ARBROATHIAN reader Iain (not Union) Jack mentions the significance of the Declaration of Arbroath as “so often overshadowed by that other influential script the Magna Carta, 1215” (Letters, March 26). Every Scots school child of my generation wuz taught aboot the Magna Carta and 1066, to the exclusion of Scottish history and to adopt Union propaganda as passing for oor ain history.
I spent the last 12 years of my pre-retirement working life teaching History and Modern Studies, where the Declaration of Arbroath, the Treaty of so-called “Union”, and many other major events in our history, past and present, were not taught and reduced to unmentionables.
We were not taught that the Maggie Charter of 1215 gave even more power to the robber barons and English Church. The wealthy barons lay in wait in the nearby town of Runnymede awaiting the signal to massacre the poor folks in true Tory fashion. The English king pretended to secede to the revolting English peasants and then sliced their leader’s heid aff. The rest had their heads on spikes lining the route back to the Tower of London. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today we have a Church of England cardinal telling us that we are not a real nation and too inferior to be ruled by anything other than his diocese. Even in Bruce’s time, during the Wars of Independence, the Bishopric of York claimed Scotland as its vassals. The Scots preferred to recognise the tame Norwegian Bishopric to the bloodthirsty English clergy.
Even today, the Church of England invests in the arms race industry, as well as in nuclear weapons. Oh Lord, gie us peace, frae the bliddy Anglican priests. How many of us were taught about the Bishop’s War, where the Church of England tried to impose English bishops on the Church of Scotland? Some actually believe the Covenanters fought an Old Firm war against Kafflicks and the Bigot’s Charter.
How many ken that the Anglican Loyal Orange Lodge was formed to combat the alliance between oppressed Presbyterians and Roman Catholics of the United Irishmen of 1797? How many know of the United Scotsmen’s Rebellion of 1797? How many know of Thomas Muir of Huntershill’s escape from Botany Bay, or of the local council’s threat to destroy his house of today? Scotland’s Ignorance Charter of 2018 and much, much more is too long to be documented in one edition of The National and would require volumes of Unionist media debriefing.
Compare that to the 1320 Declaration that even threatened the hero king, Robert the Bruce, that if he should betray us we would give him the bum’s rush and appoint another king to keep the good fight gauin. The English peasants in the form of the Royal Labour Party class traitors of today are still genuflecting to the heavenly anointed power of church, monarchy and state. The Jelly Bean in London is head of the Church of Engerland and part of the state, which makes her a god.
The House of Lords and robber Labour barons are still worshipped by the Royal Labour Party despite Keir Hardie’s Declaration of a hundred years ago. Thus leaving Jeremiah Corbyn, of the Norman spelt surname, a Laurel for Ollie Hardy, with a Trident for a weapon instead of a pike and singing Welshman Robert Blake’s England’s Queen and Peasant Land. I’d rather be singing Jim McLean’s “Here’s to the men who took the oath. The Declaration of Arbroath: the men of 1320”.
The Declaration of 1320 boldly telt us that “as long as 100 of us remain alive we will never yield to the domination of the English”. Aye right. I’m 81 noo and still looking for the other 99.
Donald Anderson
Glasgow
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