Anglophobia alert...
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
EVERY so often watching the local news someone comes on talking such tosh that I don’t know wheather to laugh or cry. One such moment happened just this week.
The ITV Scotland news ran an exclusive story that Fort George by Inverness would be closing due to defence cuts. The Ministry of Defence reaction was that this was just ‘speculation’ which, in spin-doctor speak, means the story is true.
Also, true to form, the Nationalist spokesman on all things military, Angus Robertson popped up to condemn the closure.
But surely Scottish Nationalists would welcome the closure of a military garrison that was built by English King George II in order to keep the local Highlanders in check following the Battle of Culloden?
Poor old Mr Robertson couldn’t see the irony of the situation – in fact, the double irony because an independent Scotland divorced from the rest of Britain so craved for by the Nats wouldn’t have a British base here anyway.
Angus Robertson is often seen on our screens complaining about defence cuts and closures of air bases in Scotland and is seen by Alex Salmond as such a good campaigner that he has been put in charge of the campaign for divorce when the vote takes place.
We, the voters, haven’t been told when the referendum will take place but Angus knows and you can bet your last Scottish £10 note that he will be ratcheting up the Anglophobia big time for the next few years.
What Angus won’t be telling us though is that an independent Scotland won’t have any British military bases at all. I suppose though we may have Scottish military bases for the Scottish Army, Navy and Air force. It won’t be a Royal Air Force though because we couldn’t possibly have an English Queen could we?
And how would we pay for our own defence forces? We would, of course, be out of the pound and in the Euro so that would help wouldn’t it. Pity though that we would lose our Scottish notes we so love.
The Euro zone doesn’t allow countries to have their own note. Still better Euros than English pounds. Better European justice than English courts too.
I have just shelled out more than £80 for a new British passport. I wonder how much Angus will charge us for all having to get Scottish passports?
I wonder if we will have to take them for checks on the overnight sleeper to London and will there be a border control at Gretna Green?
The big question though is, will I be Scottish or English? And will the new Scotland tolerate the use of ‘incomers’ as a term of abuse bordering on racism?
Who knows, but one thing is for sure, when the time does come to decide the future of Scotland some very serious questions will have to be answered.
Silly stunts like telling councils they can’t close rural schools whilst at the same time cutting their budgets just won’t wash with the voters.
Now Alex Salmond has appointed Angus Robertson to persuade us all in favour of divorce I do hope the opposition will get its act together soon.
We could do worse that appoint my old boss Gordon Brown to co-ordinate the no vote.
