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June 22, 2006
Acts of Union
Or more realistically, acts of disunity.
Now the rivalry between Scotland and England goes back centuries, but was up and running as a consequence of Edward I treatment of Scotland after the death of Alexander III in 1268. The Darien fiasco and the subsequent acceptance of the Act of Union in 1707 didn't help matters.
So the rivalry between Scotland and England is understandable. But the introduction of the Scottish Excutive in 1999 was supposed to strengthen the bonds between the two nations. In fact it could be argued that with the failure of the Government to address the West Lothian question, along with the sheer number of Scottish persons holding significant power in the UK, that Scotland now wields undue influence over England. And the the rivalry seems exacerbated. Certainly, in 40 years I've never heard of attacks by Scots against people displaying the Cross of St George before:
The Independant - Scots 'racists' attack England football fans
The first [attack] happened in an Edinburgh park on Saturday when Hugo Clapshaw, seven,was punched in the head by a man aged between 24 and 30 who was wearing a Rangers top.
[The boy said] "It was maybe because I had an England shirt on. He told my dad I should be supporting Scotland, not England."
The second attack happened place on Tuesday before England's game with Sweden. Ian Smith, 41, a retired postman who has been living in Aberdeen for 12 years, was dragged from his car and beaten up.
Given the attitude of certain groups to issues of race and nationality, I suspect that we may well seen a return to the more extreme aspects of nationalism within the UK. Far from strengthening the Union, the illconsidered policies of the Government have potentially sowed the seeds for future disunity.
Posted by Clive on June 22, 2006 11:30 AM in the category Society