| View previous topic :: View next topic |
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
 |
|
| Nicola Sturgeon in conversation at the Fringe wrote: | "So, this might surprise people, but do you know I consider myself British as well as Scottish. British is an identity that comes from being part of the British Isles. An independent Scotland will still be part of the British Isles. People talk about independence sometimes as if we’re going to cut ourselves off and float away up into the North Sea.
"We’ll still be part of the British Isles. An independent Scotland would still be part of the British–Irish Council that I go to right now as First Minister. Identity is a complex thing. Many people live in Scotland, are as Scottish as I am, but will have a very proud Pakistani or Indian or African identity. |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
| Identity is a complex thing |
This might be the case, but resolving the issue by allowing people to self identify doesn't appear to Wiley to be the simple and neat solution that Nicola and others like Hamza believe.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
The southern half of Ireland is also part of the British Isles, Nicola, do they identify as 'British'? We considered ourselves 'European' for fifty years, it has taken a surprisingly short time for this to fade away to next-to-nothing, even among Remoaners.
As you say, identity is a complex thing. You can't predict how you yourself will feel should things change in the future so best not to second guess how others will react when half of them didn't want to change in the first place.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Grant
|
|
|
|
|
But our country only functioned so successfully because we instinctively realised that we were all related to each other. True nations are essentially large families. When you allow people outside the family to assume important positions it all starts to break up
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
I am not denying this is an important factor, probably the most important factor, in nation states founded on a single language within a single set of borders. But the USA broke both moulds and was highly successful. As for 'allowing outsiders to assume important positions' being detrimental, this strikes me as highly doubtful.
In the first place it isn't a question of 'allowing' -- if they are a foreign dynasty or an invading army, you won't have much choice. But even when it is strictly home-grown, who 'allowed', in this context, Hamza Yousaf, Sadiq Kahn and Rishi Sunak to attain power? It's how the chips fell.
And you'd have to provide some sort of cost benefit analysis to show importing talent is 'unsuccessful'. You can't just wave your hands in the air and say, "'Cos I said so."
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
Today's Quiz
| Kirsty Walk: "The Foreign Secretary criticised the siting of a migrant camp in his Braintree constituency because..." |
A. He was getting flack from other countries about housing migrants in camps
B. He was getting flack from British voters about housing migrants in camps
C. He was getting flak from his constituents about housing migrants in their backyard
Wrong, wrong and wrong. It was because the camp was 'too remote'. Braintree? Essex? Well, yes, he's got a point.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
Fining Governments
| Governments around the world are increasingly being taken to court for breaking their legal climate change obligations. Newsnight. |
"Goddamnit, that means more money from the Exchequer. Cancel that oil field."
"Court fines get paid into the Exchequer."
"Cancel that cancellation."
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
Kirsty: How many people live in Braintree parish?
Parish Chairman: Thirteen hundred.
Kirsty: And how many migrants is the camp planned to hold?
Parish Chairman: Seventeen hundred young single males.
Kirsty: Oh come off it, that's barely one per person. What a nimbyist little creep you are.
Parish Chairman: Not for much longer, sweet'eart, I'm 'aving it away on me toes.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
Kirsty: How many people live in Wigan
Wigan Council: 300,000 or so
Kirsty: And how many migrants is the camp planned to hold?
Wigan: Seventeen hundred young single males.
Kirsty: So you can't take an additional 1700?
Wigan: I am simply saying that the government policy of putting asylum seekers overwhemingly in areas within the North West and North East, is not fair. We have housed more asylum seekers than other parts of Britain.Why can't you put them in an area like Braintree, they have housed none, not one at all.
Kirsty: Oh come off it, they tried to put them there but they are a load of nimbyist little creeps.
Wigan: Well, I am sorry but they can't come to Wigan, we are doing more than our fair share.
Kirsty : Racist little creep.
Wigan: I am sorry but why am I a racist and those from Braintree Nimbyist? .
Kirtsy. Surely nobody actually wants live in Wigan....
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
|
Well, apparently three hundred thousand do. The trouble is three hundred million would like to as well.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
The Big News today was social care. As usual we were told
1. It's not going to be integrated with the NHS (so bed blocking is going to continue for the foreseeable future)
2. It's not getting much in extra funding (so nothing's going to change for the foreseeable future)
3. It's costing everybody an arm and a leg and with demographics the way they are it's going to cost two arms and two legs in the foreseeable future).
So it's time for me to step in. From a lot of personal experience (that's something new) I can tell one and all that the main problem is that it costs north of a thousand pounds a week to keep people in residential care. I can also assure anyone that will listen that
1. A helluva lot of people are sort of on the cusp between being able to live at home and having to be in care.
2. Being on the cusp means they have to go into a home. It's kind of a fact of life because reasonably trivial things things like falling over, leaving the gas on, even being incontinent, makes it so.
3. A thousand pounds a week buys one helluva lot of real pastoral care in your own home. You could pay half that to have someone live in!
4. At the moment it means a twatty teenager popping in twice a week, "You all right, dear? Good. Let me change that for you. See you on Friday."
5. It needn't.
I'll have to go, I think I left the gas on.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
So the police arrest the ex-First Minister's spouse, just one week after the First Minister's last day, and just after the completion of an election for her successor is complete.
| Humza Yousaf has said he is “happy†to be labelled the continuity candidate in the SNP leadership race. |
I guess Humza and the SNP party officers are relieved that the arrest did not take place during the election, maybe Forbes and Regan, " the change" candidates, less so.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
Some of us, Wiley, don't live opposite the Sturgeons' house training our binoculars on their comings and goings. Perhaps you could tell us why he's been arrested, with suitable commentary, because we could have looked it up, I suppose, but we prefer your biased version.
There's noo a loose spoose
Aboot the hoose etc
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
We in England got our first sight of Mr Scotland yesterday when he was being bundled into a Black Maria. What the lovely Nicola ever saw in a Heinrich Himmler-meets-Billy Bunter lookalike cannot be easily answered save to say that getting on in the SNP always requires hard choices.
Mr Sturgeon (he uses an alias in public) seems to have been a criminal of long standing and impressive range, very similar in fact to Alex "Big Al" Salmond, so the Scottish verdict of Not Proven by Dint of SNP Bigwheelmanship may have to be resorted to once again. I wish to emphasise that Ms Sturgeon knew nothing of any of this when she decided to resign because, as she told a hurriedly summoned press conference, it was because "I've left the gas on."
However I need not emphasise that if the SNP vote collapses Labour will win the next (British) general election. This is because the SNP is in the safe hands of 'the continuity candidate'. Alex Salmond to Mr & Mrs Sturgeon to Hamza Yusuf. It's what the Moderator of the Church of Scotland would have called the Apostolic Succession if his church had not outlawed the practice in the sixteenth century.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
According to Police Scotland yesterday | A 58-year-old man has today, Wednesday, 5 April 2023, been arrested as a suspect in connection with the ongoing investigation into the funding and finances of the Scottish National Party. |
Peter Murrell must be presumed innocent, (released without charge to boot), but since 2020, there have been rumours circulating that £600,000 of fundraiser money supposedly ring-fenced for a second independence referendum, had gone missing from SNP accounts. There has been speculation about this, as 3 members of the SNP finance and Audit committe resigned in March 2021 over allegedly been refused access to books. Shortly after that the treasurer resigned. Subsequently Police Scotland have become involved.
The ongoing police investigation has led to specualtion about the recent resignations of various SNP stalwarts over membership claims, because if you have ten of thousand less members, then your finances will again be impacted, leading to speculation that the accounts again are not what they seem. Is it possible that ringfenced donations specifically given for fighting a second ref, have ended up in other SNP pots? Who knows? Wiley doesnt, his position was that as soon as it became unclear abut real membership numbers and that there was a ongoing police investigation into the books, (main source of income presumably membership fees and donations), they needed to cancel the election, so as to independently verify, real existing paid up members, as anything else would create a future stench over the winner.
The police raids seem somewhat mystifying as it looks as though they are digging up the Ex First Ministers garden covered by a big blue gazebo, maybe they are simply taking out and sorting paper records?
Still surely all SNP accounts would have all be done by computers?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Library Index 
FAQ 
Search
Register
Profile 
Log in to check your private messages 
Log in 
