I have been drubbed by English friends for my wishing to see the UK remain as is, and opposing a "Yes" in the referendum re Scotland's independence scheduled for tomorrow. I am, as result, coming to think that a vote on English independence from the UK would be a closely fought thing.
I can see the point that many English folks make about Scottish independence being a disaster for Scotland and possibly a boon, both politically and economically, for England. The most noted point is that the hideous Labour party depends on the Scottish vote. It seems not unreasonable to argue that were Scotland to go "independent" (we'll get back to the reason for the quotation marks) we would not see another Labour government in the remainder of the UK for years to come, if ever (Could, for example, the hideous Democrats in the US survive without California and New York?)
A Scotland-free UK might have a golden opportunity to reverse the lunatic economic and social agenda--including immigration policy--of the Labourites. England, arguably the most consequential country that ever has existed, would be free, potentially, to be England once more.
An independent Scotland would have to take on a goodly portion of the UK national debt or face getting no or only brutally expensive credit on the international market. London also could dump a lot of social entitlement liabilities by seeing Scotland go "indie."
On the issue of "independence," it strikes me that the Scots would substitute a London-based government over which they have considerable influence, for a Brussels-based bureaucratic nightmare over which Scotland would have minimal if any influence. Not a good deal for Scotland. The migration southward would be major.
Ok, Ok. Got it. I should have stayed out of this one and should not have expressed my somewhat emotion-based support for "No," especially since I am troubled by all the bribing going on to keep Scotland in the UK. If the government deliver on all the lavish promises made to the Scots to stay in the UK, I think that will encourage an English referendum on independence.
So, I guess I can sum up my garbled mess of opinion with the following slogan: "For Scotland's sake vote NO! For England's sake vote YES!"
Well, this is what I get for venturing into areas where I don't belong . . . sorry. Back to watching ACORN TV and the latest adventures of Hercule Poirot.
I share your misgivings as to Scotland's "independence." No doubt my Scots forebears are spinning in their graves regarding my own attitude.
ReplyDeleteYou'll never be a professional pundit so long as you admit to anything less than complete omniscience. I congratulate you wholeheartedly and am deeply thankful.
ReplyDeleteI was quite unaware of the status of scots-vs-labour.... as you mentioned.. best-readers-in-the-blogosphere, self-excepted.
- reader #1482
Well, I was amused but agnostic on the matter until I heard Paul Krugman's opinion on the matter.
ReplyDeleteMy mind is now, as we say, made up.
Based upon the axiom that the opposite of whatever Krugman publicly espouses (outside of his economics textbook) is an Unqualified Good, I wholeheartedly support English independence from Scotland. Or the other way around. Whatever.
That was an impressive mea culpa!
ReplyDeleteJames the Lesser
PS Didn't know you FS guys knew Latin too.
James, they used to have to know French!
DeleteMon Dieu! And here I thought...... well it doesn't matter, as long as our infant terrible is back tickling the key board.
DeleteJames the Lesser
Es verdad.
Delete"I should have stayed out of this one and should not have expressed my somewhat emotion-based support for "No,""
ReplyDeleteI don't see it that way. You have undoubtedly improved your own knowledge of the situation and by doing so in a public forum improved the knowledge of your immense and disciplined army of adoring followers. All for the good in my opinion.
Speaking of freedom, I see a major counter terrorism round up has been going on in New South Wales, Australia. Several hundred officers involved. Good work.
ReplyDeleteG'day Whitewall,
DeleteAccording to local reports a few of the lads from the religion of peace were going to relieve some poor bastard of the weight above his shoulders to prove some point or other.
Dangerous bastards these Presbyterians - I assume they are Presbyterians they couldn't be that other mob surely.
One poor lad got roughed up a bit by the rozzers. Not hard enough as he is still around to complain about it.
David, good morning. I guess this event in Oz verifies that you too have a multi-culti problem that was no doubt thrust upon you like Labour did to England and Democrats did to America? I guess the same goes for much of Western Europe. Mulit-culti and pee cee....suicide.
DeleteGoos morning Whitewall - and David too, what we are currently suffering from is political disenfranchisement by our marvellous elected representatives who, as soon as they are elected seem to forget all about the needs and desires of the people who elected them. Who opened the floodgates to all these hate-filled muslims? Was it you? Was it me? Was it buggery, it was a bunch of spineless pansy pc-correct so-called 'representatives'. Do they reperesent me, and very many like me? No they do not. They totally ignore the views of the electorate and pursue their own agendas, which usually means pandering to nations and ethnic groups (with huge piles of taxpayer's hardearned of course) who wouldn't cross the street to urinate on us if we were on fire. As an example, we gave Indonesia over ONE BILLION DOLLARS in real terms after the 2004 tsunami and we are repaid with snide media remarks and hatred. One billion dollars for the Indos is about a fortnights' oil revenues except of course 8 out of every 10 dollars earned goes straight into the pockets of the generals and the other ruling elites. Did anyone in Canberra ask the electorate if they were happy to give their money away for no return other than a few phoney media 'events'?
DeleteHello Popular Front....I hear you. Your situation there sounds like here in the US. Very dangerous situation for all of us. I don't know what your rules for expulsion are but I suspect they are quite difficult. Our Western decency has been used against us throughout the Anglosphere. It may ultimately take some good old fashion indecency against some people before all is corrected. Good people have to be hurt first sorry to say.
DeleteI just saw this elsewhere on another blog--(don't tell Diplomad).:
"Yesterday’s raids by Australian police on suspected terrorists sparked protests by a pro-Islamic State Muslim group in Sydney. Police say the raids thwarted a plan to randomly abduct and behead Sydney residents at the instruction of leaders of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Protesters say the state is terrorizing Muslims." Is this true?
Stay safe.
'Protesters say the state is terrorizing Muslims." Is this true?' No mate is most certainly is not. They bring it upon themselves by hate speech, civil disobedience and infiltration of organised crime and outlaw biker gangs. What are the security services to do? Invite them to ASIO HQ for a falafel? I don't agree with every goverment policy, far from it but I know that mouthing off in public will attract unwanted attention from various agencies. Most tax-paying, law-abiding, god-fearing citizens would feel the same way I think, certainly those of my age demographic.
DeleteThere are two things current which are very much in Australia's favour. One is that muslims consist of less than 2% of Australia's population and we can keep it that way by legislative means, it only requires the political will to do so because the general public will most certainly back any such measure. We are all, for the most part, aside from a few shrill lefties and civil liberties weenies heartily sick of a very small loudmothed minority saying that WE must conform to THEIR 8th century dogma.
Second is the fact that Australia is an island continent. The incumbent conservative government has proved conclusively that the illegal immigrant-bearing boats can be stopped, as opposed to the bleeding heart leftists of the previous administration who threw open the doors to every welfare-for-life seeking parasite who could stump up the 10,000 USD (!) to the people smugglers. So, you can't sail here, you certainly can't tunnel your way in so that just leaves aeroplanes. Easy fixed. Deny visas to every muslim from wherever. Post security troops at every international airport and arrest any raghead or sympathiser who may have slipped though the net, lock them in detention pending the next flight out to their departure point of origin. Do not let them stay long and certainly don't let any immigration advocate or 'refugees rights' supporter any access to them. Keep the media well out of it; " so Mr Smith, your TV network licence fee is due. This year it is going to cost you big time. Have a nice day". So easy to do.
PF...I sure hope there are plenty of citizens like you around the nation. That quote I presented sure made it sound as if Muslim groups feel quite emboldened to act the way they did after law enforcement performed what sounds like a brilliant round up. It also appears like you have the proper PM to deal with this threat. Right about now, I wish the US was an island and we had a proper "PM". "Do not let them stay long and certainly don't let any immigration advocate or 'refugees rights' supporter any access to them". We have too many of those advocates and rights supporters as well. The parallels between our country's challenges are close.
DeleteOT, are you watching the GBTV "For The Record" investigative series tonight?
ReplyDeleteDo you know any of the Foreign Service people mentioned?
oh here
ReplyDeleteHonor Fight:
The Battle Inside the State Department
http://www.theblaze.com/for-the-record-season-3-premiere/
"For Scotland's sake vote NO! For England's sake vote YES!"
ReplyDeleteBazinga!
Eric if the vote is yes the rest of Britain will become the Former United Kingdom [FUK].
DeletePeople south of Hadrian's Wall are supporting the Yes vote with a slogan - "vote yes for [here fill in the abbreviation]'s sake.
David from Oz:
DeleteThat's excellent, I may use that myself if I get the opportunity today!
Dip, your suggestion of an English referendum is starting to seem almost plausible. With all the sudden promises of money and devo max this week, more and more of my Albion friends are starting to mutter that if the Scots vote "no" then the English and Welsh should vote on whether we want to *allow* the Scots to stay in GB.
ReplyDeleteWell Nonny if they do I have a verse to start their new National Anthem.
ReplyDeleteScots, wha hae wi Salmond bled,
Scots, whom Salmond has poorly led,
Welcome tae yer thorny bed,
And tae penury.
Certainly the Catalans are watching this referendum with keen interest, no doubt the folks in the Basque country are as well. I just read on the BBC that Kashmir is looking in as well. Aside from the initial financial difficulties following secession, I don't see the big problem in letting virtually autonomous regions to go their own way. After all, as far as Europe is concerned the current lines on the map conform to ancient conquests, the stronger and more ruthless versus the weaker and more passive. I know for a fact that Sicily would like nothing better than to tell Rome 'fangu!' There is also a breakaway movement strong in the Alto-Adige region and the Venetians are weighing their options as well.
ReplyDeleteWe are not immune to this way of thinking in Australia either. Western Australia has rumbled and grumbled about secession since the 1930s and before. In Queensland the movement for the State of Capricornia has been on various agendas for decades (splitting Qld in two from north of Rockhampton to Cape York). It was certainly front & centre when I lived up there in the 70s & early 80s.
Not bad David but you'll have to work in such Scottish classics as "och Glasgae, Bovril, Irn Bru & I'll do you Jimmy!"
ReplyDeleteNot forgetting the all-time Scottish classic - "Super Caley Go Ballistic Celtic Are Atrocious" (that's a fair dinkum headline btw)
PF that headline is a pearler.
ReplyDeleteI had a Scots born NCO in my command back in the 80's, a Glaswegian. His favourite admonishment to one of his people who had annoyed him was, "you'll get yours Jimmy". I think that's what it was as when annoyed he was barely comprehensible. He used to sing equally incomprehensible songs which he assured us were Scots classics.
He has now gone to God where no doubt the celestial beings are equally baffled by his speech.
As one of your English readers I see nothing wrong with you commenting on our affairs. After all, your leader has shoved his oar in!
ReplyDeleteWhat we are seeing in Scotland is common all over the United Kingdom. The ruling class has decided that anyone can be British, so the real British are retreating into the constituent nations of the UK, which still exist despite the efforts of our ruling classes, who all read the Guardian newspaper and listen to its broadcasting arm. So, the Scottish are more Scottish, the English more English and so on. I live in Cornwall, where about half the population are Cornish and I have noticed that they are more Cornish than they were till quite recently.
Where it will all end I have no idea - but it will no doubt be interesting.
In the US many of us are becoming more patriotic about our states as well. I for one have been flying the state rather than the US flag for the last year.
DeleteYou've noticed that too? As the national collective becomes more foreign seeming, we are only reacting to it normally.
DeleteSucks to be me. I live in California.
Deletestuck in a time warp are yee?
ReplyDeletethe mythic scotland the brave was shot down at culloden and scattered following the highland clearances. what was left was used up by the empire in its brave scottish regiments for the next 200 years, with highland and lowland bones strewn across the world. scotland of now is defanged, neutered, welfare dependent and leftish. scottish regiments today cannot fill their ranks with native sons. my mom's tough kilted forebears who all made new lives in canada would have none of it if alive today. actually come to think of it, most our forebears, regardless of their homeland, would have little to do with what has sadly become of the west these days.
ReplyDeleteI still want to know how England responds to Russian subs in Scapa Flow ... or won't that happen?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it would happen. Not even the strongest SNPer could stand the smell. Besides, soon enough, comrade Putin will have his own problems with ISIS like loons boiling over within his own domain.
DeleteDoubtful.
DeleteTaking the second problem first, ISIS is not a problem to Putin. It's far away, and if it were close, well, unlike us he isn't sissy about killing. They aren't a militarily hard target.
As to the smell ... they didn't even notice the smell of the Labor Party, which nowadays comes complete with Rotherham topping. I'm not sure I would bet the farm on that security.
Well as long as we're all dreaming of places that could vote for secession and home-rule, my vote is for the District of Columbia to leave the USA. Actually, they did a long time ago, maybe under Marion Barry, maybe with their insulting license plate slogan.
ReplyDeleteCan you amplify that F? What insulting license plate slogan?
DeleteThis suspense is so thick it can be cut with a dirk
ReplyDeletegDay David. My Battalion had a couple of jock NCOs attached via Long Look. The one assigned to my rifle company used to be baited mercilessly by the digs and he used to explode into a thundering but incomprehisible rage which amused the digs no end. It didn't take him long to fit right in however, particularly in the OR's boozer and we were all sorry to see him leave.
ReplyDeleteIncomprehensible even
ReplyDeleteBreaking UK news: The latest exit polls on Scottish independence has it at 54-46 for the 'NO' vote. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteEarly results, admittedly from a small area, are 'No' by 54 / 46. The lure of money for which others must work is a siren song.
ReplyDeleteLooking like a big win for 'No'.
DeleteAnd as an aside; I see that Europe is now verging on deflation, and we all know where that leads.
BBC is calling it NO.
DeleteWinston Churchill had a seat north of Edinburgh, across the Tay in Dundee, if memory serves. He was a conservative at the time but lost the seat in 1922 to a Prohibitionist Party chap but was later given a safe seat in the South.
ReplyDeleteI suspect Scotland would be causing itself a world of problems if it voted to separate.