Nationality is the condition, or fact, of belonging to a body of people sharing a common descent, culture, history and language. Nationality as used here does not mean citizenship – it means membership of a nation – a community.

Nationality is normally acquired at birth; individuals are normally born into a community. It is the perception of a common ancestry and shared communal experiences that binds a nation together. At the heart of nationality is a feeling of belonging and oneness that marks out a communal boundary. The ‘we’ sentiment is not, as many wish us to believe, evil and deserving of eradication. On the contrary, it is at the heart of any community anywhere in the world, and gives rise to positive communal thoughts and deeds. It is difficult to frame exact rules for determining who is a member of a given nation but a useful guide, which can be used for any nation, is as follows: I am Scottish if I believe that I am Scottish and if I am accepted as being Scottish by the members of that group of people who are commonly recognised as being Scottish. It is a two-way instinctive relationship between individual and community. I could, for example, assert that I am Japanese but if I have physical and cultural characteristics that are not Japanese, as determined by the Japanese, I will not be accepted as part of the Japanese community. No amount of law-making, sulking or haranguing will alter that.

The two-way process of selection for inclusion or exclusion helps provide an answer to the question often thrown at nationalists, “What does it mean [for example] to be English?” The aim of the questioner is to draw out a list of characteristics that identify the English. Those asked are usually stumped for an answer, which is not surprising because the process of inclusion and exclusion is not a conscious one and does not work in the way implied by the question. The English, like all other nations, first see characteristics that exclude people because that is a more efficient way of working when analysing vast amounts of information. Most of the Earth’s population can be quickly excluded from membership of any given nation on the basis of appearance and language. If necessary, other tests of varying degrees of sophistication can be used until we are satisfied that the person is either an insider or an outsider. If the person is accepted as an insider, the instinctive assessment process goes on and makes other judgements about the person, including such things as their social class. At this insider level of assessment, the filtering process can make finer distinctions because we have far more experience of dealing with insiders and can make better use of small amounts of information. For example, if a Russian gives me his home address it will tell me little, if anything, about him because my knowledge of Russia and things Russian is poor. An address in my hometown will tell me far more about the person who lives there.

Nationality is a total experience that starts in the family, which is the smallest community. Children are born into both a family and the wider communities of which that family is part. They are immersed in and soak up like a sponge the language, culture and history of the communities to which they belong. That experience helps mould children and gives them an identity and sense of belonging. They pick up habits of behaviour and thought that are part of what is meant by national character. That character-building process, if that is what it can properly be called, works best when there is cultural immersion and socialisation from a very early age. Once a national identity has been absorbed, it is embedded for life. It shapes values and perceptions in a way that makes it impossible for a member of one nation to completely shake off that identity and take on another. Learning another nation’s customs, history and language is not enough because the new information is laid on old foundations.

The link between kinship, identity and loyalty can be illustrated as follows. An adopted child reared from a baby by loving adopted parents is likely to feel love and affection for those parents. When the child learns of its adoption it will normally want to seek out its biological parents. If they are found, the child is likely to feel an attachment to them that is different from that felt for the adopted parents, who it will probably continue to love as before. This need to know our origins is instinctive and essential to our sense of identity and belonging. It is therefore understandable that when a child learns that its real parents belong to a nation different from the one it has been raised in, it is likely to be drawn to that other nation’s culture, and identify with it. This can cause difficulties that are made worse when differences of race are added to those of nationality. The experience of many children involved in cross-race adoptions is one of confusion in adulthood due to conflicting communal identities and loyalties. Having been immersed in one culture from birth and having had that identity imprinted on them they find it difficult, if not impossible, to feel totally part of another culture to which they are subsequently drawn. They cannot overcome the fact that the first all-important immersion in a communal identity is a one-off experience. In a similar way, children with parents of the same race but different nationality have to deal with conflicting attractions and loyalties. However, the problem is usually not so great for them because they are generally drawn to, and accepted by, at least one of the nations to which they are linked by kinship. A child raised in the national homeland, culture and language of one parent is likely to be drawn to that nation and be accepted by it. However, physical appearance can sometimes play a more important part than upbringing in determining which community a person is drawn to and which community accepts them. If a person’s physical or cultural characteristics differ greatly from the norm for a particular nation, that person is unlikely to seek acceptance in it or to be accepted by it. Liberals feel the need to put a positive slant on these things and suggest that children with parents of different nationality or race have the advantage of two identities and two cultures. But is it really possible to immerse oneself in two cultures, identify with two histories, feel an insider in two communities, and, more difficult still, be accepted as a full member of two communities? The answer is probably, no.

To feel an insider and be accepted as an insider it is usually necessary for a person to be immersed in the culture of that community from birth and to be free of traits that would cause that person to be seen as an outsider. A nation is an extended family and like a family it has a life greater than that of any single member. Nations, like families, are bound together by the bonds of empathy and loyalty that come from a shared identity. Those bonds are not only with the living but also with those who have gone before and those who are yet to come. That link between past, present and future encourages the living members of a national community to protect the memory of earlier generations and safeguard the position of future generations. That sentiment is not something that can be learned or feigned.

Bea Kaye

We are now feeling the result of having a one issue executive at Holyrood with little experience of government. The SNP populist giveaway budgets now mean millions of pounds which could have been available for essential services have been frittered away.
The freezing of council tax alone will cost in excess of £200million next year. If the council tax had been allowed to rise by 3% a year it would of cost on average 75p per week. This money could have been used to maintain education and social services that councils are now cutting.
Abolishing prescription charges and tolls on bridges can hardly be justified at the expense of basic health, education and social services.
The latest SNP proposal to spend millions on a unwanted referendum shows how out of touch Mr Salmond has become, as does the SNP led Aberdeen councils proposal to close three primary schools to save £147,000 per year while in the next breath considering prescribing heroin to the city’s addicts.
The estimated cost of this is approx £15,000 per year per addict. With an estimated addict population of 3,000 in Aberdeen this idiocy would cost approx £4.5million per year.
A lack of common sense and foresight by the ‘independence at any cost’ SNP will see the one issue party become a one term party in 2011 as the people wake up to the reality of these false nationalists.

So today saw the launch of the SNP’s white paper on an independence referendum.
What a complete waste of time, energy and tax payers money this is as it does not even ask the simple question, independence Yes or No.

The reason being because even the blinkered false nationalist party already knows the answer.

Can they seriously argue with more than three decades of broadly similar poll results or hard votes? A hard core of about 20% of Scots wish to go it alone while in a good month for the SNP a little over 40% favour separation. But in the SNP’s entire 75 year history the party has never won more than 33% of the poll in any kind of national election.

Recent polls show that a record 57% of voters resolve to vote no with only 29% in favour of separation which is why the white paper has been designed to gerrymander the referendum by splitting the unionist vote.

By the SNP’s own admission this will cost 9-11 million, the outcome of which is already known to be against independence, what a criminal waste of money when so many are suffering in the midst of a recession.

With their manifesto pledges in tatters due to as they say lack of funds can anyone take this obsession seriously? The people of Scotland deserve better governance than this during an economic crisis, the people must soundly reject the false nationalists at the General Election and send them a clear message at the ballot box, time to go home and think again Alex!

In what can only be described as proof of the complete failure of decades of political correct liberalism, figures released last week show 6,488 crimes had been committed in the north east by youngsters aged between eight and sixteen in the last year!

The list does not make easy reading and includes crimes of rape, attempted murder, indecent assault, carrying knives, public indecency, assault, robbery, vandalism and fire raising.

Sadly this comes as no surprise to British nationalists who have warned about the liberals fixation with rights with no responsibility for years. These youngsters are the children of parents who went through school with no fear of real punishment, the slipper, cane and strap being banished and now the right of parents to smack their own children taken away.

Now we have a second generation with no idea of discipline instilled at a young age. No fear of the police who they view as social workers, no respect for their elders or the community they live in, and in many cases no hope for the future with a life on benefits beckoning.

This is a sad result of decades of misgovernment by the Lib-Lab-Con pact.

It is time for change, a change that only the BNP can deliver. Have you the courage to stand with us? Contact Scotland@bnp.org.uk and find out what you can do to help.

Thursday night saw a successful and productive first meeting for Lothian’s BNP.
The meeting was held at a venue in West Lothian with special guests Charlie Baillie, Glasgow BNP and Walter Hamilton, Lanarkshire BNP. Plus, there were a number of potential new members, as well as two Latvian Nationalists who support our cause; one of whom has spent two years in a Soviet prison due to his own Nationalist beliefs.
The meeting began with organiser Mike Coyle giving an introduction about the new group (with terrible jokes throughout) followed by a discussion of the roles that the group is aiming to fill and targets they hope to achieve.
The group had a positive and engaging discussion about recruitment and fund raising within the Lothian area, with many invaluable contributions from all, followed by a distribution of information of coming events; including a remembrance service for the fallen and a briefing on the 2010 elections. The first task agreed and actions started is that of leaflet distributions and Voice of Freedom sales within West Lothian.

Mr. Baillie then gave an inspirational talk about the upcoming Glasgow by-election, briefing the group on his goals and strategies.
Lothian’s BNP has agreed to contribute as much man-power as possible. It was also announced, with members consent, that Lothian’s BNP will donate 25% of all funds raised to the Glasgow campaign.

Centre stage then went to Mr. Hamilton, who gave invaluable and practical advice on a number of topics, including recruitment, fund raising, leafleting and many other aspects vital to a new group. Mr. Hamilton also contested the trophy for most terrible jokes, of which Mike was happy to concede.

Many thanks to those who attended and also to those who have been in touch, who could not attend.
Special thanks to Mr. Baillie and Mr. Hamilton for their contributions.

In a move to separate Scotland from the Union, the SNP have been delivering a leaflet in Falkirk with the Queen AIRBRUSHED OUT of the photo!

The picture is of Falkirk West MSP Michael Matheson and a bunch of other SNP councillors in Falkirk’s Council Chamber.

But instead of the portraits of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh – which have hung in the council chamber since 1964 – Robert Burns and William Wallace’s portraits have popped up in their place!

Nothing surprising here to people who know that the SNP are intent on ending the Union that has put the great in Great Britain.

Whilst on the subject of the SNP, remember the SNP’s pledge that EVERY child could go swimming for FREE?

The Sports Minister, Shona Robison, said it would be up to individual councils to decide whether swimming should be free.

Another broken pledge? Tut, tut!

There are only two councils who have provided year round free swimming to under 16’s – Inverclyde and Glasgow.

The SNP said that free swimming remained “an ambition”.

An ambition? So that would be putting it in the next election manifesto to sucker the voters into believing that the SNP would actually do something for the Scottish people eh?

The people of Scotland need to wake up to these fake Nationalists and realise that they don’t really care about the people of this country. The SNP are only interested in using past history to stir up patriotism and promote their agenda.

Their agenda?

To shear Scotland off from the rest of Britain

To become a slave nation to the EU

Absolute power over the people and resources

What they should be doing is representing the views of the people who voted for them. But then again, their past record of election promises shows that they are willing to say anything to keep power!