"With half the annual births it had in the 1950s and a population on the brink of falling below five million, Scotland has become a minor member of the axis of extinction: Germany, Japan, Russia - once great nations now recording net population loss. In its general approach to economic reality, not to mention the physical health of its population, Scotland is closer to the Russian end of the picture than to the German-Japanese end.
How did this happen? Almost everywhere you go on the planet, the great institutions of this world were built by Scots, from the Canadian Pacific Railway to the Hong Kong & Shanghai Bank. Where is the spirit of Mel McGibson in Braveheart?
...
But it is all more complicated than that. The modern Scot is prepared to fight - or, at any rate, strike - but only for the right to die in his bed on a government pension. In fact, one of the small signs of the country's woes is the byline of Peter MacMahon's Scotsman story. It is apparently possible to make a career in Scottish journalism as a "Scottish Government Editor", which in itself tells you something about the Scottish state."
Does Mr Steyn know what he is writing about? Has he ever visited Scotland?
1 comment:
Well if you ignore his last snipe at journalists he is pretty much spot.
I know the town from which I come from in the West of Scotland is heavily depandant on the state - from those who are unemployed (and it's a high number in East Ayrshire) to those who work for the state (even more than the previous group). It stifles creativity, innovation and enterprise, despite all the government agencies ment to bolster it - spot the irony.
The only boost has been the recent completion of a motorway which has meant more people can now afford more house than they could in Glasgow and so commute form their new house. That has brought more money to the town but no real jobs or enterprise, yet.
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