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The 300th anniversary of the union between Scotland and England will fall this year. I am the first to admit that my understanding of both the history and intricacies of the United Kingdom is appallingly limited- but I must admit that I never thought that my first trip to Scotland would see me wondering whether there would be a subsequent three hundred years of unity between England and their northerly neighbour. In 1707 there were allegations of bribery, corruption and (obvious) disenfranchisement after the noblemen in the Scottish Parliament agreed to the Union with the Kingdom of England. Nowadays the Scots are more represented than ever - they have had their own Scottish Parliament since 1998, they are still represented in the Parliament of Great Britain in London and for all intents and purposes the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom will almost definitely be a Scot - yet if you believe media reports the desires of the Scottish population to assert their differences compared with England and leverage themselves into an “independent” Scotland seem very strong.

Underground Independence

Patrick Gatland
2007-03-08 18:14:21

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write this blog entry but here I am, ever the intrepid travel blogger, reporting for duty - I was again thrust into the debate about Scotland versus England. This time it was on the sporting field. Scotland was playing England in the Rugby and as dozens and dozens of men in kilts marched past on the way to their respective pubs to watch the game you could feel in the air that there was no love lost between these two rivalling companions. Everyone booed as the English came onto the field. All heckled when "God Save the Queen" was played. Alas, Scotland lost, but others too have felt the pain of Jonny Wilkinson's boot before.

After another brilliant night out for Lee's birthday celebrations Jill and I managed to pull ourselves out the door on Sunday morning to go and see The Castle. We were fortunate enough to arrive just as a guided tour was leaving and our tour guide (thankfully not in top-hat and cloak) was bemoaning England's attempts at ignoring the centuries of Scottish history that preceded the union of the countries. The stories of the Castle and palace and the other building locked within the gates of the fortress were fascinating. Between each historical story we were offered proof of the importance of Scotland (and Scots) in the world today. I had to bite my tongue as our guide listed all the famous Scots who lived in other countries - with such an impressive list I began to wonder why all the Scottish talent was leaving (!). Yet at every turn on the cobbled pathway up to the palace our guide never once missed an opportunity to put the boot into the English. As we stood in Crown Square, the highest point of the Castle grounds the guide proudly pointed out that no English monarch would ever wear the Crown of Scotland (although QEII has fondled them once or twice).

As I stood in that historic square and braced against the rushing wind I felt a thrill of sadness for poor old Scotland. Suddenly it had dawned on me that for all their (supposed) fervour for independence and their
own identity it all appears to be moot. As far as I can understand it Scotland could never afford to break away from the Union and England isn't that fussed either way (although I'm sure the oil from Aberdeen is a pleasing addition to the coffers of the UK). The Scottish Parliament seems more for show than serious business and despite some flag waving and sporting jeering there is not the depth of feeling there that propels other independence movements in the UK (the night before I met a guy from Northern Ireland who had been shot at by English soldiers in his youth and said he would do "anything - including violence" to see the English off his island). As more and more European nations join the EU soon borders will become meaningless and it is the cultural identity of member nations that will be important. Perhaps any independence movement is at least 50 years too late? In a more unified Europe a split in one of the most important unions of the continent is perhaps now irrelevant and unnecessary.

After the tour Jill and I explored the exhibition of the Honours of Scotland. We walked into the vaulted room where the Crown and the Stone of Scone sit glass encased and resplendent. Scores of people were eyeballing the product of a remarkable history and culture and seemed in awe that it was still here on display.

In typical Scandinavian level-headedness Jill whispered to me "You know the crown is a fake! Why would they ever leave the real one on display?"

For the sake of Scotland, its culture and its identity something in me desperately wanted it to be real.