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For the latest news from Scotland see our ScotNews feed at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
The two main talking points at the moment are the Scottish Elections and the Brexit referendum. I'm not about to suggest what party you vote for in the Scottish Elections but I will highlight the two papers that changed my mind on EU membership. Both the papers were by Dr James Wilkie and to learn some of his background see http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...les/wilkie.htm
The papers were produced during the period when Scottish Independence was being debated and came out of a think tank that was trying to suggest the way forward for an Independent Scotland. Frankly both opened my eyes as to how the world works and I particularly liked the idea of Scotland being a member of the EEA and EFTA as well as the Nordic Council.
The two papers are:
Scotland in the World at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...intheWorld.pdf
Scotland in Europe at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...ndineurope.htm
To give you a flavour of the global state of the world I have taken a paper issued by Dr James Wilkie as our story for this week for which see below.
There is a lot more reading about Scotland in Europe at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...and_europe.htm
On the Scottish Elections I would like to see people voting for other than the SNP for their second vote for List MSP's as in my view the SNP need to be held to account on their performance.
In my opinion the chokka blog provides the best information on Scotland's financial situation and I recommend you give it a read at:http://chokkablog.blogspot.ca/
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Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page.
Nicola Sturgeon challenged over named person policy
CAMPAIGNERS against the controversial named person policy have challenged the First Minister over confusing and inaccurate statements made about the scheme.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/nicola-...licy-1-4100897
Pro-Brexit SNP candidates fear speaking out
SNP candidates likely to win Holyrood seats in May who also support leaving the EU fear speaking out
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/pro-bre...hief-1-4102284
86-year-old Scot selling tartan memorabilia in the US won’t let fire damage ruin his business
For nearly three decades, the sprightly 86-year-old has been selling see you Jimmy hats, William Wallace statuettes, kilts and bagpipes from his weird Scottish shop in Salt Lake City, the heart of the Utah desert.
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/in10/chat...uin-businesst/
Canadian woman got Scots accent after falling off horse
A CANADIAN woman who found herself speaking with a Scottish accent after falling from her horse tells of her changed life in a new book.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/canadia...orse-1-4102691
Baby boxes for all newborn Scots babies in Nordic-style proposal
Baby boxes would be introduced by the SNP to tackle inequality
Read more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...rents-scotland
Nicola Sturgeon’s Constituent Tells Her The Local Area Is A Shitehole
One of Nicola Sturgeon’s constituents on Monday complained directly to the first minister about the state of his local area
Read more at:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamieross/n...eho#.efekOxky7
Scotland’s new leftwing party launches vision for Trident-free republic
Rise is fielding candidates in all eight regional lists across Scotland for MSP seats in Holyrood.
Read more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...end-to-trident
Scotland's unemployment total rises by 20,000
The Scottish jobless rate is now 6.2%, compared with 5.1% for the UK as a whole.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...iness-36091265
Everything you need to know about the Holyrood elections
What you need to know about the Holyrood elections in which Scotland’s 4 million voters will elect 129 MSPs
Read more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...d-elections-qa
Church of Scotland ordains first female minister on Skye
Janet Easton-Berry, 53, will lead congregations in Bracadale and Duirinish
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...lands-36100156
The magic and lore of Edinburgh’s Beltane Fire Festival
THOUGH the Beltane Fire Festival is a celebration of centuries-old traditions, it’s less of a history lesson than a feast for the senses.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/the-mag...ival-1-4105926
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Members and Friends of the American-Scottish Foundation,
Today is environmentalist John Muir's birthday, founder of the Sierra Club and regarded as the "father of the National Parks" and ASF would like to share with you two projects we are undertaking that celebrate the legacy of Muir.
As part of the National Parks Centennial celebration in New York this week, Scottish photographer Ken Patterson's exhibit "In the Footsteps of John Muir" has opened at Federal Hall, Wall Street, New York.
The exhibit will be on view through July 8th and takes one on a journey from Muir's birthplace in Dunbar, Scotland, to Yosemite and many of the places he loved and wrote about in his essays.
For further information visit our website at
http://americanscottishfoundation.co...uirExpo13.html
And on this day when we celebrate Muir, the American-Scottish Foundation would like to introduce you to Scottish Waterways Trust "canal college" program which was first introduced in 2015 and was such an outstanding success.
Scottish Waterways Trust are looking to expand the program, with the ability to accept up to 300 participants if all funding goals are met.
"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." - John Muir
Students, from the ages of 16 to 30 yrs old, work on a wide range of practical projects learning how to conserve and protect the country's rich canal heritage, gaining vital life-transforming environmental, heritage and waterway skills.
Upon completion of the course, participants are awarded certificates, including the prestigious John Muir Award.
The project looks to support young people who most need help and who face the kind of challenges and chaotic backgrounds at the start of their lives which can set a pattern for life.
Please visit our American Friends of Scotland's Canals & Waterways/ASF area of our website today and find out how together we can continue to create real change.
Camilla G Hellman
Executive Director
American-Scottish Foundation
t. 212 605 0338 e. americanscottishfoundation@gmail.com
Scotland's first ever canal college, the Trust's most successful project to date, helped 116 young people across Scotland into work, further education or training between 2013 and 2015. The charity is now fundraising for the $1.9 million needed to open canal college 2 in North Glasgow, Falkirk and the Highlands and run it for a further three years.
We have a very good page about John Muir with links at the foot of the page to his writings at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...r/johnmuir.htm
Electric Canadian
This week I've added videos to the site on the First Nations people...
Lanapi history and culture at
These were the original people that became the Delaware nation which later split into 3 sections one being a Christian section which settled at Morraviantown in Ontario.
also
Walpole Island at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist.../bkejwnong.htm
Electric Scotland
Added quite a few videos this week. As I make use of YouTube to provide these videos I would add that on a regular basis some of them become unavailable for various reasons such as an account being closed, copyright infringement, etc. When I discover one is not available I try to locate it as it sometimes becomes available again. However when I can't find it I'll try and find one to replace it and that's what I was doing this week.
Dictionary of National Biography
I have started to work my way through this 60 odd volume publication to extract the Scottish entries and am adding them to our Scottish Nation section as pdf files.
Blackadder http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...blackadder.htm
Blackwell http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../blackwell.htm
Blackwood http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../blackwood.htm
Blair http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/blair.htm
Bonnar http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/bonar.htm
I might add that I do have a page for this publication which points to all 63 available volumes at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/book..._biography.htm
Baty/Batty/Beaty/Beatty/Beattie
Got sent in a pdf file of the history of these names which are claimed to be associated with the Armstrong clan which you can download at: http://www.electricscotland.com/webc.../armstro2.html
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Got in the May 2016 issue Section 2 which you can download at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/bnft/index.htm
For some reason, which I've never understood, Beth always produces her Section B first with Section A coming in a week or so later.
Auld Reekie
I added some text to our Edinburgh page which tells how the name came into being and you can read this at:http://www.electricscotland.com/history/edinburgh/
James Blow
Added this Printer to our Significant Scots section at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...blow_james.htm
John Boag
Compiler of the Imperial Lexicon which I've added to the Scottish Nation for this name at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/bogue.htm
Thomas Swift Gleadhill
Teacher and an Editor of music in Edinburgh. Added this person to our music page along with one of his books at:http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/gleadhill.htm
Crofting
Updated the videos on our Crofting page by adding a new one and replacing one that is no longer viewable.
You can get to these at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hiSt...ting/index.htm
Behold the Hebrides
Replaced 2 videos which no longer worked and added another which you can view at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/books/hebridesndx.htm
St Kilda
Added a wee video to this page at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hiSt...ilda/index.htm
Eriskay
Added 3 videos about Eriskay at: http://www.electricscotland.com/travel/walking12_18.htm
David Boott
Added this author to our Significant Scots page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...oott_david.htm
Robert Burns Lives!
Edited by Frank Shaw
This is not the usual-type article for readers of Robert Burns Lives! and is being shared with our readers thanks to Beverley Thomson of the Robert Burns World Federation. After reviewing the press release below from the National Trust for Scotland, I would urge as many of our readers as possible to vote for Robert Burns who is being considered for the title of “Great Scot.” Interestingly Sir Walter Scott is not in the running for the recognition. Burns has opposition from Flora McDonald who knew a thing or two about living in North Carolina where my family of Shaws settled after leaving the Isle of Jura in the mid-1750s. Then there is a pioneering mountaineer that I must confess I know little about but will find a way to enlarge my horizon on Sir Hugh Munro in the days to come. Last nominated for the title of “Great Scot” is Mary, Queen of Scots who, due to family matters, remained jailed until her head was separated from her body with a chop or two of the axe thanks to Mary’s cousin, Queen Elizabeth. Who needs cousins like Elizabeth?
I have spent the better part of the latter years of my life reading and studying Scottish history, particularly Robert Burns. Twenty-five percent of the 6,000 books in my library are on Burns. I ask that our Robert Burns Lives! readers consider voting for Burns as the “Great Scot” in this contest.
My friend David Hope refers to Burns as Scotland’s soul and the one Scot whose words continue to electrify the nation. Well said, David! May I add that Burns is not only a star of mine but is my “Scottish Superstar” and worthy of your vote. Vote for Burns but do not follow the advice of some of the South’s politicians years ago who would urge you “to vote and vote often”! (FRS: 4.20.16)
Read the press release for Burns in the Running for Great Scot Title at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives235.htm
THE STORY
This is an Age of Global Governance
By Dr James Wilkie
All right, so independence is on the back burner till the next time, which may come sooner than we think. And in that event the case for it will have to be put a good deal more realistically and professionally than was obvious during the first round we have just experienced.
Possibly the greatest weakness of the Yes campaign was its obvious ignorance of the broader aspects of independence, and of the vast changes that have taken place in those respects within the past few years. The very nature of independence is no longer what it used to be.
Remember that the restoration of the Scottish Parliament and Government was not a voluntary action by the UK, but was enforced by international action instigated by the Scotland-UN Committee that the London establishment was unable to resist. http://www.electricscotland.com/independence/intro.pdf
The present Scottish Government has, on the whole, coped admirably with domestic issues of inland policy – and all credit for this remarkable performance to the SNP, which had never in its previous history held government office. Capably administering a devolved administration is, however, a far cry from governing an independent state that has to be slotted into an inter-dependent global political and economic system of almost unbelievable complexity. That world system has changed out of all recognition over the past 20 years or so. The so-called bipolar global power system, based on the predominance of the US and USSR in world affairs, has gone, to be replaced for a year or two by the unipolar ascendance of the USA, which in its turn has given way to a multipolar system of global governance.
Even that is now breaking down, as the accelerating drift of functions of government into global institutions overtakes the whole concept of “poles of power” and makes them redundant.
So does this mean that we have at last achieved world government, something that has been a gleam in the eyes of generations of idealists? Well, yes and no. The recent emergence of a global level of organisation of the affairs of the human animal that crawls around on the surface of this planet is not on the basis of government, but of governance.
“Government” implies the functions of a single, centralised authority to set and apply the rules for communal living on this ball whirling through space. The practical reality is that that is totally impossible until such time as we can breed a caste of high priests with minds capable of encompassing the vast parameters of the issues involved as a single whole. There is no “world government” as such, nor is there any immediate prospect of one.
What is now emerging is a system of global governance with a multitude of different actors at various levels within any single field. The World Health Organisation (WHO), for example, sets the rules and works in close cooperation with national and local health authorities, universities, research centres, the Red Cross and other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). While the WHO takes the lead in combating diseases and other health issues that cross national borders, action on any one of the many issues relevant to the field of health may be initiated by any one of the various actors involved, with the cooperation of all.
So our political system now operates on four main levels: global, regional (e.g. European), national, and local in various forms. Each one of them has direct relevance for the individual citizen, with more and more political and economic decisions being taken in the global institutions and passed down to those at regional, sub-regional and national level for implementation.
It has, for example, been estimated that around 80 per cent of the economic legislation promulgated by the sub-regional European Union as its own has actually been taken over from higher-level authorities like the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and passed on by the Commission to the EU members.
One notorious example was the set of rules on the curvature of bananas and cucumbers, which started life as recommended standards for packaging issued by the 56-member United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at the request of the producer associations. When this came down the line to the 27- member EU, nothing would satisfy it but these voluntary norms had to be made compulsory, a classic example of bureaucracy gone daft.
In the end, the rules had to be humiliatingly repealed, to a chorus of derision from EU members as well as from the other half of Europe that is not in the sub- regional EU. All of the European states, in and out of the EU, were and are members of the UNECE anyway, so that EU action on the matter was superfluous from the start and should never have been undertaken.
The EU members are also members of the WTO and many others of the hundreds of global institutions that now set the rules for our daily lives, but they are forbidden by the EU “common policies” rule from taking an individual policy line in the global institutions, even in their own interests. They have to adhere to the single EU line, which after the recent change in voting rules increasingly favours the larger EU members.
This is where the EFTA members Norway, Iceland and Switzerland have far more influence than any EU member state, and just as much as the EU itself, in the global institutions where the important decisions are increasingly being made. This all plays a part in creating the enormous foreign trading surpluses the EFTA countries enjoy, not in least in their trade with EU members. Europe has four major regional institutions. Its largest political organisation is the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with its own European Parliament in Copenhagen. The OSCE has the status of a Chapter VIII regional authority under the United Nations Charter and reports to the UN Security Council. The OSCE, the UNECE, the Council of Europe and NATO with its 50 member and partner states, represent the whole of Europe and speak in the name of Europe.
As globalisation inexorably progresses, it is being balanced at the opposite end by the development of around a dozen sub-regional groups within Europe. The largest of these sub-regional cooperation groups is of course the 28-member European Union, basically a Central European concept.
The 8-member Nordic Council represents Scandinavia, while the Tromsų-based 8-member Arctic Council consists of the countries bordering on the Arctic Ocean. The Central European initiative (CEI), with 18 member states and a wide range of functions and activities, is based in Trieste. The Working Community of the Alpine Lands unites 10 regional authorities of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy with mutual borders in the Alpine region on matters of common interest and joint cross-border projects.
The Working Community of the Danube Region has one state member (Moldova) and 39 regional government members and two regional observers from another 10 states. The smaller Alps-Adriatic Alliance follows the same pattern by including both member states (Slovenia and Croatia) and regional authorities from others that are not represented on a national basis.
The programmes of these institutions are very variable, but concentrated on transnational problems and cooperation opportunities peculiar to their regions that cannot be handled on a European basis. This short selection illustrates how much can be achieved by Scotland and its neighbours after constitutional independence.
I imagine that the ultimate future of government within the so-called British Isles will be a confederation of sovereign states, including the whole of Ireland, for the regulation of common problems by consensus, and not dictation as hitherto. Scotland, which is geographically a Scandinavian country, can and should also apply for membership of the Nordic Council, the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, and other organisations relevant to its situation in the region. It may also be possible to obtain associate membership or observer status in the Arctic Council, on the ground that Scotland’s national waters are the only ones of a non-member that border on the Council’s own maritime jurisdiction.
Quite a lot has still to be done to prepare the ground for the next round of the action to bring Scotland’s constitutional status into line with the realities of the world in the 21st century. Let us, however, start from a basis of hard fact and experience, not misinformation and kindergarten-level wishful thinking.
There are many articles on International affairs in our section at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/independence/index.htm
And that's it for this week and hope you all enjoy your weekend.
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
The two main talking points at the moment are the Scottish Elections and the Brexit referendum. I'm not about to suggest what party you vote for in the Scottish Elections but I will highlight the two papers that changed my mind on EU membership. Both the papers were by Dr James Wilkie and to learn some of his background see http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...les/wilkie.htm
The papers were produced during the period when Scottish Independence was being debated and came out of a think tank that was trying to suggest the way forward for an Independent Scotland. Frankly both opened my eyes as to how the world works and I particularly liked the idea of Scotland being a member of the EEA and EFTA as well as the Nordic Council.
The two papers are:
Scotland in the World at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...intheWorld.pdf
Scotland in Europe at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...ndineurope.htm
To give you a flavour of the global state of the world I have taken a paper issued by Dr James Wilkie as our story for this week for which see below.
There is a lot more reading about Scotland in Europe at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...and_europe.htm
On the Scottish Elections I would like to see people voting for other than the SNP for their second vote for List MSP's as in my view the SNP need to be held to account on their performance.
In my opinion the chokka blog provides the best information on Scotland's financial situation and I recommend you give it a read at:http://chokkablog.blogspot.ca/
-----
Scottish News from this weeks newspapers
Note that this is a selection and more can be read in our ScotNews feed on our index page.
Nicola Sturgeon challenged over named person policy
CAMPAIGNERS against the controversial named person policy have challenged the First Minister over confusing and inaccurate statements made about the scheme.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/nicola-...licy-1-4100897
Pro-Brexit SNP candidates fear speaking out
SNP candidates likely to win Holyrood seats in May who also support leaving the EU fear speaking out
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/pro-bre...hief-1-4102284
86-year-old Scot selling tartan memorabilia in the US won’t let fire damage ruin his business
For nearly three decades, the sprightly 86-year-old has been selling see you Jimmy hats, William Wallace statuettes, kilts and bagpipes from his weird Scottish shop in Salt Lake City, the heart of the Utah desert.
Read more at:
https://www.sundaypost.com/in10/chat...uin-businesst/
Canadian woman got Scots accent after falling off horse
A CANADIAN woman who found herself speaking with a Scottish accent after falling from her horse tells of her changed life in a new book.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/canadia...orse-1-4102691
Baby boxes for all newborn Scots babies in Nordic-style proposal
Baby boxes would be introduced by the SNP to tackle inequality
Read more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...rents-scotland
Nicola Sturgeon’s Constituent Tells Her The Local Area Is A Shitehole
One of Nicola Sturgeon’s constituents on Monday complained directly to the first minister about the state of his local area
Read more at:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jamieross/n...eho#.efekOxky7
Scotland’s new leftwing party launches vision for Trident-free republic
Rise is fielding candidates in all eight regional lists across Scotland for MSP seats in Holyrood.
Read more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...end-to-trident
Scotland's unemployment total rises by 20,000
The Scottish jobless rate is now 6.2%, compared with 5.1% for the UK as a whole.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...iness-36091265
Everything you need to know about the Holyrood elections
What you need to know about the Holyrood elections in which Scotland’s 4 million voters will elect 129 MSPs
Read more at:
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...d-elections-qa
Church of Scotland ordains first female minister on Skye
Janet Easton-Berry, 53, will lead congregations in Bracadale and Duirinish
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...lands-36100156
The magic and lore of Edinburgh’s Beltane Fire Festival
THOUGH the Beltane Fire Festival is a celebration of centuries-old traditions, it’s less of a history lesson than a feast for the senses.
Read more at:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/the-mag...ival-1-4105926
-----
Members and Friends of the American-Scottish Foundation,
Today is environmentalist John Muir's birthday, founder of the Sierra Club and regarded as the "father of the National Parks" and ASF would like to share with you two projects we are undertaking that celebrate the legacy of Muir.
As part of the National Parks Centennial celebration in New York this week, Scottish photographer Ken Patterson's exhibit "In the Footsteps of John Muir" has opened at Federal Hall, Wall Street, New York.
The exhibit will be on view through July 8th and takes one on a journey from Muir's birthplace in Dunbar, Scotland, to Yosemite and many of the places he loved and wrote about in his essays.
For further information visit our website at
http://americanscottishfoundation.co...uirExpo13.html
And on this day when we celebrate Muir, the American-Scottish Foundation would like to introduce you to Scottish Waterways Trust "canal college" program which was first introduced in 2015 and was such an outstanding success.
Scottish Waterways Trust are looking to expand the program, with the ability to accept up to 300 participants if all funding goals are met.
"Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves." - John Muir
Students, from the ages of 16 to 30 yrs old, work on a wide range of practical projects learning how to conserve and protect the country's rich canal heritage, gaining vital life-transforming environmental, heritage and waterway skills.
Upon completion of the course, participants are awarded certificates, including the prestigious John Muir Award.
The project looks to support young people who most need help and who face the kind of challenges and chaotic backgrounds at the start of their lives which can set a pattern for life.
Please visit our American Friends of Scotland's Canals & Waterways/ASF area of our website today and find out how together we can continue to create real change.
Camilla G Hellman
Executive Director
American-Scottish Foundation
t. 212 605 0338 e. americanscottishfoundation@gmail.com
Scotland's first ever canal college, the Trust's most successful project to date, helped 116 young people across Scotland into work, further education or training between 2013 and 2015. The charity is now fundraising for the $1.9 million needed to open canal college 2 in North Glasgow, Falkirk and the Highlands and run it for a further three years.
We have a very good page about John Muir with links at the foot of the page to his writings at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...r/johnmuir.htm
Electric Canadian
This week I've added videos to the site on the First Nations people...
Lanapi history and culture at
These were the original people that became the Delaware nation which later split into 3 sections one being a Christian section which settled at Morraviantown in Ontario.
also
Walpole Island at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/hist.../bkejwnong.htm
Electric Scotland
Added quite a few videos this week. As I make use of YouTube to provide these videos I would add that on a regular basis some of them become unavailable for various reasons such as an account being closed, copyright infringement, etc. When I discover one is not available I try to locate it as it sometimes becomes available again. However when I can't find it I'll try and find one to replace it and that's what I was doing this week.
Dictionary of National Biography
I have started to work my way through this 60 odd volume publication to extract the Scottish entries and am adding them to our Scottish Nation section as pdf files.
Blackadder http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...blackadder.htm
Blackwell http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../blackwell.htm
Blackwood http://www.electricscotland.com/hist.../blackwood.htm
Blair http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/blair.htm
Bonnar http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/bonar.htm
I might add that I do have a page for this publication which points to all 63 available volumes at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/book..._biography.htm
Baty/Batty/Beaty/Beatty/Beattie
Got sent in a pdf file of the history of these names which are claimed to be associated with the Armstrong clan which you can download at: http://www.electricscotland.com/webc.../armstro2.html
Beth's Newfangled Family Tree
Got in the May 2016 issue Section 2 which you can download at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/bnft/index.htm
For some reason, which I've never understood, Beth always produces her Section B first with Section A coming in a week or so later.
Auld Reekie
I added some text to our Edinburgh page which tells how the name came into being and you can read this at:http://www.electricscotland.com/history/edinburgh/
James Blow
Added this Printer to our Significant Scots section at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...blow_james.htm
John Boag
Compiler of the Imperial Lexicon which I've added to the Scottish Nation for this name at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...tion/bogue.htm
Thomas Swift Gleadhill
Teacher and an Editor of music in Edinburgh. Added this person to our music page along with one of his books at:http://www.electricscotland.com/poetry/gleadhill.htm
Crofting
Updated the videos on our Crofting page by adding a new one and replacing one that is no longer viewable.
You can get to these at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hiSt...ting/index.htm
Behold the Hebrides
Replaced 2 videos which no longer worked and added another which you can view at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/books/hebridesndx.htm
St Kilda
Added a wee video to this page at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hiSt...ilda/index.htm
Eriskay
Added 3 videos about Eriskay at: http://www.electricscotland.com/travel/walking12_18.htm
David Boott
Added this author to our Significant Scots page at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...oott_david.htm
Robert Burns Lives!
Edited by Frank Shaw
This is not the usual-type article for readers of Robert Burns Lives! and is being shared with our readers thanks to Beverley Thomson of the Robert Burns World Federation. After reviewing the press release below from the National Trust for Scotland, I would urge as many of our readers as possible to vote for Robert Burns who is being considered for the title of “Great Scot.” Interestingly Sir Walter Scott is not in the running for the recognition. Burns has opposition from Flora McDonald who knew a thing or two about living in North Carolina where my family of Shaws settled after leaving the Isle of Jura in the mid-1750s. Then there is a pioneering mountaineer that I must confess I know little about but will find a way to enlarge my horizon on Sir Hugh Munro in the days to come. Last nominated for the title of “Great Scot” is Mary, Queen of Scots who, due to family matters, remained jailed until her head was separated from her body with a chop or two of the axe thanks to Mary’s cousin, Queen Elizabeth. Who needs cousins like Elizabeth?
I have spent the better part of the latter years of my life reading and studying Scottish history, particularly Robert Burns. Twenty-five percent of the 6,000 books in my library are on Burns. I ask that our Robert Burns Lives! readers consider voting for Burns as the “Great Scot” in this contest.
My friend David Hope refers to Burns as Scotland’s soul and the one Scot whose words continue to electrify the nation. Well said, David! May I add that Burns is not only a star of mine but is my “Scottish Superstar” and worthy of your vote. Vote for Burns but do not follow the advice of some of the South’s politicians years ago who would urge you “to vote and vote often”! (FRS: 4.20.16)
Read the press release for Burns in the Running for Great Scot Title at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/fami...s_lives235.htm
THE STORY
This is an Age of Global Governance
By Dr James Wilkie
All right, so independence is on the back burner till the next time, which may come sooner than we think. And in that event the case for it will have to be put a good deal more realistically and professionally than was obvious during the first round we have just experienced.
Possibly the greatest weakness of the Yes campaign was its obvious ignorance of the broader aspects of independence, and of the vast changes that have taken place in those respects within the past few years. The very nature of independence is no longer what it used to be.
Remember that the restoration of the Scottish Parliament and Government was not a voluntary action by the UK, but was enforced by international action instigated by the Scotland-UN Committee that the London establishment was unable to resist. http://www.electricscotland.com/independence/intro.pdf
The present Scottish Government has, on the whole, coped admirably with domestic issues of inland policy – and all credit for this remarkable performance to the SNP, which had never in its previous history held government office. Capably administering a devolved administration is, however, a far cry from governing an independent state that has to be slotted into an inter-dependent global political and economic system of almost unbelievable complexity. That world system has changed out of all recognition over the past 20 years or so. The so-called bipolar global power system, based on the predominance of the US and USSR in world affairs, has gone, to be replaced for a year or two by the unipolar ascendance of the USA, which in its turn has given way to a multipolar system of global governance.
Even that is now breaking down, as the accelerating drift of functions of government into global institutions overtakes the whole concept of “poles of power” and makes them redundant.
So does this mean that we have at last achieved world government, something that has been a gleam in the eyes of generations of idealists? Well, yes and no. The recent emergence of a global level of organisation of the affairs of the human animal that crawls around on the surface of this planet is not on the basis of government, but of governance.
“Government” implies the functions of a single, centralised authority to set and apply the rules for communal living on this ball whirling through space. The practical reality is that that is totally impossible until such time as we can breed a caste of high priests with minds capable of encompassing the vast parameters of the issues involved as a single whole. There is no “world government” as such, nor is there any immediate prospect of one.
What is now emerging is a system of global governance with a multitude of different actors at various levels within any single field. The World Health Organisation (WHO), for example, sets the rules and works in close cooperation with national and local health authorities, universities, research centres, the Red Cross and other nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). While the WHO takes the lead in combating diseases and other health issues that cross national borders, action on any one of the many issues relevant to the field of health may be initiated by any one of the various actors involved, with the cooperation of all.
So our political system now operates on four main levels: global, regional (e.g. European), national, and local in various forms. Each one of them has direct relevance for the individual citizen, with more and more political and economic decisions being taken in the global institutions and passed down to those at regional, sub-regional and national level for implementation.
It has, for example, been estimated that around 80 per cent of the economic legislation promulgated by the sub-regional European Union as its own has actually been taken over from higher-level authorities like the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and passed on by the Commission to the EU members.
One notorious example was the set of rules on the curvature of bananas and cucumbers, which started life as recommended standards for packaging issued by the 56-member United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at the request of the producer associations. When this came down the line to the 27- member EU, nothing would satisfy it but these voluntary norms had to be made compulsory, a classic example of bureaucracy gone daft.
In the end, the rules had to be humiliatingly repealed, to a chorus of derision from EU members as well as from the other half of Europe that is not in the sub- regional EU. All of the European states, in and out of the EU, were and are members of the UNECE anyway, so that EU action on the matter was superfluous from the start and should never have been undertaken.
The EU members are also members of the WTO and many others of the hundreds of global institutions that now set the rules for our daily lives, but they are forbidden by the EU “common policies” rule from taking an individual policy line in the global institutions, even in their own interests. They have to adhere to the single EU line, which after the recent change in voting rules increasingly favours the larger EU members.
This is where the EFTA members Norway, Iceland and Switzerland have far more influence than any EU member state, and just as much as the EU itself, in the global institutions where the important decisions are increasingly being made. This all plays a part in creating the enormous foreign trading surpluses the EFTA countries enjoy, not in least in their trade with EU members. Europe has four major regional institutions. Its largest political organisation is the 57-member Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) with its own European Parliament in Copenhagen. The OSCE has the status of a Chapter VIII regional authority under the United Nations Charter and reports to the UN Security Council. The OSCE, the UNECE, the Council of Europe and NATO with its 50 member and partner states, represent the whole of Europe and speak in the name of Europe.
As globalisation inexorably progresses, it is being balanced at the opposite end by the development of around a dozen sub-regional groups within Europe. The largest of these sub-regional cooperation groups is of course the 28-member European Union, basically a Central European concept.
The 8-member Nordic Council represents Scandinavia, while the Tromsų-based 8-member Arctic Council consists of the countries bordering on the Arctic Ocean. The Central European initiative (CEI), with 18 member states and a wide range of functions and activities, is based in Trieste. The Working Community of the Alpine Lands unites 10 regional authorities of Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy with mutual borders in the Alpine region on matters of common interest and joint cross-border projects.
The Working Community of the Danube Region has one state member (Moldova) and 39 regional government members and two regional observers from another 10 states. The smaller Alps-Adriatic Alliance follows the same pattern by including both member states (Slovenia and Croatia) and regional authorities from others that are not represented on a national basis.
The programmes of these institutions are very variable, but concentrated on transnational problems and cooperation opportunities peculiar to their regions that cannot be handled on a European basis. This short selection illustrates how much can be achieved by Scotland and its neighbours after constitutional independence.
I imagine that the ultimate future of government within the so-called British Isles will be a confederation of sovereign states, including the whole of Ireland, for the regulation of common problems by consensus, and not dictation as hitherto. Scotland, which is geographically a Scandinavian country, can and should also apply for membership of the Nordic Council, the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, and other organisations relevant to its situation in the region. It may also be possible to obtain associate membership or observer status in the Arctic Council, on the ground that Scotland’s national waters are the only ones of a non-member that border on the Council’s own maritime jurisdiction.
Quite a lot has still to be done to prepare the ground for the next round of the action to bring Scotland’s constitutional status into line with the realities of the world in the 21st century. Let us, however, start from a basis of hard fact and experience, not misinformation and kindergarten-level wishful thinking.
There are many articles on International affairs in our section at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/independence/index.htm
And that's it for this week and hope you all enjoy your weekend.
Alastair