I WAS tickled the other day by the Clown Prince’s statement that “Scottish independence would be utterly tragic for the whole world” if it caused the UK’s armed forces to be divided. Gosh. Not for the whole world, Bojo, only for England. The British Army subjugated Scotland in the 18th century, recruited Scots as cannon fodder (“tis little mischief if they fall,” mused General Wolfe as his tough Highlanders did the impossible by scaling The Heights of Abraham) and as Winston Churchill did by abandoning the 51st Highland Division at St Valery en Caux (where they still fly the Saltire every day).
READ MORE: Who will be the next Prime Minister and what do they think about independence?
And so on, but the loss of a port-swilling, public-school officer class, in gold-braided dress uniforms – however devoted to their “Jocks” they claim to be – will not be “tragic” at all but a bloody good thing.
If the struggle for independence gets feisty, expect the British Army to do their “duty”. It’s a familiar story, and the history of the last hundred years shows us they/Britain always end up losing in the long run.
David Roche
Blairgowrie
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel