Scotland made its choice and the people will have to respect that one way or another. The UK as a whole is still a mess of unequal and outdated rules and systems. Perhaps then we are better together in order to sort them. That said, both sides have pulled on the trunk of the elephant in the room. Britishness. What does it mean to be British? Both sides have had some ugly moments (including Yes campaigners being bullies and Union flag supporters burning Saltires). But, and this is the shocking part, this can only be a positive thing. Bringing this to light shows the underlying problems that we face. Problems we need to face as the UK, not just as Scotland. Leaving them to the side will only make them grow into far more serious problems. I myself, potentially quite a level-headed person would not wave a Union Flag, I have my own (or so it seems) issues with Britishness. I would not choose to wear a Union flag on an item of clothing. I do not intend to own a Union Flag. This is my apparent anti-Britishness. Im not sure really why I feel this way, I simply do. Perhaps its being brought up in two countries where the Union Flag is a symbol for one side of a religious, athletic or spiritual divide. This doesnt mean that we cannot bring it all together somehow, some way, in a modern, almost, federal way. Britishness might still mean something, and now we have a chance to redefine it, make it worthwhile and something to be proud of. There will be huge upsets over the next few years. The UK parties CANNOT deliver on all they promise in the time frame we need or want. There are two many hurdles, including the UK General Election and the next Scottish one. We need to realise that to change these systems (which stop us from having real and immediate change as we see it), we need to first work within the system we have. After all, if we didnt then that wouldnt be very British of us now, would it? Scotland, I love you and I always will.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 19:55:36 +0000