quite an interesting read here by Alasdair Henderson a Scottish Barrister working and living in London
In 1707 England was a second-rate country on the fringe of Europe, slowly recovering from nearly two centuries of religious turmoil, civil war and plague. Scotland was in a worse state, economically stagnant and bankrupt after a failed attempt to found a colony in what is now Panama. In a sordid deal involving bullying and bribery the English Government persuaded the Scottish Parliament to vote itself out of existence and unite Scotland with England to form a new nation.
Yet despite that ignominious start, the union forged in 1707 has produced one of the most successful, extraordinary countries the world has ever seen. Great Britain has undoubtedly been great not only in name but also in nature over these past 300 years.
The Scottish Enlightenment produced many of the ideas that would most profoundly shape our world, and together with England, we spread them everywhere. The rule of law, liberal political philosophy, modern economics, science and medicine.
We stopped Napoleon, together.
We ended the slave trade, together.
Slowly and surely, in fits and starts, we founded the first ever liberal democracy, together.
We created the largest Empire the world has ever seen, together.
We spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to every continent, together.
We started the Industrial Revolution, together.
We fought the First World War, together.
When the rest of Europe fell, we stood firm against the Nazis, together.
But the past 300 years we have shared in not just the glories but also the tragedies.
We made all the mistakes of empire, together.
We suffered the huge social costs of industrialisation, the overcrowded towns, pollution and breakneck change, together.
We have recently endured the miseries of financial crisis, together.
We have lived and loved together for 300 years, fought and died together many times. Sometimes we have fought for survival, sometimes for gain, but supremely, and repeatedly in the past century, we have fought for freedom â our own and that of others.
And I do not think this was coincidence. There is something special about this United Kingdom, about this nation of ours which is actually four nations in one. Four proud countries. Four very different countries. Four countries which do an excellent job of knocking the rough corners off each othersâ national cultures. Four countries which through healthy and friendly competition keep each other sharp. And yet four countries who, like a family, are tied together deeply and who stick together despite our disagreements and our arguments.
From South Sudan to Iraq, Ukraine to Syria, we live in a world wracked by war and conflict because different peoples disagree with each other about what they believe, which identity they claim, which flag they wish to fly and what kind of society they wish to live in.
So there is something wonderful, something so very refreshing, about a family of very different nations that have nevertheless bound themselves together so successfully as we have.
We have shared much that is good with the rest of the world throughout our 300 year partnership. Letâs find out what more we can share over the next 300 years.
We have been good apart in the past, and I'm sure we could be again in the future. But we're better together. We're great together. We're extraordinary together.
By all means vote no on 18th September because Alex Salmond hasnât given any proper answers to the big practical questions of currency, EU membership or defence. And he hasnât.
By all means vote no because you think economically Scotland benefits from being part of the union. Because we do, massively.
But donât vote no just because youâre worried Scotland would be worse off on our own.
Donât vote no just because there are lots of problems with the Yes campaignâs proposals.
Vote no because you want to say yes to remaining part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, one of the most successful and remarkable countries human history has ever seen.
https://twitter.com/AllyIHenderson
I'm clinging on for dear life.
