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in J6q: dollars just to have the
same purchasing power, in terms of
today's
40q:
dollar?
A recent U. S. Chamber of Com–
merce report illus'trated the big
headaches ahead.
- $7,200 in wages will have
to
rise to $18,000.
- $3,000 cars will cost $7,500.
- $25,000 bornes - $62,500.
- $4 ,000 college tuition
$lO 000.
- $300 television sets, $750.
- $125 suit of clothes, $312.
- $30 pair of shoes, $75.
At the same rate of inflation, a
family's weekly budget wil l have to
rise as follows:
- Housing, from $56 to $140;
clothing and laundry, from $25 to
$62; and transportation, from $20 to
$50.
Not much to look forward to, is
it?
Rising Tide of
SeparatismThreatens
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom, bereft ofem–
pire and assailed by pressing eco–
nomic, political and social woes,
today faces sti/1 another challenge:
Keeping itself together. Contributing
editor Peter Butler reports on this
development.
London:
Creeping discontent among the
Scottish and Welsh peoples has, in
the past few months, developed into
an unprecedented surge of nation–
alism which is threatening the very
disintegration of the centuries-old
union.
Without Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland, England standing
alone would represent a mere
50,000 square miles - down signifi–
cantly from the United Kingdom's
present 93,000 square-mile area -
and have 10 million fewer people. l t
would represent, in effect, the un–
doing of centuries of conquest and
annexation.
PLAIN TRUTH October-November 1974
BANNER-CARRY/NG
Nationalists march out of Stirling, Scotland for a rally
at Bannockburn, three miles away.
In Scotland, the prodigious dis–
coveries of off-shore oil have added
momentum to the nationalist thrust.
Orearos of an independent nation
fiowing wilh oil and whiskey are
proving an irresistible Jure to in–
creasing numbers of Scots. "Poor
British or Rich Scots?"
is
the cry of
the Scottish Nationalist Party as the
government in London sinks further
and further into an econornic mo–
rass and continues to mortgage off–
shore oil assets. "lt's Scotland's oil,"
proclaim the nationalists, who want
to see an independent Scotland by
1980.
fn Wales, high hopes of potential
oil wealth has given ímpetus to
goals of absolute independence for
members of Plaid Cymru, the Welsh
Nationalist Party. Exploratory drill–
ing in the Celtic Sea is now under–
way.
Another key factor in the current
success of the nationalist move–
ments has been the general malaise
in British politics. In the February
general election seven members of
the Scottish Nationalist Party and
two of Plaid Cymru were returned
to the British parl iament. The en–
suing minority government situation
gave these nine niembers consid–
erable sway. And now, trends in–
dicate a numerical increase in the
"Celtic fringe" at the next election
- doubling or maybe even tripling
their present representation. Mainly
as a result of the growing nationalist
pressure, the mainline Conservative
and Labour Parties have eased their
past stands against more home rule
and have set about dangling the car–
rots of limited self-government be–
fare the Scottish and Welsh
electorales. Such a concept, how–
ever, may not be enough to satisfy
the desires of the nationalists.
Leader of the Conservative Party,
Edward Heath, said of the nation–
alists' aims as early as May 18: " Let
no one be in doubt what their objec–
tives are; the setting of people
against people, the calling up of de–
structive and dangerous forces
which, once called, can lead to the
break-up ofthe United Kingdom."
The politicians are not a lone in
their warning críes. On July 29, Brit–
ain's North West Planning Council
wamed, "The United Kingdom will
be destroyed if it ceases to operate
as a team."
Nevertbeless, nationalists are no
longer in the mood to let England
and the London government stand
in their way. In the words of Plaid
Cymru's chairman Dafydd Wil–
liams: "The idea of Britain is no
longer meaningful.''
O
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