I Blame Communism
Banned
Now, to get at length to the point:
Scotland had a British problem: we were supposed to be independent under a personal union, only since considerable powers were vested in what had turned out to be rapidly becoming the English monarchy, we weren't. Commercially this was a real bugger, since we were at once outside English tariff barriers and forced to take part in wars with our other trading partners fought by England for England. England, too, had a British problem: they didn't like us, but they were stuck with us. The latter Stewarts had been very effective at playing one kingdom off against the other - for instance during the Exclusion Crisis Charles got an act recognising James as heir through the pliant Scottish parliament and then said "Look! If the Whigs get their way, war with the Scots! Remember how well the last bitter political contention that intersected with a war with the Scots went!"
The British problem needed solving. That had long been true. But there were several solutions going. A lot of the Union debate was debate between Unionists. Fletcher of Saltoun, the most famous, articulate, and interesting opponent of 1707, was in favour of Union per se. There were proposals going about that looked eerily like devolution, actually.
So: Union doesn't have to mean the end of the Scottish parliament and flag.
Scotland had a British problem: we were supposed to be independent under a personal union, only since considerable powers were vested in what had turned out to be rapidly becoming the English monarchy, we weren't. Commercially this was a real bugger, since we were at once outside English tariff barriers and forced to take part in wars with our other trading partners fought by England for England. England, too, had a British problem: they didn't like us, but they were stuck with us. The latter Stewarts had been very effective at playing one kingdom off against the other - for instance during the Exclusion Crisis Charles got an act recognising James as heir through the pliant Scottish parliament and then said "Look! If the Whigs get their way, war with the Scots! Remember how well the last bitter political contention that intersected with a war with the Scots went!"
The British problem needed solving. That had long been true. But there were several solutions going. A lot of the Union debate was debate between Unionists. Fletcher of Saltoun, the most famous, articulate, and interesting opponent of 1707, was in favour of Union per se. There were proposals going about that looked eerily like devolution, actually.
So: Union doesn't have to mean the end of the Scottish parliament and flag.
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