Scotland's Vital Role

Caledonia

Caledonia! thou land of the mountain and rock,
Of the ocean, the mist, and the wind-
Thou land of the torrent, the pine, and the oak,
Of the roebuck, the hart, and the hind;
 
Though bare are thy cliffs, and though barren thy glens,
Though bleak thy dun islands appear,
Yet kind are the hearts, and undaunted the clans,
That roam on these mountains so drear!

A foe from abroad, or a tyrant at home,
Could never thy ardour restrain;
The marshall'd array of imperial Rome
Essay'd thy proud spirit in vain!
 
Firm seat of religion, of valour, of truth,
Of genius unshackled and free,
The muses have left all the vales of the south,
My loved Caledonia, for thee!

Sweet land of the bay and wild-winding deeps
Where loveliness slumbers at even,
While far in the depth of the blue water sleeps
A calm little motionless heaven!
 
Thou land of the valley, the moor, and the hill,
Of the storm and the proud rolling wave-
Yes, thou art the land of fair liberty still,
And the land of my forefathers' grave!

 
James Hogg (1770 – 1835)

The United Kingdom? Scotland's Vital Role.

The fact is we all get along quite well in the British Isles and we move around much more these days and live in each others' countries, and generally there is no real problem. Traditionally we still have our regional differences which occasionally manifest themselves, usually during sporting events, but these could be ignited into something more confrontational and extreme by those with ulterior wicked or distructive intentions. Generally the British have worked together very well in the recent past, facing the huge historical problems placed before us. In fact it has been rather wonderful, but to some it may seem that we British have done far too well over the last 200 years, and achieved far too much, and that this situation cannot be allowed to continue!

Why exactly did Blair and Co. devolve power to the regions on taking office? I do not remember the subject being discussed much or in any great detail on the run up to that election? Obviously, the people of Northern Ireland badly needed change of some kind but the scale of the plan for an actual Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly came as a total surprise to many ordinary people, after New Labour obtained power ten years ago.

I believe they are a diversion to split opinion across the UK and to awaken ancient, ugly, tribal grievances, enabling Westminster and The City to get up to their self-serving schemes while the distracted general population squabbles in dismay over the fairness of prescription charges, tax and welfare, student fees and the principle of North Sea oil.

See (a) for a recent example of needless mischief-making by a smirking “lord,” stirring up the sediment at the bottom of the pond. Expect much more of this kind of infantile behaviour in the future, from those of privilege and in power. (If he has only just discovered these verses then it does not say much for his education, they were covered in my junior state-school music class! Along with certain verses of Rule Brittania, and in some old sea-shanties that were fun to sing but would now be non-PC. ) Trouble-making is very much part of the new agenda, and there is a lot more at risk than just an old-fashioned patriotic song from a different era!

 

Why did Blair recently disband the most world-famous Scottish regiments? Could the reason be to encourage the Scots to resent the British Government? Has it worked?

 

I believe that certain people in our government, in banking, business and the establishment, powerful people, secretly desire and relish the regional rivalries that are now developing. In fact they are deliberately causing them. These Europhiles have been very busy for a long time undermining the institution of the United Kingdom. The UK has been a success for about three centuries but is now obsolete and is being replaced by the EU which has been specifically developed to facilitate the national and fiscal absorption of all European and surrounding countries. Some interesting facts:

 

1) Scotland has always been a very powerful and important country. Many are not aware that, historically, Scotland has often lead in the creation of legislation which is then introduced at a later time in the rest of Great Britain. This is an old, established legal precedent. Not all law in our history has been passed first in London and then imposed on Scotland.

 

One example involves unpasteurised milk which is banned in Scotland but permitted in England. Blair intended to simply bring English law into line with Scotland, on becoming Prime Minister, and bring in a total ban. However, English dairy farmers and their customers campaigned and Blair was forced to back down. The precedent was there though, for Scotland to lead and for England to follow, and he could have easily done this. It is nothing new, and could have been achieved with little more than the proverbial stroke of a pen.

Traditionally, the UK countries have some differing laws which have developed reflecting local religion or custom. Two examples; you could not buy a drink in parts of Wales on Sunday in the old days because all the pubs were shut. There are no abortion clinics in Northern Ireland.

 

2) Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie, are two famous examples of the many historical, pre-UK, attempts of Scots striving to thwart the English with aid from European countries i.e. France, Rome (the Vatican) and Spain.

 

3) Scottish banks have printed their own banknotes for centuries.

Now continue thinking along the lines of Scotland leading, and England following and just bear with me here:

If, or when, Scotland goes completely independent it will then deal with the EU in its own right. The pressure to abandon Sterling and join the euro will become intense. Many blinkered fools in Scotland, feeling tribal and possibly believing life is just a game of football, will want to dump Sterling just to cheese off the English, not realising or considering that this

a) may not be in their own peoples’ best long-term interest and
 

b) may be exactly what the British Government and the other major political parties have secretly desired and been planning for.

Joining the euro will be marketed to young Scots as being their future and a fresh start, shaking off stuffy old Britain. Older people will decline, and impressionable younger people will be voting for, and will be elected to, the Scottish Parliament. Nonsense like the oil issue will be argued over, as if the English people or the Scots have ever or will ever own or benefit from it. Don't be so naive!

 

If they go for it, England, Wales and N. Ireland will then have to change as well. We already have Ireland and France with euros. If Scotland changes to the euro, all our near neighbours will then be using the euro and Sterling really will no longer be practical. Scotland will have achieved a very hollow victory which future generations throughout the whole of the British Isles will deeply regret.

 

The English government of the day will be able to pretend total innocence and appear helpless in the winds of change, and people may never suspect that it was planned all along, over years, by those in power back-stage of the political scene. This is how the Europhile Establishment may be planning to introduce the euro into Great Britain because at the moment the idea is still very unpopular here.
 

It could happen. Why else would Blair have bothered?
 

Is it important? Does it really matter if we change to the euro?

Yes, I believe it does.

In the Highlands

In the highlands, in the country places,
Where the old plain men have rosy faces,
And the young fair maidens
Quiet eyes;
 
Where essential silence cheers and blesses,
And for ever in the hill-recesses
Her more lovely music
Broods and dies.

O to mount again where erst I haunted;
Where the old red hills are bird-enchanted,
And the low green meadows
Bright with sward;
 
And when even dies, the million-tinted,
And the night has come, and planets glinted,
Lo, the valley hollow
Lamp-bestarred!

O to dream, O to wake and wander
There, and with delight to take and render,
Through the trance of silence
Quiet breath;
 
Lo! for there, among the flowers and grasses,
Only the mightier movement sounds and passes;
Only winds and river,
Life and death.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)