This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »
Scottish Independence: confidence, courage and ambition
Scotland, one of the oldest, yet newest, Nations on earth is moving towards an epoch and deciding whether to become Independent. It needs considered reflection to enable it to make this momentous decision, before the Independence Referendum in autumn 2014.
For far too long, and despite the reality of what Scots have given to humanity, our small Nation has been developing a 'cant do' persona. Other Nations have managed to adapt and pursue freedoms and self-respect and progressively moved to a natural, independent state. Its time we did the same.
Strangely, we live within the UK state that is continually discredited. The UK lacks the ability to work on behalf of Scotland and its interests; the UK cannot behave as either a 'good world citizen' or in line with the aspirations of the people of Scotland. Indeed, in the UK, it is arguably the only modern 'democratic' state that tells its own people that they are too stupid, small and impoverished and should not be in charge of their own affairs.
That is not simply the fault of the UK powers-that-be. We allow ourselves to be oppressed into thinking of ourselves as second class citizens within our own 'united' kingdom. We suffer indeed, arguably, from a national 'Stockholm Syndrome' in a captive and dysfunctional UK.
What we need is a real, immediate, and concentrated dose of self-respect, courage, and with it, ambition. Ambition to join the rest of the naturally organised nation-states. Ambition to put right the old wrongs. Ambition to act as a good citizen of the world - and find our age-old guts and determination to make the best of it. We also need friends, family and thinkers from outside of Scotland to stand with us and show us what can be achieved.
For centuries now, many countries have broken free of the 'British' constraints - and none have looked backwards since. Its up to us - and we'd like to hear from you!....
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Showing single comment thread. View the full conversation.
Genevieve Tran 50+
In Canada, in 1993, when the 85% Inuit population in the Northeast got their dream of self-government (don't know if this is the exact same thing as Independence) everyone was glad that it was going to be a more By-the-People, For-the-People type thing for them...but high unemployment (at least 3x national average), lack of sizable industry and ability to retain crucial talent to build up the state etc. have been problems indeed. 20 years on! Things like, no industry and no jobs mean that everyday products need to be shipped in, causing the cost of living to be very high. In a depressed economy! And I think the Arab Spring revolutions are all realizing similar treacherous sinkholes on the road to new nationhood...
So, aside from the good traditional / emotional / political reasons for self-determination, poor economic planning will cause a new independent state to have:
- no viable industry to support itself (who knows what savings had been pooled in admin costs, or wholesale deals there've been from being part of the UK?)
- a confused and inadequate starting political mandate (whose effects last years)
- and a dejected populace :(
I think Scotland needs to rebrand itself as a separate entity from the UK well in advance of the referendum. The world needs to know why they should travel there, do business and set up presences in both London and Edinburgh. I'm not sure that it's beyond a side-trip from London (sorry!), in many minds yet. There needs to be full confidence of business and tourism, regardless of the referendum result. All future Scottish politicians need to be able to prophesy a sequence of economic plans, stimuli and legislation in order to hit the ground running.
Hire consultants! My boss is a Scottish one, for government! :) He wears kilts and plays rugby etc.
Arkady Grudzinsky 50+
But the nationalistic hype was very high. People marched with national flags, tore down monuments of Lenin, set monuments to Ukrainian leaders who fought communists in Western Ukraine in the 1940s (often on the side of the Nazis), renamed streets, enacted legislation to restore Ukrainian language in the government system and schools, etc. That's not freedom, really. At least, there is no war. Fortunately, the people have enough civility for that.
Don't want to rain on your parade, though. Again, I am fairly ignorant of what situation in Scotland is. Just sharing my experience of living in a newly independent state. Independence takes a great national spirit like in the U.S. 200 years ago. When people are not ready and independence "falls on their heads" as it was in Ukraine, people often don't know what to do with it.
Genevieve Tran 50+
Arkady Grudzinsky 50+
Genevieve Tran 50+
It wasn't that the Ukraine went from communism to free-market, in particular, that made it run into trouble because the Bolshevik Revolution from Tsarist rule also had massive supply chain failures as do other historical sudden switches in leadership etc.
Arkady Grudzinsky 50+