English perspective on Scots

[eFestivals]

as the SNP have been experienced in Government at assembly level, whether that would work in an independent nation I couldn't say.

On the basis that they think relations with other sovereign states should be carried out via threats to the sovereignty of those other sovereign states, I can't see it going very well at all.

Mind you, that might just be the SNP playing politics.

Which actually makes it far worse, because that means they're happy to fuck over the people of Scotland for the purposes of their own power grab.

The SNP have backed themselves into a corner, and whichever corner it is it plays out much worse for the people of Scotland than it could and should do. Trying to win the vote on something of such great importance shouldn't be done with lies, and neither should anyone be so foolish as to believe that the damage done can worked around using only an empty "everyone hates the English, don't they?" PR campaign.

[eFestivals]

given the significantly larger popularity that Labour historically enjoyed in Scotland?

erm .... I think you might want to check the historical election results before making blanket statements about Scotland's history.

[mrtourette]

erm .... I think you might want to check the historical election results before making blanket statements about Scotland's history.

[eFestivals]

Yeah I knew that was going to come back and bite me on the arse. I could have sworn that Labour won considerably more seats than the Conservatives at the last few general elections but my memory isn't great.

Just like the rest of the UK, Scotland votes as each voter sees best for themselves. There is no historical labour voting.

The best thing to show that Scottish votes are made (no differently to anywhere else) on self-interest and that there's little support for independence on the principle of self-determination (less than 20%) is this poll...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-25833692

[kaosmark2]

The country is lovely, as with most of rural UK.

[russycarps]

why would they? It's naff all to do with anything he's specifically done, aside from giving the people of Scotland the chance to vote.

The SNP have existed for nearly 100 years, but it's really only the last 30 years that they've been getting a significant share of the vote. There's lots of reasons for that, but the smallest reason of all appears to be "we want our independence wherever that might lead us".

Edited March 10, 2014 by russycarps

[mrtourette]

While I agree with the rest of what you've said, I find rural UK hideously tamed and fake. The cities may be dirty and grimy, but at least they're a real environment rather than a very English view of what "nature" is.

Edited March 10, 2014 by mrtourette

[mrtourette]

I honestly have no idea how the rest of the uk would react to scotland going independent. The little englanders will be furious.

I think there will be a lot of anger brought about by humiliation (you can see it in this thread, not from you, from others).

No one likes rejection. I wonder if that anger will be directed at cameron for "allowing it to happen", from within the tory party it will be for sure.

The alternative is that the public anger will be directed at scotland. I guess that's most likely.

[russycarps]

Is that really going to be the case? Does anyone really care that much? I have a hard time believeing that most people don't have better things to worry about.

[eFestivals]

I think there would be lots of anger about it, I really do.

It would depend on the terms, I think.

If Scotland were to get its own sovereignty at the expense of some of the rest of the UKs as Salmond thinks is Scotland's right, there's going to be big trouble somewhere.

[kaosmark2]

I dunno, there are some lovely parts of the country. Are you saying that they just aren't as nice as other parts of the world? There's certainly nothing as grand as the Redwood forests of North Califoria, or the Great Lakes or the Amazon, but you can only play the hand you're dealt.

[metallimuse]

I can't speak on behalf of Scotland and while I'm sure that the people who made the comments in this thread said it with the best of intentions the idea that Scotland is just another northern accent and or/county of England is something that really annoys me and others from where I am from.We are not just an extension of England,we are our own country.If you had said "Britain" rather then "England" then that is fair enough but it's this attitude that 'Britain' is infact England that annoys a lot of us.

Case in point,Andy Murray or David Coultard back in the day in the press are "British" until they lose,then they are "plucky Scots".

[russycarps]

Everyone did say uk, or Britain, you drama queen

Scotland is just another part of the uk. Just like England is, just like Wales is, just like Yorkshire is. You aren't any more or any less special than any where else. You're just people surrounded by fields oceans trees mountains etc, just like everyone else.

Fancy obsessing over archaic concepts like country borders in this day and age. And in a tiny island like this too!

[Buff124]

ain't nuttin wrong wit our accent , dope

[feral chile]

Everyone did say uk, or Britain, you drama queen

Scotland is just another part of the uk. Just like England is, just like Wales is, just like Yorkshire is. You aren't any more or any less special than any where else. You're just people surrounded by fields oceans trees mountains etc, just like everyone else.

Fancy obsessing over archaic concepts like country borders in this day and age. And in a tiny island like this too!

[russycarps]

It's completely different from ethnic minorities though. Scots, English, Welsh. We're all the same. There hasn't been any persecution in this country along thoselines for centuries. It's daft to separate ourselves into tiny subsections in this day and age. The UK of all countries should haves moved on from that decades ago. The Scots aren't a minority group that need to huddle together for their own safety unlike other groups.

In this globalised world borders should be being torn down, not built up.

Division and isolation is never a good thing.

Edited March 10, 2014 by russycarps

[feral chile]

It's completely different from ethnic minorities though. Scots, English, Welsh. We're all the same. There hasn't been any persecution in this country along this lines fit centuries. It's daft to separate ourselves into tiny subsections in this day and age. The UK of all countries should haves moved on from that decades ago.

In this globalised world borders should be being torn down, not built up.

Division and isolation is never a good thing.

[mrtourette]

We are not just an extension of England,we are our own country.

[russycarps]

Tell that to the US, India or Australia then. Stupid countries, considering themselves separate from Britain. Hung up on borders!

And why do you think Wales and Scotland are the same as England, if not for the fact that we share the same land mass? It's you failing to recognise diversity by being hung up on geography, rather than respecting cultural differences/

And failure to recognise cultural diversity is a form of discrimination/persecution.

[feral chile]

Not yet you aren't.

[Buff124]

In this globalised world borders should be being torn down, not built up.

[feral chile]

All borders are daft. They are just imaginary lines drawn in the land "we own this mountain" "you own that mountain"

Can't you see the absurdity of that?

[mrtourette]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country

[feral chile]

Oh dear

[russycarps]

...and that is music to the ears of multi-national corporations.

Is globalisation a good thing ? Is McDonaldisation of culture a good thing ? These topics are the subject of a live debate.

What about borders ? Are they always bad ? Ask the Cree nation in Canada, or the Algonquin,, or the Mohawks. The borders of their reservations are important when dealing with oil companies who want to strip the territory of mineral resources.

Edited March 11, 2014 by russycarps