Scots children’s authors

JM Barrie

Many of the best and most enduring children’s classic novels were written by Scots in the 20^th century -

Robert Louis Stevenson (Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde) 

Robert Louis Stevenson 

Andrew Lang

RM Ballantyne (Coral Island), Andrew Lang (great populiser of folk & fairy tales), Kenneth Grahame (The Wind in the Willows), Catherine Sinclair ( Holiday House),  JM Barrie (Peter Pan), John Buchan, (The Thirty Nine Steps)

Arthur Conan Doyle (1930) Sherlock Holmes)  

George Macdonald (The Princess and the Goblin, At the Back of the North Wind), Pioneer fantasy literature, mentor Lewis Carroll, influence on JR Tolkien, Walter De la Mare, E Nesbit.

I am shocked reading of al these great authors that growing up in Scotland `I leant nothing about them. Well apart from a Disney film on Treasure Island. Then again I grew up in Edinburgh where many support the unionist imperialism of a superior race. – that is that one group of people are better than others. Are we not all considered equal….?

  

Independent Voices

It is important to listen to the ordinary person in the street to have good governance. On the Questions of information and Truth.

Most of us all agree with immigration of International students or scientists.

Most of us also agree about limiting uncontrolled immigration - that is too many unskilled coming all at once. Now we have to try to find common ground – is that possible? I listen to Leavers from Wakefield on the BBC Question Time who simply want out as fast as possible.  OUT of the single market without it seems any thought to trade tariffs. I assume the plan is trade with China or US instead. Meanwhile Trump plans his own US isolationism and protectionism and this doesn’t look so promising.

The Brexiteers claim they did extensive research during the EU Debates – where? – in Rupert Murdoch’s press, Facebook fake news, in TV Debates? I listened to many EU debates and I thought they were dreadful and misleading. Their conclusions are that Europe is robbing them of jobs. How is Europe to blame for lack of investment in the English NHS and education or the infrastructure (outside of London). Farage admits the bus saying 350m a week for NHS was simply a lie. 

Some ask – how can we find truth anyway/!

I did research too and came to different conclusions. I read editorials in both the right wing Times (Murdoch), Herald (independent), National (non Murdoch’s press), listened to debates on the BBC Newsnight and Scotland 2016. It is crucial to obtain as diverse news as possible, in a country where one person controls such a huge chunk of the UK Press.

Meanwhile May heads to Poland, Japan and India in the hopes of finding support. These countries want movement of skilled people and access to universities above trade of goods or services. Where does that leave England (and with Scotland being dragged along behind) then?

Britain no longer has a captive Commonwealth to do easy trade deals with. Cutting ourselves off from Europe – when we have centuries of connections and history – doesn’t seem advisable, either for prosperity, business, cultural exchanges, research and investment business or trade.

Scotland wants none of this isolationist movement – we want more connections not less. For Scotland our diversity, free thinking and interconnectedness is what has made our nation creative and innovative over the centuries. The last thing we would wish to do is to close doors.

I read recently Jim Sillars views that Scotland could do well on the Norway model, in the efta (European Free trade association)

They are consulted and agree to some of the EU directives. (So I decided to research Norway’s history, another BLOG)

The EU discussion on this Question Time seemed alien and nasty. However when they talked of the HR2 train the discussion became real at last – and they spoke of how all this money spent in London does little good for those in the north of the country.

The most significant arguments for the EU I read from political commentators – were those Freethinking, Individual voices. More than ever we need these independent free thinkers. Don’t believe 98% of political talk – its all jargon and manipulations. In fact Lies are the name of the game the more sensational the better...where are the people of substance?

Three criterion for decent press.

Range and variety

Freedom to speak the truth.

Success in revealing society (On one level how they speak and believed. On another level how a country functions politically, economically, culturally.)

Deacon Blue at the Concert hall Glasgow

Took us a journey on the Good Ship Dignity

Charismatic lead singer Ricky Ross played the concert stage with e genuine charm – while his partner petite Lorraine McIntosh provided distinctive backing vocals. This strong husband and wife team led this band with a memorable and effective performance.

The band played with positive feel good energy. Most successful bands know its about those memorable melodies ultimately. Ross and Lorraine were backed by a top quality band and this band knew to treat their long time fans to their sing along hit songs.

For their hit Songs – Real Gone Kid, Chocolate Girl, Loaded and Dignity the concert hall audience took to their feet to sway and sing along. Dignity is certainly a classic song of hope and makes me think of sailing up that misty winding Clyde river to new horizons.

New songs - Birds, I Will and I Won’t, Delivery Man, This is a Love Song, were well received by their fans. They also sang some covers songs such as ‘What do you get when you fall in love’.

Ross took to the piano for a few slower numbers. He performed the expressive, I want you in everything, Everything my heart says so. Ross writes his songs of everyman.

The band's most recent album, A New House, was released in September 2014. As of 2012, Deacon Blue's total album sales stood at six million, with twelve UK Top 40 singles, along with two UK number one albums.

Norway's Independence

Scotland is often compared to Norway - in terms of population, oil, geography, long coastline, domination by an external power and more...

Norway was for 430 years tied to a union (due to Royal manoeuvrings much like here in the UK) first with Denmark and then with Sweden) For centuries Copenhagen was the cultural and business capital. Some of the union worked well with Norway trading wood, fish to Denmark. Eventually though in 1905 , Norway negotiated a peaceful separation from Sweden. It is not possible that Norway would ever wish to go back! Norway has a long border with Sweden too (just like Scotland and England) and both countries appear to manage their own sovereignty.

The Union with Denmark lasted between 1388 – 1814) – 434 years.

“Known as the 400-Year-Night.” Norway joined the Kalmar Union of all the Nordic countries ( ) in 1388.

The KALMAR UNION 1388 - King Magnus VII ruled Norway to 1350 when his son became Haakon VI. He married Margaret, daughter of King Valdemar IV of Denmark. In 1379 his son Olaf IV, at ten, accession to both the thrones of Norway and Denmark led to a personal union. Olaf's mother, Queen Margaret, managed the affairs of Denmark and Norway and wanted a union with Sweden, by having Olaf elected to the Swedish throne. Olaf IV died suddenly in 1388 and Denmark and Norway crowned Margaret as a temporary ruler. Queen Margaret decided on Eric of Pomeria, grandson of her sister to be king. Thus at an all-Scandinavian meeting held at Kalmar, Eric was elected King of the Scandinavian countries. Royal politics resulted in personal unions between all the Nordic countries and the thrones of Norway, Denmark and Sweden were under the control of Queen Margaret - known as the KALMAR UNION. (In 1521 Sweden broke out of the UNION)

The "400-Year Night” - Norway remained in a union with Denmark until 1814, a total of 434 years. In the 19^th century, the national romanticism was known as the "400-Year Night", since the kingdom’s entire royal, intellectual and administrative power was centred in Copenhagen Denmark. Denmark supported Norway's needs for grain and food supplies, while Norway supplied Denmark with timber, metal, and fish. A great famine of 1695–96 killed 10% of Norway's population. The harvest failed in Scandinavia at least nine times between 1740 and 1800, with great loss of life. After Denmark–Norway was attacked by the UK in the Battle of Copenhagen, it entered into an alliance with Napoleon. Denmark lost in 1814, and ceded Norway to the king of Sweden, while the old Norwegian provinces of Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands remained with the Danish crown. 

**Norway took this opportunity to declare independence and adopted a constitution based on American and French models, and elected the Crown Prince of Denmark and Norway, Christian Frederick king in 1814. This is the famous Syttende Mai (Seventeenth of May) holiday celebrated by Norwegians and is the Norwegian Constitution Day.
Norwegian-Swedish War and Union with Sweden 1814 - Norwegian opposition to the great powers' decision to link Norway with Sweden caused war to break out. Sweden's military was not strong enough to defeat the Norway and Norway's treasury was not large enough to support a long war. British and Russian navies blockaded the Norwegian coast. They were forced to negotiate Convention of Moss and Union with Sweden. Christian Frederik abdicated the Norwegian throne and authorised the Parliament of Norway to make the necessary constitutional amendments to allow for the Personal union that Norway was forced to accept. On 4 November 1814 the Parliament (Storting) elected Charles XIII of Sweden as king of Norway.

Norwegian romantic nationalism - Norway kept its own liberal, independent institutions except for the foreign service. Following the recession caused by the Napoleonic Wars, economic development of Norway remained slow until economic growth began around 1830.  Norwegians sought to define and express a distinct national character. The movement covered all branches of culture, including literature Henrik Wegeland[1808–1845], Biomstierne Biomson[1832–1910], Peter Christen Asbionsen[1812–1845], Jergen Moe [1813–1882]), painting Hans Gude[1825–1903], Adolph Tidemand[1814–1876]), music Edvard Grieg [1843–1907]), and even language policy, where attempts to define a native written language for Norway led to today's two official written forms for Norwegian: Bokmai and Nynorsk.

King Charles III John, throne Norway and Sweden 1818 - 1844, was the second king after Norway's union with Sweden. He protected the constitution and liberties but he was also ruthless in the use of paid informers, secret police and restrictions on the freedom of the press to put down public movements for reform— in particular the Norwegian national independence movement.

**Dissolution of the union 1905 - Christian Michelsen, a shipping magnate and PM of Norway, 1905 - 1907, played a crucial role in the peaceful separation of Norway from Sweden in 1905. A national referendum confirmed the people's preference for a monarchy. No Norwegian could legitimately claim the throne because none was able to prove relationship to medieval royalty and in European tradition royal or "blue" blood is a precondition for laying claim to the throne. The government offered the throne of Norway to a prince of the German royal House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glucksburg. Prince Carl of Denmark was unanimously elected king by the Norwegian parliament, the first king of a fully independent Norway in 508 years (1397: Kalmar Union). He took the name Haakon VII. In 1905, the country welcomed the prince from neighbouring Denmark, his wife Maud of Wales and their young son to re-establish Norway's royal house. Following centuries of close ties between Norway and Denmark.

Norway is considered to be one of the most developed democracies and states of justice in the world. From 1814, c. 45% of men (25 years and older) had the right to vote, whereas the United Kingdom had c. 20% (1832), Sweden c. 5% (1866), and Belgium c. 1.15% (1840). Since 2010, Norway has been classified as the world's most democratic country by the Democratic Index.