Thinking big about Scotland

I AM surprised by the number of people who ­refer to Scotland as a “small” ­country. I have yet to see the same ­adjective applied to England yet the facts are as follows:

From the cradle to the grave, when someone is referred to as “bigger” than someone else, the reference is to height. On this basis Scotland is “bigger” than England via Ben Nevis and many more of its ilk.

Scotland has a longer coastline than England, and indeed a longer coastline than the Eastern Seaboard of the US, hardly indicative of “smallness”. Most importantly, when territorial waters are taken into account, Scotland occupies a larger area of the globe than England, which is conclusive proof that, at least compared to the country to our south, we cannot be described as “small”. So, let us take a fresh look at Scotland, from the perspective of the confidence that comes with the stature that allows us to look southwards and downwards.

Joseph G Miller, Dunfermline