Marrakech – Ever since Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Stuart pretender to the English throne, led the 1745 Jacobite rebellion which was brutally suppressed by the Duke of Cumberland with Hanoverian troops at the battle of Culloden, there has always been an historical edge to the relationship between Scotland and England. After the death of James I who occupied both the English and Scottish thrones and sealed the Act of Union, his son King James II lost, largely because he was Catholic and his subjects wanted a Protestant King, and called William of Orange and his wife Mary to assume the British throne. Later the throne past to the Hanoverian King George I in 1714.
The Scottish Independence referendum results of yesterday have nothing to do with religion, but the history of Scottish-English relations is complex, and the highlands were brutally repressed after 1745. However since then a very close bond has developed as Scotland delivered the richness of its culture to the United Kingdom through poets like Robert Burns, the writer Sir Walter Scott, and many others. Scotland became an important part of the United Kingdom, and its soldiers fought with great distinction in two world wars. It’s industries especially shipbuilding on the Clyde played a crucial role in the United Kingdom’s expansion as a world power. Scotsmen were distinguished diplomats, businessmen, and bankers. Britain’s Royal family have maintained Balmoral and other residences in Scotland and have a close relationship with their Scottish subjects; a fact that will have had its place in the decisive “no” vote in the referendum.
Part of the substantial “no” vote has its basis in economic matters. The Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group amongst others had threatened to move their operations to London, as they are regulated and protected by the Bank of England. The financial and economic strength of the City of London remains one of the great strengths of the United Kingdom and doubts over whether Scotland could go it alone economically will have played an important part in the winning “no” vote.
Alex Salmond, the First Minister, conducted a very convincing PR campaign for a “yes” vote and, like Bonnie Prince Charlie, at one moment he looked like he might pull it off. The British Unionist party leaders certainly left it pretty late, and a chastened Prime Minister David Cameron has granted important tax concessions to Scotland which will not be approved of by many in the Conservative party. However he has kept his position as Prime Minister, and the Union is preserved.
Not all Scots liked Alex Salmond whose abrasive and high-handed style concerned many as they felt he had not fully established Scotland’s ability to achieve economic success and jobs on its own.
Another person who the British are not quite sure of is Nicholas Farage, leader of the UKIP party, a challenger of the conservatives who was seen in a BBC television interview relishing the idea of the Red Cross of St George becoming England’s flag and Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish MPs leaving the seat of Westminster to an English Rump. He also wants the United Kingdom to leave the European Union via a referendum which has been promised by David Cameron. Just possibly, the Scottish independence referendum may help to forestall the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU, although this is certainly not sure.
The realization that the United Kingdom is probably too small to split up into its constituent parts may also have played some part in the “no” decision but the simple truth is that the silent majority of the Scottish people did not want to leave the Union. They are happy with their national identity as part of the United Kingdom with Scotland achieving much of what they were looking for in terms of autonomy as part of the pledges won from the United Kingdom’s Parliament. In this sense, the Scottish referendum was a worthwhile exercise.
For Morocco, the Scottish referendum result is a welcome reaffirmation of national union with a realistic policy of autonomy. The Moroccan provinces of the Western Sahara have been promised autonomy while remaining part of Morocco. Looking at the United Kingdom and the referendum result confirms that this is a practical and workable solution which should receive full international support as national boundaries are being threatened through terrorism and aggression.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
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