Craig Murray can't wait to get away from the farce south of the Scottish border:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/10/the-ignominious-death-of-the-united-kingdom/
I say:
"You compare Scotland's position with that of "Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden" but I still find it difficult to reconcile your passion for Scottish independence with your enthusiasm for membership of the EU. Indeed of the countries listed in quotation marks only Ireland has joined the Eurozone and now, I think, bitterly regrets having done so.
"I've suggested to you before now that there could be most interesting prospects for Scotland as a member of a sort of Northern League with Norway and Iceland, with almost exclusive collective control of a vast fishing area plus much to learn from Norway about hydroelectric power and energy storage - something which would fit well into the great tradition of Scottish engineering expertise.
"Add Sweden and Denmark...
"You must be well aware of the growing financial and politico-social strains in the EU (doune the plughole, you might say). Why not have a bolder vision for your country's future?"
______________________________
See also:
https://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.com/2014/04/could-free-scotland-manage-economically.html
5 comments:
JD comments:
A few random, off the cuff thoughts.
The Scots are far too independent as individuals to act collectively in creating and running an independent nation: by 'independent individually' I mean of independent mind.
Robert Burns knew it -
"Ye see yon birkie ca'd a lord,
Wha struts, an' stares, an' a' that;
Tho' hundreds worship at his word,
He's but a coof for a' that.
For a' that, an' a' that,
His ribband, star, an' a' that,
The man o' independent mind
He looks an' laughs at a' that."
Who among Scottish politicians has proved to be capable or deserving of leadership of an independent nation? Blair, Brown, Salmond, Sturgeon?
As individuals Scots have more than proved their abilities. Here's a random list (a few names missing and the political names should not be on it) http://www.scotshistoryonline.co.uk/famscots.html
But look at the Darien Scheme for example and it is clear that collectively we couldn't organise the proverbial intoxication in the proverbial brewery! The usual excuse for that fiasco is to blame the English. But the whole thing was dreamt up by William Paterson, a Scot who was one of the founders of the Bank of England and he was the driving force behind what was exclusively a Scottish adventure. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darien_scheme
Scottish Independence? It will not work because there is nobody capable of making it work. There is certainly nobody in what Billy Connolly calls "the pretendy wee Parliament" in Holyrood!
It's like my scheme for the industrialisation of the Arabian peninsula using the vast aquifer under the desert, the unlimited potential for solar power, and the ideal location for exporting to Europe and Asia: works on paper, but when you try to get the people to cooperate...
Four years ago I wrote a short article which concluded briefly with the nightmare scenario that a botched Brexit could impel a future British government to crawl back to the EU. It was a brief nightmare moment then. But I had not then foreseen the incompetence of the Westminster government - a combination of arrogance and ignorance. Recently I was grumbling to a ( fairly junior) minister and was asked who I would prefer as Conservative leader and PM? I could only reply " none of the above".
I think the lack of principled, credible leadership is not confined to Holyrood.
Four years ago I wrote a short article which concluded briefly with the nightmare scenario that a botched Brexit could impel a future British government to crawl back to the EU. It was a brief nightmare moment then. But I had not then foreseen the incompetence of the Westminster government - a combination of arrogance and ignorance. Recently I was grumbling about this to a ( fairly junior) minister and was asked who I would prefer as party leader and PM. I could only reply " none of the above"
The lack of principled, credible leadership is not confined to Holyrood.
JD comments:
You mentioned the possibility of irrigation of the Arabian desert but it wouldn't happen because of 'indolence' of the people. The desert arabs are not capable but the Persians most certainly are -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qanats_of_Gonabad
Just as an aside, it was the Persians who produced stained glass for the European cathedrals. The real stuff in places like Chartres, not the coloured glass used elsewhere. I think I read that in Jean Gimpel's book about the cathedral builders or maybe another book about Chartres. The glass was used only in a brief 200 year period before the secret was lost or maybe the Persians got homesick?
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