THE letter from James Cameron Stewart (February 3) raises an interesting subject: the future of the monarchy in a self-governing Scotland. He implies that as things stand, there will be no change in the status of Queen Elizabeth when this long-wished-for change comes about. He may be right. However if the referendum were to be based on the statement that we intend to withdraw from the Treaty of Union of 1707, this might be more radical.
READ MORE: Lord Garnier needs a reminder that politics is about facts, not fiction
Item one of the Treaty says “the two kingdoms will be united – as Great Britain”; item two “that the succession of the monarchy – remain”. Thus the withdrawal would be a much more potent threat to the pomp and circumstance that currently rules us. There would be no Great Britain and no United Kingdom. Once we dump Trident there would be not even a seat on the security council of the UN for the country to be known as “England and the principalities”.
The Long Letter from Donald Anderson made me laugh, with pleasure not derision. His “Marxist” analysis of history is masterly. For example he mentions in passing Charlemagne’s cruelty against the pagans in Gothenburg as being the cause of The Viking Explosion. This pivotal atrocity was never mentioned by Neil Oliver in his BBC programme on the Vikings. Perhaps it didn’t fit with their right-wing political views.
Iain WD Forde
Scotlandwell
READ MORE: Arguments about the definition of colonialism are nothing new
IN your article “Time for TV to tackle Scottish history myths” (January 31), historian Dr Alan Kennedy correctly points that Scotland was never colonised by England and in fact was an enthusiastic participant in the whole colonial enterprise.
However, I completely disagree with him is where he states “ This Union is a voluntary one and parliament voted through the treaty.” as though it was a democratic decision. It was anything but.
The Union was detested by most citizens and there is a wealth of evidence to show this, most notably from Daniel Defoe, author, journalist and English Government agent who was in Edinburgh at the time. He wrote that there was hardly a man in the city who wished for the Union and how mobs roamed the streets to demonstrate against it. The Treaty was eventually signed secretly in a cellar, to avoid the anger of the citizens, and smuggled out of the city.
READ MORE: Misleading Scottish history on TV lets 'colony' myth live on, expert says
Of course everybody knows how a small group (fewer than 200 aristocrats) were bribed to sign the treaty. The document of payments called the “Equivalence” still exists and shows how major landowners such as the Duke of Hamilton were paid £20,000, while a few less important sold their country’s independence for £50 (the infamous Parcel of Rogues).
Additionally England was threatening all manner of sanctions on Scottish trade and making preparations for war.
It was simply coercion by a bullying neighbour aided by a small, corrupt and unrepresentative group of men who cared more for money than Scotland. Hardly voluntary.
James Duncan
Edinburgh
I THINK I understand the argument that Scotland is not a colony, but I think we should remember what happened when a number of English MPs arrived en masse near the end of the 2014 campaign, to tell us how much they loved us. Not for nothing were they greeted, sarcastically, as “our colonial masters”.
READ MORE: George Kerevan: Here is a primary reason we need independence – and need it now
We may not be a colony in legal terms, but the objective in bribing and threatening us into the 1707 Union was surely about exercising control over Scotland. The contempt shown currently by English Tory MPs towards the SNP in the Wesminster parliament (with its procedures dating from before 1707) is reflective of a colonialist mindset.
Yes, Scots helped build and run the British Empire, so we are complicit, but one parallel might be with the Imperial Roman Army, which I understand was filled with troops from conquered lands. My own Irish ancestors were medics working for the British Colonial Service in South America, and Ireland surely was a colony.
Bill Craig
Glasgow
AS a member of the Arthur clan I hope Tom Arthur (not related) takes the time to read George Kerevan’s excellent article in Monday’s National. George answers the question: “Is Scotland a colony?”
in such an informative historical context that there can be no doubt of the answer. A must-read for everyone.
James Arthur
Paisley
I WAS taken by surprise and shock that the Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross would want to challenge the FM to a head-to-head debate on Scottish independence this month! As Nicola quite rightly says “now is not the time” (I’m paraphrasing!)
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon slaps down Douglas Ross over indyref2 debate hypocrisy
She is working away doing the day job and he suggests she should have an indy debate amid a global pandemic. When the time comes for cross-party debates the FM should debate with the one that matters, ie Boris Johnson!
PK
Lochwinnoch
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