Tuesday 8 May 2007

Union Flag…..Old Time….Waiting for a clown to turn the wheel - # 101

First - my warmest thanks to all who were kind enough to leave a comment on my 100th Post.

Now...........The Scottish National Party recently gained 47 seats in the Scottish Assembly and are now negotiating with the minority parties to form a Scottish Executive. Labour has 46 seats so the SNP needs help from other minorities.

The Scot Nats are lead by a highly intelligent, adroit, charismatic politician, Alex Salmond, who seems to think that being ruled from Brussels by the EU (dominated by a big France and a big Germany – not to mention the other big countries) is better than being ruled from London, albeit enjoying extensive devolved power to Scotland.

It appears that he wants to break up the United Kingdom and make Scotland into a tiny kind of independent Switzerland.

The logic behind this, and the implications baffle me. It’s amazing that in this “globalised” world tribalism still has a powerful command of the emotions. Or perhaps we should be learning a lesson.

Perhaps none of this matters. Who cares? But I’m uncomfortable with the motives and concepts that lurk beneath all this. It’s one thing to press for devolved regional decision-making, but using the “tribal instinct” to promote it is not appropriate. “Nationalism” in 21st century democratic modern Britain has nasty connotations for me. I admire Scotland far too much to suffer the sight of it dragged erroneously down the wrong road. For those interested there’s plenty of detail in the various BBC analysis web pages.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/evandavis/


6 comments:

  1. The Ferris wheel is like the story. Things like this go round and round and seldom stop anywhere except where it should. I don't know much about your politics but I can imagine the controversy that might be involved.

    I got to fly last night. I mean I just dove in and flew. You can find out how on my blog post today.

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  2. I was in the same class as Alex Salmond in school, and in the debating society and 3-card brag school with him as well - so I have some perspective on the personal as well as international aspects of this, being an a Scot living in Switzerland as well!
    One aspect of this is that the Scots enjoy a great deal of goodwill around the world. This is something people will have noticed who work abroad. It's possible that it might be in Scotland's interests to try and leverage this. This will never happen while the UK is shackled by the government (and English I'm afraid) reluctance to embrace Europe for starters

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  3. So many things to inform myself about. Do I go to the BBC site and start reading, or do I visit the other DPs? Hmmm

    I don't know what sort of treaties the UK has with the EU. How do they compare with the ones between CH and the EU? More stuff to read and learn.

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  4. We have a similar issue elsewhere in Spain, with Catalonia, the Basques.. in France with Corsica...

    What I would hope from "Europe" is that we forget about nationalism, but that we take care of traditions, languages... Be proud of your origins if you wish, but in a soft way! (To be proud of one's origin is already a bit strange. Did you influence on where you were born and who were your parents?)

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  5. I agree with Abraham,story sometimes just likes the big round wheel... it goes everyday, and repeat what happened in the past,and would repeat again in the future...

    I dont notice the politics much, but from the history I knew, I think this kind of "tribalism" exits long time. Maybe it reflects some of our human's hidden lust:the power which can bring the self-complacent feeling, or fortune he wants...
    So, to change the mind of people is much more important, as I think.

    :)

    jing
    shanghai daily photo

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  6. A wonderfully captured shot & your last post was also wonderful...a belated congratulation on your 100th post. I can't visit all the blogs regularly due to bit of my bad health, anyway looking forward to see more of your shots in the future of this lovely place...keep going...

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