Monday, November 27, 2006

New Political Reality for the Scots

"It's obviously unsustainable as a nation, & the only solution is partition: Iraq? No. It's the U.K." (Via the InstaPundit.)

In the beginning of Term, I believe, I observed that talk of nationalism was not only common but regarded as praiseworthy among Scots, Irish & Welsh, but English nationalism, in contrast, was considered by the chattering classes to be beyond the pale, and I further observed that a political inconsistency of this order couldn't last.

It didn't.
The United Kingdom should be broken up and Scotland and England set free as independent nations, according to a huge number of voters on both sides of the border....There is also further evidence of rising English nationalism with support for the establishment of an English parliament hitting an historic high of 68 per cent amongst English voters. Almost half – 48 per cent – also want complete independence for England, divorcing itself from Wales and Northern Ireland as well. Scottish voters also back an English breakaway with 58 per cent supporting an English parliament with similar powers to the Scottish one. (Via the Daily Telegraph.)
Scottish identity politics, then, are now operating in a very changed environment....

Update: a funny-serious follow-up article which for me hits the nail on the 'ead: "If it's good enough for the Scots it's good enough for the English."
....in The Sunday Telegraph not just that 68 per cent of my fellow English now want their own parliament, but that 59 per cent would be happy for Scotland to be fully independent....

No comments: