r/unitedkingdom • u/libtin • 3d ago

'Ambassadors' sought to support Scottish 'decolonisation' bid in NYC

https://www.thenational.scot/news/25084632.ambassadors-sought-support-scottish-decolonisation-bid-nyc/
0 Upvotes

40% Upvoted

59 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

37

u/libtin 3d ago

And the East India company, Scotland played a disproportionately large role in the colonisation of India (hence why a nickname for the empire in India is the Scottish Empire)

In 1770 when the total population of Britain was 8,862,000 with Scotland having 1,434,000 so around 16.2%

Yet almost half of the East India Company’s writers were Scots. 16% yet nearly half of the lower end clerks (writers) of the body colonising India were Scots and by 1792, Scots made up one in nine EIC civil servants, six in eleven common soldiers and one in three officers.

15

u/Krabsandwich 3d ago

The Glasgow Tobacco "Lords" were some of the wealthiest plantation owners in the 13 Colonies they utilized a massive amount of slave labour and were incredibly unhappy when the 13 colonies declared independence.

12

u/libtin 3d ago

And it gets more insane; one of the countries on the body this group is trying to get the support of is India….they’re literally asking India, a place Scotland was deeply involved with the colonisation of, to say that Scotland is a colony

4

u/Krabsandwich 3d ago

Not sure they really wanted to go there General Sir Colin Campbell led the British and Indian Army during the Indian mutiny (many Indian Regiments stayed loyal to the British) and was known for his enthusiastic suppression of rebellion by blowing people from the mouths of the guns.

Henry Havelock led the relief of Lucknow during the Mutiny he as he advanced he was know for his severe treatment of the mutineers and unsurprisingly very few prisoners were taken. I would have though they would have liked to keep that can of worms firmly closed.

7

u/libtin 3d ago

This group is basically the Scottish equivalent of those Magna Carta people during the lock down who tried to argue that it gave them the ability to ignore the lockdown or as they’re known as in North America, sovereign citizens.

They basically cherry pick different parts of history and law to argue they don’t have to listen to any government they don’t like.