Comments are a riot. Aye Scotland played a willing and active role in the British Empire – no, ordinary Scots and many nobles didn’t want a Union
Ummmm Highland Clearances anyone? I guess sweeping the ethnic cleansing of the Highlanders is convenient for you yeah?
This thread will bring them out the woodwork but i rarely see scottish people claim they were the victims of the empire, its usually dumb fucks from outside the UK that think “british” = “english” therefore british empire = english empire so think it was only the english that colonised
Half of the British colonists operating in Jamaica were from Scotland in the late 1700s.
Though making up 10% of the United Kingdom’s population, they made up around a third of British slave traders.
We also had a go at Canada, Nova Scotia (New Scotland) which didn’t go well.
There is a substantial population of Jamaicans with Scottish ancestry.
A friend who worked in the oil exploration industry was once on a project in the Caribbean, which had a lot of local workers, and my friend said it was a bit of an experience, talking to guys that “looked exactly like the Kilwinning young team”, but spoke with Jamaican accents.
Ehhh it’s become a bit of a weird Reddit thing to claim that Scots deny their role in the empire and that we were actually worse than the devil itself. Neither is really true.
I don’t know many young Scots that would claim our country wasn’t part of imperialism. The country very much was. The Gaels, it can be argued, were victims of oppression and ethnic cleaning, but not the whole of Scotland.
We’ve got a Jamaica Street, and the Kingston Bridge in Glesga, ffs!
I agree, we should spend more time examining the crimes of Empire
It was completely glossed over when I was at school. We did learn about the clearances though.
Mostly bad. A lot of people thinking only one thing and believing that that covers the entirety of the issue.
Also (seperate from the first point but in the same comment section) one guy claimed that Scotland colonised England which is just incredible.
I hate the idea that Scotland was dragged along with England during their colonial crimes rather than active participants in it.
Visited the Fort George military museum a while ago and it really (unintentionally?) acts as a reminder that us scots often were at the sharp end of the British empire. Really applied our talents to subjugation, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Highly recommend a visit but just be aware its pretty frank about some fairly violent history.
I remember watching athletics where several of the Jamaican athletes had Scottish surnames and Gaby Roslin made a comment how there was no British interest but there must be Scottish blood in there somewhere. Cue awkward silence from Michael Johnson.
I think that every country suffered under the brittish empire *except* the rich people in each country running it. Even in england, the centre of the empire, you had nobles and kings living in castles meanwhile some people had to bake bread out of beans because they couldn’t afford flour.
No country and no nation is guilt free of treating other nations, nationalities and races badly.
who gaf
Scotland was balls deep in empire we took to it with relish. We attempted our own colony in Panama , didn’t go so well so act of union came along and we feasted of the UK empire
I was under the impression the Act of Union only happened because Scotland tried to become a trading Empire with the Darien Scheme. Which failed, like most Scottish trips abroad they blew through a lot of cash and fell fowl of the Tropical Climate.
So Scotland bankrupted itself and England offered an olive branch (Act of Union) and cleared the debt.
19 comments
Comments are a riot. Aye Scotland played a willing and active role in the British Empire – no, ordinary Scots and many nobles didn’t want a Union
Ummmm Highland Clearances anyone? I guess sweeping the ethnic cleansing of the Highlanders is convenient for you yeah?
This thread will bring them out the woodwork but i rarely see scottish people claim they were the victims of the empire, its usually dumb fucks from outside the UK that think “british” = “english” therefore british empire = english empire so think it was only the english that colonised
Half of the British colonists operating in Jamaica were from Scotland in the late 1700s.
Though making up 10% of the United Kingdom’s population, they made up around a third of British slave traders.
We also had a go at Canada, Nova Scotia (New Scotland) which didn’t go well.
There is a substantial population of Jamaicans with Scottish ancestry.
A friend who worked in the oil exploration industry was once on a project in the Caribbean, which had a lot of local workers, and my friend said it was a bit of an experience, talking to guys that “looked exactly like the Kilwinning young team”, but spoke with Jamaican accents.
Ehhh it’s become a bit of a weird Reddit thing to claim that Scots deny their role in the empire and that we were actually worse than the devil itself. Neither is really true.
I don’t know many young Scots that would claim our country wasn’t part of imperialism. The country very much was. The Gaels, it can be argued, were victims of oppression and ethnic cleaning, but not the whole of Scotland.
We’ve got a Jamaica Street, and the Kingston Bridge in Glesga, ffs!
I agree, we should spend more time examining the crimes of Empire
It was completely glossed over when I was at school. We did learn about the clearances though.
Mostly bad. A lot of people thinking only one thing and believing that that covers the entirety of the issue.
Also (seperate from the first point but in the same comment section) one guy claimed that Scotland colonised England which is just incredible.
I hate the idea that Scotland was dragged along with England during their colonial crimes rather than active participants in it.
Visited the Fort George military museum a while ago and it really (unintentionally?) acts as a reminder that us scots often were at the sharp end of the British empire. Really applied our talents to subjugation, especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Highly recommend a visit but just be aware its pretty frank about some fairly violent history.
I remember watching athletics where several of the Jamaican athletes had Scottish surnames and Gaby Roslin made a comment how there was no British interest but there must be Scottish blood in there somewhere. Cue awkward silence from Michael Johnson.
I think that every country suffered under the brittish empire *except* the rich people in each country running it. Even in england, the centre of the empire, you had nobles and kings living in castles meanwhile some people had to bake bread out of beans because they couldn’t afford flour.
No country and no nation is guilt free of treating other nations, nationalities and races badly.
who gaf
Scotland was balls deep in empire we took to it with relish. We attempted our own colony in Panama , didn’t go so well so act of union came along and we feasted of the UK empire
I was under the impression the Act of Union only happened because Scotland tried to become a trading Empire with the Darien Scheme. Which failed, like most Scottish trips abroad they blew through a lot of cash and fell fowl of the Tropical Climate.
So Scotland bankrupted itself and England offered an olive branch (Act of Union) and cleared the debt.
Bay of Caledonia and Puerto Escoces
[https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bay+of+Caledonia/@8.835177,-77.6505423,15z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x8fa61583c8be2be3:0x79eee04d1fa59bcf!2sPanama!3b1!8m2!3d8.537981!4d-80.782127!16zL20vMDVxeDE!3m5!1s0x8e5148cfd39b1def:0xb25973d39dc2da90!8m2!3d8.8395054!4d-77.6448092!16s%2Fg%2F11c59y7tgc?entry=ttu](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Bay+of+Caledonia/@8.835177,-77.6505423,15z/data=!4m15!1m8!3m7!1s0x8fa61583c8be2be3:0x79eee04d1fa59bcf!2sPanama!3b1!8m2!3d8.537981!4d-80.782127!16zL20vMDVxeDE!3m5!1s0x8e5148cfd39b1def:0xb25973d39dc2da90!8m2!3d8.8395054!4d-77.6448092!16s%2Fg%2F11c59y7tgc?entry=ttu)
Guessing no one ever read Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.