Scottish identity and the crowded bed

Published on Thursday 1 December 2005 00:08

AN ELEPHANT and lion have been sharing a bed for nearly 300 years, but the elephant is starting to take up more than his half. What to do?

This is not the beginning of a joke; there is no punch line. This analogy describes the delicate relationship between England and Scotland. The elephant – our bigger neighbours to the south – dominates the surroundings and to a certain level controls the "sleeping arrangements" with the Lion Rampant to the north.

Are these arrangements comfortable for Scotland and its people? Exactly who do we as Scots want to be – Scottish? British? And what identity do we want to portray to the rest of the world – Adorned in kilt? Hip and sophisticated? Somewhere in between?

There is no better time than the week of St. Andrew's Day to examine the Scottish question: Who are we and who do we want to be? We, like no other group of people in Britain, take great pride in showing off our Scottishness. Many welcome the opportunity to wear the family tartan to special events, embrace the distinct sounds of traditional Scottish music and perhaps enjoy a wee dram.

Tom Devine, the noted Scottish research professor and author of dozens of books, says the development of our own identity accelerated in the 18th century following the Union of Scotland with England. Around that time there became a growing desire to retain our Scottish culture and traditions – all the while enjoying the comforts of living alongside the elephant.

"If it had not been for the Anglo-Scottish relationship enshrined politically, there would be no need to establish a distinct identity of that kind – which was accommodating to the Union and not threatening to it," says Devine.

"The Highland warrior, at the ferocious cutting-edge of the Empire in the 19th and early 20th century," he cites as an example, "was recognisably and unambiguously Scottish - but he was also clearly and equally unambiguously an Imperial soldier.

"We still have a dual identity. It may be under pressure [but] I'm sceptical about whether that dual identity will collapse in the foreseeable future," Devine predicts.

"The future will depend – not exclusively – on the elephant."

It was in 1969 when Pierre Trudeau, then-prime minister of Canada, colourfully described how his country viewed the relationship with its neighbours to the south, telling a Washington audience: "Living next to you is in some ways like sleeping with an elephant: No matter how friendly and even-tempered the beast, one is affected by every twitch and grunt."

And the same can be said of the relationship that Scotland has with England.

"The elephant has kept to its side of the bed," notes Devine, who this week addressed a group of 300 delegates attending a conference on Scottish heritage and identity. "For much of the 19th and early 20th century, quite literally the Scottish government were allowed to get on with re-building their Scotland."

It wasn't until Margaret Thatcher's reign as prime minister did Scotland rebel. Her moves to bust the unions and centralise government were seen as not only a threat to Scotland's economy but a threat to its very identity. The country of five million people embarked on a path that has since strengthened its identity and, in turn, has given itself a boost of confidence. Now, in the position that the country is in today, it could be argued that post-devolution Scotland has firmly planted one foot in the ground toward independence.

"In the last quarter of the 20th century, Scotland experienced in political, economic [and] cultural terms a revolution at least as significant as that of the Industrial Revolution of the late 18th and early 19th century," Devine claims.

But he cautions: "I don't see any evidence at the moment in terms of turbulence within the Scottish political entity that is going to produce any further leap forward for true independence. Devolution is still being tested."

Statistics show that, more and more, people living in Scotland want first to be seen as Scottish and second as British. Whether you point to the film Braveheart, the great individual contributors of Scotland's past, or today's international entertainers with Scottish roots, there is a groundswell of pride in who we are.

"There's been a fantastic increase in our sense of Scottishness," notes Devine, who is also director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen. "And I think that means we're a much more confident people. We are seeing now [that] our history, writing, architecture, painting, pop music have given us a more vigorous culture than we've had for generations."

So for now, the lion's relationship with the elephant is generally accepted by Scots. But why must the elephant take up so much room in bed? Could it be the elephant forgot to look behind as the "blue whale" of internationalism attempts to slip in from the other side?

If you enjoyed reading this, you may want to read:

A proud military tradition