The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland


Author Archive


Small is beautiful 88

Posted on May 04, 2013 by

Are we doomed to decline if Scotland separates? I can think of lots of good reasons why Scotland might want to vote to remain part of the United Kingdom. But the Commons’ Foreign Affairs Select Committee report this week is not one of them.

smallcountry

According to the report, if Scotland votes for independence, it would mean the UK was “a world power in irreversible decline”. Setting aside the question of whether we should expect folk to vote in the interests of geopolitical greatness, does being small mean you’re doomed to be weak? Not at all. The assumption that in geopolitics strength comes from scale is simply not true.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,853 Posts, 1,232,364 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Liz on The Idiot Rodeo: “The NEC is fixed This is why I disagree with having separate groups, women, LBGTQWERTY, BAME, neurodivergent It leads to…Dec 14, 16:39
    • Insider on The Idiot Rodeo: “Please, please post MORE !Dec 14, 16:33
    • 100%Yes on The Idiot Rodeo: “The SNP has spent 90yrs fighting for Independence and replaced it with trans rights. Just take a look at what…Dec 14, 16:15
    • 100%Yes on The Idiot Rodeo: “The tickets to the Idiot Rodeo Championship go on sale on Thursday 7 May 2026, it’ll be worth watching.Dec 14, 16:07
    • 100%Yes on The Idiot Rodeo: “But it was posted in the Sunday mail it has to be true! If the SNP had shown as much…Dec 14, 16:02
    • Sven on The Idiot Rodeo: “Alison @ 14.50. Jig away, Alison, as far as I’m concerned SNP and Scottish Independence are a contradiction in terms.Dec 14, 15:26
    • James on How Far To Go, How Far: “22% turnout. Some ‘victory’. Dinnae pish yer breeks too soon, Yoons.Dec 14, 15:01
    • Alison on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m so fed up with this constant obfuscation & prevarication. This issue will bury the SNP & when it does,…Dec 14, 14:50
    • Stuart MacKay on The Idiot Rodeo: “> half-witted cowboys There you go again. Discriminating against horses based just on their appearance. The piece from Out For…Dec 14, 14:50
    • Young Lochinvar on The Idiot Rodeo: “Yippee kayae! Holyrood; full of steers and queers. SNPs National Council? I don’t see any horns there so I guess…Dec 14, 14:50
    • shug on The Idiot Rodeo: “It looks like the UK gov is holding back on their guidance to let the Scottish Gov make a complete…Dec 14, 14:43
    • Marie on The Idiot Rodeo: “I’m so glad that even as a bitterly disappointed “Yes” voter I still decided NOT to give the repugnant SNP…Dec 14, 14:42
    • Billy Carlin on The Idiot Rodeo: “Hi Stu They have got to keep their agenda going while keeping people steered away from what is really going…Dec 14, 14:42
    • Ronnie on The Idiot Rodeo: “This is getting ridiculous.Dec 14, 14:42
    • Effijy on The Idiot Rodeo: “Now if I ran a political party and the most popular political web site called me a liar I would…Dec 14, 14:35
    • Young Lochinvar on How Far To Go, How Far: “Will LGBT YOOF Scotland be included in the grooming gangs probe? Add in the train activists demonstrating so that they…Dec 14, 13:49
    • Hatey McHateface on How Far To Go, How Far: “Please first clarify signed by who. Or should that be whom? £40 is a fair price, though. Elvis charged me…Dec 14, 13:32
    • Cynicus on How Far To Go, How Far: “You can get 16 /1to 17 /1 against 0-0 online It might be worth a punt at such long odds.…Dec 14, 13:07
    • Mark Beggan on How Far To Go, How Far: “Hero worship is a male pursuit. Stalking is against the law now Hatey. I can get you a signed photo…Dec 14, 13:02
    • Hatey McHateface on How Far To Go, How Far: “Sandy Peggie is brave, committed, a nurse, a household name, and a popular Scottish champion for common sense and against…Dec 14, 12:15
    • Hatey McHateface on How Far To Go, How Far: “@Lorncal Thanks for your reply. Purely to be mischievous, and not because I want a rammie, I’m going to point…Dec 14, 12:08
    • James Cheyne on How Far To Go, How Far: “Sven, Thank you, Indeed been a long road, for quite A while, and you are right to state it would…Dec 14, 12:02
    • Geoff Anderson on How Far To Go, How Far: “https://x.com/ForWomenScot/status/2000165676158521801?s=20Dec 14, 11:58
    • Northcode on How Far To Go, How Far: ““Sitting at home, greeting and whining, eternally calling for somebody else that isn’t them to do something.” Well… it works…Dec 14, 11:53
    • Geoff Anderson on How Far To Go, How Far: “https://www.thetimes.com/article/608d90b4-6587-4f44-b942-e82bc49fa071?shareToken=5ced42e537780e7f15138ba275944069Dec 14, 11:44
    • Bilbo on How Far To Go, How Far: “I see that Moinbot has published an article in the Guardian the other day concerning immigration. I’m not linking it…Dec 14, 11:37
    • Hatey McHateface on How Far To Go, How Far: “It’s the work of literally seconds to discover that public spending per head in Scotland exceeds that in England and…Dec 14, 11:22
    • aLurker on How Far To Go, How Far: “I visit here a lot less often than I used to, but nevertheless I have appreciated your contributions greatly over…Dec 14, 10:31
    • Northcode on How Far To Go, How Far: “Alf Baird posted an excellent (I think so, anyway… and that’s all that really matters) comment yesterday. I feel it’s…Dec 14, 10:12
    • diabloandco on How Far To Go, How Far: “Moi aussi Madame Cheyne!Dec 14, 09:10
  • A tall tale



↑ Top