From the Revd Dr Ian Meredith
Sir, - As a Scot living in exile, though in regular contact with
friends and family north of the border, my main regret in having
recently moved south is that I will be not to be able to vote No to
independence on 18 September.
The Revd Dr Douglas Gay (Comment, 5 September)
accuses the No campaign of being largely colourless and fearful,
compared with the colourful buoyancy of the Yes campaign. Perhaps
the No supporters have every reason to be nervous, even gloomy. The
prosperous Scotland we have seen in recent years has not been an
independent one, but one that has flourished as part of the United
Kingdom.
If the No campaign is accused of scaremongering, it is only
because we look with dismay at the Yes campaign's being driven into
an uncertain future by sentimental nostalgia from which there will
be no way back.
Given the recent comments of leaders of countries as diverse as
China, the USA, and Australia, the international community does not
want an independent Scotland. It is not certain that Europe wants
an independent Scotland; it is not even certain whether NATO wants
it; it is not certain whether the Bank of England wants it; it is
not certain how many more decades of oil will sustain it; and I
don't believe the majority of Scots want it either, but we'll have
to wait and see.
My real concerns, however, are not economic but spiritual.
Independence is a spirit which, in the past few decades, has
shed much blood and has divided much of Europe. The Bosnian/Serbian
wars were fought as parts of nations sought independence from the
greater. The present conflict in Ukraine is also fuelled by the
spirit of independence: Ukraine from Russia, and pro-Russian
elements from Ukraine.
Nationalism tends to need enemies in order to define itself. The
Yes campaign is not fuelled simply by pro-Scottishness, but also by
anti-Engishness.
Dr Gay in his article has portrayed the Yes campaigners as a
folk-singing, pop-singing, fun-loving tartan army. This is how they
see themselves, but this is not how others perceive them.
When I was in Scotland this summer, I noticed that there were
far more Yes posters in windows than No. My friends told me that if
they put up a No poster, they would probably get a brick through
their window. In the main, the No people tend to be the quiet in
the land. Let's hope than on 18 September the silent majority will
rise up to say "No to independence."
IAN MEREDITH
The Vicarage
164 Castle Street
Portchester
Hants PO16 9QH
From Dr Phillip Rice
Sir, - Looking back to the 25 Articles of the 1707 Act of Union,
the drafters worked out what was important for them. Religion
inter-related with monarchy, as identity principles came first: a
Protestant succession in the monarchy, worry about European
alliances against England, and a guarantee that the Church of
Scotland would have a Presbyterian establishment as enshrined in
Scots law.
The next 15 articles of the 1707 Act were economic. These
religious drafters were concerned about free trade (navigation),
and the Scottish currency, especially after the massive level of
indebtedness in the disaster of the Scottish investment in the
Darien colony scheme. It appears that the drafters believed in a
fixed rate of exchange: 12 pounds Scots for one pound sterling.
The decline in the Scottish pound was stabilised by the fixed
rate of exchange. The losses in the Darien scheme were compensated
for by negotiated sums transferred to Scotland from the English
national debt.
When I read the Articles of the Act of Union, I was amazed at
how we are still talking about the Scottish currency, exchange rate
to sterling, banks with losses, access to free trade with England,
and compensation from the English national debt.
PHILLIP RICE
Member of General Synod
23 Christchurch Square
London E9 7HU
From the Revd Rajinder Daniel
Sir, - I am reminded of the parable of the Prodigal Son. When
the wealth of the North Sea is squandered, the Sovereign will be
waiting to receive the wayward son. I hope the older brother, the
English, will not be found wanting.
RAJINDER DANIEL
508 Chester Road
Kingshurst
Birmingham B36 0LG
From Mrs Caroline Burkitt
I thought last week's cover picture showed a regrettable bias in
favour of Scottish independence.
CAROLINE BURKITT
10 George Street, Willingham
Cambridge CB24 5LJ
Half a dozen readers suggested something similar. We chose
the photograph because the Yes campaign are making the news. (There
would not be a No campaign otherwise.) We trusted that the cover
line below, and the balance of the comment pieces inside, would
convince readers that we had not become a campaigning newspaper. -
Editor