King and Country?
I love Scotland, my father was half Scottish. When I first came here in the early ’80s I knew deep inside that this was my home, my spiritual home, then in 1988 I made it my physical home. I hold no loyalty to England at all. The English Government is a disgrace. They are greedy, dishonest and selfish. This is unlikely to ever change whilst the leadership selection is limited to private schools such as Eton, Harrow and Gordonstoun, and it would be in anyone’s interest to distance themselves as much as possible from their insidious orbit.
But no nation is perfect. I have learned a lot about Scotland since I have lived here and the most disappointing and saddening thing is the utter betrayal by the clan chiefs who succumbed to the gifts of land and title bestowed upon them. This is an ancient story but one that echoes through history to the present day, and one can’t help wondering whether this betrayal alone wasn’t the cause of centuries of social collapse.
We are all entitled to our opinions, and there is no more volatile subject than the monarchy, in some comments expressed here on FB the pure hatred resonates and shatters. But let’s not forget that Scotland too had a monarchy. I don’t pretend to know much about Scottish history but was it not Robert the Bruce that “…led Scotland during the First War of Scottish Independence against England. He fought successfully during his reign to regain Scotland’s place as an independent kingdom and is now revered in Scotland as a national hero…” (Wikipedia).
The English monarchy have in the past been a force to be reckoned with but their powers today have diminished greatly, having relinquished their leadership to an elected “democratic republic” type assembly, and I have often asked myself which is better, a so-called democratically elected party, often by a marginal majority, that is inherently weak at the core and prone to greed and corruption, or a benign dictatorship, ruled by a King with a representative assembly for guidance and advice?
The UK constitution has never been brought together in a single document. According to University College London, “Codified constitutions are typically produced following a major historic turning point, such as the grant of independence, revolution, defeat in war, or complete collapse of the previous system of government.” Perhaps it’s time for such a document that reinstates freedom, food and shelter as the essential birthright of every human being and that social infrastructure and natural resources be constructed and shared accordingly.
Are we responsible for the sins of our fathers? I do not believe so. But we can learn by their mistakes. But those mistakes are repeated even to this day by those who claim to represent us. Donald Trump’s callous destruction of the dunes at Balmedie despite their SSSI assignation, his surprisingly convenient acquisition of Compulsory Purchase Orders on properties that stood in his way, is a recent example of blatant betrayal when Alex Salmond overrode without hesitation, the local council decision to deny planning permission for the new golf complex. It really begs the question why? And, who do we trust?
Scotland may or may not have a bright future, but the quality of its leadership is both critical and time-sensitive, given the rapid buy-up of large areas of land by absentee corporations to supposedly offset their carbon emissions. The common behaviour of politicians to gear their activities towards self-images and re-election at the expense of society and the land itself must change.
