The Case for Home Rule
By DEWAR GIBB Behind such a movement there are two main forces, the sentimental and the practical. Let the English reader imagine a movement to unite England and the United States. It might be possible to figure out practical advantages in this, but, even so, massive sentimental objections would remain. You cannot appraise nationhood on a cash basis, though that is what the Scottish opposition of today is attempting to do. The loss of a distinct national personality is a grievous thing. Only those who have not had to suffer it dispute it. A nation is more than a mere collection of individuals. A real nation possesses instruments of action and reform and a voice in the world. Scotland the nation, not the mere breeding ground of empire. builders, is rousing herself to demand restoration of these things.
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