The words that shaped a nation

The words that shaped a nation
The Scotland Debate
November 29 2005

The Declaration of Arbroath 1320 by Ted Cowan

Documents constitute the life-blood of historical investigation. The most significant Scottish document ever produced was a letter to the Pope sent by "the barons, freeholders and the whole community of the realm of Scotland", dated at Arbroath April 6, 1320. Its purpose was to persuade the Pope to bring pressure to bear upon Edward II of England to recognise Robert Bruce as legitimate King of Scots but its long-term impact was much more profound.The letter clearly articulates for the first time anywhere the radical idea that a king is answerable to his subjects who elect him and who may, if he steps out of line, depose him. "If Robert Bruce should ever submit us or our kingdom to the King of England or the English we will remove him and set up another better able to govern in his place."This notion, truly remarkable for its time, is the basis of modern constitutionalism which all free societies now take for granted. "For so long as a hundred of us remain alive we will never on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. For we fight not for glory nor riches nor honours but for freedom alone which no honest person gives up but with life itself." The document, though propagandist in origin, came to be regarded through time as the Scottish Declaration of Independence, achieving in the process a near mythic significance. In 1998, the US Senate, on rather shaky historical grounds, it must be said, adopted April 6 as a day of national import to all Americans whose own Independence Declaration was allegedly based upon that of Arbroath. This unique missive not only articulates universal values of constitutionalism, freedom and human dignity, but it also expresses truths, indeed assumptions, that most Scots hold to be self-evident. In short, it defines who and what we are.

Ted Cowan, director of Glasgow University's Crichton campus, was formerly professor of history at the university.
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Scotland Act 1998 by Wendy Alexander

The Scotland Act 1998 created the first democratically elected Scottish Parliament. As a result of the act, the nation reached back, through the struggles of those who brought democracy to Scotland, to that other undemocratic parliament dissolved in controversy nearly three centuries ago. The act was a turning point: the catalyst for democracy being renewed in Scotland and the moment when Scotland revitalised its place in the United Kingdom. It created a new voice in the land, the voice of a democratic parliament; a voice now shaping Scotland today and into the future. For any Scot, the passage of the Scotland Act was a proud moment: a new stage on a journey begun long ago. The parliament the act created was not an end but a means to greater ends.The power of the act was its determination to do right by the people of Scotland; to create a democratic institution to respect their priorities; and to better their lot.On St Andrew's Day we should celebrate the principles, the traditions and the democratic imperatives embodied in the Scotland Act that have brought us to this point.And throughout Scottish history as yet unwritten, Scotland's parliament, created by the Scotland Act, will sound with debate, argument and passion. Men and women from all over Scotland born of its past, but now crafting the nation's future.

Wendy Alexander is a Member of the Scottish Parliament. She was a minister for three years and is a visiting professor at Strathclyde Business School.

The Abolition of Domestic Rates etc (Scotland) Act 1987 by Tommy Sheridan

The Abolition of the Domestic Rates etc (Scotland) Act 1987 led to a massive reshaping of Scotland's political landscape and, indeed, that of the UK as a whole.The poll tax united political opposition to Margaret Thatcher in a way that none of her measures had previously managed to do. By utilising the time-served strategy of "divide and conquer", Thatcher's administration had managed to pick off many sections of workers and isolate them. Because the poll tax disadvantaged so many at once, she inadvertently allowed a new and all-powerful army to emerge. The main recruiting sergeant for that army was poverty itself. Those unable to pay the poll tax outnumbered those unwilling to pay but by fusing them both together, a mass campaign of non-payment was mounted that led to a million non-payers by the time the poll tax bills were being issued in 1990 across England and Wales. The massive anti-poll tax demonstrations on March 31, 1990, in both Glasgow and London represented the death-knell of the tax: 40,000 marched in the morning from George Square to Queen's Park and more than 100,000 marched in London before a major riot erupted in and around Trafalgar Square. The poll tax was in tatters before it even began in England and Wales, such was the damage inflicted by the Scottish army of non-payers. In effect, the 1987 act was the political welding-kit that melted down the Iron Lady and changed the political landscape.

Tommy Sheridan is a Member of the Scottish Parliament and was convener of the Scottish Socialist Party until his resignation last November.

The Treaty of Union 1707 by Richard Finlay

The Treaty of Union is without doubt the most significant historical document in the nation's history. The treaty formed the basis for the Union with England and brought Scottish independence to an end in 1707. In short, it trumps all historical documents before and after its inception. The treaty ceded political power to Westminster, which could and did amend and abolish any pre-Union legislation that it saw fit. Although the Union was supposed to pave the way for the creation of a new nation, Great Britain, in many respects it was the continuation of a greater England and the new British parliament was in reality a continuation of the English parliament with the addition of a few Scots. Furthermore, all Scottish legislation after 1707 has come from Westminster. Even then, for most of the past three centuries, the Scots barely registered on the British political radar and most Scottish business was conducted on either an afternoon or a couple of days in parliament. Despite the treaty's fundamental constitutional importance, most Scots have been blissfully unaware of its significance for most of the time of its existence. It did not rate a mention on the occasion of its anniversary in 1807, and in 1907 there was at best marginal interest. Indeed, the idea of Unionism in Scotland owes more to the issue of the Irish Union than the Scottish one. When we debate the powers and resonsibilities of the Scottish Parliament today, it is worth remembering that its subordinate constitutional position in British politics is due to an unpopular treaty signed in an Edinburgh cellar 298 years ago. Unlike other historical documents, this one is still in effect and still matters.

Richard Finlay is professor of Scottish history at Strathclyde University.

Documents That Shaped a Nation is at Rutherglen Town Hall tomorrow. The event is invitation only. For information, visit www.archives.org.uk/sca

The Scotland Debate: have your say - what do you think is the most important document in the history of our nation? E-mail your opinions to features@theherald.co.uk and we will publish a selection of them tomorrow.

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