In praise of Scotland
Well done Scotland!
The phrase that I most associate with the recent referendum on Scottish Independence is - "No bombs, No bullets and one egg"
Where else in the world would an issue of this magnitude, which was so fervently debated, with such polarised views, have been conducted in so civilised a fashion. Scotland showed the world the way with a master class in democracy.
The story is not over. There will be further devolved powers for the Scottish Parliament; maybe some time in the future there will be another referendum?Whatever the future constitutional changes I think the Scottish people will continue to be an exemplar of intelligent discussion and mature democratic decision making. The procedures and count in this referendum were trusted and the leaders of the losing side accepted the result with impressive dignity.
Scotland is not just blessed with a calm peaceful democracy but is a land of great beauty, surely one of the scenically most beautiful countries in the world. The numerous freshwater lochs, the coast, the woodlands and the mountains combine in a glorious cohesion of superlatives. The islands of the west coast of Scotland are sublime. There are not so many places left in the world where you can find truly remote solitude only an hour or two's drive from bustling cities with cultural centres that are the equal of any on the globe. Whether you like theatre, skiing, sailing, music, hill walking, art or rock climbing, Scotland has it all.
In the history of Science Scotland has punched massively above its weight. James Hutton is the father of geology, John Logierait Baird invented television, William Thomson (Lord Kelvin) introduced the concept of electromagnetism, Peter Higgs working at Edinburgh University mathematically predicted the existence of the Higgs Boson particle, Darwin was educated at Edinburgh University, James Clerk Maxwell worked on the kinetic theory of gases at Glasgow University, William Hunter was a leading anatomist - the real list is very long indeed.
Today Scotland is a leader in Oil technology, Biotechnology, Artificial intelligence, Genetic Engineering and Computer Games.
Accidents of geology have given Scotland many resources - oil, coal, gas, peat, wood, hydroelectricity, wind power, tidal power wave power, abundant freshwater - it has many minerals including gold, silver, copper and barytes.
Scotland's turbulent past has left a rich heritage of castles and brochs. The Gulf Stream keeps Scotland warm and helps to provide plankton resources that start food chains leading to sea bird populations that rival any in the world.
There are two species of eagle and the wildlife in general is rich and varied. We now even have beavers.
In case we get too euphoric, Scotland has been given midges and hasn't managed to get its loaned pandas to breed but -
Whether Scotland is part of the UK or an independent country I count myself fortunate indeed to live here.