Unionist Arguments Against Independence Are Desperate Rubbish

Letter to the Editor (Metro)

14/09/2007

Dear Sir,

Proponents of Scottish independence should perhaps be pleased as the arguments against it seem to have become ever more desperate over the years. The latest assertion by 'Robin' that "Scottish independence is nothing more than a label to hide behind for hatred of the English" is perhaps the nastiest assertion yet, though most unionists have sang some variation on this theme at some point.

Let's be absolutely clear. A belief that Scotland has a right to the normal political powers that almost every other country enjoys is about simple democracy not any imagined feeling of superiority.

It is ironic that those who hark back to the so called golden times of the British Empire - which was in fact based upon a philosophy of imperialism and superiority to other cultures - try and turn the argument against Scotland for wanting the same freedoms that most former colonies now enjoy.

Modern civic based nationalism is about changing Scotland for the better and it attracts support from every nationality and ethnic minority living in Scotland. It is about improving things for everyone who lives here.

'Nick' from Edinburgh says nationalists are all right wing thereby attempting a variation on the other great lie that fascism and nationalism are somehow linked. Not all nationalists believe in the superiority of their culture over others, those who do are imperialist nationalists like Hitler or the BNP.

The SNP are quite different. They are a genuine democratic left of centre inclusive political party, however 'Nick from Edinburgh' probably knew that already just as his pal 'Robin from Glasgow' is no doubt aware that more Scots fought in the Spanish civil war per head of population than any other outside nationality.

If more people had followed our example we might have avoided World War II altogether! It is a totally grotesque insult against every Scot who fought in the second world war to claim that if we were independent at that time we would have taken no part in it.

If British unionism is based on both blatant lies and deliberately twisting our past shared history (and it is surprising how often these 'arguments' come up) it is no wonder that increasing numbers of Scots see the British union as redundant and want a better life for them and their children as a free and independent state.

Yours faithfully,

Joe Middleton