Gandhi and Independence

[David Banks]

As I am enjoying another beautiful sunrise over Beechville in New Scotland, I have a question:

Does Gandhi have anything to say which would provide guidance for before and after a vote for independence in Scotland?

Swaraj - rule over oneself

Satya - the pursuit (rather than the possession) of truth

Ahimsa - the practice of non-violence

Satyagraha - the power generated by truth and non-violence

Sarvodaya - equality

[orkneycadian]

Does Gandhi have anything to say which would provide guidance for before and after a vote for independence in Scotland?

Have you asked him?

[David Banks]

Have you asked him?

(In keeping with this elevated exchange) -- he won't reply to my smoke signals.

Would you try calling him?

[joxville]

I tried calling him on the dog and bone...sadly he'd eaten his!

[Big Gaz]

I tried calling him on the dog and bone...sadly he'd eaten his!

geez, he must have been really hungry to have eaten his dog......

[orkneycadian]

Would you try calling him?

It wasn't easy, but I finally managed to track him down using a Ouija board and a couple of bottles of Crayola's fine white hallucinogenic wine last night.




Does Gandhi have anything to say which would provide guidance for before and after a vote for independence in Scotland?

Swaraj - rule over oneself

Gandi says that home rule for Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is a cracking idea, and similar to what he envisaged for India away back in his day.

Satya - the pursuit (rather than the possession) of truth

Gandhi says that Gary Robertson of Good Morning Scotland did a great job of pursuing the truth from John Swinney in a Radio Scotland interview in May. But in accordance with the spirirtual law, Gary did not get to possess the truth, which was skillfully retained by John Swinney.

Ahimsa - the practice of non-violence

Gandhi is quite clear on this. Either ban football in the Central Belt, or seek independence from the Central Belt

Satyagraha - the power generated by truth and non-violence

Gandhi says that there are 2 paths that we can take. 1 is the path that delivers power from truth and non-violence. The other is the path that delivers power from windmills. He says that because the SNP already have chosen not to come clean with the truth, and that football still rules in the Central Belt, then we must take path 2, and fill Caithness with windmills. He went on to suggest that India has a flourishing windmill building industry, and can build them for Caithness for a fraction of the cost of building them on the Clyde. He passed me the email address of his great grandson who runs a windmill building factory in Dehli, if anyone is interested.

Sarvodaya - equality

Gandhi had a good old chuckle to himself at this one. He says that despite centuries of struggling, we will never achieve equality, and that it will always be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than it will be to have an equitable government. In particular, he mentioned that with ~80% of Scotlands population living in the urbanised Central Belt, then the other 20% should not expect equality. He said that faced with the choice of putting money into restoring the Glasgow School of Art, or putting up more dog poo bins in Wick, then the SNP would go for Charlie Mac everytime. He said that the people of Wick can fast all they like for more dog bins, but the inequality of government would mean that all that would happen would be that they would go hungry.

In all, it was a very interesting and revealing discussion. At least, what I can remember of it. It now just seems like a distant memory. And that fine white hallucinogenic wine has given me a hell of a hangover....