Each month we will be featuring a guest writer and this month is Andrew McDiarmid, born and bred in Edinburgh, Scotland, currently living in South Texas. He has a radio show in Texas called Simply Scottish. However, he is a writer, and currently writes regular columns for U.S Scots Magazine in America, and Now You Know!, a feature in a newspaper based in Lanarkshire, Scotland.
Part One of this story can be found in April's Issue.
| Like any two friends, Scotland and England can share resources, stick up for
each other, and create bonds - without having to sacrifice the individuality
of each by settling for a generic singleness. ("Britain")
A relationship where one individual dominates is not a healthy one. Scotland
and England have a relationship, but England dominates the politics, media,
opportunities, voice, and credit of the relationship.
Answer this question: Would you think it fair or just for a person to
approach another person, force them into a relationship, dominate the
relationship, and criticize the dominated person for wanting to end the
relationship? And there's another edge to it. I have found myself constantly correcting people who use terminology like "America won their independence from England". It was Britain (Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales) that America won their independence from, although England were the ones that masterminded all of the nasty laws, injustices, and regulations that America rebelled against. The fact still remains, however, that Scots did fight with the English against American forces during the Revolution - this was most likely not by choice on the part of the Scots, but by supposed loyalty to the "Union". The Scots did not want to overpower the world or make an imperial empire - but because they were shackled together in "union" with England in 1707, they had no choice. And it get's even messier. There were Scots fighting with the Americans against the British forces! How does a logical historian explain that? It just proves that the Scots were indeed friends to the Americans, and that they would even fight with them to break free from tyrany and oppression, which the Scots are no strangers to. So just how long is Scotland going to put up with being shackled with England? Sorry. This Scot is pulling out of the marriage. I don't mind singing a song together, and I welcome collaboration anytime. But I believe Martin Luther King was right - "all men are created equal", and all the nations that produced these men too. They've had their "marriage", and we've made the most of it too. The single entity of "Britain" was an enjoyable project. Now let's raise our glass, toast the past, and get back to our day jobs.
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If you would like to contact Andrew he can be reached here
You can find more articles in the archive under Guest Writer's Corner
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