But Scottish confidence is not only rational. Put it like this: Ever since the 1707 union with England, when Scotland sold its independence for a share in the British Empire, a tiny blue-and-white cell has survived in the Scottish brain that sends out the message: “Wouldn’t it be grand if only, if somehow...?” For three centuries, inhibitor cells jammed the message: “We’re too wee, too poor, too thick... are you daft?” But now that “cultural cringe” has vanished, almost without a trace. And the blue-and-white cell is free to transmit. The notion of “anti-English racism” is of a piece with Westminster’s matchless ignorance and clumsiness in Scottish matters. In February, Prime Minister David Cameron held a full cabinet meeting in Scotland, to show the Scots that he cared about them. Then, in April, George Osborne, the chancellor of the Exchequer, went to Glasgow for a few hours and told the Scots that if they voted for independence, they would have to find a new currency in place of the pound. He was surprised when this caused the yes vote to surge in the polls. nytimes/2014/07/20/opinion/sunday/The-Independence-Referendum-Is-a-Test-of-Scotlands-Confidence.html?_r=0
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 21:32:29 +0000