Despite repeated warnings all over our media that Coronavirus will be in Scotland in ‘the coming days’ it’s still not here, 12 days later. Tempting fate, I know, but this reminds me of the Great Plague of 1665-1667 when Scottish Government action seems to have been effective:
‘The Great Plague of 1665-1667 did not reach Scotland. To a large extent, this was due to the preventive measures put into place by the Scottish government. The Privy Council passed a series of acts which forbid trade with countries affected by the plague, in particular England and the Netherlands. Even after the disease had dwindled there, further acts imposed a forty-day quarantine on goods imported from these places. Economically, such an interruption of trade was very disruptive, not least since England and the Netherlands were two of Scotland’s main trading partners.’
https://digital.nls.uk/learning/scots-plague-buik/plague-in-scotland/
Even before the Johnson Revolution gets into full swing with NHS privatisation and a toxic food chain including US chlorinated-chicken and Chinese ‘What-the-fuck is that?’, we’ve had indicators of the benefits which a hard border might bring. We were lucky that the Norovirus and listeria sandwiches outbreaks in English hospitals did not make it here and, as far as I know, the measles outbreaks in the South due to reduced uptake of MMR, stayed there. Equally worrying, the County Lines Gangs plague spread into some Scottish towns in the North-East but it seems to have been contained by Police Scotland, in recent months.
However, we cannot rest on our laurels. Constant vigilance is required and a hard border seems worth serious consideration.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Aye that might be worthy of more thought John, if could apply to more than viruses.
I do not often post, but I do read your articles, thanks for all your hard work on Scotland’s behalf.
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Thanks. Good to know it’s read.
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You can sense in BBC Scotland news bulletins that they are just ‘willing’ for someone in Scotland to be affected by Covid-19, as it is now officially known. Since the Chief Medical Officer said that it was ‘likely’ there would be a case, if we do not get one, I am sure BBC Scotland will be demanding her resignation, since she has lost the trust of BBC hacks.
This reminds me of the H5N1 flu virus a few years back. The main vector of this was migrating birds, since it affected birds, too. (it was also known as ‘Avian Flu’, a cynical sub-editor pun drawing comparison with ‘Asian Flu’) When a dead swan was found in the harbour at Cellardyke in Fife, the BBC mounted an operation which rivalled the Normandy invasion in logistics and personnel. Yes the swan was dead and had probably had died of some respiratory infection, but no-one in Scotland was infected – PURE BASTURTS THAE SCOTS!
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A hard border is essential for a small country with a big neighbour .
There are many benefits to a hard border some of them you mention but others are important too illegal trade and drugs , crime and of course people all things we want to know about coming into Scotland .
It saves a lot of money if you do checks at your border rather than chasing Unknown’s at a later date.
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A hard border between us and England is inevitable over their determination to part company with Europe.
It would also encourage the resurrection of historic direct links with the continent for our trade and cement the idea that we are no longer dependent on England.
All in all,probably a good idea.
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At last! Support for a hard border – if required. An opportunity here for me share my grand ideas:
1. A large infrastructure project – excellent for boosting the economy. Please remember all of today’s news, the news that was trying to avoid mentioning Gove’s dire warnings of huge import/export costs and bureaucracy, telling us how fabulous Boris’ projects are because large infrastructure projects boost the economy – they do. It increases jobs and pay – so increases earnings taxes back. If you make it a worthwhile project, you (as a government) should get much more back than that. So, when the news services try to do down the idea of a hard border, saying we can’t afford it, and that its pie in the sky – remember HS2, remember the long bridge over ammunition dumps, and remember how keen they were to promote those.
2. A worthwhile infrastructure project: a border need not just be about border checks and grim huts in the middle of nowhere with miserable customs officers and border guards. Main border check areas can be made into places people want to visit, and places haulage drivers plan to stay over – pleasant leafy parking for vehicles, large clean comfortable hostel accommodation and cafes for lorry drivers and easier checks because they’ve stopped anyway, hotels and shops for visitors and locals. Build lakes, fountains, sculptures or whatever to attract visitors. Also pleasant environment for the border guard customs team to work and live in.
3. It’ll boost Dumfries and Borders local economies – install better transport links, trains, maybe trams – and it’ll create local jobs, and in turn boost taxes paid back to government.
4. This is my new idea, but I’m not sure if it’s a bit grim – I was thinking if there could be a theme, and you could create a border tour (serviced by a shiny new team service, improving transport for locals, as well as tourists) from Berwick upon Tweed to Gretna – my theme idea is having bits of other countries’ old borders – a kind of history tour – install bits of donated European borders from different eras (would be the most,,, ironic 🙂 ), or from parts of the British empire. Reproductions would do, rather than a real bits of border if none are available.
It’s a winner – a big investment that will create huge returns. And happy customs officers.
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*tram* service on the border tour. And I totally forgot about the quarantine areas!
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Some elements of the Ukanian elite are daring to utter the unutterable – see Simon Fraser (former Head of FCO) commenting on developments in Scotland and Ireland to RTE. Strangely his observations don’t seem to be carried by beeb Scotland as yet. Link and snippet below:
https://www.rt.com/uk/480595-ireland-scotland-brexit-unity/
Uncertainty around Brexit has put Irish reunification and Scottish independence back “on the table,” the former head of the British Foreign Office and Diplomatic Service has admitted.
Speaking to Ireland’s RTÉ Radio One, Simon Fraser, who was a chief adviser to former foreign secretaries William Hague and Philip Hammond, said the UK’s decision to bow out of the EU complicates the future of the union.
“Brexit does complicate, in my view, the future status of both Scotland and Northern Ireland, if you look at it from the British aspect,” he said, adding that the questions of Irish unity and Scottish independence “are definitely on the table,” but only time will tell “how things evolve.”
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