USA Africa Dialogue Series - FW: DEFEAT FOR small town Nationalism

 

DEFEAT FOR “SMALL TOWN” NATIONALISM

By

Anthony Akinola*

 

The referendum held in Scotland on 18^th September, to determine whether or not it would be an independent nation, got the rest of the world watching with great interest. A vote for independence would have meant an end to a union consummated 307 years ago.  The implication of such a development would hardly have been lost on “ethnic nationalists” especially in a severely-divided nation like Nigeria, agitating for new nations of their own.  It would have been the end of Britain as we know it.

            Great Britain, just like the Nigerian nation it created, emerged as an amalgam of nationalities.  This amalgamation began with the unification of England and Wales through the Act of Union in 1536 and concluded with that between England and Scotland in 1707.  Both England and Scotland had shared the same monarch since the “Union of the Crown” in 1603 when King James inherited the throne from his double first cousin Elizabeth I.  Great Britain was governed as a unitary state until 1997 when parliaments were created for Scotland and Wales with substantial devolution of power from Westminster, making Britain a quasi-federal nation.

The British (English, Scottish and Welsh) glory in their historical achievements as a great empire.  Although they have their inter-group prejudices or resentments, theirs have not been the most acrimonious of relationships.  They are “British” where they want to, and go their different ways where it suits them.  Enthusiasts of the “beautiful game of football” would, for instance, be aware that there is nothing like the “British team”, even when pulling resources together would have considerably enhanced their prospects in global competitions.

In spite of a history of peaceful co-existence, the quest for Scottish independence became the major plank of the Scottish Nationalist Party (SNP).  The Party gained an overall majority in the 2011 elections to the Scottish Parliament and was thus in a position to state its claim for a referendum for Scottish independence to take place in 2014 or 2015.  The idea was endorsed by the United Kingdom government and the outcome was the referendum held recently.

The issue of independence or no independence for Scotland was vigorously debated, featuring television debates and open campaigning by politicians of key political parties.  At the end of the day, those who said “no” to independence prevailed with 55% while those who voted “yes” scored 45%.  The mundane issue of inter-dependency, shared values and family ties, seemed to have been the major consideration in the hearts of those who voted against independence.  The need to preserve whatever remained of the global prestige and influence of Great Britain was drummed in from distant America by no less a personality than the great Barack Obama himself.

There are important lessons Nigeria can learn from the Scottish independence debate. It is a demonstration of great political maturity and civility that a people would debate the possible disintegration of their society without resorting to violence.  The British people taught us this can be done and that voters did not need to be bribed in order for them to support one argument or the other.

The fallout from the debate itself affirms the desirability of a proper, federal arrangement where necessary.  The determination to keep Britain together has prompted promises of more devolution of powers to Scotland, and a parliament for England could be on the agenda of the Tory Party during the next General Election.  Britain has been a quasi-federal nation but it is on its way to joining the ranks of federal nations. 

Finally, we have learnt from the debate that a more rational people are persuaded by those things that unite them.  There are problems that are merely transient, especially where there is a leadership that can redirect the course of an ignoble history.  What is not transient is the fact that a people will forever remain inter-dependent in many spheres of human endeavour. The peoples of Nigeria are inter-dependent, no matter what advantages any group may assume it has over others.

           

*Anthony Akinola is a writer based in Oxford, UK.