The laughable 'Better Together' campaign probably prompts everyone to think the same as me: is that the best they can do? Surely Westminster has all manner of resources at its disposal to wage a decent propaganda war? Then again, the best kind of propaganda war would be one where nobody knows that they are being fed propaganda at all. It would be infinitely preferable for people to think that they'd made up their own minds. Maybe, then, the propaganda war is already being waged.
Everybody knows the old adage about divide and rule and those with any sense can see that this has been going on in Scotland for a long time. The majority of the Scottish population has traditionally been encouraged to consider itself as being part of The Establishment. Even in the Twenty-First Century there are those that think they have a vested interest in the status quo, that the Queen and the Royal Family has a special affection for them and their loyalty. These deluded souls are, thankfully, in a minority.
It was not that long ago, however, that such views were actually in a majority in Scotland, where voting Tory was the done thing if you were a Protestant. Anyone that wanted to drive a wedge into Scottish society could do worse than try to resurrect these views and cause folk to run to the Unionist camp. It would be playing with fire to stir up old sectarian hatreds but, to those trying to keep the Union together it would be worth it.
So how would one go about it? Well, how about starting with the football team associated with Scottish Protestantism: Rangers FC. HMRC could hound it into liquidation, causing anger, bitterness and resentment. Then, what about inventing the story that the club and company are separate entities, helping to cause more polarisation. So, when the new club starts over in the lower divisions, the supporters can claim that their team, the same club, has been relegated and treated unfairly. This will create a paranoid, angry, backs-against-the-wall mentality.
But if you really want to stir up old, latent, sectarian hatreds, you need to bring Northern Ireland into it. How about soldiers singing sectarian songs at Ibrox and posing for pictures with scarves saying, 'Keep Ulster Protestant'? Of course, most right-thinking folk would condemn this so you need to add something else into the mix. How about the Green Brigade exhibiting a huge picture of Bobby Sands? And just to add insult to injury, what about a picture of William Wallace alongside in an attempt to equate the two? Will the condemnation of those soldiers still be so vocal?
Not enough? Well how about this? A BBC documentary detailing the use of death squads by the British Army in Northern Ireland. One part of the Scottish population is outraged, while another sees it as an entirely justifiable way of combatting terrorism. Again, the outrage on one side will help to foster the reactionary justifications from the other.
The veneer of modern Scotland is gradually being chipped away. I'm willing to bet there will be more 'revelations' about Northern Ireland and more accusations of jingoism, triumphalism, sectarianism and the support of terrorism lobbed around. If it continues then by the time the day comes to vote for Scottish independence the vote will be seen as one between Protestant Loyalty or Catholic Republicanism. It can't be a coincidence that the Tories have returned to their old name of the 'Conservative and Unionist Party' instead of just the usual 'Conservative Party'!
