I've received this via e-mail from Edward, a Scottish Unionist- hopefully it's the first of many!
"Devolution – We Have A Right to Oppose It
Cast your minds back to 1997 before the referendum for the creation of a separate Scottish Parliament. George Robertson told the British people that “devolution will kill nationalism stone dead.” Fast forward 11 years to the present day and you’ll see 47 Scottish National Party MSP’s sitting in Holyrood as the largest party, arguing for independence, and a Unionist arranged commission to investigate handing more powers to Holyrood.
George Robertson has been proved wrong but when the Labour said ‘devolution is a process, not an event,’ they were exactly right! Devolution is leading us through a dangerous process called ‘separatism’ and it will lead to an event called ‘the breakup of the United Kingdom.’ That isn’t an event that I intend on attending which is why I am unashamedly and completely opposed to the existence of devolution in the UK.
The SNP has been arguing for independence for decades, even though they lost elections in the past they never gave up on their policy of independence. So please tell me why has the Conservative and Unionist Party given up their policy of opposing devolution? If Scottish Nationalists won’t give up on independence then why should we anti-devolution Unionists give up on opposing devolution? What anti-devolution Unionists need is a voice to represent their views, to put forward the case for scrapping devolution and actively campaign to abolish devolution.
When George Robertson said that ‘devolution will kill nationalism stone dead,’ he failed to realize that nationalists would not stop until they got independence. What the government needs to realize is that separatists will be unhappy whether there is devolution or whether there is one parliament for one country, so why try to appease them and risk our country’s future in the process?
As Margaret Thatcher once said at the height of the devolution referendum campaign in 1997, “I do not believe that most Scots want to end the Union. But separation is the destination towards which the present devolution proposals lead. They represent a negation of our shared history and an abdication of our joint future. Scottish voters can do no greater service to their country than to reject them.”
Let’s scrap devolution and live happily as one united people living in one united country."
2 comments:
Well apart from the fact that probably scrapping Holyrood would be highly counter-productive for unionists-------
Salmond standing outside Holyrood all Yeltsin in 1991-like. Maybe standing on a tank. He probably dreams about that!
I have to ask Edward this, what brought about the rise of the SNP in the first place in 1960's and 1970's? What were the reasons? I have actually to see unionists actually answering the question about where the discontent came from.
Despite its past problems, there is no such discontent in lets say Germany. Where did it come from?
The "keep saying no" policy of course worked wonderfully in Ireland. Unionists took up arms to keep the whole of Ireland within the UK rather than giving it autonomy within the UK. Result- an indepdent south and a devolved north. Well done!
I have tried to challenge (admittedly mostly covertly) O'Neill on the above matter. How the unionist movement militantly set its course north-east and ended pushing Ireland politically south-west. Quite an achievement!
I am guessing Edward is a Tory. Why has the Scottish party not split into pro and anti-devolution factions then? Maybe if this is an issue within the Tories a split would be good for them.
The UK as I have mentioned many times before has always been a diverse state. It has never been a unitary state. Edward being apparently Scottish should know that.
I was reminded of this with all this talk of Thatcher and her being called the "milk snatcher" for abolishing free milk. Well she snatched the milk in England. But not in Scotland.
In those halcyon pre-devolution days in the early 1980's, children certainly in Grampian schools recieved free milk for the first two years of primary school. What was the situation in NI and Wales?
Exactly.
There's no going back, the only way that some kind of Union will survive is if it is renewed and reborn as a federal (or confederal) Union with all the nations having their own Parliaments and clearly delineated responsibilities.
I don't think it is gong to happen though. That would require boldness, confidence and clear sightedness - all of which are conspicuously lacking in the useless shower of incompetents in Westminster.
Which is why I think it's going to drift a little longer and then fall apart. Because none of the people who could save it would make the first move.
Post a Comment