpected expense, say a new car, or a house.
Bank: So Mr. Scotland, I see you've put in for a small loan.
Mr. Scotland: Yes.
Bank: Well, in looking up your records, it appears you defaulted on your debt.
Mr. Scotland: So?
Bank: Well, if I loan you a load of cash, what's to stop you from defaulting on your loan again? To be perfectly frank, with that kind of credit history, I'd have to be a pigeon recovering from a full frontal lobotomy to lend you any money. I'm very sorry, I think we'll say good-day to you.
And there you are stuck off the coast of Somalia surrounded by sharks, pirates and Islamic extremists. I'd suggest trying to make friendly with the sharks.
4) Having a few Nukes in your back pocket isn't a bad thing.
Nor is being part of the world's largest military alliance.
I'm sure the local businesses don't mind the thousands of Royal Navy personnel stationed there either.
At any rate, you never know when those pesky German's might have a go at crossing the channel again. Now, I'm not saying it's likely, but back in the 1920's, nobody thought it was particularly likely either.
As Denis Leary says: "That's right, We've got the bomb. Two words: Nuclear $%#!ing Weapons." It's an easy and surprisingly affordable way of saying "Don't $%#! with me."
Besides, all the cool kids have them.
5)"Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos."
Freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Democracy really isn't all that democratic. The so called freedom we enjoy, really is a bit of an illusion, and it really doesn't matter who's selling it... it's all the same mess. But it's a nice illusion and as long as I have running water, access to clean food, free health care, a nice wee house, and I don't have to contend with roaming bands of barbarians, I'm quite content with it. The only system that promises true freedom is called... wait for it... anarchy. Humans in general just aren't responsible enough yet as a whole to try that one.
It's a good song though.
6) Scots have an ever so slight tendency to see the worst in everything.
You don't say!
Still, life could be a lot worse. You could be Ukraine, Zimbabwe*, Zaire**, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, Haiti, Palestine, North Korea, Somalia...
I end this entry with a little old wisdom:
"After a time you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."***
* It'll always be Rhodesia to me.
** Or whatever they're calling it this week.
*** Any guesses as to where that quote is from?
At the risk of sounding a wee bit cheeky, there, there.
Having been born south of the border, but having a good deal of Scottish heritage, I'm personally relieved the 307 year old union has remained intact. I think if independence had gone through, it would have felt a little as though someone had gouged out part of my chest (and that's as sentimental as I'm likely to ever be on this blog!)
Of course, the fact that the "ringleaders" of this experiment weren't rounded up after the defeat and publicly executed is a good sign of how progressive we've become since 1746! Let's look at some reasons why this may be a blessing in disguise for those that were banking on independence:
1) Don't trust politicians, particularly when they are smiling, and especially when they're telling you that if you vote their way, everything will get a lot better.
This is the equivalent of Wiley Coyote with a pile of bird seed with a sign stuck in it that states "Free bird seed."
There's always that feeling that you're missing something and that something eventually, but inevitably comes sneaking up behind you with a big ACME hammer.
For some reason, the year 1936 keeps coming to mind.
2) Politicians love to blame the obvious Bogeyman.
All politicians do this. It's the easiest way of getting the most support from a large majority of the public who can't be bothered hearing complex arguments. Besides, there's a football match on the tele starting in ten minutes.
Admittedly, it is pretty easy to blame England for a lot of Scotland's problems. It's almost a national pastime. Of course, if you start leafing though Scottish history, it also becomes quite apparent that Scotland can also be blamed for a good number of Scotland's problems.
Why is Scotland in the Union in the first place? Well, back in the late 1600's a lot of Scots invested in a poorly conceived investment to start a Scottish colony in what is now Panama.
Now everyone who was anyone back in those days was setting up nice wee colonies in the Caribbean, however in this case, they couldn't have chosen a worse site. And really, what business does a race of pale blue people with a propensity for sunstroke and sunburns have for starting a resort in one of the hottest, sunniest places on the planet? If the heat and sun didn't get to you, then the restless natives, hostile Spanish, lack of food, proper supplies and massive swarms of malaria infested mosquitoes would. Fewer than a few hundred survived to return and it nearly bankrupted the nation. England ended up bailing out those who had financed the disaster and to cut a long story short, it had a great deal to do with the Act of Union of 1707. Robert Burns later wrote: "We're bought and sold for English gold - Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!" in reference to the people of Scotland that had sold the country up the river... literally in this case, the River Thames.
The politicians at Holyrood will always find something to blame on the English. It's easy. Even if independence had happened, England would continue to be the default Bogeyman for the foreseeable future. I'm almost certain that the SNP party would have eventually floated the idea that independence wasn't enough. To be truly be rid of the evil influence of the English, they would concoct a scheme to physically detach Scotland from the British Isles and float it as far away as possible. And on the way to the Pacific, the scheme would have run out of cash, and Scotland would have been stuck off the coast of Somalia.
There are worse neighbours to be stuck with.
3) Defaulting on your debt is bad.
I'm no economics expert, and I barely understand how my mortgage works, but even I can tell you that defaulting on your debt is bad.
Sure, you can flip off "the man", and that's a pretty awesome feeling... until (and I'll use a basic analogy here), you need a loan for an unexpected expense, say a new car, or a house.
Bank: So Mr. Scotland, I see you've put in for a small loan.
Mr. Scotland: Yes.
Bank: Well, in looking up your records, it appears you defaulted on your debt.
Mr. Scotland: So?
Bank: Well, if I loan you a load of cash, what's to stop you from defaulting on your loan again? To be perfectly frank, with that kind of credit history, I'd have to be a pigeon recovering from a full frontal lobotomy to lend you any money. I'm very sorry, I think we'll say good-day to you.
And there you are stuck off the coast of Somalia surrounded by sharks, pirates and Islamic extremists. I'd suggest trying to make friendly with the sharks.
4) Having a few Nukes in your back pocket isn't a bad thing.
Nor is being part of the world's largest military alliance.
I'm sure the local businesses don't mind the thousands of Royal Navy personnel stationed there either.
At any rate, you never know when those pesky German's might have a go at crossing the channel again. Now, I'm not saying it's likely, but back in the 1920's, nobody thought it was particularly likely either.
As Denis Leary says: "That's right, We've got the bomb. Two words: Nuclear $%#!ing Weapons." It's an easy and surprisingly affordable way of saying "Don't $%#! with me."
Besides, all the cool kids have them.
5)"Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos."
Freedom isn't all it's cracked up to be.
Democracy really isn't all that democratic. The so called freedom we enjoy, really is a bit of an illusion, and it really doesn't matter who's selling it... it's all the same mess. But it's a nice illusion and as long as I have running water, access to clean food, free health care, a nice wee house, and I don't have to contend with roaming bands of barbarians, I'm quite content with it. The only system that promises true freedom is called... wait for it... anarchy. Humans in general just aren't responsible enough yet as a whole to try that one.
It's a good song though.
6) Scots have an ever so slight tendency to see the worst in everything.
You don't say!
Still, life could be a lot worse. You could be Ukraine, Zimbabwe*, Zaire**, Syria, Sudan, Nigeria, Haiti, Palestine, North Korea, Somalia...
I end this entry with a little old wisdom:
"After a time you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true."***
* It'll always be Rhodesia to me.
** Or whatever they're calling it this week.
*** Any guesses as to where that quote is from?
*** From when time was all Amok. LL&P
ReplyDeletePeace & Long Life.
Delete