The Scottish Referendum

Upon my friend Maria’s advice, I went on this free walking tour of Edinburgh to gain some insight into the city. 

The tour guide’s name is Sabela, an energetic Spanish woman who spoke English with a mixture of Spanish and Scottish accents.  She doesn’t get paid by her company, she said.  Instead, she relies on tips from the tourists.  The guy who started this company called Sandeman Tours noticed he was overpaying for tours that weren’t so worthwhile, so he came up with a new idea.  Now, you see the product, and you can determine its worth.  If your tour sucks, you can dish out just a few pounds, but if your guide makes your day wonderful, you can give a little extra, just as you would over-tip a waitress you admire.

Sabela absolutely beamed with enthusiasm, which I find impressive because I’m sure she’s given this tour dozens of times.  It seems she’s conquered the monotony of the endless regurgitation of facts, as she wonderfully recounted tales of Scotland’s past.

Many, many years ago, when the Earth’s make-up was vastly different from today, Scotland and England were detached until they rammed into each other and formed the mountains that would later be known as the Highlands.

Fast-forwarding into the future, Scotland resisted the Romans for the most part, but they were always fighting against the English. The Scots instituted a monarchy, and the torch was always passed on to the successor as planned.  Then, one day, a child-less king was thrown off his horse, and he fell off a cliff and died.  As a result of his death and the lack of a true heir, there were thirteen candidates qualified to reign, but the Scots could not think of a fair way to elect a new leader.  I would’ve suggested a fight to the death a la Hunger Games, or, at the least, a vote. 

Sabela told us that Scottish history, particularly this chapter, heavily influenced A Game of Thrones.  Undramatically, the Scots opted for a bizarre solution:  they asked their English neighbors to choose a king for them.  The King of England wisely chose the weakest candidate so that he could more easily swindle him and his countrymen. 

Before embarking on my trip, I was uncertain how countries like Scotland operated under the United Kingdom, as it seems the British are the ones who established the rules.  Scotland is kind of a separate country, although it still retains its umbilical cord to its motherland.  Scotland obviously isn’t a state like New York is to the USA.  The country even has a separate flag, a separate identity, and they print their own version of the pound.  Scotland has all the makings of its own nation, yet it remains under the jurisdiction of the UK.

King James of Scotland became the first Scotsman to sit upon the English throne.  His coronation unified the two lands, and ever since they’ve been tied together.  This year of 2014, however, Scotland has a referendum of independence:  a chance to vote to become its own country. 

Later that evening at The Elephant House, I met a Scotsman named Will, who adamantly wants Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom. 

 

I met my friend Maria at the café, and the two of us sat at a large circular table.  Will was on the other side, absorbed in a novel.  Will has a thick head of white-hair, but his face is devoid of wrinkles.  His facial features were deceptive and anachronistic, as though only fragments of his body aged.  I could imagine him sitting in this coffee shop decades before reading a book sitting with the same posture and wearing the same youthful grin.  I can only hope to age so well. 

After I had eaten another helping of haggis, the waiter needed the table for a large party, so he ushered the three of us to an empty table nearby and bestowed cookies upon us to reward us for our courteous gesture.  Will set his book upon the table and introduced himself to Maria and me.  Our proximity led to an intimate discussion of Scottish politics that began when Maria asked Will about the referendum.          

“This is not about politics or economics,” he said.  “Our desire is ideological.”

This man could talk endlessly, and quite well.  I could tell he has been mulling over these thoughts for years, and his words were very polished as though he ranted about his Scottish utopia to many ear-lenders before me.  Nonetheless, I was eager to soak up his words as I gradually grew accustomed to his thick accent.  Eventually my ears clearly perceived his syllables as recognizable strings of English.  Since Maria’s primary language is Spanish, interpreting English through thick accents is like slurping a frozen milkshake through a straw.  Comprehension comes slowly, and only a few words at a time.  Sometimes I had to “translate” his Scottish English into a more basic and easily understood form. 

Will would stride onward with his passionate rant and pause when he ran out of steam.  I don’t know if he realized how much time had passed since he started speaking, but he implored us to respond.  Since I was not well-versed in Scottish history, I was ill-prepared with questions and still recovering from the awe of listening.  Nothing I could say was of equal caliber to his thoughts on the subject, and, besides, I am not often a quick thinker. I require time to reflect and subconsciously ruminate on previous discussions to pluck out relevant questions and further areas to explore.  Will’s face flushed, and I could tell he was uncomfortable with the silence.  During the gaps in the conversation, Maria would often smile and then turn toward me.

“What did he say?” she would ask quietly. 

And so I would repeat and summarize. 

Since the Scots live in such harsh conditions given the temperamental weather, they can readily adapt to new changes, and they care deeply about their neighbors. 

“I don’t want to use the word socialism,” Will said, pointing to me, “because I know the Americans don’t care for that word...”

If he were in charge of the new Scotland, ideally, they wouldn’t be so capitalistic.  They would share the wealth because, for years, they were not fairly represented in Parliament.  By the United Kingdom’s standards, Scotland seems wealthy, but the numbers may seem fudged because London accrues so many riches to negate poverty elsewhere in the four countries of which the nation is comprised. 

“Imagine that Canada claimed the U.S. and said, ‘Now you are part of Canada.’ How would you feel?” Will asked me.

“I wouldn’t mind,” I said.  “I like Canada.”

Looking back on this moment, I wish I hadn’t offered such a playful and joking response.  Clearly, this wasn’t what Will wanted to hear, and my comment briefly tarnished the serious tone of the conversation.  In my defense, at the time I was ignorantly scorning my home country.  My anti-American angst stemmed from my disgust with our obese population and our shallow popular culture that is poisoning the rest of the world.  Europe has old buildings and intellectuals, I thought at the time.  And we have Duck Dynasty.  Canada, at least, was fitter, and their air is cleaner. 

To make me understand the British take-over of Scotland, Will offered me another metaphor:  “Say I was a beggar, and you were a millionaire,” he pointed to me again.  “Together, we would both be half-millionaires, but really I’m poor and you’re rich.” 

His example was meant to stand in for Scotland and England.  If Scotland is to secede, they may become poorer because the country relies a lot on the wealth of England.  Scotland, however, is by no means a poor country.  Edinburgh is a financial hub for banking.  Scotland has plenty of oil and gas reserves, and, if all else fails, they can scrape by on whiskey exports.  Despite its potential for autonomy, some believe that Scotland’s economy would suffer after severing ties with the United Kingdom.  They would have to abandon the pound in exchange for the weaker euro.  But as Will mentioned before, many Scots are more concerned with nationalistic pride than with commercial profits.  Even so, Will has several solutions to improve his homeland should they be given autonomous rule.

“To build a great nation,” he began, “You need a few things.  You need a solid education system so that the youth can get jobs rather than waste the nation’s welfare getting into trouble.  You need infrastructure.”

Apparently, Scotland doesn’t have many roads to reach its northern areas.  Speaking from experience, many of the roads that meander through the Highlands are one-lane highways meant to be shared by traffic traveling in opposing directions.  Both Edinburgh and Glasgow are in the southern part of the nation, where most of the residents live.  Much of the country consists of islands and isles, and many of its small towns do not flourish because they are not heavily trafficked areas.  The natural terrain both attracts and dissuades visitors from venturing far north into Scotland. 

During travel writer Bill Bryson’s trek through the United Kingdom from London to John o’Groats, he comments on the barren landscape: 

“You really are on the edge of a great deal of emptiness when you reach the far north of Scotland.  Only twenty-seven thousand people live in the whole of Caithness, an area considerably larger than most English counties.  More than half of that population is accounted for by just two towns, Thurso and Wick, and none of it by John o’Groats, since John o’Groats isn’t a community at all but just a place to stop and buy postcards and ice cream.”

Another mountainous country, Switzerland is an ideal model to learn from if Scotland is given the opportunity to create their own country.  According to Will, before Switzerland really established their nation, they researched countries like America and Britain to create an idyllic setting.  Despite its mountainous terrain, Switzerland is easily navigated.  And, of course, the Swiss understand how to manage money.

I assume that Will meant Scotland may have a similar opportunity to tour the world and learn how to build a great nation.  If the referendum proves successful, I would nominate Will for the job, a sort of student/tourist who analyzes the cogs that keep nations running. 

But if the referendum doesn’t work out, the tour guide Sabela told me the Scots can still look forward to their future.  In a few million years, Scotland is destined to detach from England.  As they drift out to sea, finally the Scots will have their independence.