100,000 green bottles
There’s a remarkable piece in today’s Scotsman that we had to share with you:
And if you think that magnificent headline’s good, wait until you hear the rest.
“A Tory MP is planning to recruit 100,000 English activists to make a human chain along Hadrian’s Wall bearing torches in a bid to convince Scots to vote No in September.
Rory Stewart said the initiative, called Hands Across the Border, is an emotional appeal to Scots to remain within the Union.
The Penrith and Border MP, who is half-Scottish, said the campaign would ‘symbolise holding the Union together.’
He said: ‘It is a chance for people outside Scotland to show they value its contribution. Millions of people in Britain would like an opportunity to express their love of the UK and show they would miss Scotland terribly.’
He added: ‘This is not an opportunity about economics. It’s about emotional links and solidarity. I believe we can find well over a hundred thousand champions of our future together.'”
Part of us, we must admit, would be highly amused to see this putative “lovebombing” attempt take place. It would, we suspect, be hilarious to see the numbers that turned up to issue a heartfelt plea from, um, south Newcastle to north Newcastle. (At its eastern end, the wall is a solid 60-odd miles from the Scottish border.) And we’re not sure how many of them wouldn’t actually be waving “SOD OFF, JOCKOS” flags.
But more to the point, imagine the potential horror as armies of wee Scottish neds of no political affiliation either way found themselves simply unable to resist the target practice of 100,000 English people lined up on a wall. It’d make Wembley 1977 look like a church picnic. We daren’t imagine the projectiles that might be deployed.
Unfortunate Tory/UKIP-voting tendencies aside, the English are a splendid nation with whom we hope to enjoy the warmest of relationships with after independence. It would be deeply regrettable to see them tempt Scotland’s wayward youth beyond endurance by forming themselves into some sort of human fairground shooting gallery.
Rory Stewart seems like a nice man. For the sake of the very “emotional links and solidarity” he seeks to highlight and celebrate, we urge him to reconsider.
You can imagine them with banners saying;
‘We love you stupid sponging Scotts. Please keep sending your resources, jobs and money down to us’
Are they indicating that Hadrians wall would be the new border?!.
Jeezo…Hadrians wall…. No words.
Are these the border guards we keep hearing about?
OOOOOPPPSSSS forgot an apostrophe!
“planning to recruit 100,000 English activists”
What about all those Scots living in England we keep getting told about, are they too busy down the Benefits office to take part?
“… lined up on a wall.”
Genuine ruined keyboard moment there… 😉
Who is going to see them? vast stretches of the wall are in the country side – not a lot of people around there. And in this weather not a pleasant place to be.
Rory clearly wants to play the mystic cords of memory here, but sadly his party cut them along with a lot of other things.
“And in this weather not a pleasant place to be.”
In fairness, he wants to do it in July.
I am totally convenience by this emotional appeal, I will be voting NO! 😉
See, when I think of human chains/walls, I think of a line of people trying to stop people on one side of the line to get to the other side of the line. Like a big game of “British” Bulldog.
You know, like stopping bigots from disrupting a funeral:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/06/texas-am-students_n_1653002.html
Or protecting endangered species from predators:
http://www.boredpanda.com/human-wall-helps-baby-turtles-reach-the-sea/
Or to stop authorities from demolishing homes:
http://www.herald.co.zw/human-wall-blocks-chitungwiza-demolitions/
Or protecting people from religious persecution:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/muslims-return-favor-join-hands-christian-protesters-mass-cairo-tahrir-square-article-1.137961
But all that aside, I’m genuinely more concerned by the damage such an event could cause to a priceless historical site like Hadrian’s Wall for the purposes of some lame political statement.
Please tell me that Boris is going to be one of them! 🙂
Amusingly, National Collective have just pointed out this idea seems to be pilfered from a very bad Unionist parody of National Collective site.
https://www.facebook.com/events/612466095470655/
In July is it? A bit early for a fond farewell, then.
Pointless eccentricity.
Now what was that movie with the bare buttocks shining brightly? Damned if I can recall the name!
Can anyone think of a word that rhymes with Humpty-Dumpty?
Hope they keep off the M6, there could be serious carnage!
This is surely a wind-up. Isn’t it?
Wouldn’t they just be better to line up along the Thames, Runnymede or the White Cliffs of Dover? They wouldn’t have so far to travel and nobody in Scotland can see Hadrian’s Wall anyway, so what’s the point of a shower of crackpots gathering there? Is this man a complete nut?
Rory’s book, “The Places In Between” is one of the best travel adventure books I have read.
He is a been there, done that type of guy, which makes it all the sadder that he sees freedom and self determination for just about anyone in the world except, of course, the people of Scotland.
Rory says that he will “miss Scotland terribly”. Well, Rory, here’s a bit of insider info; we aren’t going anywhere.
Everything will be the same as before except that after a Yes vote we won’t be getting shafted by Westminster.
One of the YES guys is organising a mass climbing of the Munros (obviously not all of them)
The idea being that you choose your own Munro and climb with your Saltires on the same day.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151811723776739&set=gm.603567616363242&type=1&theater
And then there is the big WAVE ‘Hello World’ from Scotland on the 14th Feb
https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/8520-the-big-wave-scotland?locale=en
Both sound like ideas with potential…
I like the idea of waving hello to the world. Let them know we are coming LOL
Check them out
The Romans are comin’
How does manning a “border” between Scotland and rUk convey the notion that we are Better Together? Scots are just going to “love” this facile gesture. The symbolism will surely convey the opposite of what Better Together are seeking to achieve. Nothing new there then.
How about 100,000 YES supporters wearing kilts on the other side of the wall, performing the mooning scene from Braveheart.
Hadrian’s Wall is mostly in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful countryside but hard to get to. Seriously, it’s unlikely they could get 100k in the middle of London far less in the middle of nowhere. They make the major mistake of thinking that Scotland and the UK have the same kind of relationship as Canada and Quebec. English speakers in Canada identify strongly with English speakers in Quebec – they feel a strong emotional attachment. For most English people there is no difference between pro-UK and pro-indy Scots. They are indistinguishable and so there is no emotional pull. It’s delusional and fantastical on every level. I’d love to see them give it a try though. 😉
Rory Stewart is an interesting and much traveled bloke. I suspect he may have spent too long in the sun though.
Isn’t this what the Catalans did not long ago as a reason FOR Independence?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24057082
I rather suspect this idea might fall by the way side, it’ll quietly, without fuss disappear from view.
Unless, its a cunning recruitment drive by UKBA…
Dramatic location for post indy Checkpoint Charlie though, where we exchange Jim Naughtie and Gordon Sweaty Brewer for a pack of fags, the Guardian and some sheep.
Can we line up 100,000 to do that infamous bare-bum Braveheart scene right back at them?
Of course the catalans did it in style.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/catalans-join-hands-human-chain-independence-spain
I propose the equivalent Scottish event…
A simultaneous independence pub crawl in every city in Scotland. And we use the ‘scare stories’ as the pub crawl bingo. e.g. You get to cross off the ‘No EU membership’ when you’ve supped a drink in a certain bar. (obviously a different bar in each city – Doh!)
At around 18 main scare stories… I reckon that will be an all day saturday! 🙂
It could also be a fundraiser?
Whethwer it’s in the wall is in the middle of nowhere or not I would bet the BBC et al will have the event well covered!!!!
I was talking to two Englishmen the other night, one of whom has lived in Edinburgh for the last 25 years, who both thought Hadrian’s Wall marked the border between Scotland and England. I found it hard at the time to understand how people who’ve reached their fourth or fifth decades could get the location of one of their country’s most famous landmarks so wildly wrong.
I still don’t understand.
O/T BAE announcing 200m investment in Scotstoun…sounds like those ship orders will be getting cancelled then
When I first heard about this I thought…..
Aye your expecting rosy cheeked families in Berghaus jackets and sensible hiking boots….and to be fair I dare say given the wall to wall coverage this will attract on BBC/SKY news they probably will
But you are also sending an open invitation to a big boozy every Unionist/Loyalist and other extremist groups (EDL/BNP/NF) who bounce about under the Union Jack.
Think Rangers in Manchester just on steroids…..and I dare say the bams from other the Irish Sea will incorporate it into their July 12th ‘celebrations’.
Wish there was an edit function – but you know what I mean!
Bricking it? 😉
It’s always amusing to see that the people who love to go on about Hadrian’s Wall never seem to know where it actually is. It must be a bit annoying for the people of Newcastle, Whitley Bay, Alnwick and so on.
Perhaps they might like to join us.
and if they can’t enough English/British volunteers they can always draft in all those scrounging Bulgarians and Romanians (did you see what I did there?) for £5 an hour, cash in hand.
I am sure he is well-meaning but still an idiot. Sure English Heritage would love this.
@ TheGreatBaldo You didn’t actually say “wall to wall coverage” did you?
What a brilliant idea. I hope they go ahead with it.
It’ll surely convince those Jocks living north of the wall in Cumbria and Northumbria to vote NO.
@ Bigdrone
“Whethwer it’s in the wall is in the middle of nowhere or not I would bet the BBC et al will have the event well covered!!!!
Yes, and I’m sure they’ll know a few CGI techies to help out with the numbers.
That was funny, they want to stand on a wall, which was made to keep the ancient Pics-Caledon tribes at bay and has been a symbol of the difference between the two lands for nearly 2000 years. Are you sure it’s not a secret invasion plan.
Col Bob Stewart,MP waxed lyrical on the Scottish Regements,during the French war 1st ww / 2 ww, & mentioned the 51st Highland Division, where are they now,Col Blimp,casualties of Westminster cut,s long since gone.
Scottish elected MPs, rubbishing Scotland.You,ll rue the Day.
How does manning a “border” between Scotland and rUk convey the notion that we are Better Together?
That’s what immediately jumped into my head.
Maybe they should do it the day before the vote and ask participants to take 1 large fencepost and a metre of wire fencing each. Means if the vote goes the wrong way, border fences can be up within a few hours.
I think Scots will actually take offence at this, if it happens. It may be perceived as some kind of threat.
Not that we are not used to threats. It may well have the opposite effect to what they are trying to achieve, resulting in a whole lot of YES.
Just shows though just how scared they are of losing all those cherished institutions that they love to be involved in. Including their old school view of British Power.
Yet, they do seem to believe that they subsidise us despite ample evidence to the contrary. They want to hold on to their way of life, and want Scots just to suffer theirs to help them keep it.
This is priceless…wonder if there will be a big turnout? I am struggling to think of who the audience will be.
Looks like we’re slowly moving towards the sentiment & tradition stage of the unionist campaign.
Just ignore it – it will go away!
(And a smack on the back of the hands to those mentioning “Br*veh**rt” – all that would encourage is shouts of “What a lot of arseholes!” which would make them laugh, and they’d be right to)
Back lads, they’re using Scottish Bluebells!
Anne Graham says:
Ann there are many apparently, from their that really do want to join us.
Coast to coast along wall, 100,000 English people singing God Save the Queen and Rule Britannia at us, followed by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Madeley, Kelvin Mckenzie Morris dancing and David Starkey shrieking you’re a feeble little country…
@Ian Brotherhood 2.27, A tissue a tissue they all fall down,does that fit in.
There are some really ugly women on the other side of that wall. The border reivers went over there to steal the women, but when they saw the women they took the sheep instead
A song for the thousands of torch bearers running through my head.
The other man’s grass is always greener, the sun shines brighter on the other side….some are lucky, some are not, just be thankful with what you’ve got [Petula Clark?]
C`mon guys. How many Scots would it take to surround Stonehenge and have a big Independence pish-up. Several bus loads would do it and perhaps a couple of artics to transport the cary-oot! 😉
Will there ba a webcam so we can watch it from space?
Now if it is 100,000 blue tories on the wall, that would be just too good an opportunity to miss.
I’ll be there with something suitably disgusting to throw.
Luigi :
Margaret Curran ?
A suggestion. Plant Saltires on top of Hadrian Wall to reclaim Caledonia’s lost lands, and then sit back and see what happens.
@heedtracker. You forgot the mentioning of 1966 several hundred thousand times.
Maybe the Tory toff is recruiting them to rebuild the wall,(I know its in England) plant land mines and stretch out the barbed wire?
@Luigi
We could crowdfund a Trebuchet. I would donate.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebuchet
Never going to happen.
The only way that they will ever be able to drum up enough support for this stunt is to start telling the truth to the rest of the UK; that they were only pretending that we are a bunch of scrounging jocks, that we actually make a net contribution of lots of £bns to the treasury and that the rUK economy will definitely be hit massively if we go. But that will never happen, cos if they do then us thick scotch might catch on and realise that they need us more than we need them.
Rory the Tory, a product of Eton and Oxford, where he read Modern History and Politics.
So Modern History doesn’t include Geography or anything to do with the Romans.
I have visions of a load of Scotsmen on horsedrawn carts with big barrels soaking the ground alongside the wall with oil (ironically) the night before.
Jimsie
That was totally uncalled for.
Naa, bunch of Brit Nats telling us how great England is when they mean Scotland and England.
@Anne Graham 2.46 ,Well if those people from Newcastle ect ect,do
decide to join us,could they awe bring a barrow load of stanes
fae Hadrian,s Wall,do you know the cost,s of a dry stane dyke,quid,s in lol.
Someone want to organise a Yes event on the Antonine Wall on the same day?
@ Alabaman.
True, but I bet you had a wee chuckle just the same.
Not to get away from the important topic of walls, but just saw this by Simon Wren-Lewis on the currency union idea: http://mainlymacro.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/breaking-up-is-hard-to-do.html
Worth reading as he’s pretty authoritative on this topic and largely neutral. To summarise: “it isn’t technically required to have a fiscal union with a currency union, but that doesn’t matter a great deal given the rest of the UK will insist on it anyway”.
Really? A HUNDRED THOUSAND people? As in, sort of…
They came in their thousands from all across England. Some camping on the way, some walking from their hamlets, still others bussing in from Cornwall, while hundreds of special trains brought untold numbers to The Wall, where soup and sandwiches were distributed by David Cameron and his Cabinet.
As the big moment came and they all clambered onto The Wall, ignoring the shreiking man from English National Heritage, they linked hands and the bands struck a chord and from all around was heard the strains of Land of Hope and Glory.
On the northern English side of the wall, the sheep went about their business, unperturbed, until, in the silence between the songs a little boy was heard to shout: ‘But there’s nobody there!’
Ever get the impression that there are some sympathetic journalist out there secretly, satirically taking the piss out of the No camp?
Either that or they too are union lobotomised
p. s. Rory used to be member of the Labour Party!
@ alexicon, what happened in 66? eek! OK Skinner and Baddiel singing “its coming home, its coming home, football’s coming home” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJqimlFcJsM
and Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen, because we’re such a bettertogtherist like place, with Morris Dancing.
Actually this must the first and only World Cup I’m praying for an England win:-)
Alabaman;
Jimsie was just retelling an old Scottish joke which I first heard being told many years ago by a very eminent Professor in the medical field!
Well, at least this Tory has spent a bit of time in the hard places – he was a governor of an Iraqi province for a while after the invasion – which is more than can be said for the rest of his party.
But if this is his best idea, we should just ignore the schmuck. He should concentrate on persuading his colleagues up here to tell the truth and debate with us.
Forget this Hadrians Wall stuff. We should be prising open the Iapetus Suture again. Fellow geologists will understand….
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iapetus_Suture
Look at the map closely…
ronnie anderson says:
Ronnie that will be the 51st Highland Division left behind to safeguard the escape ( miracle they call it !) of Dunkirk.
Great, the British army escaped but Churchill abandoned the 51st, with no ammunition replacement. They were surrounded by German tanks and troops and had to surrender, thousands of them. My father was one of them, he was 16 years old.
It has been called Churchill’s betrayal of Scots.It is rarely mention when Dunkirk is spoken of, swept under the carpet, so to speak.
Don’t know how many English people I have told that Hadrian’s Wall is actually in England, and the number of Geordies who have said that this is not the Border as it goes right through the centre of Newcastle. Never mind like Bo Didley they never seem to have learned their history. I see it as a good idea to try out the air gun legislation, oh I am awful.
@Major Bloodnock
Maybe some benefit scrounging Walloons can lend a hand
Please let this happen, it’d be the funniest thing in the campaign so far. “Hey Scotland, look how much we love you! Oh, where is everyone?”
It would certainly provide an interesting counter-point to anyone who tries to draw disparaging comparisons between the numbers turning up for last year’s march and rally, and the numbers who turn up for Catalan independence events. Does anyone seriously think that England – with more than ten times the population of Scotland – would manage to get even as many people that turned up on Calton Hill last year?
It’d be the final sign Scots need. A bit like a wife suddenly realising why it is that her husband is never there when she needs him, and giving him one last chance to prove he still loves her. He fails to turn up, so she packs up her stuff and leaves him.
Carmichiel,s wedding anniversary on the 19th Sept, he just said it, let,s make the a anniversary he will remember for the rest of his life.
D I V O R C E, we re giveing you that day.
I can’t get the image out of my head of 100,000 waving torches and … Pitchforks.
BBC Parliament just had a televised debate on Scotland and the Indy ref. I’ve just lost the will to live after tholing Mags Currans apocolyptic predictions for Scotland.
According to her, and she quotes ‘FACTS’ …Mortgages, Credit Cards, bills etcetera will all go through the roof if we don’t let Westminster rule.
Rory Stewart was on the panel of Any Questions in Poolewe village hall on July 2011. I was in the audience and it so happened that Jonathan Dimbleby chose my question to be answered first. Mike Russell was also on the panel.
My question was ” are we witnessing the death throes of western capitalism?”. Rory responded by saying that there was no alternative.
We all know what has happened since then. They started printing billions and still are.
O/T Regarding G Galloway
“Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability”
Remember who he said that about ?
@kendomacaroonbar
‘Mortgages, Credit Cards, bills etcetera will all go through the roof if we don’t let Westminster rule.’
Aye her own probably!
I assume its hard when you have to start paying out your own pocket and not using some of those handy Lobby “consultancy payments”
Did someone say Alex Salmond !
100,000 Tories standing on the wall,
100,000 Tories standing on the wall,
And if one wee Tory should accidentally fall,
Etc, etc.
The Man in the Jar @ 3:03
How are we going to get the stanes back up to Scotland after?
The same way we took the Wembley goal posts back and on the caerry out trucks we took the bevvy down to Stonehenge?
If BBC SCotlandshire had done this people would have said they were being far fetched.
It’ll never happen. Jeez I await the next “bomb”.
“Sir, I salute your courage, your strength, your indefatigability”
Remember who he said that about ?
Thatcher ?
We could crowdfund a Trebuchet.
Could we lob Scottish peers back at them ?
Could we organise a re-enactment of the Reivers to coincide? I’m sure we would get a contingent from the south side of the actual border to participate. Nice wee earner for somebody making steel bonnets for the event.
And we could maybe get funding from English Heritage 🙂
Man the wall or lose your benefits.
@Ian Brotherhood
“Can anyone think of a word that rhymes with Humpty-Dumpty?”
Rumpty pumpty?
All I can say is…..
I’d be astonished if the Tories found a 1000 people to stand on Hadrian’s wall never mind 100.000 people, now if the proposal, was to stand on a Tory, I’m pretty sure the figure would be surpassed quite easily.
If indeed people do turn up and wave to us from Hadrian,s wall, if its clear day’ we could stand on the Antonine wall and wave back at them.
My cousin was one of them. I think he was 19 years old. He was in a prisoner of war camp in Poland for nearly five years. On the other hand, he wasn’t killed. He lived to about 85.
@Bugger (the Panda)
I thought that seeing how Stonehenge is not that far from Bath we could all get a takeaway and what’s left of the cery-oot and nip round to Rev Stu`s gaf for a wee party.
SquareHaggis says at 3:05 pm:
“Will there be a webcam so we can watch it from space?”
They use high-tech hidden cameras to film nervous wildlife nowadays. Bill Oddie or David Attenborough to do the commentary? 🙂
This is a very surreal thread for the Troops.
I used to be a partner in a recording studio in Redesdale (Northumberland). The last time Scotland and England were both participating in the World Cup another partner (genuine 100% Northumbrian) came in and told me he’d just had a conversation with his 9 year old son and asked him who they were going to support.
He said the kid thought for a minute then said, “I think we should support Scotland ’cause they’re nearer us.”
That was the point where I finally understood Northumbrians and that the Romans knew what they were doing siting the Wall where they did.
Maybe we can line up and show them our erses.
O/T FM questions, Johan Lamont insists that supermarkets in Scotland ie ASDA Morrisons, Sainburys and TESCO have said that in an independent Scotland prices would be higher.
FMQ’s isn’t loaded on the Scottish Parliamentary channel yet so I’ve had to use this link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/scotland-26065881
O/T
Looks like the Academics & Industry side with Fergus Ewing point of view over Electricity needs of rUK and nearest supplier – Scotland.
Ms Flint & LABOUR did not appear to grasp the facts of her given subject no matter how much she ranted.
http://www.snp.org/media-centre/news/2014/feb/experts-confirm-ruk-will-need-scottish-electricity
‘Arms around Scotland’ 5th October 1986 was an anti-nuclear event organised by Parents for Survival and Scottish CND. 25,000 people formed a human chain from Glasgow Green to Grangemouth and a range of community, political, peace and church groups took responsibility to fill an allocated stretch. It worked well and made headline news at 6 o’clock that night. I have a poster framed on my wall which shows a small child reaching up protectively to put his arms around Scotland.
@ Dick Gaughan
Ah – the Borderers – more akin to one another than to any Edinburgh or Westminster elite. How long was it they kept the reiving going? – 300 years or thereabouts.
When we have all those border posts, can’t you just see it happening all over again – 4*4s stuffed with fags or illegal immigrants, headlights doused, winding up and down the old routes from Redesdale to Liddlesdale, with the polis on both sides of the border desperately trying to remind everyone that we live in the modern world!
Here’s the Telegraphs Phil Booth, campaigning for “Devo Max” for Scotland, Booth goes on to say that Devo Max would return Britain back to the days of the early 1707 union, that we enjoyed. Did we really enjoy it.?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/economics/10621649/Give-Scotland-devo-max.html
I know its o/t but I am just reading the southern reporter, and on page 7 there is a article on an independence debate organised by Scottish Borders Chamber Of commerce. It will be held on feb 20 at borders college in Galashiels at 7 pm. App you can just turn up and submit questions when you arrive. I am really looking forward to this and would urge anyone with an interest to pop along. Taking part are… Michael Moore MP, David Mundell MP, Joan McAlpine MSP and Paul Wheelhouse MSP. It’s to be chaired by the BBC’s Cameron Buttle.
Blair McDougall will do the usual BetterTogetherist camera angles contrick making half a dozen old geezers look they’ve filled the Sydney Opera House, with free Daily Records in their back pockets and everyone in the world is vote no.
they having a laugh,100,000? they cannot get 100 activists on the street to hand out 500,000 leaflets what chance getting 100,000 eejits to stand at Hadrian’s Wall?
Ah, that’s one of the funniest ones I’ve seen for a while. Surprised even the Scotsman deemed it worth printing; must be a slow news day.
Of course, it doesn’t just mean cedeing Berwick to Scotland. Hadrian’s Wall ends at Wallsend (fairly obvious choice of name, really) on the north bank of the Tyne west of Newcastle. So if we extend that out to the North Sea we also get the magnificent Geordie city of Newcastle. As well as a chunk of Carlisle.
I just love laughing at people who think Hadrian’s Wall is the border. More than happy if they want insist it is, mind. 🙂
For those of you who are still undecided whether to votes yes or no, here is a wake up call from Mr Osborne, I’d heed it and vote yes, if I were you.
http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/02/05/george-osborne-cuts-ifs_n_4728626.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-politics&ir=UK+Politics
ian brotherhood
fucking numpty
@ scottish_skier
“if the vote goes the wrong way, border fences can be up within a few hours.”
Whaddya mean “if the vote goes the wrong way”?!
Doh!
Sed timeo Angles, et lampas ferentes.
OT @Ian Brotherhood
Re your Humpty Dumpty appeal, I’m struggling in English but I think the final of the following three is appropriate given your moniker:
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité
Hadrian’s Wall is an ancient monumment in England. Nobody in Scotland can see it, so what’s the point of a shower of crackpots going there morris-dancing, singing ‘Rule Britannia’ and waggling their union jacks? Is this man a complete nut?
OT Just read an email from an English friend who never talks about politics.
She says that she has just saw in the news (not sure if it’s TV or Paper, but that they say that Yes and No are now 50/50 in Scotland and that It’s a fair possibility that Scotland will vote for independence.
Now why are the English being told 50/50 and we are told 32/52?
I told her that it wasn’t quite 50/50 yet, but that the trend was for a rise in Yes and a drop in No, so the No campaign were currently in a bit of a panic.
This is brilliant- I thought it must be some sort of elaborate joke, but no, there is even a website for it.
http://handsacrosstheborder.co.uk/
Apparently Tory Rory Stewart has never read the thousands of (anti-Scottish) ‘rough love’ comments in the English versions of the unionist print media over the past few years.
It is almost beyond belief that in this sensitive referendum year that the wretched Daily Express and BBC refer to Andy Murray helping England in Davis Cup action while the BBC web site for ‘Cousins at War’ WWI programme, refers to George V, King of ENGLAND.
VOTE YES!
All this talk of 100,000 English activists is a bit exaggerated – if you take as an average 5 feet for the span of someone holding out their arms at a comfortable angle to hold hands with their neighbours then they only need 77,088 to cover the 73 miles, some of the other 22,912 odd will get their feet wet!
I know this is O/T, but it has been mentioned above. My late father-in-law was serving with the Gordon Highlanders as part of the 51st Highland Division in 1940. They all had to march all the way from Dunkirk to Poland, where he found himself in Stag XX-B in Malbork. Fed on a diet of beetroot for 5 years, he couldn’t stand the sight of the stuff for the rest of his life. He, too, survived and lived until he was 82.
Wee gestures and still more gestures.
Get yer nuclear crap out of our country.
I have a number of questions here.
1) who will raise the biggest number closest to the 100,000 mark Tory Rory or Claymore wielding Scots North of the wall?
2) does this planned torchlight ‘parade’ confirm that the whole of Northern England from the current border down to Hadrian’s wall now become part of Southern Scotland?
3)would it be too obvious to enrol as a torch bearer but then pull out citing the police being unhappy about my appearance whilst brandishing a broad sword?
Tell you what, stand back, give them a good run at it and see if these idiots can get 100,000 people to turn up. Frankly, if it’s as successful as the train station handouts they will be luck to get 100.
April Fool already?
Beats me why they think we’d believe anything from a bunch of numpties who don’t even know basic geography. Can you just imagine who’ll be keen to be one of the “100,000”?
If only the Iapetus suture wasn’t quite so settled…
Ken, hands across the BORDER? I thought maybe they thought Hadrian’s Wall was somehow symbolic but surely they don’t think it’s the actual border?
If it’s symbolic of anything, though, it’s symbolic of the fact that the north part and the south part of this island have been very very different for an extremely long time. 2000 years and counting, really.
So what are they trying to prove?
“Anne-Marie Trevelyan (“campaigner and businesswoman”) said: “As a local campaigner in North Northumberland I am acutely aware of the border as we cross back and forth across it at will. Friends, family and work-mates live their lives together unhindered by the technical border. We do not want to see a rigid border cutting off these ties.””
What is this “rigid border” that will be “cutting off ties”?
Oh, right. It’s that Better Together Project Fear lie that the Scotland/England border will put that between North Korea/South Korea to shame for its warmth and openness after Scotland becomes independent, once again, isn’t it? [Zzzz…]
Yawn-central and snores-ville. Ah well, if it keeps them happy. Poor deluded wee things.
There was a Better Together ‘gathering’ planned in Dundee City Square today to ‘say goodbye to the pound’ seven BT suporters turned up and five of them were Labour Councillors!
Yes Dundee quickly organised a photocall at very short notice and fifty people turned up , only one of them was a politician!
The full story and photos are on Yes Dundee’s Facebook page and on Yes Dundee’s website http://www.yesdundee.net if you want to check it out.
I’d post links but don’t know how to!
Not a lot of happy smiling faces among the Better Together squad, I suppose not surprising really as they were only a few yards away from the Yes Dundee group!
I think the liklihood of forming a human chain acroos the border ranks alongside the liklihood of extra terrestrial beings flying in for a wee look!
Are we allowed to lift our kilts, bear our bums… then shoot arrows at them? LOL. 😀
100,000 right wingers bearing torches, brings to mind the films of Leni Riefenstahl.
Torch-bearing English activists? Help ma Bob, it’s Norsefire.
Dear Rory Stewart MP,
Thank-you for your affectionate comments. I have no reason to doubt your sincerity when you declare that you ‘would miss Scotland terribly’. I’m certain that you would miss our contributions to London’s coffers very terribly indeed.
One minor niggle however: Are you aware that Hadrian’s Wall lies entirely within England? If not, you lack a basic understanding of your country’s geography. If so, then this would be a tacit public admission that the border is open to dispute.
Our forces are massing in Berwickshire as I type…
And surely the point of having a big shouty Hands Across the Border thingumyjig is to, you know, have people actually hold hands ACROSS THE BORDER!
If this really does go ahead with anything like the numbers they are hoping for, anyone from within, or without, the Scottish independence campaign can just say something like, “Hadrian’s wall is entirely in England. Not one of these people actually had their hands across the England/Scotland Border so… what was the point again?”
Epic fail!
THE SOLUTION IS SIMPLE. ALL THE YES PEOPLE WEAR THEIR YES BLUE BIBS AND GO DOWN THERE AND SHAE THEIR HANDS SHARE SOME TEA AND THANK THEM FOR THEIR SUPPORT 🙂
I should really read all the posts before I comment on a story… but at least I was the first to suggest archery. LOL.
Heather McLean
Thanks for that link to Dundee YES story. Well done to the ‘minute’ folk. 🙂
(see minutemen :a highly mobile, rapidly deployed force)
I’ve joined the Big Wave by the YES campaign on Facebook . My Wave will be to join the rest of the world AT LONG LAST !
At least he is trying to be positive.
I don’t doubt that in a country of 60 million there must be at least 100,000 who would be sad to see us leave the UK. Unfortunately for Baldrick the flaw in his cunning plan is getting them interested enough and mobilised.
No need for a similar event for YES – that would just lead to comparisons and take away from how ridiculous this event will be.
Looking forward to this already!
Why is Rory Stewart a Tory?
I’m mortarfied.
if this goes ahead, then 100,000 yes supporters should also turn up – but do so with a BBQ, a few drinks and cakes and invite their unionist opposition to sit down and join in. This is the kind of people we are – that would take the wind out of their intimidating sails.
Footnote: although. coming to think of it, the MSM would say it was a re-run of TrainStationGate.
Cameron will not debate (yet)
Better together will not debate
What is wrong? We are nice people,
after all we like to say yes!
Slightly O/T I’m in favour of greater responsibilities for councils but this more devolution for councils proposed by Better Together is starting to annoy me. Obviously they intend any new Scotland Act post 2014 will require the Scottish Parliament to accept the loss of its authority to decide the form of local government in Scotland in order to gate any more powers (whatever they are). The Scottish Government should deal with this chaff from Better Together by announcing a review of local government and take the wind from their sails. It’s funny how greater devolution for councils was not an issue when Labour/Libdems was in power in Scotland!
Oops wrong thread!
We will be sending reinforcements! It will still be a bit damp down south so the wagons may not make it.
I LIKE IT !!!!!
For once …just once …we might actually get to see a Better Together rally, if
1 …it were run by Better Together (which it is not)
2 …to see 100,000 people turn up and telling us to stay (which I have doubts)
If they do manage to it, then I would tip my hat (if I wore one) and say I would be mightily impressed.
…it still wouldn’t stop me voting ‘Yes’ though
@Heather
Wonderful stuff by Yes Dundee there, and some of the photobombs floating around Twitter at the moment are brilliant. I especially like this one:
https://twitter.com/AlbaGusnooker loopy!2014/status/431511513069654016/photo/1
They say a picture’s worth a thousand words…
I hope the ‘champions of our future’ will be using flame torches and nothing that needs charged up as Flint has telt us tae stick oor power up oor arse for having the temerity tae want independence so it will cost them a fortune tae pipe the nuclear up frae France
Some of you might find this interesting, especially the Andy Kauffman bit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Bottles_of_Beer
I once tried it, starting with 1000 bottles, when I was doing a mind-crushingly boring job in a computer assembly plant. 12 hour night shifts putting the wee stickers on hard-drive covers.
I started approx half way through one shift, humming it to myself, (not cheating, going fast or anything) carried on where I left off at the start of the next shift, lasted another few hours, but gave up with approx 350 bottles left.
Interesting experience, but not recommended.
Cameron will not debate (yet)
Better together will not debate
What is wrong? We are nice people,
after all we like to say yes!
We should go down there wearing kilts and bare our arses at them
I have to share this with my Newcastle friends and family….this is class! Literally laugh out loud stuff! Ha ha…
It’s in July? Go on, tell me it’s the glorious twelfth! Nothing will convince people to vote no more than that!
I want to be there, on the Northern side obviously, when is it happening? Lovely countryside, in the summer…even then it can piss it down, which is not funny, no wonder the Roman’s left! It is pretty wild and surprisingly remote, thankfully, it’s also very cold…even in this day and age when most of Englandshire has been turned into a theme park.
Are the English giving up the land beyond the wall?
Rory Stewart – the Tory Party at angst (and in a kilt in his Borders fiefdom; or dressed native in Afghanistan or other wog-like kit from the Indian sub-continent, in general; or weeping on Brit TV over sweet partings from his Aye Fond imperium – benevolent Britannia (must be getting a bit of a monotonous chore by now)).
Rory Stewart – the fragile face of the Tory Party and their fellow Unionist boot-boys at tear stained, poetic rugger-buggery apologia for the imperial rape of a vast portion of the globe and its population glossed as we-never-had-it-so-good-as-together shite.
I wish his mass torchlight vigil for the final demise of his sanctlie Union well, and trust the elements piss themselves mightily all over his parade.
PS Who’s paying for the candles?
I think it would be a great idea for all us YES people to go down and meet them on the other side, have a chat with them and explain our position in a nice friendly way.
If English Heritage don’t allow them to line up on the wall will they be lined up against the wall…… 🙂
They’re asking for supporters to sign up. I wonder if Oliver Cromwell has sent them his email address yet.
I’m not Scottish but even I have an urge to go down there wearing a kilt and moon those up on the wall. It’s about bloody time Scotland’s got her independence and my nose says Northern Eire is next! I recall an old Star Trek episode where they mention Ireland’s reunification in 2024. Boy, would that be hilarious 🙂
We should organise a mass picnic on the north side of the wall for the same day. Banners optional.