A lady in the audience at the West Linton debate on 23rd June said much the same thing. She was convinced that England would refuse to buy any goods from an independent Scotland, apparently out of pure spite. And the more people in the hall challenged that (including Ivan McKee), the more stubbornly she clung to her conviction.
I wasn’t called ot speak, but if I had been I’d have said that as a long-time resident of England myself, she wasn’t describing the generous and tolerant people I knew. Sure, a few bitter individuals might be featured in the Daily Mail, but a few bitter people don’t wreck a country’s economy. One might also remember all the calls for a boycott of Scottish produce and travel to Scotland that were flying around when Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was granted compassionate release. Americans set up web sites to promote a South Africa style shunning of all things Scots. What happened? Nothing that anyone noticed. People get over these things faster that you realise.
However, if it were indeed true that the people of England are as spiteful, petty-minded and vindictive as that, if that’s how they really think about us and how much they value us, why on earth would we want to stay in a political union with the country?
Paradoxically, the West Linton lady who made the point was herself English, judging by her cut-glass RP accent.