Stupid Boy

Hardeep Singh KohliOf all the arguments against independence the worst and most insulting of them all is that we are somehow uniquely incapable of running our own affairs. In the first of our too wee, too poor, too stupid series, Hardeep Singh Kohli @misterhsk looks at density.

We’re too stupid to govern ourselves, to embrace Scottish independence and once again put Scottish hands on the tiller of Scottish destiny. We’re too stupid. Thick, as the proverbial mince. Politically naive, economically gullible, constitutionally over optimistic. In fact, one wonders whether we should be allowed to vote on anything, ever, at all?

I suggest we not only roll back the idea of Independence, the three hundred and seven-year old dream to return, restore, reinvigorate a once great country to a future of self-determination. I go further. I suggest we are too stupid, too thick, too naive to actually deserve that Westminster gift of devolution (a system designed to offer perennially hung Holyrood parliaments). Return it, with that unwanted cardigan from Aunty Kamal and the One Direction CD from your misguided, but beloved niece.

Further still. Lets give back our MP’s in Westminster. Why do we need them? We are too stupid, too thick to actually know how best to deploy them. Besides in the 35 years since 1979 we have mostly been presided over by political parties with political mandates that bear very little resemblance to the Scottish psyche. Even New Labour took us into illegal wars and as they devolved Scotland managed to devolve themselves into the bastard children of Thatcherism.

It’s stupid for an Independent Scotland to want to stay in Europe, stupid to want to be nuclear free, stupid to want to feed its school children, stupid to want to support mothers returning to work, stupid to want to encourage immigration.

If we are too stupid, too thick, too naive to run ourselves, to operate in our own interest, then how are we NOT too stupid to enjoy any of the current democratic rights we enjoy.

Do me a favour. Look in the mirror and ask the person you see if they are stupid. If the answers “NO” then perhaps ask them whether people like them might not be too stupid to restore a once great nation.

Or maybe it’s just me that’s stupid?

Comments (23)

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  1. Steve Bowers says:

    Well said HSK ( love the kilt by the way ) I was in the house of a NO campaigner a few weeks ago and he told me that the Scots were too thick to manage themselves, I asked him if he included himself in the general “thickery” going on, surprisingly enough he didn’t. Make of that what you will……………

    1. bellacaledonia says:

      I had the same conversation with a taxi driver – when I put it to him that he was suggesting that we were the only people in the world incapable of running their own affairs he said he’d never ever thought of it like that before…

  2. On Good Morning Scotland today, Better Together adviser Jim Gallagher took the line that Westminster functioned as Scotland’s “back-up” under devolution – rather like water-wings for a nervous swimmer perhaps?

  3. psg1000 says:

    Those who offer the ‘too stupid’ argument are in one sense only responding to a view that we present of ourselves. Look at literature, where Scots are comfortably portrayed as the victims of circumstance, addiction or society in general. I’ve been waiting decades for an aspirational literature to be offered by Scots, whose proudest literary journal is bafflingly called GUTTER, and whose novels presents victim after victim. Irvine Welsh wrote in TRAINSPOTTING, 20 years ago something like:

    “It’s SHITE being Scottish! We’re the lowest of the low. The scum of the fucking Earth! The most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some hate the English. I don’t. They’re just wankers. We, on the other hand, are COLONISED by wankers. Can’t even find a decent culture to be colonised BY. We’re ruled by effete assholes. It’s a SHITE state of affairs to be in, Tommy, and ALL the fresh air in the world won’t make any fucking difference!”

    This has been adopted as a sacred creed by our writers, even up to last year’s THE PANOPTICON which seems to trade on this idea, the shite victim as subject matter. So it’s the writers I blame in part for not having enough pride to create a decent national literature for us to present to the world.

    1. I think if you look you will find writers who are writing very positively about Scotland. Unfortunately not sufficient readers are reading their books for them to become better known.

    2. Riverbank Sage says:

      Try reading Alasdair Gray, Ali Smith, Candia McWilliam – each offersa distinctly hopeful interpretation of what Scotland as a nation might or could be be worth. Though the provisionality o their messages means that they escape the kind of glib and naive nationalistic drum-beating that is so often the bread-and-butter of effusive portrayals of nations. Furthermore,, I would argue that your diagnosis that Scotland lacks “a decent national literature” that one can have “pride” merely enacts the point you intend to counter…

  4. Perfidy Prober says:

    Thank you for that HSK, spot on – by the way is that the MacKohli tartan?

    1. An Duine Gruamach says:

      MacKohliskill, as in “Kenny”

  5. excellent article hsk , but if you think about the voters who have for years voted labour and still do no wonder there is a perception that we are too stupid to govern ourselves, No intelligent person would vote for a party too scared to make it’s own decisions and has to ask it’s London masters what party line should be taken
    Look at the deprived areas of Scotland all labour controlled for years and guess what , still deprived

    By the way would i be entitled to wear your tartan as my pseudonym is the same as your surname

  6. bringiton says:

    If you read the rabid nonsense (I try to avoid it as much as I can) published in the English newspapers,then we Scots are only allowed to live in North Britain by gift of the English parliament.They could at any time transport us all to England and beyond if they so wished.
    They wouldn’t do that would they?

  7. Brian McGraw says:

    Thanks HSK – its great to hear it told like it really is. All the Economic, Constitutional and EU Rules fantasy land is just designed to confuse the ordinary folk. The way you put it is just plain common sense and simply defeats the Unionist dissemblers – they have no answer to such logic.

  8. Abulhaq says:

    Too stupid?…..the theme for a pro-independence campaign?

    1. bellacaledonia says:

      Yes

  9. Les Wilson says:

    If you have not read it, then have a look at ” The Claim of Scotland”, it is, in part serialised on Wings, or as I have done. You can find it on Amazon and Ebay also other bookshops. Then you will realise just how the Westminster machine has being dismantling everything Scottish ever since 1707, it makes you grit your teeth.

    1. Ken MacColl says:

      I read two chapters of The Claim Of Scotland on Wings Over Scotland before a bell of recognition rang – I am getting on a bit – and I found the book on my groaning book shelves. I bought it at a jumble sale in Oban in the 80s for 20p but I was already well hooked, working on behalf of Winnie Ewing and successive candidates for the SNP in Argyll & Bute, latterly for Duncan Hamilton, MSP, Jim Mather, MSP, and now Michael Russell, MSP and Mike MacKenzie, MSP.
      The message has not changed but the prize is now within our grasp.

  10. Grasshopper says:

    Too thick, too stoopit – now if any politician, or a group of them, were to decide that voting against free school meals then perhaps I’d agree – there are indeed some that really are just too thick to be allowed anywhere near responsibility for others.

  11. Norma says:

    Stop it, just stop it. OK so you’re all trying to be funny sarcastic, but it is still generating big negativity. How do you think the US became the great nation it is, mainly by Scots coming across the Pond and being huge in the First American revolution. When England was having problems with De Gaule about joining the EU, what part of the UK had no problem – Scotland because their Treaty with France was still alive and well. I’ll not go on ……. please, please don’t keep on with the stupid, not capable thing. Stand up and swing your kilts and show your balls

    1. bellacaledonia says:

      I think you’ve got the wrong end of the stick

    2. James Coleman says:

      I agree. I am a strong Indy supporter and I’m fed up with Scots constantly repeating the too stupid mantra in blogs, comments Twitter and Facebook. It is just not true. In England many of the top jobs in the professions, universities, media, et al are held by Scots. It’s only in Scotland that you hear this nonsense. And you know what the say about propaganda if it’s repeated often enough.

  12. I G says:

    It has occurred to me over the last year or so that “too stupid” is exactly what the Labour party want us to think. Although a devout Yes-man, what scares the hell out of me is that we end up living in a country led by Johann Lamont, Iain Gray and Richard Baker. How has it come to pass that imbeciles like yon have managed to get themselves into positions of prominence? Regardless of your politics – are they really the best Scotland can produce as senior politicians? If any one of them was half-way charismatic, capable or remotely qualified then perhaps there may be a few more yes votes among Labour voters. As it stands, if I thought that the likes of them were the best we could manage I’d be voting “No” as well.

    1. Dr G. Lister says:

      I vaguely knew Richard Baker at Aberdeen University via the Labour Party (I confess my sins in once being a naive member of such a rancid organisation) and to call him an imbecile would be a promotion!

  13. chicmac says:

    Its the economy with the truth, stupid!

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