“Scottish Independence” is Not a Noble Cause, It’s Anti-English Racism

by Mark Angelides

To suggest that a sovereign nation should be free to determine its own future was the rallying cry of the Brexiteers, the thought (and fact) of a country’s destiny being decided by outsiders who have no care nor affinity for it was enough to tip the balance and win the EU referendum for the Leave camp. But the calls for independence from Scotland are not this, and as much as the media and the SNP (Scots National Party) would like to conflate the two, the parallels just don’t exist. Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, does not want a free, independent Scotland, she just wants to be away from the English whom she detests.
In 2014, Scotland went to the polls to vote on whether or not to remain part of the United Kingdom, the result was 55.3% to remain. Since the Brexit vote, Sturgeon’s government in the Scottish Parliament has renewed calls for another referendum, saying that Scotland wants to be part of the European Union. To suggest that joining the EU is independence is a willful lie. The EU’s stated aims are to deconstruct nation states and have pooled sovereignty. How is this independence?
Not that the EU is actually considering taking Scotland on as a member state. Both Belgium and Spain have stated that they would veto Scotland’s joining, and other countries like Germany have said that there would be a lot of conditions to membership that Scotland couldn’t actually perform. Also, to join the EU, a country must fulfill the Euro Convergence Criteria, which is a debt to GDP ratio, and in this Scotland fails massively.
So with the unlikelihood of Scotland being able to join the EU, and the idea of being a “free nation within the EU” is nonsense, what’s actually behind the calls by the SNP for another Independence Referendum? The SNP hate the English and will take whatever hardships lay ahead to break ties with them.
Siol nan Gaidheal, or “Seed of the Gaels,” are an Ultra-Nationalist political organization that says:
“Siol nan Gaidheal seeks to liberate the Scottish people from the worst excesses of English/British Cultural Imperialism and believes that English people resident in Scotland will integrate into and make a full contribution to the community of Scotland. SnG will dedicate itself to fulfilling our commitments to our country and people, we will thus not stand idly by and watch our country being used, abused or betrayed by enemies both internal and external. We are content to leave party political action to the Scottish National Party and the forth-coming Scottish Parliament.”
Seed of Gaels membership has been forbidden by the SNP, and they openly talk down their particular brand of hatred, but there is evidence to show that the Seed of Gaels is actually working hand in hand with SNP. (And clearly by their own words, the SnG fully support the SNP).
During the 2014 Independence Referendum, the SnG provided both stewardship and first aid stations during the SNP’s “Yes, Independence” rallies. And the Yes campaign shared news and information about SnG events. A parallel would be Donald Trump denying KKK links whilst having security guards in white conical hoods at his rallies and then Tweeting about the time for the next Klan meet-up.
If Scotland left the United Kingdom and joined the EU, where would the independence be? If the SNP are really not anti-English, why engage with anti-English groups? There is a long history of mutual benefit between Scotland and England, there are family ties, business ties and a shared culture and history. It would be a shame to let the SNP’s radicals tear that apart.