Scotland the brave
A historic result in the just concluded elections for the Scottish Parliament is a victory for the Scottish National Party under its leader Alex Salmond. With 65 seats in the voting for the Holyrood House where the Scottish devolved Parliament sits, for the first time the SNP has a majority of the votes in the 129 seat Parliament. This victory was achieved at the expense of both the Liberal Democrats and the Labor Party. The Conservative Party has never had a high representation in Scotland, since it is associated largely with the English ruling classes, but the Liberal and Labor Parties have always been popular there. The Labor Party has its roots in Scotland and its first leader was Kier Hardy. But, the Liberal Democrats took a drubbing throughout the elections in Britain, and Labor particularly lost in Scotland. So for the first time the SNP under Salmond will be able to introduce a bill into the Scottish Parliament for Scottish home rule, i.e. for an independent Scotland, and expect to win.
This could have great consequences for the British Union. Scotland has been under English rule and was incorporated into the British Union by the Act of Union of 1707. Both the English and Scottish Parliaments were abolished and replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Since 1746 when England defeated the forces of the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden, all Scottish armed resistance ceased. Since then the Union Jack or Union Flag has flown over all of Britain and the former British Empire. Initially adopted in 1606 by England, it consisted of the combination of the Flag of St. George of England (a red vertical cross on a white background) combined with the flag of St. Andrew of Scotland (a white diagonal cross on a blue background) and this combination was then adopted by Scotland in 1707. Later when Ireland was incorporated into Great Britain in 1801, the Flag of St, Patrick (a diagonal red cross on a white background) was added to make the flag that is used until today. Note that Wales was not explicitly included in this Union flag since it was conquered by England in 1277 and officially incorporated in 1536. Notably in the current elections for the Welsh Assembly (not yet a fully independent Parliament) the Welsh Independence Party, Plaid Cymru, actually lost seats. Also, the official flag of Wales consists of a red dragon (on a green and white backgound), not easily added to the combination of crosses that represents the British Union.
So if the Scottish Parliament votes for secession from the British Union and becomes an independent State, the name of the country and the flag will have to be changed. "Great Britai" could no longer call itself that if a large hunk of the British isles, namely Scotland, was no longer part of it. Taking the Scottish flag of St. Andrew out of the Union Jack would be quite easy. When the Republic of Ireland (Eire) seceded from the Union in 1922, there was some talk of removing the cross of St. Patrick from the Union flag, but that was not done, since Northern Ireland remained in the Union and the Protestant Northern Irish are very patriotic (although they don't particularly like St. Patrick). Ironically, it is the Celts of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall who were the original British, pushed into the periphery of the British Isles by the Germanic conquerors of England who were in fact the so-called Anglo-Saxons, and the name English derives from the Angles or Anglos. So strictly speaking, if Scotland seceded, then the Parliament in London would have to be be renamed the Parliament of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Note that Scotland is a small country with a population of 5.2 million (smaller than Israel) and it is unclear if it could survive economically without English support. But, often matters of history and national pride outweigh practical considerations. If this starts a trend and devolution turns into independence for Wales and Northern Ireland (perhaps ultimately in union with Southern Ireland) then we could end up with England being alone again after nearly three hundred years and it could then no longer be called the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" but only the "Kingdom of England." What a come-down!
This could have great consequences for the British Union. Scotland has been under English rule and was incorporated into the British Union by the Act of Union of 1707. Both the English and Scottish Parliaments were abolished and replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Since 1746 when England defeated the forces of the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden, all Scottish armed resistance ceased. Since then the Union Jack or Union Flag has flown over all of Britain and the former British Empire. Initially adopted in 1606 by England, it consisted of the combination of the Flag of St. George of England (a red vertical cross on a white background) combined with the flag of St. Andrew of Scotland (a white diagonal cross on a blue background) and this combination was then adopted by Scotland in 1707. Later when Ireland was incorporated into Great Britain in 1801, the Flag of St, Patrick (a diagonal red cross on a white background) was added to make the flag that is used until today. Note that Wales was not explicitly included in this Union flag since it was conquered by England in 1277 and officially incorporated in 1536. Notably in the current elections for the Welsh Assembly (not yet a fully independent Parliament) the Welsh Independence Party, Plaid Cymru, actually lost seats. Also, the official flag of Wales consists of a red dragon (on a green and white backgound), not easily added to the combination of crosses that represents the British Union.
So if the Scottish Parliament votes for secession from the British Union and becomes an independent State, the name of the country and the flag will have to be changed. "Great Britai" could no longer call itself that if a large hunk of the British isles, namely Scotland, was no longer part of it. Taking the Scottish flag of St. Andrew out of the Union Jack would be quite easy. When the Republic of Ireland (Eire) seceded from the Union in 1922, there was some talk of removing the cross of St. Patrick from the Union flag, but that was not done, since Northern Ireland remained in the Union and the Protestant Northern Irish are very patriotic (although they don't particularly like St. Patrick). Ironically, it is the Celts of Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall who were the original British, pushed into the periphery of the British Isles by the Germanic conquerors of England who were in fact the so-called Anglo-Saxons, and the name English derives from the Angles or Anglos. So strictly speaking, if Scotland seceded, then the Parliament in London would have to be be renamed the Parliament of England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Note that Scotland is a small country with a population of 5.2 million (smaller than Israel) and it is unclear if it could survive economically without English support. But, often matters of history and national pride outweigh practical considerations. If this starts a trend and devolution turns into independence for Wales and Northern Ireland (perhaps ultimately in union with Southern Ireland) then we could end up with England being alone again after nearly three hundred years and it could then no longer be called the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" but only the "Kingdom of England." What a come-down!
posted by Jack Cohen at 7:16 AM
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