Britain is not representing Scotland's views internationally

Joe Middleton

Joseph Peter Middleton
Edinburgh

27/07/2006

Sir,

The current international crisis is unavoidable when there are two countries in the United Nations who consistently ignore international law. Israel seems to imagine it can bomb civilians, journalists and even official UN representatives with impunity. This arrogance can be traced back as the large end of the wedge to its decision to assassinate suspected terrorists without any attempt to bring them to trial. This has now been extended to anyone and everyone who lives outside their borders.

Britain’s silence on this issue and many others and the Bush administrations torture of suspects in Cuba without regard to the Geneva Convention are actions which have embarrassed the whole international community and made absurd the idea of international human rights.

If certain countries can completely ignore international law then what is the point of the United Nations? If Britain backs every move by the US and Israel no matter what it’s legality then what is the point of Scotland being represented by Britain?

In Scotland most people would not agree with the US interfering in the Middle East. We would not agree with a carte blanche approach to Israel and most people would want an immediate end to these unnecessary and illegal hostilities.

Unfortunately it is quite obvious that Scotland’s distinctive international voice will never be heard as long as it tied up with the USA’s client state in Europe, the UK and the supine figures of Tony Blair or his doppelganger David Cameron.

It’s time for independence and it’s time for our own voice to be heard on the international stage.

Yours faithfully,

JOE MIDDLETON

This article: http://news.scotsman.com/opinion.cfm?id=1101322006

Aventinian

Britain hasn't been silent on any of these issues, it's just that you happen to disagree with the line of the British government. You are not Scotland and neither are you Britain - these two things are abstract concepts which do not really exist in any meaningful way. You disagree with the British Government, fine, there's thankfully an easy solution:

Don't vote for them.

Yes, it works wonders. However the people of Britain continue to re-elect Labour (and the Scottish people most enthusiastically out of the lot of us). And yes, the majority of the British public generally probably have the same foreign policy opinions of the majority of the Scottish public.

SLG

I have to say, I agree. We elected them in. We can do two things, we can either elect someone different at the next election, or we can get out onto the street and make it know that we are no longer being represented in an acceptable manner.

There were protests to this effect after the initial invasion of Iraq culminating in 1-2 million on the streets of London. This was meant to represent the feelings of the majority in the UK. I didn't, there has since been a UK election and the same people have been voted back in. The majority of people are clearly happy with situation or ignorant of the consequences. They/we can blame no-one but ourselves. Yes, the government have lied and spun, but the bulk of the facts are clear to anyone willing to look.