Scotland really needs to reconcile its history with the Empire. Neither the British nationalist "the empire good actually" nor the Scottish nationalist "Scotland was colonised" myths contend with our place in slavery and colonialism.

My high school was originally founded by an 18th century tobacco and snuff trader who made his wealth from slave labour. It's a state school now but it still bears his name.

Edinburgh's New Town was built with wealth taken from slavery and inhabited by slave owners.

In St Andrews' square we have a giant statue of a tyrannical imperialist who spent much of his time opposing the abolition of the slave trade.

The Gaelic speaking parts of Scotland were certainly oppressed and persecuted. That's the way imperialism has always worked, crush the unruly elements at home while you brutalise subjects abroad.

Thing is, much of all of that was done by Scottish people.