Money is the Root of all Evil

Argument is in the air: the succession of storms battering the British Isles resurrects debate over the whys and wherefores of climate change; the Sochi Winter Olympics bring sport into the domain of international politicking; and the impending referendum on Scottish independence prompts rational argument over the pros and cons sub-fused with the irrationality of nationalistic sentiment. I could go on but these examples will suffice to make the point that arguments often fail to get to the root cause of disagreement: profit.

It was on Saturday afternoon, while an old friend and I were watching England beat Scotland in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament, that these and other controversies bubbled to the surface of my consciousness. Our conversation had turned towards the friendly rivalries between rugby fans as compared with the uglier behaviour of football fans. Whatever the cause of such difference, in my friend’s eyes the sport of football is damned by association, which is a failure to accept that football has long since transcended the concept of sport to become a global entertainment industry. As such it is manipulated to maximise profit by playing to the emotional behaviour of its customers. The old-fashioned idea of sportsmanship – if it ever really existed - is lost in the process. Sport is business and whatever means can be justified to boost ticket sales will be employed. Rugby is no exception – it just has a different audience.

In any case we were glad to be watching on TV while a gale blew against the windows demanding we pay attention to the unusually extreme weather. With the balance of scientific evidence showing that climate change is exacerbated by the activities of human industry, denialists are now clearly exposed as those with vested interests – such as the CEOs of carbon-emitting industries – who are committed to maintaining the share values of their companies, come drought or flood.

 Meanwhile in Sochi, where snow had to be imported, the sporting events themselves seem simply to serve as background entertainment for a display of nationalistic power and prestige designed to impress the world. Putin seems determined to be seen as a generous party host - and lavish parties cost money. The expense of this one is so vast that he has “persuaded” several of Russia’s fabulously wealthy oligarchs to chip in and pay for some of the infrastructure projects - with the promise of future returns on their investments - even though any oligarch worth his roubles must know that lavish parties don’t make money.

Closer to home the arguments about Scottish independence are also boiling down to money. Anti-independence politicians are currently relying on their killer blow - the denial of Sterling to an independent Scotland - to swing the argument. And given that the E.U. has failed to make currency union work without correlated political union, their case is convincing. As yet there is a swell of populist nationalistic sentiment which just might be strong enough to prevail in favour of independence regardless of the stark reality of Scotland’s un-viable banks. But bearing in mind that the motivation behind the 1707 Union was a financial bail-out of Scotland by England (according to R. Burns, “We’re bought and sold for English gold”) Scots might be persuaded to vote with their wallets once more.

I am confident that cash is king and that Unionists will win the day – in which case it would only be polite to re-brand the Bank of England as the Bank of the United Kingdom so as not to rub English salt into Scottish wounds. In the unlikely event, however, of the Scots becoming our international, impoverished neighbours maybe we could let them win at rugby now and then – just for old times’ sake.