By Willie Drennan
“The
man o' independent mind – he looks and laughs at aa that”.
The
genius of Scotland's immortal bard has appealed to many folks for
many different reasons. He had an exceptional ability to deeply
understand humanity and to express his observations through his
advanced skills in verbal and written communication. He was able to
reach people from a wide range of social, political, religious and
philosophical backgrounds.
Hardly
surprising then that people with contrasting views and ethics seek to
embrace him as one of their own. I'm afraid I'm no different. I will
stick my neck out and say with absolute conviction that if Mr Burns
was alive today that he would be no devotee of the EU and would have
voted to escape from the control of that regime in the 2016 EU
Referendum. There. I said it. And I await,in eager anticipation, an
onslaught of challenge and abuse from an assortment of pro-EU
Establishment academics and other non-academic EU devotees.
Where
to begin my explanation for such a claim? Best to look at what the
Leave vote of 2016 was all about. It was primarily about
sovereignty, democracy and liberty. All other aspects of the Leave
vote: economy, trade, patriotism, immigration etc were related to,
but secondary to, the desire for sovereignty, democracy and liberty.
These values and aspirations were also at the very core of what
ignited the poetic fire of the 18th Century bard.
Burns
was a patriot: a Scottish and a British patriot: but not at any cost,
and just as important, he was an internationalist who advocated for
the Rights of Man, and the Rights of Woman, the world o'er.
“ The
let us pray that come it may that man tae man the warld o'er shall
brithers be for aa that.”
He
had supported the ideals of the French and American Revolutions of
his lifetime where he challenged regimes of those nations that
restricted the democratic rights, sovereignty and liberty of the
people.
His
'Ode for General Washington's Birthday', 'Tree of Liberty', 'A Man's
A Man' and his 'Rights of Woman' are among his finest works that
demonstrate his cosmopolitan outlook and his advocating for universal
liberty.
If
alive today Burns, I believe, he would deeply distrust an undemocratic European
Union as it endeavours to become an authoritarian superstate: a wee insular political enclave that would jar with his worldview. He
certainly would not have wanted Scotland and the rest of the United
Kingdom to be part of it.
“Be
Britons still to Britain true, among oorsels united. For never but by
British hands must British wrangs be righted.”
Instead
he would have championed the cause of the people of Europe, as well
as the people of Britain, in their quest for democracy, sovereignty
and liberty.
“But
while we sing God Save The King, we'll ne'er forget the people.”
He
would,no doubt, have addressed today's 'Rigidly Righteous and the Unco
Guid': those who are campaigning for a so-called 'People's Vote' -
those political elites who call for a 2nd referendum
before the result of the 1st referendum has been implemented: just
because they didn't like the result of the first one.
Rabbie
was very much into respecting the rights of “The People” and fervently
challenged and ridiculed those who didn't. This issue would have
exercised him more than the referendum vote itself. His logical
thinking would have despaired at this assault on democracy, liberty
and the “Rights of Man”. The current situation would compare
with the French and American Revolutions of his lifetime where "the
People" challenged the ruling political elites and their abuse of
power. Only this time round there would be the added twist that it
would now be the elite political establishment of his own country
abusing their power over the people of his own country.
“ While
we sing God Save the King we'll ne'r forget The People.
These
virtue signalling elitists would have been the “rigidly righteous
Holy Willie's” of his era. Some of his most celebrated 18th
Century works were inspired by such issues.
“ O
wud some power the Giftie gie us tae see oorsels as ithers see us.”
They
would also have represented the political elite of his time whom he
addressed with such lines as: “ Ye see yon birkie ca'd a lord wha
struts an stares and aa that - tho hunners worship at his word, he's
but a cuif for aa that. The man o independent mind, he looks and
laughs at aa that”.
Those
who do not understand Burns think he was inconsistent in his values:
a mere opportunist in pursuit of personal monetary gain. Nothing could be
further from the truth. He was faithful and loyal to his kirk and
state: but not at any cost. He was a Presbyterian who challenged the
hypocrisy of elements of the hierarchy of the kirk. He was a democrat
who supported the rule of law and the authority of the democratically
elected government while openly challenging aspects of the system. He
did not blindly bow in devotion to the establishment: he queried and
challenged the status quo. He had a keen interest in the politics of
his time but was not a member of a political party.
“While
we sing God Save the King, we'll ne'er forget the people.”
[This
line is worth repeating. It is from his song, 'Does Haughty Gaul
Invasion Threat,' written when he was a part-time soldier with the
Dumfries Volunteers]
In
Burns' time some people could just not understand that he was an
independent free-thinker who was genuinely open-minded and that his
support for any cause came with conditions..
His
assault on the Scottish elite who he reckoned were bought and sold
for English gold in in the early 18th Century would
surely have been directed at the Scottish, British and Irish
political elites of the early 21st Century who are being
bought and sold for Brussels gold.
In
January 2019 people from a wide range of backgrounds will gather
across the world to celebrate the bard: the man and his works. They
will include loyalists, republicans, monarchists, Jacobites,
Williamites, nationalists, internationalists, unionists, liberals,
democrats, conservatives, communists, socialists, capitalists,
Presbyterians, humanitarians, Freemasons, farmers, civil servants,
entrepreneurs, soldiers and peace makers. They will each focus on
what Rabbie Burns means to them. And that is all good because Burns
did have the uncanny ability to connect with all those types of
people on some level.
It
is difficult for many to get their heads around this and at the same
time understand that he was a man of clarity who steadfastly stood
for his principles.
What
is interesting about all of those types of people, listed above, is
that among their kind their were many who would have voted Leave in
the EU Referendum of 2016, as well as many who voted Remain. So no
conflict here in my rationale that a Rabbie Burns in 2019 would be a
fervent supporter of democracy: demanding that the democratic will of
the people should be respected.
Burns
was also NOT many things. He was a not a sycophant who could be
“bought and sold for English gold” (or Brussels or Berlin gold )
and while he was “naebody's lord” he would be “slave tae
naebody”. He was a “man o independent mind who looks and laughs
at aa that”.
On
January 25th 2019 I will slowly sip and savour every
precious droplet of a wee dram in memory of the immortal bard for his
260th birthday. On March 29th 2019, assuming we
do get to Leave the EU for real, I will slowly sip and savour each
precious droplet of another wee dram and cheer the spirit of Robert
Burns once again.
cgcgc
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