Re-writing history or delusion, and that Poll

Re-writing history or delusion – I read an interesting article that for myself just sums up British exceptionalism. Daniel Hannan, who it is fair to say was very much of the right of the Tory Party, appears to be upset that there might be some anti-British feeling out there and that it might be growing, yeah, he is catching up. When talking about slavery and colonialism Hannan goes on to say that,

“Colonialism and slavery” is almost a binomial phrase, like “law-and-order” or “wear-and-tear”. But colonialism was partly driven by abolitionism. Having halted the Atlantic traffic, Britain sought to eliminate the practice in the African kingdoms where it remained endemic.

Britain only ended the slave trade when it became unprofitable and colonialism when the natives fought back and Britain had robbed those former colonies blind, as they still do Scotland. When talking about Ireland he says,

The President of the European Commission casually likened Britain’s relations with Ireland to Russia’s with Ukraine. Now British-Irish relations have at times been painful. But is the UK – a parliamentary democracy that was driven by the logic of its values to quit the parts of Ireland that voted for separation – really comparable to Putin’s dictatorship?

No mention of the fact that the Irish had to basically fight an armed conflict with the British to eventually drive them out, the vote was the British way to save face. When talking about the Supreme Court confirming Scotland’s colonial status Hannan somehow manages to re-write history,

As a matter of historical and political fact, that statement is unarguable. If anyone felt colonized when James VI united the realms in 1603, it was the English. If anyone felt oppressed when the parliaments merged in 1707, it was English MPs, grumbling at having to assume Scotland’s debts.

There you have it, folks, Scotland oppressed and colonized England, we really are the scum of the earth. The delusion does reach the mental stage when Hannan makes claims about the British,

The Empire was self-dissolving because the British have a peculiar obsession with representative government. Our obsession with representative government, personal freedom, private property, and independent courts defines us as a nation. And that obsession, albeit worn lightly, drives our enemies to distraction.

Have a read, it will cheer you up.

So independence may be ahead in the polls for the first time in a long time. Does it mean all that much? Support for Scottish independence is strongest among younger Scots: 62% of 16-to-24-year-olds, 57% of 25-to-34-year-olds, and 52% of 35-to-44-year-olds say they would vote ‘yes,’ compared to 36% of those aged 65 and above. Further, those who voted for the Scottish National Party (81%) in the 2019 General Election are significantly more likely than those who voted Conservative (17%) or Labour (34%) to say they would vote ‘yes.’

Time will tell if this turns into something to get excited about or just one of those blips. Other slightly interesting things from the poll were,

The cost of living crisis and Brexit remain the main drivers for the yes vote maintaining a healthy number I suppose and while the Scottish Government does ok on the handling of the pandemic while on all of the primary day bread and butter essentials to a bearable life in Scotland like education, the NHS, housing, drug addiction, the Police the Scottish Government are failing across the board. This shows me how dire Nicola Sturgeon has been as First Minister.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SNP remains the most popular party in Scotland with Scottish Labour catching up slowly. The Tories remain the most hated but I was a little surprised that Alba is not that far behind the Tories, the carrot eaters must really hate Alba yet no doubt it is all the fault of the Alba Party themselves.