On Monday, British Prime Minister
David Cameron was in Aberdeen, Scotland's third largest city, to urge the people of Scotland to reject independence and remain part of the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. On Tuesday, he was in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital. Today, Scotland's voters went to the polls to vote on the referendum that will decide the issue. They went in droves, we have read, and by this time tomorrow, all of us should have an answer. Right now, however, we don't know whether the vote will bring jubilation to the First Minister of Scotland,
Alex Salmond, or profound relief to
Prime Minister Cameron, a smaller UK or a stronger one.
All of that is for later. For now, we shall concentrate on Mr. Cameron's Edinburgh speech. We found it refreshingly candid. You will want to read the whole thing, but here are some excerpts:
"I know the Conservative Party isn't currently Scotland's most influential political movement .... Some say it might be wiser to not to speak at all ... just to let Scotland, in every sense, go its own way."
"[But] it is time to speak out, whatever the consequences, because something very special is in danger - the ties which bind us in the country we call home."
"And it is right too that the choice over independence should be for the Scottish people to make ..."
[But the implications need to be carefully considered.]
"[T]here is for some smaller nations the risk that independence can actually lead to greater dependence."
"An independent Scotland would have to negotiate in future for things it now gets as of right."
"[T]he reason I make this case is - partly - emotional. Because this is a question of the heart as well as the head. The United Kingdom isn't just some sort of deal to be reduced to the lowest common denominator. It's a precious thing. It's about our history, our values, our shared identity, and our joint place in the world."
"Your heroes are our heroes."
[Mr. Cameron illustrated that point with examples from the trenches of France in World War I to Normandy to Afghanistan ...]
"And Lance Corporal Liam Tasker - the dog handler who helped save many lives in Afghanistan before tragically being shot [in February 2011]."
He also laced his speech with those practical details that would seem to make separation now deeply ironic if not tragic. For example:
"There are now more Scots living in England and English people living in Scotland than ever before. ...
"And Scotland sells twice as much to the rest of the UK as to the rest of the world put together."
