Daring to Be Free

Freedom is knocking at the doors of three countries that, for centuries, were subjugated by force and against their will—Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

Within a cocoon fashioned by the subtle craft of the English monarchy, the United Kingdom endured for a long time, amid recurring troubles and uprisings in the occupied territories.

Who does not remember William Wallace, the Scotsman who went to war against King Edward I of England, portrayed in the 1995 film Braveheart, directed, produced, and starring Mel Gibson?

On the island of Ireland, the Irish resisted English occupation. The English resettled thousands of English Protestant citizens on the island, aggravating tensions between Catholic Ireland and these Protestant immigrants.

Only in the early 1920s did England withdraw to the north, leaving 84 percent of the island to the Catholics. Dissatisfied with the continued occupation of the north, they proclaimed their independence, becoming the internationally recognized Republic of Ireland. The English began calling the occupied northern territory Northern Ireland, although it was not recognized by the rest of the world. England nevertheless incorporated it into the English Crown.

Now, for the first time, we have parties committed to sovereignty in the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. They have met and agreed to advance their aspirations to become nations independent of the United Kingdom. A few historical notes:

On January 21, 1919, the first meeting of Dáil Éireann—the Irish parliament—took place in Dublin, where the Irish Declaration of Independence was adopted.

“[…] We, the elected representatives of the people of Ireland, assembled in the National Parliament, hereby ratify, as does the entire Irish nation, the establishment of the Republic of Ireland; and we, together with the people, pledge to give effect to this declaration by every means necessary.”

— Ratification of the Proclamation of the Republic, 1919

“We solemnly declare that foreign [English] government in Ireland is an infringement of our international rights, which we shall not tolerate, and we demand the evacuation of all English garrisons from our country…”

“…Whereas, for seven hundred years, the Irish people have never ceased to repudiate, and have repeatedly protested by force of arms against, foreign usurpation.”

— Declaration of the “700 Years,” 1919

“We demand national independence, together with the recognition and support of every free nation in the world, and proclaim that independence is a condition of lasting peace…”

Beginning in 1921, London started to yield, until recognition by other nations in the 1930s ultimately conferred legitimacy upon the Republic of Ireland. England, however, did not withdraw from the remaining 16 percent of Irish territory in the north—today’s Northern Ireland—considered territory annexed by the United Kingdom and moving ever closer to reunification with the republic.

The nationalist leaders of Plaid Cymru—the Party of Wales—Sinn Féin, the Northern Irish party, and the SNP—the Scottish National Party—all of whom seek their countries’ departure from the United Kingdom, signed an agreement declaring that “no United Kingdom government has the right to block democracy.”

In light of Portugal’s persistently distant treatment over the course of six hundred years, the prospect of the United Kingdom’s dissolution makes this discussion particularly pertinent. The independence of the Atlantic island territories under Portuguese “sovereignty”—the Azores and Madeira—will be judged through the lens of contemporary international political thought, alongside international law. The constitutional prohibition of political parties and regional referendums helps demonstrate that this make-believe autonomy increasingly fails to satisfy these island citizens. Portugal cannot continue to seek the best of both worlds: to be a signatory to the United Nations Charter of Human Rights while simultaneously restricting democratic freedoms within its own country.

José Soares is a columnist for several newspapers and magazines in the Azores and in the Azorean Diaspora in North America.