I've
only been to Arbroath a few times, and, with no disrespect to the
good folk of that town, it doesn't have a huge deal going for it.
Smoked
fish, a ruined Abbey and an association with our kilted and much
beloved songster, the late "Scottish Soldier" himself, Andy Stewart,
can only take you so far.
And
yet it was in this windswept and now largely anonymous corner
of what was the emerging nation of Scotland that one of the basic
platforms of international justice and democracy would be designed.
Forget
Bannockburn and 1314, glorious though it was. That victory merely
paved the way for what was to come, some 6 years after in the
quest for freedom.
 |
| The original Declaration of Arbroath
delivered to the Pope was lost - this copy, now housed
National Archives of Scotland, is the only surviving
copy of the Declaration |
|
If
"Good King Robert" the Bruce has any lasting epitath, it must
surely be "The Declaration of Arbroath", written, signed and sealed
by the unanimous and united will of his "people".
This unprecedented cry for self-determination
was presented to the International Refereeing Committee
of the time, namely the Pope, in 1320.
Even
today, particularly in the context of the emerging nations, its
simple statement of the basic right to freedom from outside oppression
and interference rings as true as the day it was delivered.
But
it is not solely about Nationalism.
Its
true message is apolitical and lies at the very heart of democratic
ideology; despite being written long before the concept existed.
It is no secret or surprise that the "Declaration of Arbroath"
provided no small measure of inspiration for the American Declaration
of Independence.
Simple
truth is, nobody had ever asserted their basic rights in such
a publicly stated manner before. It became a template for others
to follow.
So
what made the Declaration of Arbroath so powerfully politically
correct?
Simple.
Even with the benefit of 7 centuries of hindsight. In the sure
certainty of rightness, there is nothing to hide.
It
says quite simply, don't barge your way into my house and expect
me to like it.
We demand
the right to be left in peace.
We demand
the right to make our own decisions, free from duress.
We demand
the right to our own established space. (Scotland was,
at the time the oldest established Kingdom in Christendom.)
We demand
the right to defend ourselves and take up arms, if necessary,
against those who oppose or threaten our lawful freedom.
Fortunately,
680 years later, we in Scotland don't take that last sentiment
quite as literally as our American cousins.
Which,
..............on reflection, is probably one reason why, devolution
games notwithstanding, we're now ruled by England.
So
there you go. Robert will probably be turning in his grave.
But,
looking on the positive side, at least we don't have Drive-By
shootings on the streets of Forfar and Stonehaven.
A
short extract from "The Declaration of Arbroath" is shown here.
Enjoy.
(Dear Pope)
"Admonish
this King Edward, since England's possessions may well suffice
seven kings or more, that he should leave us in peace in
our own little Scotland, as we desire no more than is our
own, and have no dwelling place beyond our own borders.
For, so
long as a hundred of us remain alive, we never will in any
degree be subject to the dominion of the English. Since
it is not for glory, riches or honour we fight, but for
liberty alone, which no good man loses but with his life."
Right on.
