tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post6979835882081319121..comments2023-12-29T00:08:21.051-08:00Comments on fear of a red planet: My (Unwritten) Constitutional PatriotismGilman Grundyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post-25374796427263351502014-09-18T00:17:37.821-07:002014-09-18T00:17:37.821-07:00British people, with what I'm sure people from...British people, with what I'm sure people from outside the UK are right to regard as a measure of self-flattery, pride themselves on belieiving in "fair play". Not having held the referendum on the basis of constitutional technicalities, as the Spanish have refused to hold a referendum in Catalonia, would have been unfair, and wrong.<br /><br />Britain will be, undoubtedly, a poorer, smaller, weaker place if Scotland votes yes. The British identity, the one I hope I will be able to raise my children to admire, will wither. It will still be better off than a country in which a clear mandate for independence is ignored and denied.<br /><br />I'm personally still hoping for a 'No'. The last six polls all point that way, but who knows if they are right? Whatever happens we will have to work it through.Gilman Grundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06607416440240634159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9138994904411225576.post-25498291083578169482014-09-17T22:11:40.291-07:002014-09-17T22:11:40.291-07:00Re patriotism, isn't there reason to be proud ...Re patriotism, isn't there reason to be proud that there's a referendum of this kind, even if it should go "wrong"?<br /><br />And if Scotland says "No" to independence, there'll be more devolution. Looks to me as if the UK is showing the EU the way, concerning the often stated, but rarely practiced, principle of subsidiarity.<br /><br />What is practiced in your country is a degree of self-determination that would make most other countries' leaders shiver with fear. Not only dictators.justrecentlyhttp://justrecently.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com