As I write this from the other side of the world in Vietnam,
the people of Scotland are going to the polls to vote on their future. From a
country that’s no stranger to the wrath of an imperial power, I’ve been
following the Yes campaign with admiration and a growing excitement. All my
life I’ve desired an end to the UK state and almost out of the blue, it’s a
real possibility. Growing up in the borderlands between the two Irelands,
British army checkpoints, patrols, watchtowers and the incessant hum of helicopters
were all a constant reminder of what it meant to be ruled by a far-away,
unaccountable, illegitimate power. This was the reality of the ‘unity’ of the
‘United Kingdom’; an Orwellian unity enforced militarily to ensure a sectarian
statelet remained under her majesty’s rule. Today, the army has gone from the
borderlands but political deadlock in the form of the peace process has offered
little hope for further progression; entrenched sectarianism has kept both
sides stunted, unable to move beyond the narrow parameters of ‘power sharing’.
Scottish independence could change all this.
Imagine (not hard at this stage) the result of today’s poll
is Yes. Imagine the UK government decides to accept the result on the condition
that the Scottish government agrees to key terms including the partition of
Scotland. The border counties and wealthy areas of Edinburgh are to remain part
of the United Kingdom. This new Southern Scotland will take in as much land as
possible while ensuring that the No-ers are the majority of the population.
Yes-ers must accept their new status as second-class citizens. Another
condition is that the Scottish government has to swear allegiance to the Queen
and ensure that Westminster’s key business interests north of the border are
not threatened. The large landowner estates are to remain untouched in the new
Scottish Free State. And what if the Scottish government refuses to comply with
Westminster’s demands? Well, Scotland will be faced with “terrible and
immediate war” from the British state if it doesn’t take what’s being offered. If
you’re finding it difficult to imagine all this, there’s no need to strain
yourself…just think back the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921.
Through the fog of the official narrative (i.e bullshit),
the reality of what happened in Ireland is often forgotten now but it has
echoes in the behavior of the British crooks politicians over the past few
weeks. Like the forces of Mordor, the establishment has rounded on Scotland
with a combination of platitudes and thinly-veiled treats, supported by its
subservient state and corporate media. If only it was 1921, they wouldn’t have
to pretend to be nice…they could just threaten terrible and immediate war. It’s
so much harder these days, what with having to rely on the BBC and the rest of
the ‘mainstream’ media for propaganda. Plus, they’ve got their hands full
causing carnage and plundering the Middle East…it’s no surprise they’ve taken
their eyes off the ball when it comes to their own backyard.
The history of the Republic of Ireland offers Scotland a
good case-study and warning on how not to run a country. Although proportional representation is an
improvement on first-past-the-post politics, it isn’t the fix-all solution
proponents make it out to be and a quick glance at the political situation in
the 26 counties proves this. Politicians still lie, cronies still plot and the
media still distorts and omits the truth. Unless there is an organized mass
movement from the bottom up, which holds those who make decisions to account,
there can be no true democracy. The Republic may be the poster-boy of a
well-behaved, IMF/EU colony where austerity is the norm, but in the minds of
all those who yearn for real freedom, it is a laughing stock. North of the
border, needless to say, the situation isn’t any better. A deeply divided land,
where the main parties endorse a cruel neo-liberal agenda, the possibility of
an independent Scotland has confused politicians as it has done for those south
of the border. This new political reality offers a vague threat to their
complacency and comfortable position and like the politicians across the water,
they’ve been caught napping.
What happened to the real prospect of a United Ireland? Out
of all the excellent articles on Scottish independence, I’ve read none
suggesting this possibility could be any closer with a Yes vote. There’s been a
lot of ‘I wonder what will happen to Wales and Northern Ireland?’ and
suggestions of independence for both those ‘countries’, an argument that fails
to see that ‘Northern Ireland’ is not and never was a ‘country’. “But what
about the Protestants who want to remain part of the UK?” comes the predictable
reply to the question of a United Ireland. That’s the thing…there won’t be a UK
any longer due to Scotland’s remarkable freeing itself from Westminster’s
shackles. It won’t exist, like
Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia no longer exist; cheerio UK! Unionists will face
an identity crisis and I wish them all the best adjusting to a more
accommodating future and riding themselves of illusions of grandeur. It’s
unchartered waters and no one can predict the consequences for the 6 counties
and the course of events but it’s clear that a United Ireland will be an
inevitable consequence of the break up of the UK. It won’t happen straight away
but once the reality sinks in on all sides…the natural momentum will be in this
direction. Talk of Northern Ireland as an independent country is absurd, as is touting the longevity of a fUK (former UK) in the form England, Wales and NI. A
united, federated Ireland, safeguarding the rights of all should be worked
towards if there’s any chance of peace and prosperity on the whole island…and I
argue this not from a nationalist perspective, but from an internationalist
one. The hope is that England too will throw off its shackles and become a
federated, democratic country, as will Wales. An independent Scotland should be
a catalyst for a people’s movement. The initiative should be seized now, when
the time is ripe for positive change. As contradictory as it sounds, a new
Scotland could mark the beginning of a point of no return towards a world where
borders are broken down and the people of different geographical locations
cooperate, heralding a fairer and more equal planet that collectively steers
civilization away from its doom-laden
path to destruction.
Of course, all this depends on a Yes vote. I have no idea
how it’s going to go. The polls and the bookies are telling us the No side will
narrowly win, while the voices of Scotland who are witnessing the public mood
are confident the Yes side will win by a healthy majority. The precedent of
Quebec narrowly voting against independence in 1995 provides a note of caution.
In the event of a No, the momentum of people’s participation in real politics
will either continue or dissipate, depending on how people chose to act.
Whatever way it goes, there’s a choice to be made: either sit on your arse and
complain or stand up with yer pals and fight for a better world. You aren't going to be offered that better world by those at the top...you have to take it. By tomorrow we
could see the beginning of the end of the defunct UK/Republic of Ireland states
and the start of a progressive process of radical change for all the peoples of
these isles.
Alba gu bràth!
