Scotland has voted to stay part of the United Kingdom. This means that they are not stupid, of course. But one and a half million people did vote for Alex Salmond and that is amazing. Beyond amazing actually. Doubtless some people did vote for an independent Scotland, not understanding what was really being offered.
Essentially, at the outset the offering was between status quo and giving power to Alex Salmond. Scotland would be separated from the English parliament certainly, but the idea was that Salmond seized power.
I don't know how many Scots realised that all the Yes campaign talk of the greater social feeling innate to the Scottish could only be delivered through him. Independent Scotland would be immensely wealthy (somehow), with almost free energy, free higher education, prescriptions, buses anything in fact. Hell, everything!
But Salmond isn't a socialist or anything like it. He is a hard nosed Communist and he knows that he mustn't tell you that or even more, most Scots wouldn't give him a second thought. Did not all his talk of a Utopia born of Scotland sound suspiciously like all communist regimes and their promises? Always promises.
But countries like North Korea and Venezuela under Chavez appeal to Salmond not because they are superb places for people to live free, unfettered lives, without the oppression of capitalism, but because of the power that resides with an elite.
Well, for now he is thwarted, but is violence his next option? It usually is for such people.
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