Let's look at a little history. What was Hadrian's Wall really all about? My take is it was much more about collecting tax and preventing duty-free trade; the wall gave the Romans that control without trying to subdue a thinly dispersed population in a large, rugged and generally poor agricultural and poor mineral-resource area.
Preventing tax-free imports is not just about the lost revenue, it is also harmful to the taxed economy; the wealthy but taxed economy is undercut by those poaching the rich pickings.
So what can we learn from this about today? An independent Scotland is likely to become a parasite on the English economy, through the undercutting of corporation tax and such strategies. Fair game perhaps but that competition will distort the economy in the remnants of the UK - not that I particularly care but the UK government will and some business interests, who don't just take advantage, will.
This effect will be magnified if Scotland is required to take the Euro and is excluded by the UK from the pound. Cross boarder trade will again distort markets. Take cars for a simplistic example: would you not buy your car in Scotland if it cost less - as the Pound and Euro exchange rates fluctuate against each other, with both markets having the steering wheel on the same side, one market or other will always be the cheaper place to order a new car . This is all about currency fluctuations. It suits the consumer perhaps but not the manufacturers or the governments. The outcome will be to help draw the UK into the Euro. I shall be registering a UK trading company in Scotland before independence whilst I am still allowed.
Look at defence. Can England risk a truly independent Scotland? Who knows what the future holds; none of us mortals nor our 'so called' political representatives that is for sure. Yet can Scotland be considered 'independent' in any meaningful/truthful way if it does not have control of its own foreign policy, defence or currency? I think not.
These are the sorts of reasons why Scotland continues to be held as a 'vassal' state to England. Long after the Empire was supposed to have gone Scotland remains prisoner of it's geography.
So why do so many in Scotland want to wrestle free from our grim embrace? Because they are sick of being dictated to from London. There is no voice for Scotland; this is no partnership of equals. United it is not, that is hyperbole, Subjugated Kingdom is more the like.
I am English so I am not lost in some nationalistic dream for an independent Scotland; though I do think plenty of folk are. (I don't even quite understand what 50% of Glaswegians I talk to are saying). But I do sympathise with the animosity. That is a logical outcome of the situation if you think it through. That is the unjust bummer of 'democracy': the winners take all. A minority is always subjugated.
A real United Kingdom should have been run independently of any English Parliament. It is too farcical to pretend Westminster ran the UK with an even-hand. The UK Parliament would be on Anglesey if it was for real.
So now the endgame is about to commence for the UK. The EU has no place for such a second tier authority within its ranks. The EU wants to have its regions, nine in England, plus Scotland and Wales being two more, dealing directly with them.
The EU has no real desire to continue dealing with 'nation states' let alone unions of nation states, it much prefers for them to all slowly, unperceived, wither-on-the-vine; and so they will.
What possible value to the EU does a secondary union of nations offer. None. The EU wants to finish the UK off right away. Scotland will be granted its faux freedom; in truth it will be no more than being an über-county-council in a 'United Soviet State of Europe' (maybe the Europe bit will be dropped in time).
Northern Ireland will be joined to the northern region of Ireland's two EU designated regions; giving that region its city and economic powerhouse.
Wales will remain part and parcel with England until the relevance of its union with England becomes forgotten and meaningless.
The last task of this phase of this Fabian campaign will be the rise of EU 'mega-regions' to occur simultaneous with the eventual silent snuffing-out of the old nation state's governments. These mega-regions will join geographically close regions, regardless of old national boundaries, together in quasi mutual benefit.
The same pattern is to occur eventually across the world with the North American Union being the most progressed second to the EU (the proven template of the method). The EU economic crisis is nothing less than an intentional device of this strategy offering a choice between total economic meltdown or unequivocal acceptance of deeper integration. (Such as Cyprus who will be driven to the edge of the financial cliff until they accept that Turkey, who had invaded and stolen half their country, is now to become a member of the EU without reparations or return of the land stolen).
These Unions, of old-world-order nations, will all operate under the single global governance of the UN. That is the plan, like it or not. The political elites and their lackeys the world over, including the media, are sold the plan as the only solution for enduring world peace and for the scientific management of the world. If they resist they are sidelined. If they want to get on they play the game.
The hubbub of global-climate-warming-change being a man-made phenomenon is to help put in place the medium-term UN carbon-tax revenue system. The global currency and banking 'crisis' to ease in a global SDR based currency unification and Tobin taxes.
I do not care much for our old nations as it happens, nor royalty or much else of the sort either. None of that is any-more than the past generation's false paradigms; which they were sold, swallowed, died for and believed in as tomorrow's majority will support the new order with similar simple allegiance and vigour.
The only lesson of history perhaps is: be careful what you wish for, be careful your wish is really your own.
notes.
Mineral Exploration and Fort Placement in Roman Britain
http://www.dibonsmith.com/roman.pdf
Great post.
ReplyDeleteDo you think most Scottish nationalists want independence from London only and remain in the EU, or do they want independence from both?
Hi Graham. Thank you for your comment.
DeleteMy impression is that Scottish nationalists expect (dream of) Scotland to be a full member of EU and manage that relationship directly; without interference from Westminster. I believe those nationalist supporters consider their 'nationhood' from the perspective of the mistaken paradigm that the EU is a union of independent nations and one where those nations will entirely retain their sovereignty in perpetuity.
I am sure the EU would offer seductive honeymoon terms to an independent Scotland; especially to lure them into adopting the EURO (think money/shovel). Without the EURO I think they will be apparently threatened with an outright EU rebuff or at least very untenable terms.
Since an independent Scotland will need a currency they currently will have three clear options: use the UK pound, use the EURO or launch an independent Scottish 'pound'.
Using the UK pound will be popularly seen as no independence and will come with numerous economic difficulties (not least because the Bank of England will, on the face of it, be under no further obligation to take specific heed of the needs of Scotland).
The economy of an independent Scotland will struggle, in the short to medium term and under the currant world central banking dominated system, to launch a robust and stable currency. The fact is the Bank of Scotland was most recently bailed-out only as a result of Scotland being a part of the UK. A see-saw of high inflation and export prohibiting exchange rates is a likely outcome. If a Bank of Scotland is not wanted and blessed by the world's central bankers it will be easy prey to attack and harmful speculation.
Hence Scotland will gravitate to the EURO which will apparently offer broader prospect for economic stability and a greater impression of independence (particularly when cant as being fully independent from England/UK).