It was music to my ears when I was at a dinner last week and Jim Murphy got up to speak. The Labour MP who used to be the Secretary of State for Scotland (for that read full time anti SNP campaigner) was sweet talking the crowd. He spoke of a modern, independent nation taking back its rightful state from Britain and becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
He talked about the pride and joy that went into growing their independent nation. Oh he just waxed lyrical about independence.
For India.
Ha! Did I have you fooled there? Did you honestly think Jim Murphy would EVER have anything good to say about his own country? Course he doesn't.
We were both speaking at a dinner to celebrate Indian Independence Day and I couldn't cope with his hypocrisy so I talked about how much I admired India for doing what I've always wanted my country to do. He did not like it! But I didn't really care because I don't much like his attitude either.
I had a really enjoyable evening and met some lovely people but I'm not going to speak at a dinner and celebrate another country's independence and ignore the fact that my country doesn't have it yet! They invited an SNP MSP so I don't think many of them were surprised. I think he was though and he started heckling me.
Toward the end of my speech he started talking in a very loud voice (so grown up) and I was clearly getting to him. It may have been when I said that it was great to be celebrating the independence of India and that if it took till the day I died to get Independence for Scotland then so be it. I think his ilk feel uncomfortable with genuine passion for a cause and it frightens them that no matter what happens, we will not give up.
He may also have been aware that one or two people were starting to take my point about celebrating the Independence of one nation whilst denying the people of another the right even to vote on it. I know this because a few people approached me at the end to tell me they were going to go away and think about that one. One woman also thanked me for adding a bit of excitement and controversy - apparently it's not the done thing at these events but she reckons I might start a trend!
It's all part of my conscious decision that I will NOT apologise for wishing my country to be independent. I am PROUD of the cause for which I fight and I'm not having anyone tell me I can't talk about it as they frequently do. You see it a lot in the parliament. Should any SNP MSP dare to mention the "I" word in committee or in the debating chamber, they're met with either loud exaggerated yawns, booed at or heckled to "change the record".
Well we won't be changing the record, in fact I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that we'll all be playing that one over and over and turning up the volume as high as necessary in the not too distant future.
We are not the ones with something to apologise for. Those who hypocritically celebrate independence for any nation other than their own are the ones who ought to be sorry - let's make sure at next year's election that they are!
No comments:
Post a Comment