When I
visited the Dublin Irish writers museum I picked up a card that listed the best
of them.
As I looked
at the illustrations list I thought of all the great Irish culture and how much
the world has benefitted from these Irish voices.
Which made
me think also of Scottish voices – our innovations, our Scots songs, the
Scottish Enlightenment. Then there are the wonderful Welsh choirs. I thought of
Shakespeare, Chaucer, Turner, Wordsworth too and the great English writers and
artists.
I thought of
the nations of Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark – they were also
once joined through a royal marriage.
For the past
hundred years each nation has been able to offer the world its own unique voice
and are stronger for it – while they are still the nations of ‘Scandinavia’. In
fact their voices are an even clearer, unique and positive force in the world
than ever before.
Finland
offers one of the world’s best education system with highly trained teachers.
Norway, Iceland and Denmark too offer a more collaborative approach to running
society, that favours equality, fairness and hard work at its heart. All
Scandinavian countries are flourishing as independent nations. There is no
point looking at the US – the story there is so different - a newer place where
each state is fairly autonomous and is more comparable to the EU.
Then I look
at us here in this disunited kingdom of islands – the routes of division and
discord, misunderstandings, wasteful squabbles, power sharing, disharmony,
extreme inequality and class divisions. Many of these wounds run deep and will
not easily heal, disappear or ever go away. There is really only a simple
answer – to look over the North seas to our Scandinavian cousins and learn
lessons of how self-determining nations are working in a healthy way both
independent and together.
Perhaps we
too on these islands, can be a United nations of Britain and I hope Britain
does not only mean England? England has historically been reluctant to offer
Scotland real federalism. This half way house of 30% tax and limited control of
welfare is unworkable and for sure something has to give. This doesn’t compare
well to other devolved nations or states in America - such as Quebec, Catalonia – who control
their immigration and taxes and broadcasting. Catalonia alone has four tv
channels! While Scotland has none1
Knowing that
Ireland used the pound sterling for 50 years after its independence, it was
demoralising for our supposedly fair and equal union to hear that England would
not allow Scotland to use the pound and also knowing that if the Bank of England
refused to allow the use the pound, it would also have to refuse other
countries access to do business in pounds sterling and was like shooting itself
in the foot! Scotland felt bullied and told off like a naughty child told to go
to its room to play with only the toys assigned to it..
Why would
Scotland be like Greece – rather than Iceland, Norway or Denmark? We have more
resources than Greece, better universities and R & D. Fear is not a good
way to cement a happy union. Let us try to look forward with positive
expectations.
It is
strange Gillian Bowditch Sunday Times 5th March, sees Scotland as
diminished by wanting what other nations have – I see Scotland instead as
empowered and flourishing in the belief we are as confident, capable and able
for self-determination as any other peoples!
