{"id":45324,"date":"2014-09-17T23:38:03","date_gmt":"2014-09-18T05:38:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/17\/thoughts-to-the-people-of-scotland.html"},"modified":"2014-09-18T09:39:20","modified_gmt":"2014-09-18T15:39:20","slug":"thoughts-to-the-people-of-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2014\/09\/17\/thoughts-to-the-people-of-scotland.html","title":{"rendered":"Thoughts to the people of Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"

By the time I get up tomorrow, there will already be votes cast in the historic plebiscite about independence.<\/p>\n

Independence is a heady thought, and one that still runs through the thoughts and beliefs of Americans. By the same token, unity — e pluribus unum<\/i> — is a powerful theme as well.<\/p>\n

I tend to side toward unity and community, but I freely acknowledge that I don’t have the baggage of events past and present that drive some Scots toward wanting to be separate from the rest of the UK.<\/p>\n

If you vote to be independent, I hope you realize it’s no panacea (I saw a set of arguments supporting such a vote, claiming it would end political corruption). Your destiny will be in your own hands, and that’s exhilarating but, once you get past the initial fireworks, a lot of hard work — and you’ll be, net-net, a smaller nation trying to do it. I’m not convinced that an independent Scotland is, in the long run, better for the Scots, but that’s your decision to make.<\/p>\n

Political leaders down in London, who’ve started sounding panicky in the last few weeks: remember that feeling. If the “Yes’ vote wins, you’ll be facing similar forces in Wales and Northern Ireland (hell, perhaps in Cornwall, too). Consider such a vote to be a vote on your own ability to run a unified nation, and consider what you need to do to improve.<\/p>\n

And if the “No” vote wins, London leadershiop, remember how close it was, and how many people saw no net value in the current arrangement. Those folk are not going to be silent, and their issues don’t magically go away. The spirit (and words) of concession need to be honored (in a rational fashion), if you managed to squeak out a still-United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Regardless of how the vote goes, it’s an historic event, and one that will — and should — have ramifications for decades to come. If Yes, I hope that Scotland and the remaining UK can continue to be friendly neighbors and partners, separate but acknowledging of the bonds of geography, culture, and economy. If No, I hope that the results of the vote mean a better appreciation for the strengths of unity, but also for the respect of the different bodies within the UK, and how working together in that respect can create a more powerful and prosperous Great Britain and United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

G’un robh math agad!<\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

View on Google+<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By the time I get up tomorrow, there will already be votes cast in the historic plebiscite about independence. Independence is a heady thought, and one that still runs through the thoughts and beliefs of Americans. By the same token, unity — e pluribus unum — is a powerful theme as well. I tend to … Continue reading “Thoughts to the people of Scotland”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geopolitical-brouhaha"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/indy5B15D.jpgimgmax=660.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":130978,"url":"https:\/\/hill-kleerup.org\/blog\/2016\/07\/04\/on-the-fourth-of-july.html","url_meta":{"origin":45324,"position":0},"title":"On the Fourth of July","author":"***Dave","date":"Mon 4-Jul-16 5:26pm","format":false,"excerpt":"I try not to blind to the faults of my native country; like any other human institution stretching over the century, they are legion. 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