Posted on 02/24/2008 7:08:31 PM PST by Clintonfatigued
The 77-year-old former James Bond actor, who lives in the Bahamas, says Scotland is "within touching distance" of achieving independence.
Writing for the Scottish Sunday Express, Sir Sean praises the work of the SNP government which gained power in the devolved parliament last year.
He has been the SNP's most high-profile supporter, donating thousands to funds.
Sir Sean, who was born in Edinburgh, has previously sworn not to return to the country until it is independent.
In the article, Sir Sean praises Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and the work of the SNP government since it came into power in May 2007.
Sir Sean writes: "I've always been hopeful about Scotland's prospects. And I now believe more than ever that Scotland is within touching distance of achieving independence and equality."
The first step towards achieving this was winning Scotland right to a separate parliament in 1997 and the second was electing an SNP Government last year, the actor says.
"I believe we have what it takes to take the third step, and I am convinced it will happen in my lifetime."
In the article, Sir Sean also hails Scotland for securing its own parliament for the first time since the "parcel of rogues" sold its freedom in 1707.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.bbc.co.uk ...
The Declaration of Arbroath 1320
To the most Holy Father and Lord in Christ, the Lord John, by divine providence Supreme Pontiff of the Holy Roman and Universal Church, his humble and devout sons Duncan, Earl of Fife, Thomas Randolph, Earl of Moray, Lord of Man and of Annandale, Patrick Dunbar, Earl of March, Malise, Earl of Strathearn, Malcolm, Earl of Lennox, William, Earl of Ross, Magnus, Earl of Caithness and Orkney, and William, Earl of Sutherland; Walter, Steward of Scotland, William Soules, Butler of Scotland, James, Lord of Douglas, Roger Mowbray, David, Lord of Brechin, David Graham, Ingram Umfraville, John Menteith, guardian of the earldom of Menteith, Alexander Fraser, Gilbert Hay, Constable of Scotland, Robert Keith, Marischal of Scotland, Henry St Clair, John Graham, David Lindsay, William Oliphant, Patrick Graham, John Fenton, William Abernethy, David Wemyss, William Mushet, Fergus of Ardrossan, Eustace Maxwell, William Ramsay, William Mowat, Alan Murray, Donald Campbell, John Cameron, Reginald Cheyne, Alexander Seton, Andrew Leslie, and Alexander Straiton, and the other barons and freeholders and the whole community of the realm of Scotland send all manner of filial reverence, with devout kisses of his blessed feet.
Most Holy Father and Lord, we know and from the chronicles and books of the ancients we find that among other famous nations our own, the Scots, has been graced with widespread renown. They journeyed from Greater Scythia by way of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Pillars of Hercules, and dwelt for a long course of time in Spain among the most savage tribes, but nowhere could they be subdued by any race, however barbarous. Thence they came, twelve hundred years after the people of Israel crossed the Red Sea, to their home in the west where they still live today. The Britons they first drove out, the Picts they utterly destroyed, and, even though very often assailed by the Norwegians, the Danes and the English, they took possession of that home with many victories and untold efforts; and, as the historians of old time bear witness, they have held it free of all bondage ever since. In their kingdom there have reigned one hundred and thirteen kings of their own royal stock, the line unbroken a single foreigner. The high qualities and deserts of these people, were they not otherwise manifest, gain glory enough from this: that the King of kings and Lord of lords, our Lord Jesus Christ, after His Passion and Resurrection, called them, even though settled in the uttermost parts of the earth, almost the first to His most holy faith. Nor would He have them confirmed in that faith by merely anyone but by the first of His Apostles — by calling, though second or third in rank — the most gentle Saint Andrew, the Blessed Peter’s brother, and desired him to keep them under his protection as their patron forever.
The Most Holy Fathers your predecessors gave careful heed to these things and bestowed many favours and numerous privileges on this same kingdom and people, as being the special charge of the Blessed Peter’s brother. Thus our nation under their protection did indeed live in freedom and peace up to the time when that mighty prince the King of the English, Edward, the father of the one who reigns today, when our kingdom had no head and our people harboured no malice or treachery and were then unused to wars or invasions, came in the guise of a friend and ally to harass them as an enemy. The deeds of cruelty, massacre, violence, pillage, arson, imprisoning prelates, burning down monasteries, robbing and killing monks and nuns, and yet other outrages without number which he committed against our people, sparing neither age nor sex, religion nor rank, no one could describe nor fully imagine unless he had seen them with his own eyes.
But from these countless evils we have been set free, by the help of Him Who though He afflicts yet heals and restores, by our most tireless Prince, King and Lord, the Lord Robert. He, that his people and his heritage might be delivered out of the hands of our enemies, met toil and fatigue, hunger and peril, like another Macabaeus or Joshua and bore them cheerfully. Him, too, divine providence, his right of succession according to or laws and customs which we shall maintain to the death, and the due consent and assent of us all have made our Prince and King. To him, as to the man by whom salvation has been wrought unto our people, we are bound both by law and by his merits that our freedom may be still maintained, and by him, come what may, we mean to stand. Yet if he should give up what he has begun, and agree to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own rights and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.
Therefore it is, Reverend Father and Lord, that we beseech your Holiness with our most earnest prayers and suppliant hearts, inasmuch as you will in your sincerity and goodness consider all this, that, since with Him Whose vice-gerent on earth you are there is neither weighing nor distinction of Jew and Greek, Scotsman or Englishman, you will look with the eyes of a father on the troubles and privation brought by the English upon us and upon the Church of God. May it please you to admonish and exhort the King of the English, who ought to be satisfied with what belongs to him since England used once to be enough for seven kings or more, to leave us Scots in peace, who live in this poor little Scotland, beyond which there is no dwelling-place at all, and covet nothing but our own. We are sincerely willing to do anything for him, having regard to our condition, that we can, to win peace for ourselves. This truly concerns you, Holy Father, since you see the savagery of the heathen raging against the Christians, as the sins of Christians have indeed deserved, and the frontiers of Christendom being pressed inward every day; and how much it will tarnish your Holiness’s memory if (which God forbid) the Church suffers eclipse or scandal in any branch of it during your time, you must perceive. Then rouse the Christian princes who for false reasons pretend that they cannot go to help of the Holy Land because of wars they have on hand with their neighbours. The real reason that prevents them is that in making war on their smaller neighbours they find quicker profit and weaker resistance. But how cheerfully our Lord the King and we too would go there if the King of the English would leave us in peace, He from Whom nothing is hidden well knows; and we profess and declare it to you as the Vicar of Christ and to all Christendom. But if your Holiness puts too much faith in the tales the English tell and will not give sincere belief to all this, nor refrain from favouring them to our prejudice, then the slaughter of bodies, the perdition of souls, and all the other misfortunes that will follow, inflicted by them on us and by us on them, will, we believe, be surely laid by the Most High to your charge.
To conclude, we are and shall ever be, as far as duty calls us, ready to do your will in all things, as obedient sons to you as His Vicar; and to Him as the Supreme King and Judge we commit the maintenance of our cause, casting our cares upon Him and firmly trusting that He will inspire us with courage and bring our enemies to nought. May the Most High preserve you to his Holy Church in holiness and health and grant you length of days.
Given at the monastery of Arbroath in Scotland on the sixth day of the month of April in the year of grace thirteen hundred and twenty and the fifteenth year of the reign of our King aforesaid.
Wondering when that would be posted.
If anything,Scotland has always disproportionately ‘dominated’ Britain, at least politically.
And economically, Scotland more than punches its own weight within the UK: north sea oil, tourism, whisky,Silicon Glen etc.
Also, Scotland receives more subsidies in recent years(the ‘Barnett Formula’) because it and Wales were UNDERFUNDED. And I say this as a Scot who wishes Scotland to stay within the UK, a strong Scotland in a strong Britain...
‘Channel 4 News last night came up with some fascinating figures on net gains and losses in terms of UK regions. Scotland comes out well, which we might have expected on past figures. When you factor in regional need, it changes things somewhat. Scotland still does well ( 3.7 per cent of net public expenditure), but not as well as London (-25.1 per cent).
Northern Ireland (3.8 per cent) receives almost a perfect match for its needs, as does the South East (-24.1 per cent). According to Neil acdonald, Scotland’s comfortable public sector buffering goes back to an anti Home Rule measure introduced in the late 19th Century.
According to these figures*, it is the East Midlands that is suffering most from this deal:
“Scotland is a slight subsidy junky, but not if you include oil. Actually including oil at current prices sees a healthy Scottish surplus. However, if money were to be allocated to those parts of the country that ‘needed’ it, ie the parts with lower average living standards, London is hugely over-provided for. Scotland does pretty well too. And the English regions are hard done by. East Midlands, the land of Robin Hood, is robbed blind.”’
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/politics/brassneck/november2007/uksubsidies.htm
Hardly an English ‘boot’...
Scotland JOINED the UK in 1707, unlike the conquered Catholic Irish and Welsh.
Yes and no.
Yes, because it is a beautful country with a friendly people.No, because I doubt you would like the uber-socialism/nannystatism that unfortunately runs Scotland at the moment.
I agree with you 100% on the crippling socialism that affects Scotland.
But even as a Scotsman who is a Conservative and Unionist,I criticise much of the myth-making about Scotland being a subsidy junkie(remember Barnett exists because we and Wales were being UNDER-funded)...
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/politics/brassneck/november2007/uksubsidies.htm
Not anti-gun.
Connery remember is ex-service and has of course used and handled guns therefore and knows what damage they can do.
Pro-gun responsibility Id say rather than anti-gun.
LOL
Britain in general isnt as happy a place as it can be...
And some of Britain’s best business brains and money-makers are Scots...
That was a great film
Yeah, because of HUGE EU subsidies...
The 1970 Continental Shelf Treaty I believe would have Scotland getting between 75-90% of NS oil revenue...
see my recent reply to another poster.
That movie has a great soundtrack by mark knopfler, by the way.
R-
Scotland has NEVER been permanently conquered by an invader. England failed between 1018 and 1640 with its attempts at conquest and offered Scotland the opportunity to join the UK in 1707.
Scotland has also seen off Roman, Anglo-Saxon, Viking and Danish attempts at permanent conquest respectively between the 1st century AD and 1263.
Wales was conquered by the English in 1284.
Fair comment here. I would not begrudge that situation if Scotland gained devolution. Regrets? maybe. My experience there working for over a year, was that Scots were very kindly people. No way would they then get nasty to the Sassanach. (English). This if one needed a passport to enter.
The politically correct rotters, have made English a dirty word in England. They have tried to ban the old English flag. This the red cross of St George. Multi-culture is the insidious virus that surely must plague Scotland, as it is slowly destroying England.
Scotlands gift to the world. The immortal bard Robert Burns. Sir Alexander Fleming (penicillin). Oh and a whisky called Glenmorangie. GWB likes it. LOL
I did not know that, thanks. I wonder if the UK ex-scotland would dispute that interpretation (no idea, but where there is money, these things happen).
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