ASKING a few Yes activists for their opinion, the Sunday National said: “What should Scotland do next if the UK rejects a call for Indyref 2?” There cannot be many in the “Yes2 Independence” movement naive enough to trust Westminster and the British nationalists with their history of dealing with independence movements, peaceful or otherwise.

Four years after the bribed Scots nobility signed the Anglo-Scottish so-called “union” of 1707 – actually a takeover – they voted to come out and were telt to their “Scotch faces” that they were bought and sold. No wonder Carlyle the historian described the Scottish Nobility as a “set of unprincipled Hyenas”.

Labour, who promised to end the House of Lards, joined the pack, from Baron Lord Shinwell and Lord Viscount Earl Attlee to Lord McConnell, first minion of Blair and Dewar’s Provisional Scottish Government, who sent his first surplus back to Westminster to be rewarded.

The Earl of Mar, Bobbing John, who complained that his bribes were not high enough, led the first Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. His standard, “Prosperity to Scotland and No Union”, can be seen in Mar Castle today. When King Shamus arrived in Peterhead, too late, he read out his manifesto, declaring the so-called Parliamentary 1707 “Union”, but not the 1603 Regal Union, null and void. Charles Edward Stuart did the same when he landed at Glenfinnon on 1745. Some of the captured Jacobite swords were used to adorn Butcher Cumberland’s estate railings and later some the entrance of Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum, with inscription, “Prosperity to Scotland and NO Union”.

Before the anti-Union rebellions of 1715, 1718 and ‘45, and Republican Insurrections of 1797 and 1820, the forgotten rebellion of 1708 saw Jacobites and Covenanters united against the Traitorous Act.

The Cameronians, who marched from the Southwest, were stopped at Dumfries by dragoons, leaving angry women to fight troops barehanded. The Jacobites came from the North and the Highland Guard let them in through Edinburgh’s gates.

Unfortunately, the double agent leader and “darling of the mob”, the Duke of Hamilton, did not turn up, due to a toothache. The French fleet laden with gold, arms and troops was deflected from Leith by the Scottish weather and English Royal Navy. Captain Margot sailed up the east cost, to the fury of the angry natives, cursing him for a coward all the way and demanding his cargo be dropped ashore.

Sure, all that is history, hidden or otherwise. Today we are still told that we are equal partners in the so called “Union”. If that were so, then as partners we have every right to leave without anyone’s permission.

It is not a matter for the English National Parliament to decide for us. England has chosen to exercise its right to leave a real union, that of the EU. Good luck to them, if that is their democratic wish, and that of their glorious leaders and of May and Corbyn‘s same Royalist Unionist parties.

Surely it is not too naïve to expect the same democratic right of the Scottish people, who must now show the bottle to earn their place in history by demanding those simple and inalienable rights from a simple and alien Government? Let’s turn our Provisional Government into a real and active Government of Scotland.The Scottish people alone will decide.
Donald Anderson
Glasgow

THE letter to The National from Julia Pannell (March 8) concludes that the chance of a referendum might go for decades if there is no solution to Westminster’s “veto”.

I recently wrote to the editor about the use of repeated Scottish referendums, which, as they can be said to be only advisory, or even just described as a means of establishing opinion, are within the Scottish Government’s powers.

Referendums are part of the Swiss constitution and are used in such countries as Uruguay and Eire with success, though there the results are enacted. Involvement in referendums in such countries is considered a part of politics and not a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Repeated results indicating a vote in favour of independence in Scotland (even if ignored by Westminster) would prove to the world that we were being oppressed. Even failure would be better than the present impasse and would in any case be till a head of steam could be built up again.
Iain WD Forde
Kinross-shire