James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor |
It is not only that Scottish culture has been
suppressed, it has also been distorted by those career unionists, those
Anglized Scots who view themselves as English first, Scots second and see their
careers as a seat in the House of Lords.
I attended a Lecture by the respected Scottish historian Tom Devine.
Where he spoke of a mass deluded country, and of (Caledonia’
by Breton) – he said that there were moves to put out the delusion that Scotland
is a ‘small, poor, inadequate country’.
When in fact, before union, Scotland was a flourishing and trading nation,
with a population a third of the UKs! After
the Jacobites '45 challenge – the Highland dress was forbidden (the punished was imprisonment or deportation). Then in 1822 George IV visited Edinburgh in a short kilt and pink stockings! – and
the Scots were ‘allowed’ to wear kilts.
He spoke of ‘The Unionist Myth” that was put about –
that says “Scotland is a land of darkness, faction, poverty and religious
rigidity.”
The writer Prebble, put forward our ‘victimhood’ – with stories of
Glencoe, Clearances, Darien Project and more.
After the failed Darien project, early 17th century, there
was distortion of the facts and Myths were put forward by Unionists. The Darien
financial disaster was over stated – it was common at that time for ventures
such as these not to succeed. England refused to do trade with the Scots.
Our history becomes myths – what we want to believe – and the stories we
pass on.
One interesting fact here is that the city of Glasgow voted against the
Treaty of Union - that is those who were allowed to vote then.
Prince James Francis Edward |
The Scottish enlightenment
It also comes to light that Bonnie Prince Charlie was a reformer, that he wanted to bring more parliamentary scrutiny and that he was no fool either. The
Hanoverian regime was corrupt. The Jacobites were defeated though by George I’s
son, Duke of Cumberland who had been fighting in France.
We must
now excavate below the Myths and falsehoods
In June 1385, the Parliament of Scotland decreed that Scottish soldiers serving in France
would
wear a white Saint Andrew's Cross, both in front and behind, for
identification.