Tweet
For the latest news from Scotland see our ScotNews feed at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
Here is the video introduction to this newsletter...
I got a few suggestions in on the slavery question I raised in the last newsletter for which many thanks. I was in particular looking for an account of a slave owner talking about how his estate was run and that I still haven't found.
This week I am focused on The Commonwealth which work will take several weeks. See The Story below for more details.
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 where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Brexit is rightly making us focus on the network and markets of the Commonwealth
As a recent hearing by the Lords International Relations Committee with the key officials spearheading preparations confirmed, London is pulling out all the stops for the next CHOGM, due in mid-April.
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/brexit-focu...-commonwealth/
Farmers forced off their lands
Due to SNP’s failed farm payment system
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/farmer...stem-1-4690742
The view from Down Under
The future is bright for Australian-UK business relations
Read more at:
http://www.cityam.com/280841/view-do...an-uk-business
The Low-cost fighters to serve tomorrow's air forces
Fighter jets, like the Lockheed F-35, are becoming increasingly expensive. Is it possible to make something much cheaper? Angus Batey reports on a new breed of plane poised to take to the skies.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2014...-jets-take-off
German Politics Enters Era of Instability
Germany's big-tent parties have ensured political stability for decades. But they are rapidly losing power and influence. The Social Democrats are witnessing an open rebellion against party leadership while many conservatives are beginning to doubt Merkel's abilities.
Read more at:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...a-1193947.html
9 of Scotland's most underrated golf courses
Here are nine of our favourite courses, which are criminally underrated.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/o...rses-1-4692085
The reality of the hype about Cool Dundee
2018 will be the Year of Dundee
Read more at:
http://www.scottishreview.net/GerryHassan414a.html
The SuperCanada option remains the best basis for a UK-EU trade deal
For several years now, I have been arguing for a SuperCanada (or CETA+++) bespoke deal with the EU to replace our EU membership
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/supercanada...eu-trade-deal/
The deer cull dilemma
The Scottish Highlands have a deer problem. Is shooting tens of thousands of them the only solution?
Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...tish-highlands
Why one tiny Scottish island is key to every Olympic curling stone
All the curling stones being used at the Pyeongchang Winter Games are made from granite mined from the tiny, uninhabited island of Ailsa Craig, in the outer Firth of Clyde.
Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/vi...scotland-video
Will Amazon Go Capture the Holy Grail of Retail?
Even before it opened, Amazon Go began drawing deep skepticism over whether it could possibly work.
Read more at:
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/a...-game-changer/
Royal Patron for The Scottish Tartans Authority
Is delighted to announce that His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay has agreed to become its Patron.
Read more at:
http://www.tartansauthority.com/blog...ans-authority/
Electric Canadian
Transactions of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers
I discovered a lot of volumes of these transaction which are very detailed and note that they are very popular downloads so assume civil engineers are enjoying the details given in these transactions.
I've added the 1925 volume and will add others each week. You can view these at
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...rial/index.htm
Some of the topics discussed include Alberta Tar Sands, Ceramics, Economic Aspects of the Dye Industry, Engineering Achievements in Canada, Hudson Bay Route, Ontario Forestry, Prospecting, Telephone Engineering, Triumphs in Bridge Building, Yukon of '97 and Now.
Scottish Patriotism
Annual Sermon before the St. Andrews Society by The Rev. J. C. Baxter in Stanley Street Church, Montreal, November 30, 1876 (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/Reli...hpatritism.pdf
Constitution and Bye-Laws of the Scottish Volunteer Rifle Company (1860)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...volunteers.pdf
The Settlers in Canada
By Captain Marryat, R.N. (1886) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...rsincanada.pdf
Electric Scotland
Fur and Feather Series
Edited by Alfred E. T. Watson. Am going to bring you a few in this series and the third one is about The Pheasant which you can read at:http://www.electricscotland.com/natu...andfeather.htm
Sir Patrick Geddes
Noticed a link no longer worked to provide further information about him so added a couple of pdf books for further reading.
You can read these at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...es_patrick.htm
Scottish Villages and Country Life
By H. M. Cadell (1914)
During the past half-century a notable change has taken place in Scottish rural life and habits. In former times, before the days of railways, and the advance of machinery and the introduction of the new system of free education and local government, there were many sources of rural occupation, and, in spite of bad sanitation, and in education nothing but the three R’s, more contentment and simplicity were common than is general among the present well-instructed generation. The old Scots tongue is becoming obsolete in the lowlands, and it is even beginning to be considered a mark of vulgarity to use the broad Doric accent and the expressive old words and phrases so dear to a former generation. Music-hall doggerel often takes the place of the beautiful old Scottish melodies at popular entertainments, and the good and once paramount influence of the Kirk has considerably declined. The tendency of recent legislation has been to undermine the old Scottish aspiration to thrift and manly independence, and in some of the lower strata of society it is becoming commoner every year for the individual to follow the Irish method and look to the Government for some kind of support all the way from the cradle to the grave, instead of struggling resolutely onwards and relying on strenuous personal effort to build up a solid character and a useful career in life. The more strenuous or independent-minded young men, of whom happily there are many, often prefer to emigrate to Canada to push their fortunes in a land where there is felt to be less State interference and where, if- there is perhaps more risk to life and limb, there is also more personal liberty for the subject.
You can read the rest of this article at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...gescountry.htm
James Henry Hammond 1807-1864
By Elizabeth Merritt (1921) (pdf)
I found out about this person from the feedback I got from my Slavery question last week..
James Henry Hammond of South Carolina was active in the political life of his State from 1828 to 1860. He was in office only a few years, representative in 1836, governor 1842-1844, senator from 1857 t0 1860, but his office- holding was by no means a measure of his importance. During nullification times he was the leader of his district and a favored lieutenant of Hayne and Calhoun and Hamilton. His unavailing fight for the governorship in 1840 showed that he was one of the strong men of the State. Just at the close of his governorship he wrote to Thomas Clarkson, the British anti-slavery agitator, two letters in defense of African slavery as it existed. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of these letters upon the general defense of slavery and upon Hammond's reputation.
You can read about him at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...nryHammond.pdf
Patrick Sinclair
Lieutenant-General Patrick Sinclair (1736 - 31 January 1820) was a British Army officer and governor in North America. He is best remembered for overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island in what was to become the U.S. state of Michigan.
You can read about him at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ckSinclair.pdf
John Redwood's Diary
Added a page for this MP to our Brexit page as he does a decent job of analyzing the Brexit process.
You can to this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...ohnredwood.htm
The Story
I have spent a lot of time this week to build a new section on the site to explore The Commonwealth. To start it of I have put up the 6 volume The Oxford Survey of the British Empire.
The object of this series is to furnish a survey of the British Empire and its constituent parts in their geographical and allied aspects, together with their economic, administrative, and social conditions, at the present time (1914). History has not been included as an integral part of the scheme, except for the inclusion of a general historical summary in the General Volume; for the rest, historical references have been included only in so far as they were found desirable for the explanation of existing conditions. The history of the Empire has been brought under review elsewhere, notably in the Oxford Historical Geography, edited by Sir Charles Lucas. The series is in six volumes, and the subject matter is thus distributed:
I then went on to work on the individual countries and this will take several weeks. I've made a start with the African countries where I am providing some key facts about the country and then a brief history. I've then added a link to their entry on The Commonwealth web site to which I've added some books about the country and also some videos.
The countries I've got up so far are Botswana, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho and Malawi.
You can see all this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...mmonwealth.htm
And for the story this week I'm bringing you this article as it shows why I feel it is important that people know more about The Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth offers a clear route to building a global Britain
By Ted Yarbrough who is studying law, and blogs as Texan Tory. He has written a thesis on Thatcherism’s effect on British culture.
Previously, I wrote about the need for the United Kingdom to focus on the Anglosphere family when crafting its post-Brexit future. And indeed, Australia and the United States not only have expressed interest in quick free trade deals, but also in making it easier for our people to work in each others’ countries. I am confident that the CANZUK nations and the US will quickly form trading deals with the UK in time to go into effect when the UK leave the EU. I am also confident that the UK and Anglosphere nations will sign agreements to make it easier for their citizens to work in each others’ countries.
However, what of the future? What should be the UK’s ambition in order to be a truly global nation? For that vision of what Global Britain can look like, one need not look farther than the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth of Nations is the natural home of the United Kingdom if it is to remain an international and vibrant nation. It has a bigger economy than the EU and unlike the European Union, its economies are growing exponentially. Of the 12 largest economies in the world, excluding Great Britain, three are from the Commonwealth- Canada, India and Australia. And unlike the EU which has some figures in it that wish to “punish” the UK, Commonwealth friends such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, India and Gambia have all called for new trade deals and close ties with Britain. The UK has literally a queue of friends waiting to have a relationship with it.
Furthermore, besides Canada, Australia, and India, the Commonwealth is home to one of the world’s biggest financial centres in Singapore, the biggest emerging Islamic financial hub in Kuala Lumpur, and the two biggest economies in Africa – Nigeria and South Africa. It also is home to New Zealand and many of the fastest growing economies in the world. The British people, in their wisdom, decided it was best not to be chained to an organisation in one continent that is bent on rule by plutocrats in part because they are already part of an organisation that spans the globe and shares in much of Great Britain’s values, history, and culture that Europe does not – such as Common Law and cricket. With Commonwealth nations rising, this is the perfect opportunity to make deals to benefit the UK – and in a unique model built for the twenty first century rather than the EU’s archaic single market. But, if not an EU model, how should a Commonwealth Common Market look and function?
I humbly propose that by the time of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, which will be held in London, plans be drawn up for “C4” and “C9” agreements to prepare Britain for a post-EU global future. “C9” would be a free trade pact between the nine big powers of the Commonwealth – the UK, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria and South Africa. This would be as big or bigger than the 9 member EEC of the 1970s Britain joined but with a bigger future upside. Secondly, the UK should push for free movement of people where it makes sense – not from Eastern Europe in the EU, but with natural allies who would fit in well in the UK. Like Boris Johnson, I see strong advantages from freedom of movement with allies such as Australia, and thus I propose making freedom of movement in a “C4” of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand – the CANZUK nations. The C4 and the C9 would be a big step towards establishing the UK as a world leader, not a nation begging self-important Eurocrats not to impose more rules. The C4 and C9 agreements would go into effect the moment the UK leaves the EU.
The world is a big and wonderful place filled with diverse people that can learn from one another. In their Commonwealth friends, the UK has a ticket to the world that most nations don’t have. Britain must strengthen their Commonwealth bonds as soon as possible to create a truly dynamic and lasting Global Britain.
And that's it for this week and hope you have a great weekend.
Alastair
http://www.electricscotland.com/
Electric Scotland News
Here is the video introduction to this newsletter...
This week I am focused on The Commonwealth which work will take several weeks. See The Story below for more details.
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 where we list news from the past 1-2 weeks. I am partly doing this to build an archive of modern news from and about Scotland as all the newsletters are archived and also indexed on Google and other search engines. I might also add that in newspapers such as the Guardian, Scotsman, Courier, etc. you will find many comments which can be just as interesting as the news story itself and of course you can also add your own comments if you wish.
Brexit is rightly making us focus on the network and markets of the Commonwealth
As a recent hearing by the Lords International Relations Committee with the key officials spearheading preparations confirmed, London is pulling out all the stops for the next CHOGM, due in mid-April.
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/brexit-focu...-commonwealth/
Farmers forced off their lands
Due to SNP’s failed farm payment system
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/farmer...stem-1-4690742
The view from Down Under
The future is bright for Australian-UK business relations
Read more at:
http://www.cityam.com/280841/view-do...an-uk-business
The Low-cost fighters to serve tomorrow's air forces
Fighter jets, like the Lockheed F-35, are becoming increasingly expensive. Is it possible to make something much cheaper? Angus Batey reports on a new breed of plane poised to take to the skies.
Read more at:
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/2014...-jets-take-off
German Politics Enters Era of Instability
Germany's big-tent parties have ensured political stability for decades. But they are rapidly losing power and influence. The Social Democrats are witnessing an open rebellion against party leadership while many conservatives are beginning to doubt Merkel's abilities.
Read more at:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/...a-1193947.html
9 of Scotland's most underrated golf courses
Here are nine of our favourite courses, which are criminally underrated.
Read more at:
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/o...rses-1-4692085
The reality of the hype about Cool Dundee
2018 will be the Year of Dundee
Read more at:
http://www.scottishreview.net/GerryHassan414a.html
The SuperCanada option remains the best basis for a UK-EU trade deal
For several years now, I have been arguing for a SuperCanada (or CETA+++) bespoke deal with the EU to replace our EU membership
Read more at:
http://brexitcentral.com/supercanada...eu-trade-deal/
The deer cull dilemma
The Scottish Highlands have a deer problem. Is shooting tens of thousands of them the only solution?
Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/201...tish-highlands
Why one tiny Scottish island is key to every Olympic curling stone
All the curling stones being used at the Pyeongchang Winter Games are made from granite mined from the tiny, uninhabited island of Ailsa Craig, in the outer Firth of Clyde.
Read more at:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/vi...scotland-video
Will Amazon Go Capture the Holy Grail of Retail?
Even before it opened, Amazon Go began drawing deep skepticism over whether it could possibly work.
Read more at:
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/a...-game-changer/
Royal Patron for The Scottish Tartans Authority
Is delighted to announce that His Royal Highness The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay has agreed to become its Patron.
Read more at:
http://www.tartansauthority.com/blog...ans-authority/
Electric Canadian
Transactions of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers
I discovered a lot of volumes of these transaction which are very detailed and note that they are very popular downloads so assume civil engineers are enjoying the details given in these transactions.
I've added the 1925 volume and will add others each week. You can view these at
http://www.electriccanadian.com/tran...rial/index.htm
Some of the topics discussed include Alberta Tar Sands, Ceramics, Economic Aspects of the Dye Industry, Engineering Achievements in Canada, Hudson Bay Route, Ontario Forestry, Prospecting, Telephone Engineering, Triumphs in Bridge Building, Yukon of '97 and Now.
Scottish Patriotism
Annual Sermon before the St. Andrews Society by The Rev. J. C. Baxter in Stanley Street Church, Montreal, November 30, 1876 (pdf)
You can read this at:
http://www.electriccanadian.com/Reli...hpatritism.pdf
Constitution and Bye-Laws of the Scottish Volunteer Rifle Company (1860)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/forc...volunteers.pdf
The Settlers in Canada
By Captain Marryat, R.N. (1886) (pdf)
You can read this at: http://www.electriccanadian.com/pion...rsincanada.pdf
Electric Scotland
Fur and Feather Series
Edited by Alfred E. T. Watson. Am going to bring you a few in this series and the third one is about The Pheasant which you can read at:http://www.electricscotland.com/natu...andfeather.htm
Sir Patrick Geddes
Noticed a link no longer worked to provide further information about him so added a couple of pdf books for further reading.
You can read these at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...es_patrick.htm
Scottish Villages and Country Life
By H. M. Cadell (1914)
During the past half-century a notable change has taken place in Scottish rural life and habits. In former times, before the days of railways, and the advance of machinery and the introduction of the new system of free education and local government, there were many sources of rural occupation, and, in spite of bad sanitation, and in education nothing but the three R’s, more contentment and simplicity were common than is general among the present well-instructed generation. The old Scots tongue is becoming obsolete in the lowlands, and it is even beginning to be considered a mark of vulgarity to use the broad Doric accent and the expressive old words and phrases so dear to a former generation. Music-hall doggerel often takes the place of the beautiful old Scottish melodies at popular entertainments, and the good and once paramount influence of the Kirk has considerably declined. The tendency of recent legislation has been to undermine the old Scottish aspiration to thrift and manly independence, and in some of the lower strata of society it is becoming commoner every year for the individual to follow the Irish method and look to the Government for some kind of support all the way from the cradle to the grave, instead of struggling resolutely onwards and relying on strenuous personal effort to build up a solid character and a useful career in life. The more strenuous or independent-minded young men, of whom happily there are many, often prefer to emigrate to Canada to push their fortunes in a land where there is felt to be less State interference and where, if- there is perhaps more risk to life and limb, there is also more personal liberty for the subject.
You can read the rest of this article at: http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...gescountry.htm
James Henry Hammond 1807-1864
By Elizabeth Merritt (1921) (pdf)
I found out about this person from the feedback I got from my Slavery question last week..
James Henry Hammond of South Carolina was active in the political life of his State from 1828 to 1860. He was in office only a few years, representative in 1836, governor 1842-1844, senator from 1857 t0 1860, but his office- holding was by no means a measure of his importance. During nullification times he was the leader of his district and a favored lieutenant of Hayne and Calhoun and Hamilton. His unavailing fight for the governorship in 1840 showed that he was one of the strong men of the State. Just at the close of his governorship he wrote to Thomas Clarkson, the British anti-slavery agitator, two letters in defense of African slavery as it existed. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of these letters upon the general defense of slavery and upon Hammond's reputation.
You can read about him at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...nryHammond.pdf
Patrick Sinclair
Lieutenant-General Patrick Sinclair (1736 - 31 January 1820) was a British Army officer and governor in North America. He is best remembered for overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island in what was to become the U.S. state of Michigan.
You can read about him at:
http://www.electricscotland.com/hist...ckSinclair.pdf
John Redwood's Diary
Added a page for this MP to our Brexit page as he does a decent job of analyzing the Brexit process.
You can to this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...ohnredwood.htm
The Story
I have spent a lot of time this week to build a new section on the site to explore The Commonwealth. To start it of I have put up the 6 volume The Oxford Survey of the British Empire.
The object of this series is to furnish a survey of the British Empire and its constituent parts in their geographical and allied aspects, together with their economic, administrative, and social conditions, at the present time (1914). History has not been included as an integral part of the scheme, except for the inclusion of a general historical summary in the General Volume; for the rest, historical references have been included only in so far as they were found desirable for the explanation of existing conditions. The history of the Empire has been brought under review elsewhere, notably in the Oxford Historical Geography, edited by Sir Charles Lucas. The series is in six volumes, and the subject matter is thus distributed:
I then went on to work on the individual countries and this will take several weeks. I've made a start with the African countries where I am providing some key facts about the country and then a brief history. I've then added a link to their entry on The Commonwealth web site to which I've added some books about the country and also some videos.
The countries I've got up so far are Botswana, Cameroon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho and Malawi.
You can see all this at: http://www.electricscotland.com/inde...mmonwealth.htm
And for the story this week I'm bringing you this article as it shows why I feel it is important that people know more about The Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth offers a clear route to building a global Britain
By Ted Yarbrough who is studying law, and blogs as Texan Tory. He has written a thesis on Thatcherism’s effect on British culture.
Previously, I wrote about the need for the United Kingdom to focus on the Anglosphere family when crafting its post-Brexit future. And indeed, Australia and the United States not only have expressed interest in quick free trade deals, but also in making it easier for our people to work in each others’ countries. I am confident that the CANZUK nations and the US will quickly form trading deals with the UK in time to go into effect when the UK leave the EU. I am also confident that the UK and Anglosphere nations will sign agreements to make it easier for their citizens to work in each others’ countries.
However, what of the future? What should be the UK’s ambition in order to be a truly global nation? For that vision of what Global Britain can look like, one need not look farther than the Commonwealth.
The Commonwealth of Nations is the natural home of the United Kingdom if it is to remain an international and vibrant nation. It has a bigger economy than the EU and unlike the European Union, its economies are growing exponentially. Of the 12 largest economies in the world, excluding Great Britain, three are from the Commonwealth- Canada, India and Australia. And unlike the EU which has some figures in it that wish to “punish” the UK, Commonwealth friends such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, India and Gambia have all called for new trade deals and close ties with Britain. The UK has literally a queue of friends waiting to have a relationship with it.
Furthermore, besides Canada, Australia, and India, the Commonwealth is home to one of the world’s biggest financial centres in Singapore, the biggest emerging Islamic financial hub in Kuala Lumpur, and the two biggest economies in Africa – Nigeria and South Africa. It also is home to New Zealand and many of the fastest growing economies in the world. The British people, in their wisdom, decided it was best not to be chained to an organisation in one continent that is bent on rule by plutocrats in part because they are already part of an organisation that spans the globe and shares in much of Great Britain’s values, history, and culture that Europe does not – such as Common Law and cricket. With Commonwealth nations rising, this is the perfect opportunity to make deals to benefit the UK – and in a unique model built for the twenty first century rather than the EU’s archaic single market. But, if not an EU model, how should a Commonwealth Common Market look and function?
I humbly propose that by the time of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018, which will be held in London, plans be drawn up for “C4” and “C9” agreements to prepare Britain for a post-EU global future. “C9” would be a free trade pact between the nine big powers of the Commonwealth – the UK, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria and South Africa. This would be as big or bigger than the 9 member EEC of the 1970s Britain joined but with a bigger future upside. Secondly, the UK should push for free movement of people where it makes sense – not from Eastern Europe in the EU, but with natural allies who would fit in well in the UK. Like Boris Johnson, I see strong advantages from freedom of movement with allies such as Australia, and thus I propose making freedom of movement in a “C4” of the UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand – the CANZUK nations. The C4 and the C9 would be a big step towards establishing the UK as a world leader, not a nation begging self-important Eurocrats not to impose more rules. The C4 and C9 agreements would go into effect the moment the UK leaves the EU.
The world is a big and wonderful place filled with diverse people that can learn from one another. In their Commonwealth friends, the UK has a ticket to the world that most nations don’t have. Britain must strengthen their Commonwealth bonds as soon as possible to create a truly dynamic and lasting Global Britain.
And that's it for this week and hope you have a great weekend.
Alastair
Comment