Bozen – So, the Scots have decided! There was much frenzy leading up to ‘D Day’ and speculations to what the outcome would be. Would banking groups based up north really move their headquarters to England? Would there be a need to create a new currency? Would Scotland go to the back of the queue for EU entry purposes? And how would the United Kingdom be called in the future – ‘Half Kingdom’ perhaps or would an even more precise calculation result in ‘Three Quarter Kingdom’ winning the day!?
Whatever the result, the whole issue certainly stirred things up, gained worldwide press and media coverage, and posed many questions of a constitutional and far-reaching nature with implications for countries and regions around the globe. It is safe to say that as an exercise in brand marketing the event was an unparalleled success and whilst whisky, salmon and kilts enjoy a healthy market coverage already anything Scottish could now enjoy a boom period – even the very particular bagpipes instruments! And what about a call for the re-release or even remaking of the film Braveheart? Even James Bond got in on the act for the actor Sean Connery, surely the greatest Bond of them all – the Scots say, came out as a staunch nationalist. Perhaps this is a light-hearted interpretation of events but certainly the economy and tou- rism in general will feel the benefits – the Loch Ness monster will be smiling at the bottom of his or her or its lake!
To look more closely at the referendum, its origin, its format, and its constitutional and general political ramifications makes interesting reading. It is worthwhile to dedicate a paragraph or two to these matters. First is the fact that the referendum was a ‘winner takes all’ ballot, voters only having the chance to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the question with no middle way or alternative response provided for. This, in very large part at least, came about in that the Conservative party, led by Prime Minister David Cameron, gave in to the referendum proposal on the basis of it being an outright call, confident that the Scottish folk would never leave the 307 year old Union. A useful example of how a referendum can be worded in a non ‘outright call’ manner is provided by the recent vote in Brixen for the decision on Plose and whether to go ahead with a linking cable-car, do nothing, or improve existing public transport links.
Little did Mr Cameron appreciate that the national fervour and sense of almost clan-like identity does exist and should not be underestimated. The fact that there was great concern that he would become the PM who brought down the Union might still have repercussions in the 2015 General Election. Ironic is the fact that the Conservatives are a minority party in Scotland, yet could not run the risk of bringing down the UK castle fortress. Equally ironic is the fact that the Labour party spoke the same language as the Conservatives in terms of nation unity for they are keen to maintain the large proportion of votes they receive from the electorate north of Hadrian’s Wall.
A fact not over-publicised or even recognised internationally was that the Scottish Parliament opened the referendum vote to all those over 16 years of age and if this were to become a routine norm elsewhere the demographics of voting could well change significantly, we tending to think of younger folk as more nationalistic and revolutionary in their ways i.e. for change rather than for maintaining the status quo. Interesting food for thought indeed.
Another astonishing fact regarding the 18th September vote is that the Queen dared to speak! After a church service, in Scotland naturally enough, as it is at Balmoral that she spends most Septembers, she unusually came close up to the watching gathering and was heard to say that people needed ‘to think very carefully’ about the referendum vote. Now this might seem a neutral comment but knowing the expertise of the Queen in not commenting on constitutional manners and keeping her reserve as Head of State, many interpreted her utterance as an appeal not to rush toward separation. When one adds to this interpretation the monarch’s love of Scotland and Scottish outdoor life, it is quite a compelling argument.
Mention of the Queen brings us naturally to the make-up of Britain and the British character. Certainly no-one would deny the distinctive characteristics of the Welsh, the Irish and the Scots and in fields afar apart as music, sport, cuisine their allegiance to country ways is beyond dispute. Yet what came across in a British sense from the ‘big vote’ was the sense of fair-play and acceptance of the decision and the democratic right to decide, in no better way reflected than the church services for reconciliation the first Sunday after the Thursday before. It is perhaps this intangible, not easy to define attitude which is at the core of a British identity.
Never can a defeated politician have basked in such glory. A strange claim but certainly true when applied to Alex Salmond, the SNP leader and fervent supporter of independence. It is generally agreed by political commentators that his showing put in the shade, if not to shame(!), the attempts of party leaders from ‘down south’ to make out their case for a ‘No’ vote. His calm, determined and resilient manner proved popular and although he held up his hand and resigned after losing the battle his future in the world of politics might be a lot brighter than that of Cameron, Clegg, and Miliband. Irony of sorts of course is that Salmond hails from a constituency in Aberdeenshire which resoundingly voted no to the call for separation from the UK despite his presence and call to arms. ‘A strange game is this politics’ is a truism which often comes to mind. The city of Aberdeen is a useful case in point for once a relatively small fishing town with limited resources it is now one of the new thriving locations on the north east coast thanks to its nearby North Sea oil resources. It is a city much transformed but still proud of its Scottish and British association. As its preferred folk song tells us:
The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen
Mean home sweet home to me
The Northern Lights of old Aberdeen
Are what I long to see
I’ve been a wanderer all of my life
Any many a sight I‘ve seen
God speed the day when lm on my way
To my home in Aberdeen.
It would be a strange scenario indeed if in today’s world the wanderer of Scottish origin were to return home and find his beloved city no longer part of an island nation but an autonomous region apart from its southern neighbours. One might rightly ask how the wanderer would vote after having lived a life on the high seas and exploring foreign lands. The only real conclusion to make on that is ‘the jury is out on the matter’!
