Are you ‘a true Scot’

What does the term ‘a true Scot’ really mean?

Wikipedia would have you believe it’s all about what the men wear under their kilt.  It’s a bit of a laugh but there’s more to us than that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Scotsman

Elsewhere, the term is used in much the same way as similar terms referring to other countries. 
“A true Scot believes…”
“A true Scot would never…”
“Only a true Scot…”

The term defines them and us.  We are right and they are wrong, and whichever side the user of the phrase represents in any argument or debate, it must be the only valid point of view.

We’re not all like that.

There is the ‘ethnic’ Scots who can trace their clan back hundreds of years. An extended family, usually with a few skeletons if you look deep enough, many clans have global associations and members all round the world, all proud of their heritage and history.

Some are newly arrived, some many generations ago, many others have come from other countries, other continents and have settled in Scotland and call it home.

We’re all the same in that respect.

We have a ‘constitutional divide’.  We voted on leaving the UK in 2014 and the majority (55%) voted to stay in what was the highest turnout of any vote in the UK since women won the right to vote in the UK.
Some people on both sides of the debate are still arguing the point.

A lot of us are like that!

This place is about all of us, all as true a Scot as each other, whatever that means to us.
I choose to define the term to mean someone who wants the best for their country – whatever they think ‘the best’ means.

For me, I’ve decided to participate by helping to hold our politicians to account. This starts at the Scottish Parliament level but there’s work to be done at all levels and in all parties.