Taking the biscuit

Taking the biscuit Dec 13, 2013 4:45:38 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Dec 13, 2013 4:45:38 GMT -5

Good morning to you all! I trust that all is well with all of you today. 'The Times' leads with some editorial comment on taking the biscuit.

"The union of Great Britain may have just nine months to live. The trial separation that began with the first nationalist wave in 1974, could yet, if there is a turn in popular opinion, culminate in divorce. In that context, the news from Scotland is worrying for those of a unionist cast of mind. Scotland is claiming the digestive biscuit. The land-grab doesn’t stop at the digestive, either. The overdraft, the postcard, the decimal point, postage stamps, the Bank of England and the vacuum flask are all, apparently, Scottish, according to a new exhibition at the National Library of Scotland ... "

'The London Times' thunders that Scotland has a disputed claim to stamps and haggis but doesn’t really need either. Wha's like us? A nation of dreams and ideas! This exhibition will present a selection of outstanding achievements by Scots and Scotland. Some are well-known, some are forgotten, but all are worth remembering and celebrating. For centuries Scotland has been a hot-bed of ideas, innovation, creativity, and dreams. Writing in today's 'Times', Kat Lay reports that Scots lay claim to inventing overdrafts, stamps and superheroes.

"Scots have a reputation for being canny with their cash – little wonder, then, that they are laying claim to inventing the overdraft, decimal point and the Bank of England. The nation that brought the world haggis and whisky is also responsible for superheroes, picture postcards, anaesthesia and the vacuum flask, according to “Wha’s like us? : A nation of dreams and ideas”, an exhibition which opens at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh today. The exhibition also claims digestive biscuits and America’s Yosemite National Park as Scottish achievements, as well as Scottish innovation in the realm of jokes ... "

Where would the world be without the telephone or television or Dolly the sheep? What was the impact of the Scottish Enlightenment, of Scottish politicians and reformers? Why did the works of Walter Scott and Robert Burns delight readers round the globe? Why is our traditional clothing, food and drink so widely known? Why is Scotland so recognisable, 'sae weel-kent'? The exhibition is part of Homecoming Scotland 2014, an initiative led by the Scottish Government to celebrate and showcase the best of Scotland in the year that Scotland welcomes the world.

National Libary of Scotland - Exhibitions - 'Wha's like us?: A nation of dreams and ideas'

Taking the biscuit Dec 13, 2013 6:44:17 GMT -5

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Post by ahinton on Dec 13, 2013 6:44:17 GMT -5

I'd better lay my cards on the table before writing anything else here by admitting to being a Scot.

Scotland can indeed lay claim to many significant inventions. So, for that matter, can England.

Certain aspects of Scottish law have been appropriated for the intended purpose of enhancing the broadly Roman law based legal / judicial climate in England; much the same could be said for the filed of education.

Scotland has been the homing ground for many fine practitioners in all branches of the arts (R L Stevenson and R J Stevenson, for example, of whom the latter once pointed an admonitory index finger at the English engineer Goerge Stephenson in pointing out the difference in the spelling of their respective surnames with the declaration "'v' for victory - 'ph' for phailure!"); so has England.

A whole lot of profoundly misleading and haplessly one-sided picture-postcard sentimentality about Scotland as some kind of twee land of heather, single malt whisky, haggis neeps and tatties, tourists and the rest long since established itself largely as a consequence of English invention and might arguably deserve loud raspberries as a response were those wondrous fruits not one of Scotland major exports.

There are several problems associated with Scottish independence from the rest of ths union, including but by no means limited to the currency that it decides to continue to use or otherwise adopt (sorry - money again!), its continued relationship or otherwise with the British monarchy, what it can claim legal ownership of (not least the oil off its shores, of course), its future political relations with England and Wales (of which the latter might feel more encouraged also to go for independence), its having to reapply for EU membership and so on.

Do I think that independece for Scotland is a good idea for Scotland? Not particularly. Do I think that it would be a good ida for the rest of the union? No. Do I think that the Scottish populace will vote for it? I'm not sure but I frankly doubt it, even if the result turns out to be quite close-run.

In all of this uncertainly on my part, what I do nevertheless feel fairly sure about is that if Scotland does indeed vote for and achieve independence, that will signify the beginning of the end of the union (and, by association, the British monarchy) and, if it doesn't, that will signify the beginning of a very bitter and swift end for the Scottish National Party.

The trend in recent years across the world has been for countries to split rather than merge; I'm not sure, however, that even due recognition of this fact as a trend is likely to have much if indeed any impact on the voters of Scotland in arriving at their respective decisions next year.

Lastly, in bein g reminded of the buscuit aspect of this discussion, I should perhaps mention that Scotland has also provided to us the shortbread version thereof, although for purchase rather than merely for the "taking", methinks...