The last
is yet to be heard about the resultants of the Scottish Referendum on the
question of independence from the United Kingdom. Whilst the United Kingdom
survived the scare of a looming threat of an independent Scotland by a vote of
55% to 45%, the ripples generated by the simple act of balloting will continue
to reverberate the island of Britain and indeed the wider World in years to
come.
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| Head of the Scottish National Party, Alex Salmond savouring defeat of his separatist bid Source: bbcnews.com |
"If not us - then who?
If not now - then when?
Friends - we are Scotland's independence generation.
And our time is now"…. Alexander Salmond
For the
first time since 1st July 1997 when the Union Jack was lowered at
its Far Eastern outpost in Hongkong, which was the United Kingdom’s last
colonial outpost, the waning power and influence of the once global affluent ‘Great
Britain’ was brought to bear as a ‘coup
de grace’ was about to be dealt to homeland Britain.
What
started as a union of Anglo-Saxons
and Normans
in what is now called England, ended up enveloping the Welsh in the 13th
Century, and, in series of wars and finally in political agreements, the Gaels, Picts and Celts which make up what is
now called Scotland were brought into the ‘Union’ first by the Union of Crowns
in 1603 when King James VI of Scotland became King James I of England following
the death of heirless Queen Elizabeth I of England. Thus, the seat of the
Scottish Monarchy moved from Holyrood in Edinburgh to Buckingham Palace in
London and finally in 1707 after a crippling bankrupting feat Scotland attained
in trying to colonize the Isthmus of Panama in the Americas, the Scots looked
South of their border to the English for economic salvation; and as such, after
series of parliamentary debates, the ‘ACT OF UNION’ was born 1st May
1707 when England and Scotland came under one political government—effectively
uniting the entire Island of Britain under one political and Monarchical
Government
ACT OF UNION, 1707
I. That the two Kingdoms of
England and Scotland shall upon the First day of May which will be in the year
One thousand seven hundred and seven, and for ever after, be united into one
Kingdom by the name of Great Britain; and that the Ensigns Armorial of the said
United Kingdom be such as Her Majesty shall appoint, and the Crosses of St.
George and St. Andrew be conjoined in such manner as her Majesty shall think
fit, and used in all Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns both at Sea and Land.
III. ‘That the United Kingdom of Great Britain be
represented by One and the same Parliament, to be stiled, the Parliament of
Great Britain.’
With such ‘Unity’ the United Kingdom of Great
Britain wittingly sought to build an Empire thus colonizing about 1/4th
of the Earth's peoples. At the Zenith of this attainment, the British Empire was in the
words of George Macartney referred as
"this vast empire on which the sun never
sets, and whose bounds nature has not yet ascertained."
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| Map of the British Colonial expanse Source: http://imgarcade.com/1/british-colonies-world-map/ |
Over three quarters of North America in what is now
known as Canada and the United States of America to patches of land in South
America, the West Indies (Caribbean Islands), the Indian subcontinent (India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Singapore), Australia and patches
of Chinese territory; the ‘British were famed as Colonial Masters and Master of
the Seas! And not even Africa was left out of the British Colonial zest, for
they effectively subjugated the choicest of territorial lands and largest
number of peoples under their control in territories now known as Nigeria,
South Africa, Egypt, Kenya (All economic and regional power houses) not to talk
of the Sudans (North and South), Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, Gambia, Zimbabwe and
Zambia.
‘the wind of
change is blowing through this continent; and whether we like it or not, this
growth of national consciousness is a political fact, we must all accept it as
a fact’… Harold Macmillan (British Prime Minister from 1957-1963)
The 20th
Century brought a significant ‘wind of change’ to the British Empire. Actively
fighting off two World Wars, the homeland British war economy faced near
economic crippling terms and coupled with the signing of ‘Atlantic
Charter’ with the United States which guaranteed the right to self
determination of subjugated peoples, the British Empire began to defoliate
rapidly for the first time since 1776 when the United States sued for
Independence off London.
Starting
from the British Isles, the Catholic Irish got Ireland off Westminster’s
control and then the flood gates of independence opened in British colonies in
Asia and Africa culminating with the return of Hongkong to China —Britain’s last
colonial outpost in the Far East in 1997.
Coincidentally,
1997 saw the British Labour Party consolidating power in Westminster and that
came with the promise of devolution of powers to the constituent Non-English
entities making up the United Kingdom. Ultimately, that set the tone for a
series of intrigues that set the stage for this Scottish referendum question;
SHOULD
SCOTLAND BECOME AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY?
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| Source: bbcnews.com |
Whilst the ‘No’ votes helped to
pass a volte-face to the ‘Yes’ separatist agitation, that simple act of ballot
has posed several teasers for the British and indeed other countries of the
free world in the following:
1.
In an era of ‘International Unionism’ as seen in
the formation of strong Continental Organizations such as the EU, NATO, AU etc;
where smaller individual countries seemingly do not have a voice; is there really
a need for emergence of new Nations who will in turn have to vie to join these
continental bodies who advocate loose economic and border controls?
2.
Though England has roughly 85% of the UK population
and significantly projects the UK’s global influence, Scotland holds a
significant portion UK’s defence capabilities in military industries and the UK’s
Nuclear Weapon deterrents. What would have become of the Uk’s military
capability in the wake of a Scottish independence?
3.
The Uk prides itself as a model of Parliamentary
democracy and have exported this to several nation including India (the World’s
largest democracy), Australia amongst others. The Scottish agitation has once
again raised the once forgotten ‘West Lothian Question’. If Scotland, Northern
Ireland and Wales (all making up 15% of the UK population) have separate parliaments
and administrations independent of West Minster and yet have representatives
there to vote on issues relating to England only, what about having a separate
English parliament? Is the prided British governance model in any way
effective? Isn’t it time for the UK to adopt the USA model of a ‘Federal system
of Government’?
4.
With the ease at reaching a decision for the
Scottish referendum, what will become of other separatist agitations in Spain
(Catalonia), France (Basque, Corsica, Catalonia), Moldova (Transnistra), Turkey
(Kurdistan) etc, and even other colonial aggregated Countries in Africa where
separatist agitations are rife?
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| Source: bbcnews.com |
Four over
400 years, the British have prided themselves in setting the pace in terms of
industrial and political revolution and have given the world their language---
English Language. With the latest Scottish referendum and issues bordering on
it, the British have once again aroused separatist agitation levels around the
world. The British model is not perfect after all. Is it?
