A SENSE OF FAIR PLAY

We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation
- Voltaire

Over the past year while the debate over devolution to Scotland within the United Kingdom has been going on, many of us will be familiar with newspaper coverage of the "English backlash over devolution". It is true that some people from England may indeed feel that the re-drawing of the "British" constitution has left England at a disadvantage. Whether this attitude is rampant or merely over-exaggerated by the now extreme right-wing Conservative Party, one can, for now, only speculate. However, one issue which continually raises its head above the water somewhat like a drowning man coming up for the third time is England's feeling that their nation has, as was reiterated recently by a former cabinet minister, a "deeply embedded sense of fair play". This kidneystone of wisdom offered to us by our neighbours tends to leave one wondering whether it is to be inferred that that they are now the underdog, or whether they were the true pioneers of this concept. No. Scotland had a fair and just society long before the English, a system which has never, and can never, be extended to the Scots while Westminster rule continues in our country.

The Celtic social and economic system was truly democratic. It was a simple and harmonious culture. We had a social system of our own, an economic entity in Scotland and a fair and just code of laws that were well suited to our needs. Scottish civilisation was well known to the merchants of Europe, who travelled to Scotland bringing with them art and culture.

In Moray there were men who had been granted land rights by the king himself in return for military service. These men swore their allegiance to their king whom they saw as their sovereign and proudly bore the title the "freemen of Moray". Not only in Moray but across the whole of Scotland, men tended to have greater freedom than could be found anywhere in Europe. This applied not only to the provincial lords or to the proud rulers of Galloway and Argyll but to many in the close-knit burghs and on royal estates in Lothian and Strathclyde. Land was held by men of small substance and such men, perhaps tenants-in-chief or guidmen were hardly so far removed from the townsfolk, as many seigneurial lords were in England. As for the larger estates where the principal was often absent, their affairs were likely to be left in the hands of a tacksman who came from local stock. As a result of the consequent feelings of self-confidence, pride and robustness of individuals, a strong sense of individuality and a love of freedom grew up, a quality built upon by the nation's geographical characteristics. It has been noted that one Italian traveller marvelled at the way women could walk freely around the streets of the nation without fear of predjudice or attack. We did not have or acquire the classic English characteristics of class, privilige and status inflicted upon us from a remote government in London.

Our land belonged to the people. It was held for the people by the Chief of the Clan who was their trustee. He secured his position by the will of the people only, and his successor was consequently elected by the people. Our kings and Chiefs were honoured as men of learning and military skill. They ruled the country, but not as dictators and were always under the threat that they could be removed by the people if they so wished. A great respect therefore grew up between the people and their sovereigns. We were not ruled by barbarous dictators as is often considered by the ignorant foreign. We were a great nation with our own unbroken line of kings and queens, our own government that was not heavily centralised but allowed devolution to larger and smaller economically independent units, and our own fair and just laws on society, the economy, the land and the law. Today we are not even a shadow of that. A nation in name only.

There is a school of thought which runs through our society and fervently promoted by the apologists of union and that is that Great Britain is a partnership of equals, with the nations of Scotland and England working together as one. When one takes the time to look at the geographic, demographic and political structure of the United Kingdom it does not take long to realise that Scotland has never and will never be on an equal par with England and such a thought would never be countenanced nor given the time of day either. With a parliament containing 72 Scottish MPs and around 600 English ones it is not difficult to see that Scotland's participation in the voting for a general election can only ever represent something of a school mock election. Our nation's electorate are mere bystanders who can only watch and hope that the English electorate return a parliament that is acceptable to our electorate. English Conservative governments which damaged Scotland and put thousands of our countrymen out of jobs were rejected time and time again by the Scots but forced on us due to the overwhelming majority of ENGLAND'S electorate with all the classic symptoms of a class-based society based on privilige and status. No fair play there by any means. Where was the fair play in the Poll Tax and its introduction into our country without its concurrent introduction in England? And right-wing Thatcherite policies inflicted on our country for 2 decades may have been good for London and the South of England but were highly damaging to Scotland, as has been admitted recently by the Governor of the Bank of England. Again no talk of fair play there!

As Nationalists we must call for a return to these values of freedom and individual opportunity for everyone in a completely independent Scotland. A Scotland where fair and just policies can be administered by all areas of the country to suit regional needs We seek only to rule what is ours and not anybody elses. As the inspirational Declaration of Arbroath stated "May it please you to admonish and exhort the King of the English, who ought to be satisfied with what belongs to him..... to leave us Scots in peace....." Certainly fair play is an admirable concept shared by the Scottish people. Scotland is one of the oldest nations in Europe - we were a socially just and civilised nation while our southern neighbours were still a warring Germanic tribe! However, the last 300 years of the Union has never and will never be one of an equal partnership or fair play for Scotland. Only when Scotland is finally free from the continuing Westminster interference inflicted upon us will the Scots finally manage to break the bonds of political, cultural and economic interference, stand up for ourselves and ensure that fair play exists for ALL our citizens.


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