Taking part in the Wallace Day ceremony were Bill Beattie, Ian Gray, Alyn Smith MEP, John Allan, Aileen McLeod MSP and Sean Allan who played the fiddle


including anti-colonial leaders who systematically dismantled the old European empires of Spain, Portugal, Holland, France and of course our own British empire.


In 1947 at the founding of the UN there


were 49 state members. By 2011 the UN had close to 200 sovereign states all of whom had found their own way into the light of independence.


Without Wallace Scotland, as a nation,


could have been consumed or, at best, adopted by its larger neighbour. Though the expression of national sovereignty was suppressed in Scotland after 1707, paradoxically many 18th


century Scottish


enlightenment scholars and writers espoused the concept of liberty, freedom and sovereignty – part of the Wallace narrative.


Again the apparent contradiction of


Scottish produced intellectual anti-colonial enlightenment thought, seized upon and harnessed in the American struggles for independence by Washington and Bolivar yet hotly repulsed by Scots elites at Westminster.


What Wallace would have recognised,


however, would be the resultant resistance by native populations against the many tyrannies of colonial domination. Popular movements of anti-colonial resistance to the imposition of Westminster rule across the globe, helped create the Common - wealth that we will celebrate in Glasgow next year with the Commonwealth Games.


It is however an embarrassing reality that,


while we invite over 50 nation-states who have gained independence from Westminster to our shores, we have yet to find our own way; to forge our own destiny.


In her address in Lanark, Aileen Mcleod


put it this way: In 389 days we will all have an


opportunity to do just that – to take control of our own destiny and to build a Scotland that reflects our values, our aspirations and our principles.


That is what independence is about – the


ability to take control of our own destiny. I believe that the decisions that affect the


people of Scotland should be taken in a parliament elected by the people of Scotland. That is the real point about independence. And that is the prize that is on offer in just over a year from now.


It is of course the same prize that William


Wallace fought for more than seven centuries ago.


Then there was this rich passage that


reflected Wallace values: ‘For me independence is not purely


about the sovereignty of the people as a fundamental right, though it certainly is about that, it is also – increasingly – the only means by which we can properly build a society in Scotland that is prosperous, compassionate and inclusive: a society that cares for its vulnerable and disadvantaged. A society free from the wicked and spiteful measures – like the bedroom tax and other so-called welfare “reforms” – that London’s Tory government has imposed on those in our communities least able to fend for themselves.


We have also seen, over the last 20


years, new democracies arise from the ashes of the old Soviet Union with 15 newly independent states formed. Many have subsequently joined with the rest of sovereign Europe in the European Union.


This joining together for greater economic


strength and the mutual sharing of interests would (again) have been recognised by Wallace. He was born in France as were many of the Scottish nobility of the period while so much of our national history is linked through various marriages, old trade- agreements and mutual defence treaties with our friends in Europe.


Alyn Smith let us know; There’s some debate on the extent of


his travels of course, and it is often difficult to separate myth from fact, but what is clear is that he was travelled, multilingual, multicultural and was no stranger to international affairs.


He had a letter of safe passage from


Philip the Fair of France when he was captured. The letter was to Pope Boniface in Rome asking him to aid Wallace and the Scots and the supposition is that Wallace would have sought to travel to Rome to see Balliol, then a guest of the Vatican, who he regarded as the rightful King of Scots.


He may have spent as much as six years


overseas between known actions in Scotland.


He was captured on August 5th, 1305 at


Robroyston and was carrying the letter from Philip of France as well as a safe conduct letter from Haakon V of Norway.


The first thing he and the Scots did after


the first victory at Stirling was to send the Lubeck letter to the Hanseatic League to tell them that Scotland was open for business again.


The first thing that Scotland did on


independence was to open up to international trade after it had been closed down by union with England.


But what Wallace would recognize as


blatantly obvious is the absolute right, indeed political and economic imperative of Scotland gaining the right to make decisions in Scotland for the betterment of its own people.


Who can govern Scotland better – the


current Westminster Cameron Osborne Clegg (COC-up) or a parliament in Edinburgh?


Wallace would see that it makes logical


absolute sense to end the deceit of a democracy denied to the Scottish people by the imposition of a Tory-led majority in Westminster, yet with only a single Tory MP from Scotland.


Wallace saw leadership as improving the


lives of others, selflessly contributing without seeking personal gain while making significant personal sacrifices.


We can learn much from Wallace as


we go forward with the YES campaign.


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