Scotland: Signing The Pledge?

Last month the Scottish First Minister, Alex Salmond, launched the Scottish National Party's campaign for a Yes vote in a 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. As part of this, Scots (and presumeably Scots in exile) are being encouraged to sign an on-line declaration that they support Scottish independence.

Salmond aims to get a million such signatures, and has the suppport of the Scottish Greens and Scottish Socialist Party (readers may insert their own joke about Tommy Sheridan here). Interestingly at the start of this campaign Scotland's First Minister has attempted to drape himself not just in tartan but in the cloak of class struggle stating:

"“Our enemies, of which there are many, are rich and powerful. We intend to take our case to the people by community activism and online wizardry".

I can't say that I am rich and powerful, but I do disagree with Mr Salmond - the peoples of these islands are stronger together than we ever will be separate.
Any attempt to portray Scots as in some way a discriminated against or subject people has always been faintly ludicrous (even in the 1980s) and not something in my experience too many Scots themselves take seriously. Until comparatively recently the SNP website was using Iceland, Norway and the Republic of Ireland as examples of neighbouring countries for whom independence brought good times economically in the twentieth century - two of those three are of course now basket cases - and it may well be in economic terms Scotland needs Britain more than Britain needs Scotland.
Ultimately though the independence vote it is a matter for Scotland. I do hope however, that when considering the 'rich and powerful', and who they stand by, voters take a good look at Alex Salmond and some of his backers:

Comments

[Harry K]

Actually, Iceland might be a good role model. In Now or Never 15 our 'man on the ground' detailed how, after their banks collapsed, there was a 'pots and pans' revolution (with a good anarchist input) that brought down the Icelandic govt. From what I can tell, this lead to referrenda where the Icelandic people chose not to pay for their banks greed and corruption; politicians and bankers in the dock and public assemblies and representatives (drawn by lot)rewriting the constitution. I suppose it's possible this radical stuff could be down to their small size?