Brexit has begun and here we are in Scotland being dragged out of the EU against our will.
What the UK Government doesn't quite get about the Scots is our Thrawnness.
Thrawn: obstinate, resolute, perverse, ill-tempered. Don't you dare tell us what to do.
If you say to a Scot: "You're name's not on the list you're not coming in" you've made a foe for life.
If you tell us this is for first class passengers only, we'll laugh our socks off at you.
During the Holyrood election campaign I asked a hustings what they would do if we were taken out of the EU by the rest of the UK "would you back an Indy Scotland?"
The Better Together members of the panel which included Christine Jardine of the Lib Dems said "No". But if I were to ask them today, they'd say Yes.
The mood has shifted in Scotland. The improbable has happened. We have been dragged out of the EU against our will. We are meeting NO voters who are determined to stay in Europe and if that means Independence, then in the words of Angus Robertson at PMQ's "So.Be. It!".
Already the anti-Independence argument lines are being bandied around in an attempt to counter this rise in thrawnness.
You are too wee, too poor.
Your oil is worth nothing.
You don't have a currency.
You'll have to have a border.
England won't do business with you.
Project Fear does not work against thrawnness. When the Scots dig their heels in, they are solidly in. There is no argument that will shift the 45%. who voted YES in 2014. But this new dimension of being told "ye canny come in" by the EU is incendiary to the Scots who said no.
We have always been European. Since before the Union. Our historical ties are stronger in Europe than they are with rUK. We have auld alliances. And Europe wants to keep us.
In the UK, Scotland has always been in the cheap seats, never the dress circle. Lots of switching votes to YES are coming with that realisation.
We are Scotland and we are thrawn.
Scotland will stay in the EU. Scotland will be Independent. Nobody chucks Scotland out of the club.
I guess the first thing to remember is we only need a swing of 6% to get a majority for indy - it's not as if we are starting from scratch. So, no sitting back on our heels but no thinking it's insurmountable either.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, we were told in 2014 that to stay in EU, we absolutely had to vote No. There is clear evidence of this in media archives, however much the yoons try to spin the "Ahh but you KNEW that the polls might be completely wrong in the GE15, that there would be #toryexpensesfraud, that tories would "win", that there would be an EUref and that Farage and Boris would lie about £350m for NHS and some voters would really, really believe it's all the fault of immigration" argument. Aye, psychic Scotland they call us, among so many other things.
There are still stubborn No votes out there, they will never change. Change Management theory will always tell us to spend our energies persuading those who are open to change, as they are the ones who can and will be persuaded with the right arguments, facts and, aye, support, because change can be scary.
But you are right Mr Malky, one way to persuade us to change is to tell us we canny dae something.....then suddenly people stand tall, look the naysayers in the eye and declare "Nemo me impune lacessit - noo, where dae ah vote YES ??!"