Scotland Against the Tide of Conceit

It is ironic that as the Glasgow Commonwealth Games conclude just as the Scottish referendum of September 18th looms. We in Canada who have endured nearly sixty years of Quebec separatist destabilization along with the rancour, buyouts and outright blackmail that attends it can only marvel why the Scots would brave such destructive waters. Montreal, the paragon of French Canadian civilization, a city once of clear world renown had rapidly devolved into to a backwater as inumerable head offices and a quarter of its population (its most talented), become economic refugees, abandoning it altogether. Economic arguments (which may be construed in either direction) aside; small states do not long stand against the behemoths of the world. The legacy of the UK has been rare and remarkable in history. In the end all of its peoples have been included in the grand enterprise of leading the entire world into and defining the Modern Age. As none other, the Scots have been at the very centre of it all. Together along with the dominions facing down Germanic Imperialism in WW1 and The midnight of Nazism in WW2. And along with the USA redefining the post world war along democratic lines. Not withstanding Hollywood, these are principally directly or indirectly British achievements. To reduce Scotland to a fully independent state of 5 million places it alongside Lebanon for example or perhaps Norway (to be fair), and on impermanent ground in a world where, as history has shown, small states live precariously at the pleasure of other states. As the Canadian experience has painfully shown such "independence" yields less independence not greater. Separation will in the end weaken not only Scotland but the UK as well, along with the entire fabric of western civiliztion. The world will be a less certain place. On the bright side, Scotland still enjoys the good will of the UK generally. Whatever decision that is to be taken should be done cleanly so as not to unravel goodwill indispensible to future relations. My hope is that it will be done with the broad consequences in mind and not the prattling and empty promises of short term political interests. May "good luck" befriend us all on the road ahead.