Letter: I Hope The Union Survives And Leads To A Fairer Britain

Published on: 4 Sep, 2014
Updated on: 4 Sep, 2014

From Tony Teal

I applaud the timely article of Martin Giles [Opinion: Scottish Independence – A Guildford View] and the contributions of others such as Jim Allen. My passport states I am a British Citizen and member of a United Kingdom.

The fact I was born in England is not mentioned and has always been a secondary allegiance. It is however deeply distressing that my country, Britain, is now being attacked by nationalists whose belief focusses on an independent national identity as the ultimate political aim and panacea.

I will have no say whether Britain should be dismembered or not. If the shrewd political manipulators of the SNP have their way and Scottish independence occurs, the rest of the country is totally unprepared for the outcome.

Our own political leaders have shown a complete dereliction of duty in this regard. Few have made a positive case for the Union. Scotland, Wales, England and Northern Ireland have been politically and economically united for centuries, shared good and bad times from the industrial revolution, empire, two world wars until today.

Millions of us can trace within our families genetic ties across the Kingdom. There exists currently inequalities in all parts of UK governance which needs urgent attention. But evolution is better than dissolution.

We should celebrate our distinctive cultural heritages, but guard against injustices and grievances that all of us can cite, turning into a corrosive and dangerous nationalistic hostility. It seems to me in this modern era that working together as part of a larger whole rather than apart in smaller holes is the only real way forward.

I hope the Union persists and acts as a clarion call to resolve the many outstanding issues that Britain faces in order to achieve a fair, accountable and more just society.

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