Confronting the History of Colonial Rule

England’s attempts to colonise Scotland have a long history

England’s incessant political and military attempts, sometimes successful, sometimes not, to colonise Scotland as a vassal state, had been going on for hundreds of years before Bannockburn. 

In the 1650s, Scotland was “annexed” by the London Cromwellian Government. The English Alien Act in 1705 was outright economic blackmail towards the 1707 union. The Union was not supported nationally: opposition was vehement, led by George Lockhart and Andrew Fletcher. There are many more facts attesting the reality that Scotland has been treated as colony - including, after Culloden, brutal cultural, economic and social oppression, the infamous Clearances and so on.

If we jump to the history of two now-thriving ex-colonies- Ireland and India – we can see a similar struggle against the ruthless, cynical, asset-stripping, “divide and rule” tactics of an insatiable empire, determined- without moral limitation - to retain global power and rapacious wealth.

The same asset stripping, demoralisation, divide and rule, attacks on leaders, constitutional corruption and manipulation continues on a daily basis in Scotland.

19/06/23

Frances McKie