[Seahawk]

I'm one half Spanish, the other half Scottish. Interesting book review:

Scotland Since the Sixties
by Murray Pittock
Reaktion, 224 pp., $24.95

The question asked by Murray Pittock in his title is the question that has been asked increasingly throughout my adolescent and adult life, to the extent that there is nowadays almost no other political question asked by--or posed to--Scottish voters. Even the English, in numbers undreamed of only a decade or so ago, find themselves considering seriously the option of the United Kingdom breaking up, to the extent that many in Britain's southern and vastly more populous kingdom now say to the Scots, with more than a hint of weariness and exasperation in their voices: "If independence is what you want, in the name of God, go."

How could the continuation of the United Kingdom, arguably the most successful union of two former enemies the world has ever seen, be threatened, as it most assuredly is today? After three centuries--301 years to be precise--the maintenance of the union between England and Scotland is no longer a given.

(The principality of Wales was seen as part of England when England and Scotland united their parliaments in the 1707 Treaty of Union, 104 years after the Union of the Crowns when Scotland's James VI succeeded Elizabeth and became England's James I. Ireland joined up in 1801 and then the 26 counties of the Free State, now the Republic, of Ireland went their separate way in 1922, leaving the six counties of Northern Ireland as still part of the United Kingdom.)

The root cause is
almost certainly the fact that, for a great many people, being "British" doesn't mean anything in the 21st century. Just as I've seen people scribbling "USA," rather than the continental catch-all "American" in that part of hotel and other registers that ask for a declaration of nationality, so "Scottish" is the designation of choice for most of my compatriots when traveling abroad. (Interestingly, the 'B'-word is also more and more disliked by the English, too.) Scots, who used to be simply irritated when the terms English and British appeared to be interchangeable, now protest loudly.

Foreigners are perhaps most guilty of this confusion; they are easily forgiven as they know no better. But the London-based, and thus English-dominated, media are deemed to be the worst culprits. A recent independent report criticized the BBC for being too English, too concerned with what happens inside the M25 "Beltway" and for ignoring the Scots, Welsh, and Northern Irish. Another huge irritant is the media's often careless labeling. For instance, Jackie Stewart, a Scot, is deemed to be a "British" world champion Formula One star, but Nigel Mansell or Damon Hill, also F1 champs, are "English."

Young Scots--those in the 18-25 age group, which opinion polls suggest is where most support for the separatist case lies--don't see London as their capital city, but merely as another big city in another country. And it is no longer necessary for Scots to go through London to travel abroad, given that there are direct flights, now, from Scottish airports to virtually every part of the world. This may be a welcome bonus for holidaymakers and business travelers, but it militates against a feeling of Britishness; in fact, I'm often surprised how few and how infrequently young people of my acquaintance travel to London.