Another paranoid cybernat
Charlie Brooker in the Guardian, 17 June 2014:
Nice to know it’s not just us noticing.
An alert reader recently sent us a list of TV shows with “Britain” or “British” in the title from the last few months alone. We’ve attached it below, just for reference.
The Great British Year
Britain’s Empty Homes
The Great British Bake-Off
Harrow: A Very British School (Sky 1)
Martin Clunes: Islands of Britain
Full Throttle: The Glory Days of British Motorbikes
Great British Railway Journeys
Up All Night: Britain on Call
Britain’s Funniest Comedy Characters
Fool Britannia
Britain’s Secret Treasures
Britain and the Sea
Fake Britain
Britain’s Secret Terror Force: A Panorama Special
A History of Britain in Numbers
A Great British Christmas with Sarah Beeney (CH4)
Shipwrecks: Britain’s Sunken History (BBC4)
Young, British and Broke: The Truth about Payday Loans
Keeping Britain Safe 24/7
Reel History of Britain
Nigel Slater’s Great British Biscuit
Great British Garden Revival
Heston’s Great British Food (CH4)
Great British Sewing Bee Christmas Special (BBC2)
Britain’s Killer Storms (CH4)
Britain’s Favourite Xmas Songs (CH5)
Pothole Britain – Drivers Beware! (CH5)
Battlefield Britain (BBC4)
UK’s Best Body (The Active Channel, Sky 281)
The Year Britain Froze (More4)
The Year Britain Flooded (More4)
Sex, Lies, and a Very British Scapegoat (ITV)
Brit Cops: War on Crime
Brit Cops: Law & Disorder
Brit Cops: Rapid Response
Brit Cops: Frontline Crime
Boozed Up Brits Abroad (Sky Living)
Great British Ghosts (Drama)
The Ladybird Books Story: How Britain Got The Reading Bug (BBC4)
Legends: Roy Orbison – The ‘Big O’ in Britain (BBC4)
Britain’s Hardest (Challenge)
JFK: The Final Visit to Britain (BBC2)
Britain’s Favourite Christmas Songs (CH5 )
Britain’s Craziest Xmas Lights (CH5)
The British Invasion: Herman’s Hermits (Sky Arts 1)
Sacred Wonders of Britain (BBC2)
Britain’s Got Talent (ITV)
A Very British Murder with Lucy Worsley (BBC4)
The Hidden World of Britain’s Immigrants (BBC2)
Battered Britain: Storms, Tides and Floods
Fred Dibnah’s Made in Britain
Ade in Britain (STV)
Britain’s Great War (BBC1)
Gibraltar: Britain in the Sun (CH5)
ACI: Britain’s Worst Crash (National Geographic)
Hidden Histories: Britain’s Oldest Family Businesses
Britain’s Best Bakery (STV)
Benefits Britain: The Bedroom Tax (CH4)
The Boats That Built Britain (BBC4)
Kidnapped; Betrayed by Britain? – Panorama (BBC1)
Britain’s Bronze Age Mummies: A Time Team Special (CH4)
Hungry Britain – Panorama (BBC1)
I Never Knew That About Britain (STV)
Permission Impossible: Britain’s Planners (BBC2)
Pop Charts Britannia: 60 Years of the Top 10 (BBC4)
Britain on Film (BBC4)
The Nature of Britain (BBC2)
The British (Sky Atlantic)
A Very British Renaissance (BBC2)
Border Country: The Story of Britain’s Lost Middleland (BBC2)
Rule Britannia! Music, Mischief and Morals in the 18th Century (BBC4)
British Touring Car Championship Live (BBC4)
Jet! When Britain Ruled the Skies (BBC4)
Great British Menu (BBC2)
The Battle for Britain’s Breakfast (BBC2)
And that doesn’t even include “I Love My Country”, readers.
And Brown wants us to give control of our schools to Gove in response to the ‘Trojan Horse schools’! You could not make it up.
Crikey, I must have a filter in my brain, have missed all those Great British programmes and the many many war films as well. Now I know I could do without TV and the Beeb.
‘I Love My Country’ still wins the award for the creepiest title for any television programme ever. It still makes my skin crawl.
Bill, on previous post someone said that this would break the treaty, as if it had not been broken time and time again. We should tell them where to go but how if we vote NO. We will, well some will have agreed in principle to this.
I feel seasick after reading that list.
Must be something I haven’t drunk yet or that list of undulating, steaming, Britshness.
I’m glad I am in France, no one looks awry at me when I don’t sing the Marseillaise.
And we are the ones that are supposed to be insular and inward-looking!
The great British Biscuit? Seriously???
What about the Great British Rip-off? Or The Great British myth- why we are ‘better together’? The Great British sell-off – how to make your buddies even richer?
Should I suggest these to the BBC?
I miss British Railways.
“The Battle for Britain’s Breakfast (BBC2)”
Scramble!
You wonder what BBC Scotland is doing to promote the best of Scotland.
Apparently not a lot.
OT: re twitter for Morag.
link to munguinsrepublic.blogspot.co.uk
Bankrupt Britain
The point is there is no such definable thing as ‘British’. It’s a Victorian myth.
I have been a fan of Charlie Brooker for some time. in his programs He talks a lot of sense and presents it well. I imagine that if “Wings” was a TV show it would be something like Charlies “Screen Wipe” program.
Charlie even had our Lemmy on his show expouting Scottish Skiers theory regarding Cameron wanting to get rid of Scotland.
Its all about the ukok unionist’s creepy “I’m a proud Scot but teamGB is better” stuff, up here at any rate. Crash Gordon’s trying to work on this right now with his Scots kids don’t want to be Scots educated, the sneaky old git.
And all paid from your licence fee, dear ‘British’ citizen.
For comparison how many TV shows have Scotland or Scots in their titles?
Navel gazing.
@Gillie
Here’s one for after the referendum – “Beyond the Cringe.”
Stirling 2014 banners are up all over the city, and encircling the castle. Every one incorporates a huge Union Flag.
With that and the upcoming British Armed Forces day here it feels like we’re under seige. Bloody council run by a satanic Lab/Tory collusion.
Isn’t Britain for the British missing from the list.
Thanks Rev, this is why I love WingsoverBritain
Britpish.
The Great British child poverty
The Great British nuclear arsenal of WMDs
The Great British Middle East wars
The Great British bedroom tavx
The Great British ctions
You know, I looked right through that list and there isn’t a single programme I have ever watched (apart from Little Britain)… Yeah, I may have turned the TV on for one of them to pop up, but the channel would have been turned fairly quickly.
One thing that is absolutely obvious from the list, is the complete lack of intellectual programming. nearly every single programme (apart from Little Britain) has next to no educational value what so ever.
There is an underworld of artists and creatives in Scotland that put the majority of this guff to shame.
Another reason to vote YES… Better TV.
If anything suggests insularity it is the attempt to characterise “human values” as “british values”. I do not share any values with the plutocrats at Westminster: none at all. When they change their focus to, at a very minimum, feeding all of the people, I will recognise their conversion to human values and I will be glad. Meantime “british values” mean acceptance of food banks. To coin a phrase: No Thanks!
Rev, is your flat wall tae wall flat screens watching awe they British programmes. Now that is above & beyond the call
of duty,your brain is gonna be mince before we get tae the end of this Referendem. Am a gibbering wreck watching Bbc Scot
& listening to GMS.
Tak it easy we need you.
I can honestly say, hand on heart that I have NOT watched any of those programmes and don’t intend to watch any future programmes.
There hasn’t ever been a coherent, majority perception of Britishness. Ideologically, the thrust of what Cameron is saying will be attempts to reinforce the dominant ideology within Britain which simply means London centrism and ‘greed is good’ neoliberalism. The comments of Darling and Brown, on education, fit in perfectly – more centralisation on Westminster’s terms.
No wonder there is little public belief in promises of more devolution. FORWARD TO YES !
The Great British child poverty
The Great British nuclear arsenal of WMDs
The Great British Middle East wars
The Great British bedroom tax
The Great British DWP sanctions
The Great British Atos death lists
The Great British shop window spikes
The Great British pretend jobs in job centres
The Great British NHS privatisation
The Great British pensions grab
… and other top notch Great British thingymajigs
I Love My Country seems to be a BBC Scotland production as the BBC Scotland logo appears at the end.
I only saw the end because I pulled the cursor to the end as the program was really puke making.
I would love for anyone to clearly define what British actually means. I have yet to see a clear definition anywhere that doesn’t fall into the realms of cliche and exclusiveness.
There was also a call today that you cannot be British if you don’t speak English – no recognition that Brythonic (Welsh and Cornish) and Gaelic (Scots, Irish and Manx)pre-date “English” in these islands and are still in widespread use today.
It just sounds so much like 1746 all over again.
I am not British.
Those who ask me if I see myself Scottish or British are telling me what they see themselves as – British equals English. The colonial mindset at work.
Listen …
I have never thought Scotland owned England.
Therefore I see myself as Scottish.
I haven’t seen any of the programmes in the article list but I did see the Susan Boyle clip from ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ (I think it’s that one) on the news.
link to en.wikipedia.org I bought a 1948 war rationed London Olympic Games catalogue for 20 squid in a charity shop 2 years ago but unbelievably, it has no union jacks anywhere.
Fast forward 2012, austerity teamGB meant to be paying for biggest City bank crash/fraud ever, so Labour/ConDem Westminster blows £12+billion at least for colossal rule Britannia Olympic display.
I was sadly, not the only one predicting the desire by BritNats to dismantle Scottish institutions & cultural identity as a means of finishing the job of completely assimilating Scots into “British” culture.
But I am surprised that calls to replace our education system with the one in England have come so soon, having expected them to come AFTER the referendum in the event of a NO vote.
Scots should consider this plea by Gordon Brown as a ominous warning. If Scotland does vote NO, we can expect London to rapidly work to make those precious jewels of Scotland’s unique identity, unworthy, unworkable & thus illegitimate.
They will be systematically replaced by an English/London centric apparatus & framework. Our unique statutes that define our civil & criminal law, our education system & our cultural apparatus will be considered as unnecessary anachronisms that complicate the smooth running of the British State. Holyrood will be turned into a music venue or a bizarre conference centre. Politics? Finished.
They will do this because as we currently stand, our cultural framework, systems & identity are considered by Unionists, a platform from which to threaten the idea of a unified, consensual, Great Britain.
But once those are removed, it becomes much, much harder to isolate, measure, analyze & explain your Scottish identity let alone use it as a rallying call for nation state solidarity.
London has already greased the hands of legal experts who claim that Scotland, as a nation, hasn’t actually existed since 1707.
If Scots vote NO in September, be very aware that even the idea of calling yourself Scottish, will, in the minds of the odious British elite, be a label that comes with a very short shelf life indeed.
So, if you believe that Scotland isn’t really a proper country after all, go right ahead & sign away your entire national identity.
And don’t be surprised or bitch when there isn’t a Scottish football or rugby team to cheer on in a few years time. When you put that cross in the NO box, you are telling the British government that it doesn’t matter to you anymore.
Just think about that very carefully before walking into the polling booth in September. Marking a cross against the YES box might be risky but it will be nothing to the shock you will get when you see your country evaporate after a NO vote.
It’s nothing new, but there does seem to have been an awful lot of it recently!
We must remember, lurking among all the British mind-orientation lies the not so subtle fact that in the minds of most English people, England/Britain and English/ British are synonymous and interchangeable.
Most Scots are quite clear what they mean when they use the words Britain or British.
Most British are far from clear when they use the words.
Only days ago Clegg said, “Our teachers should be qualified.”
England’s teachers are not qualified to teach!
Well that list makes me even more happy I don’t watch television.
But the unionists ‘hate nationalism’.
The Greatest British Onslaught of Propaganda Ever.
(c) BBC London
One of the reasons advanced by BBC apologists for its continuation (and the continuation of the licence fee) is that somehow this ‘public service’ broadcaster produces higher quality programming than other, more grubbily commercial channels.
And yet looking at the ordure produced by the BBC in the list above, there doesn’t seem to be all that much of a general difference between the focus of its standard output and that of say, Channel 5.
The Battle for Britain’s Breakfast indeed.
And the most offensive one of all which supplies us with all this British nonsense is the *British* Broadcasting Corporation – easy to forget as we all call it by a variety of less than complimentary names now.
@ G H Graham.
They’ve already removed our Scottish banks and Scottish press. The shops are all English. The BBC is promoting ‘Scottish’ cricket very hard. Not much left for them to destroy here.
The Great Britwank Project?
Now that is what you call your propaganda machine in action.
You don’t suppose they’re over egging the pudding slightly?
It’s the same with food,can’t even buy eggs in certain supermarkets but they are British eggs,laid by union jack adorned British chickens. The birds have no idea that they are British,of course.
Fake Britain
– This caught my eye for some reason.
Maybe Labour could commission a similar programme about its international socialism?
Come to think of it, why aren’t Labour insisting on balance in the TV schedules and demanding that for every programme with the word “British” in its title there should be one with “International Socialism” as well? I would definitely tune in to watch The Battle for International Socialism’s Breakfast.
Britishness = Englishness.
It amazes me when I see people in England bemoaning that they have lost their English identity, when in reality it was just renamed ‘British’.
When the UK Prime Minister declares he wants to promote ‘Britishness’ by teaching all children about the Magna Carta – a purely English document irrelevant to Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland – then we know the truth of all this ‘britishness’ nonsense.
I’m glad that people in England are starting to get sick and fed up with ‘Britishness’ rammed down their throats 24/7 too. Coming soon to a TV station near you ‘Britain’s best Britishy Brit, a new challenge show in which Britain’s best brits from all around Britain are judged by Britain’s finest on their Britishness’.
Not to mention jingoism in the soaps; Jubilee, Royal births, weddings and holidays.
Anyway, what Union? I never was a Union but a takeover.
Funny I didn’t see a programme listed there called “The
Greatest British Troughers.”
On the call from Gordon Brown (spit) to replace the independent Scottish education system with that from South of the border funny how he seems to done all right from OUR education system but he now wants to DENY others from the same system.
The one question that Broon the Loon’s call raises for me is how long will it be now before we have the same eejit calling for our own N.H.S. is integrated into the ever expanding PRIVATISED English N.H.S.
Haha I also started a list but didn’t get nearly this many…however someone posted that A ‘Very British Airline’ bbc2 Scotland (20:00 Sat 14 June 2014) replaced ‘Yes Minister’ played in every other BBC region …..I am not paranoid!
YUK?
Fantasy island, Britain.
On Brown’s preposterous call for England to dictate scotland’s education system – I pointed out on the last thread topic most Scottish degree courses are years longer than English.
Medics, for example start at 5 years.
There are equivalent medic courses in top English universities, however…
5 years is the basic Scottish MBBS course, 6 years with an intercalated BSc. Once qualified there’s another 3 years for MRCS surgical training. Then 5 years for the radiology training for the FRCR.Then comes yet another year more for a sub-speciality fellowship – only then can you call yourself…
… a fully qualified consultant.
The English system gets nowhere close. That’s why immigrant ‘doctors’ are so easily employed who hold flaky qualifications.
Two years for an English degree in media studies?!
Aye right, and all employed by the BBC as researchers. No wonfder they think Scotland a north Britain holiday sports retreat.
I am submitting a project for funding to BBC, a biography of Gordon Brown, entitled:
The Great British Balloon
What is Scottish? I think it’s about the attitudes and values most of us share. I like to think this referendum is about the quest of a fairer, more just and more democratic society. I accept that heritage and culture shared by most of us, reinforced by our unique national institutions, is also defining.
British? That is an inhabitant of the island of Britain. Or in a historical sense, the Welsh speaking folks the Romans encountered.
So what’s all this Britain/British propaganda about? My take is it’s actually all about imprinting a standard, approved, and Anglicised mindset on those inhabitants of this island who dare to deviate – be they Scots or 20thC immigrants.
As stated in several comments above, vote No and watch that project continue to be rolled out!
Vote Yes and get on with building the nation we desire.
It might help if they ditched Londonness and refocussed.
Hey – leave the BTCC alone!
We petrolheads need our fix of wheechie round car thingies. The ONLY fixture in Scotland is at Knockhill and it is well worth a visit (live, always beats broadcast btw), if only for the views
Take an umbrella though, works for both the rare amounts of burning (really!) sun and mostly rain/showers during the event.
Apart from that, most of the other titles in the list could work just as well WITHOUT the adjective. Maybe it’s included so we know that we’re not viewing imported, quality, programming like Lizard Lick Towing and Duck Dynasty.
Didn’t the British armada used to sail around the globe in their big model boats and white curly wigs telling the indigenous populations that they were (In British eyes) ‘uncivilised’, and required the values and civility of the ‘British way’ to eke out their existence?
The Great British Superiority Complex?
In all honesty, I automatically back off from anything with ‘British’ in the title.
Apart from ‘British Railways’, Marcia. Kindred spirit, I suspect!
@ galamcennalath
“It’s nothing new, but there does seem to have been an awful lot of it recently!”
This Newsnet article says it is new – since the 2011 Holyrood election:
link to tinyurl.com
Where is “The Great British Independent Nuclear Deterrent and how it has kept World Peace for 50 years” on that list?
“The Voice” has morphed into “The Voice UK” in some of their branding…
I was on holiday in France recently and popped into a Lidl for some provisions. It didn’t dawn on me at first walking along the aisles but suddenly it struck me. There were no flags on any of the boxes or products. No French flag milk cheese,eggs…nothing.
Maybe we should all use the British language – Welsh.
Am i the only one who saw the lsiting for
JFK: The Final Visit to Britain (BBC2)
and thought
“Here we go ‘JK: The Great Britons fight against Cybernats'”
“The Battle for Britain’s Breakfast (BBC2)”
Scramble!” Easy Major you’re walking on eggshells there!
I’ll be here all week yolks!
Brings to mind the discussion I had with a deluded person who thought they were ‘British’ Just wouldn’t listen when I told them they lived on an island called Britain, part of the UK of GB & NI. Of course, what doesnt help is that the front cover of Passports has ‘UK of GB & NI on it but in the details it refers to the holder as a ‘British Citizen’. The establishment don’t even agree what the hell their country is called.
@rab_the_doubter
Im still waiting for BT to state “Changing all the country drop down lists on the Internet to include Scotland will cost more than the Millenium bug”
I failed the English cricket test.
Is “A Very British Airline” on the list? Of course they forget to tell you that the “Very British” British Airways is owned by International Airlines Group (reg.Spain).
link to bbc.co.uk
I can’t believe for an aviation nutt(er) I never asked about “A Very British Airline” being on the list! DUH!
Has Brown produced evidence of these polls of 14-17 year olds wanting a UK education system?
British=English certainly but more than that it is a peculiar strand of English which is cross between public school and white van man of Essex.
London is the centre of the world after all. You just had to look at Lizzie’s birthday thingy. Music hall farce doesn’t cover it.
Tamson says:
Has Brown produced evidence of these polls of 14-17 year olds wanting a UK education system?
Don’t be a Silly Billy! Of course he hasn’t, he’s from Labour they don’t DO “let’s produce the facts” he just makes comments inferring that *ahem* evidence exists!
In a Sunday Mail article, Cameron went on to illustrate how Britishness could be promoted by teaching the Magna Carta! Whit the hell has that to do with Scotland! Mair proof of British = English inside Tory heids.
@Grouse beater – sorry to be pedantic but medical training is standardised across the UK – a 5 year undergrad course for your medical degree (6 if, as you say, you intercalate) followed by two years of foundation training followed by specialist training which for a surgeon is longer than 3 years.
Postgraduate qualifications required to be a consultant/GP (MRCP, FRCS, MRCGP, etc.) are also standardised.
So, for example, although the RCGP has a Scottish branch and Scottish Council the college exam is a UK-wide exam controlled by the RCGP HQ in London.
I would nicely suggest you ask Rev to remove your post about medics before someone less kind than me pillories you for it.
He can then remove my post too!
Your general point about Scottish undergraduate degrees such as BSc or BA being a year longer than equivalent English degrees is true and you may wish to re-post in those terms.
Cheers
Steve (the pedant)
Forthcoming programme from BBC Scutlinn:
The Great British Maths Conundrum- Episode 1. We explore the Venn diagram and how it will be used to try and find any overlaps in the “More DEVO anyone? ” proposals of the CONLIBLAB parties. The programme will hosted by the neutral
K. Dugdale and her guests are:
Ruthie D (Its my mind and I’ll change it if I want to),
Johann Lamont (Anas is ma bestist pal honest)
Willie Rennie (Ming is King)
Professor (pronounced Pro Fear Sir) Curtice will analyse the finding.
The Yes campaign were not invited, due to technical issues.
You Cybernatters are all being Paranoid !
There are just as many programmes with Scotland in the title surely !
Reporting Scotland
STV News at 6pm
Scotland tonight
Scotland 21014
See : Now there you go !
Wheres your conspiracy theory now you cyber rotters ?
Related Newsnet topic is 7 fold increase in FOI requests to NHS from BBC since 2011:
link to tinyurl.com
Must be trawling for bad news stories on health?
Trust you gordoz!
Here we are, all fully trained up cybernats of the Cybernat Battalion having a day off from training and you have to go and spoil it with you’re There are just as many programmes with Scotland in the title surely !
Reporting Scotland
STV News at 6pm
Scotland tonight
Scotland 21014
See : Now there you go !
Ach well back to grinding the nose then!
The British brainwashing machine or did i just have a nightmare about that one lol
The first time my eyes were opened to this was when i heard a song by a bunch of English lads called The Sex Pistols if you youngsters out there have never heard it go listen to God Save The Queen by them which was banned for being anti-british by the BBC and the powers that be, was it too close to the truth for comfort?
is i love my country about Scotland? (i dont watch tele)
@Lesley-Anne
I think I missed 2 off the list; but they were about North Britain – Dohhh!
Taxi !!!
I am re-posting something terribly British from last week in case some of you didn’t see it, it would be a right shame to miss it, so it would.
I originally saw this tweeted by National Collective. It’s the new “Portrait of Britain Collection” by the Royal Mint. I will leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Celebrate the world-renowned landmarks of the United Kingdom with the Portrait of Britain Collection – a quartet of eye-catching silver Proof £5 coins.
Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square – four very British Icons – are famous symbols of outstanding British design, engineering and culture.
link to royalmint.com
How about ‘The Great British Invasions’ … Episode 1 Iraq
… or The Great British Slave Trade 1600-1833.
Jeez, thank god I never watch telly.
Couple more suggestions:
The Great British Concentration Camps
The Great British Kenyan Massacres
Dcanmore says:
17 June, 2014 at 11:46 am… or The Great British Slave Trade 1600-1833
Be careful – slaves + tobacco is what made 18th century Glasgow merchants rich – not something to be proud of even for us Yes-ers
Steve said: to remove your post,
Eh, no. I can see how you got the wrong end of the stick; I was answering two posters at once. My medic comment is in answer to another implying such courses were a maximum of 5 years.
That said, what I do imply, and elsewhere too, is the tradition of teaching on Scottish courses to be better in general in Scotland than England. That is because you must be a qualified to teach, not only qualified in the subject that you wish to teach.
For example, had Picasso wanted to teach art in a Scottish secondary school he could not do so. He had no qualifications. He could give a talk as an invited speaker. However, he could teach in English schools.
Britishness for me is Enoch Powell, Bruce Forsyth, another Scroungers headline in the Sun or Illegal immigrants in the Daily Mail, Terry Wogan eating a sausage supper, Fred West, Jeffrey Archer in a blue leotard, Keith Lemon, low wages, Eddie the Eagle Edwards, trickle down economics, Nigel Farage holidying in the Cotswold’s, good old fashioned xenophobia like yer mama used to make it…Jimmy Hill saying “toe poke”, Rodger Moore/Ray Winstone/Victoria Wood/Hugh Grant in a reenactment of the Falklands ( she made us proud to be British again don’t you know)- Maggie herself- Alan Carr, Zero hour contracts, Jim Davidson’s racist/sexist slurs, casual snobbery…& the invocation of the Dunkirk Spirit conjured up in a seance by Russell Grant dressed as a tattooed Morris Dancer.
Well that’s my vision of “Britishness”- who’s or what’s is any more legitimate than any other in these days of moral relativism?
Living in Cyprus we are often asked by English expats if we ever go back to England. No we reply we can’t go back to England. Why not? Well we come from Scotland.Well you know what I mean with a silly laugh!!They don’t think it funny if we ask them if they ever go back to Scotland
I’ve been on about this for ages, and had the ‘paranoid’ treatment, but the length of that list is staggering !
Well done, whoever compiled it.
This isn’t just for our benefit btw, it’s the London elites trying to convince the rest of the UK that were all one big happy family. A sort of mega-squirrel, to distract from the fact that, as far as infrastructure spending at least, it’s London first,foremost,always.
Aye every episode of Come Dine with me has someone with Brit cushions! It’s not just coincidence!
Hi Grouse Beater – you say:
“Medics, for example start at 5 years.
There are equivalent medic courses in top English universities, however…
5 years is the basic Scottish MBBS course, 6 years with an intercalated BSc. Once qualified there’s another 3 years for MRCS surgical training. Then 5 years for the radiology training for the FRCR.Then comes yet another year more for a sub-speciality fellowship – only then can you call yourself…
… a fully qualified consultant.
The English system gets nowhere close. That’s why immigrant ‘doctors’ are so easily employed who hold flaky qualifications”
I am not trying to censor you but these paragraphs are not true – as I said medical training in the UK is standardised across the UK. There is an issue with doctors coming into the UK if they are from the EU in that they are entitled to work here without necessarily adequately demonstrating that they have the same level of training and experience.
Would you consider an edit for accuracy?
Cheers
Steve
We can’t whitewash Scots from the slave trade, they did it mostly under the British flag, Empire and all. We face up to our past and move on, to hide it is to deny it, I’m not one for for that. Every empire had its slaves and today we have women and children working in horrendous conditions so we can buy cheap t-shirts in Primark* (and other clothing outlets).
*The Great British Bargain
We live in a very hypocritical world and it is very difficult to remove ourselves from it. But a YES vote could really be a beginning of throwing off the baggage of the past and start again ,showing the world that Scotland can be a beacon of progress without exploitation.
Forgot one; Leon Brittan’s Elm House Escapade and rapey romps.
Forgot one; Leon Brittan’s Elm House Escapade and rapey romps.
This so very true, you can’t change channel today without seeing the union jack or the mention of the word Britain. It’s surely no coincidence, that we’re bombarded by these and other unionist symbols, in the run up to the referendum.
I think if Charlie Brooker was a Scot, he would have an online pro indy outlet like the Rev’s.
They also do not get the plain and simple fact that after independence from the UK, Scotland will still be part of Britain.
‘Brittania’ was first used by the Greek explorer Pytheas, about 400 years before the Romans invaded Britain.
The interchangeability of a ‘B’ start and a ‘P’ start in manuscripts lead philologists to believe that ‘P’ starting letter giving something like ‘Prytani’ was what the inhabitants probably called themselves.
This ties in with the Middle (Old?) Welsh word ‘Prydein’, and, if it is accepted that the P-Celtic/Q-Celtic rule applies between this and the Old Irish word for the Picts ‘Cruinthe’, the combination would attribute the required antiquity.
The Greeks used it variously to decribe the people, the main island and all the islands. (They also referred to the British Isles as the ‘Tin Islands’).
The Romans geographically used Brittania for the whole island of Great Britain. Politically, there is a case that they only used it for the province they controlled, but even then, what they considered they controlled is a matter of debate e.g. Agricola reaching the northernmost point of the island and sending ships around the island (contentious).
And there was a later distinction made between Britons (Brythonic speakers) and Gaelic speakers although it is still moot whether there was a Q-Celtic presence in Scotland at the time the island was ‘named’.
If those geographical usages are accepted then all Scots have, as far back as is possible to say, been British.
If Roman politically based definitions are used then some subset of Scotland (unquantifiable) might not qualify, if indeed they did not regard all of Scotland as ‘theirs’.
If the linguistic ‘Brythonic’ speaking requirement is made then only Welsh and Cornish speakers would be entitled to call themselves British today unless it were conceded that all at one time previously Brythonic speaking peoples were also entitled.
Note that Anglo-Saxon’s who did not appear until the 6th century AD would only be entitled to call themselves British by the geographical definition.
@Dcanmore – agree 100% and agree that’s one of the reasons we should vote Yes. We can and should be better than this.
As usual it falls on the head of the Daily Mash to come up with something more believable than the p**h the BBC is spinning us:
link to thedailymash.co.uk
FFS Bbc2 Daily Politics Prof Curtice .
The Experts Expert, so where are all these Experts can we
have a poll of Experts on the Experts Expert,or we’ll
just take it the Bbc know what a Expert looks like.
If you didn’t watch Portillo on the railways just because of the title or the presenter then you’re a sad bigot. Like a sevco fan who won’t have anything green in their hovel.
Ur we back wie the DDOS ?
Don’t expect to see this being celebrated by the BBC on the 1st of July:
The Great British Empire- Hong Kong No More
link to news.bbc.co.uk
Creatively and artistically, this is a great image:
link to news.bbcimg.co.uk
Evidence of what lies behind the ‘Vote No and get more Powers guff’ ?
Or should it more honestly be ‘Vote No for Less Scotland’??
Just holding breath for Scottish media to go ballistic !
(Turning blue now !)
link to newsnetscotland.com
Talking all things ‘British’
My hobby horse is aviation, which I’m vaguely connected to through my work in cargo
Anyhoo, I find British Airways fascinating, so have been watching ‘A very British Airline’ on the BBC
The thing is, which isn’t made clear, is that the ‘very British Airline’ is no longer ‘British’, its actually part of the International Airline Group, which is headquartered in Madrid, Spain. Now IAG is a London Stock Exchange quoted company, but in terms of the LSE, it’s a ‘foreign’ company.
All Stock holder AGM’s are held in Madrid (I know this as I am a shareholder – long story, so don’t ask)
British Airways have lead a charmed life, as it has been ‘protected’ in some shape or form over the years, since it was privatised (actually its charmed life goes back further to the old BOAC days).
It has worked hand in glove with both government and the former BAA that controlled Heathrow, to ensure that passengers across the country had to travel to London in order to fly long haul.
In effect it has been a ‘very London Airline’. Currently British Airways only fly long haul from Heathrow and Gatwick with a very small selection from Manchester.
The nearest similar airline is SAS Scandinavian Airlines System, which is actually based in Norway, Sweden and Denmark and is very active in having direct long haul from each of these countries.
SAS may be a future example of what British Airways might or could become, if it’s clever enough.
Like with all independent countries, an independent Scotland will develop its own international long haul airline.
Coming back to ‘A very British Airline’ anyone watching the last episode, will have noticed that British Airways recognised the importance of the Chinese market in bringing much needed tourist ‘dollars’ into ‘Britain’, actually read into London as the flights they are developing are only in and out of London.
Which brings me neatly to the current visit of the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, the home office have announced that they will be relaxing visa requirements for all Chinese visitors (that’s handy for British Airways). The Premier’s visit is for three days – I wonder if he will visit Scotland?
ronnie Anderson
Found it funny when someone on GMS this morning stated ‘where would we be without the help Prof Curtice’
Where indeed
I’m glad I haven’t imagined these union jacks popping up everywhere.
I cringe when I see them.
Putting my pedant’s cap on: The British Touring Car Championship is ITV4, not BBC4. Also, I don’t see how you could get away without using the word British to distinguish it from, say, the German touring car championship. Before anyone suggests it, it’s not exclusively English either – it hosts one round in Scotland, and I think still hosts one in Ireland too.
Don’t forget the Royal Wedding. That was an epic day for being ‘British’. Union Flags everywhere. In fact, I’m surprised Catherine didn’t get married in Ginger Spice’s old Union Jack dress!
Just to add to the voices objecting to the inclusion of the BTCC, it’s also been around for a considerably longer time than the media has been trying to convince Scotland, with increasing degrees of desperation, that we are actually all British really, aren’t we? BTCC doesn’t really apply.
Some of those programmes are reasonably decent viewing; the BBC does sometimes manage to do interesting and not just bloody reality bollocks from cooking to dancing and God knows what other shite in between…. The historical programmes, once the titles are out of the way, it’s back to the usual interchangable terms of British and English all the way through the narrative.
No, the programmes that offend me the most at present are anything about WW1 with Dan Snow. Trying to say we’ve all got this mass slaughter that killed millions of people wrong and that most who went came home again. Life in the trenches wasn’t always miserable… probably true, but y’know, that doesn’t really change the less palatable realities of machine guns, trench foot, mustard gas and your mates getting blown up around you. Pretty sure no one who ever survived life in the trenches came back and swore blind that ‘it was all just a lark.’
The Great British Lie
Britainia = England/Wales
Caledonia = Scotland
Always been different, even the romans saw it.
Ah the good old Better On A Camel airline, those were the days Edward. I used to fly BOAC out to Hong Kong and to be honest they weren’t as bad as the old Better On A Camel joke made them out to be.
In fact when I was at school in Hong Kong we used to take the initials of all the airlines that flew in to Kai Tak and try to make *ahem* alternatives up.
I had a wee look/google for any programmes with ‘Great Scottish’ in the title, and found nothing apart from lots of references to the Great Scottish Run or Swim.
Indeed the last occasion there was any public effort to produce Scottish programmes for the first Homecoming year from our only indigenous TV company, the BritNats complained to Ofcom.
link to stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk
How about The Great British illegal invasion of Iraq?
Kai Tak was some white knuckle airport; the landing was world famous.
Lesley-Ann
SABENA
Such A Bad Experience Never Again.
On Education: link to rosaalba.wordpress.com
Scotland is to London
what The Faroes is to Edinburgh
Got to love Charlie Brooker. ScreenWipe is on far too rarely, and I miss his sarcastic take on telly as soon as the series finishes. I noticed last time I saw him on HIGNFY (it might not have been the last time he was on it though) he was one of the guys that looked a bit awkward and uncomfortable when Ian Hislop started on his “jocks and their deep-fried Irn-bru mars bars, har-har-har” stuff.
I suppose one of the benefits of independence would that there may be less of “The Great British Wank Off” type guff on the Beeb.
If only Scotland could be immunised against the Gordonvirus
Please don’t waste time on complaining about these islands being named The British Isles, and the people British.
It woz the Romans wot did it. They called the islands Brittania, probably from the name of the people who called themselves the Pretanii ( the tattooed ones). The Picts (or Pictii ) means roughly the same (the painted ones). And Great Britain is not a self aggrandising title. It was so called to distinguish it from Brittany by the Celtic people’s who lived there.
It is, off course, annoying that English people say England when they mean Britain, but I don’ t think they mean any harm by it. And anyway they are learning. In my youth English football supporters waved the Union Jack but now it is always the English flag.
These little historical hangovers are not worth bothering about, they are the old story which we cannot change, but we can change everything on Sept. 18 th with the first page of our new story.
TVs on in London office here and showing Sky News..”Whats Britishness”..its cringetastic reading the subtitles which include beaming reporter saying “And as for the cricketer currently making us all smile, he was born in Zimbabwe!”
Sitting here sighing is my version of “Whats Scottishness”
I wonder what BtBC and MSM will do after a Yes win?
Will they continue the London centric anti Scottish stance?
What they might be forced to do is actually report the Scottish side of things.
I suspect as negotiations begin they will continue to be cheer leaders for rUK. Everything Team Scotland wants will be unfair and unreasonable.
Channel 4 news the other night was going big on the British values thing – most of which seem to be happily thrown aside and trodden into the spin and machination mire when it comes to our referendum. They interviewed people at Runnymede, as everyone is supposed to know the Magna Carta is what underpins our great British democracy.
Emailed Channel 4 about it, saying I thought they should be more clued up given the approaching Scottish referendum, but of course no response.
galamcennalath
The White Paper is clear, good bye BBC ( we can still access it but it wont be official national station) and hello to the new SBC.
I assume the SBS will have to be Scottish but then again it wouldnt surprise us!
@desimond
I suppose I’m think about the 18 months between vote and Independence Day. We’ll be stuck with same old same old until SBS is created.
Come to think about it, the same will be true of all sorts of aspects of life. On the 19th, assuming a Yes vote, Westminster is still in charge of everything. On ID, the scottish parliament is in charge. What will the intermediate period be like?
The Great British Foodbank (Sky Sports 4)
The Great British Bankers’ Bonus (Bloomberg)
The Great British Arms Trade (Fox News)
The Great British Nuclear Deterrent (CBS)
The Great British Royal Family (BBC / STV ad nauseum)
How any of you nasty Cybernats can even THINK of voting for independence after those cutesy-wootsy pictures of the adorable Prince George toddling is illegal so scurry off back to your howffs and hovels and we’ll let you know if you’re needed as cannon fodder or ghillying.
Carbon copy of Spanish Culture Minister, Ignatious Wert’s statement earlier this year, when he declared that the Catalonians needed to be Spanish-fied. Perhaps he should have been more discreet and said that they needed to celebrate their Spanishness with more enthusiasm. But really, what’s the difference?
galamcennalath
Apologies, I realised that the very second I tapped enter key. They will just stay the exact same. Denial is a powerful drug. Come the time, The talks will be covered by “UK prime minister met a delegation” as if it was just same old business as usual and you’ll be lucky if we make top billing after initial photo-shoot.
The band playing on while the Titanic took in water springs to mind.
Identity theft on a National scale.
Visiting my folks last week, I was watching BBC News 24, when they hit the Nitro button on Michael Gove’s ‘Master Plan’. Fanning the embers, the BBC invited viewer comments on what they considered “British values”. It was all a little alarming, but “Christianity” was the one that jumped out at me, prompting two questions, off the top of my head.
– What flavour of Christianity would that be?
– Will coloured stars be worn by non-Christians? (perhaps yellow for Jews, green for Muslims, etc….).
Question – What do you call an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
Answer – Fascism.
link to oxforddictionaries.com
@Edward
I’m sure you know this but for the record Emirates fly to Dubai from Glasgow Paisley. Most convenient for us and family flying to/from Australasia. Not having to deal with the horror of Heathrow is a major plus. Mrs Muscleguy is in India on business just now and flew Emirates from Paisley.
Steve said: An edit for accuracy.
I certainly could have done better than the short-hand I posted! The other problem discussing ideas fractured (pun intended) and separated from original discussions often mean linear understanding is lost.
Ir referred to Rowling’s message parrotring some medical men expressing fears of loss of research funds, the implication a Scotland independent is a foreign country – which is what she is saying.
The fact that a medical student in Edinburgh can choose (say) York to take his ‘student’ practice and then back to Edinburgh for a consultant’s post is, as you say, long established, as is the reverse, of course.
But it was not always so. The old English system allowed someone to be accepted into the ‘club’ because he was a really nice chap. It didn’t matter whether he had 10 thumbs and couldn’t tie a knot as a surgeon. If he wore the right tie and saluted the Queen the job was his.
It was standards that I aimed my comments, and to some degree, the scaremongering about loss of research grants, and cross-border versatility. If some are saying they will take revenge on Scotland by withdrawing co-operation NHS to NHS it would signal a new kind of medical man who has dispensed with care and concern for his fellow man.
In addition, there is no evidence to suppose the EU will suddenly cut grants to Scottish medical research while we discuss crossing the tees and dotting the I’s to retain membership. It will take many months to transfer who controls the decision making, and ultimately who holds the funds for distribution.
If that’s what some in medicine are fearful of because it all seems horribly complicated yo untavel it falls on them to offer solutions.
Denying Scots full democracy is not not the answer.
Anyway, sorry for any confusion earlier. Scotland has a wonderful heritage when it comes to medical research and discovery, Burke and Hare excepted.
Following the lead of broadcasters our food producers / supermarkets feel the need to plaster everything with a Union Jack. I wonder if they will dare to use the Saltire during the commonwealth games or is that too political?
Where possible my partner removes the offending packaging before going to the check out. The more who do this then they might get the message.
Yip I couldn’t agree more I’m sick of the sight of the butchers apron, on every bloody product, from cushions to cooked meat. It’s even worse if you watch tv, with GB this and GB that, worst of all though must be the farcical celebrations dressed up as commemorations of WWI.
I’ve never heard anything like it in my life to celebrate/commemorate the start of a war, rather than the end, let me add though that many a young brave lad died fighting in WWI. The real reason for the celebration/commemoration, is of course to try and thwart independence. Westminster will use any occasion to advance their cause.
Emirates arny daft, they fly direct to Dubai from Newcastle too, they’re stealing Heathrow and Schipol passengers from the UK, and more power to them, Dubai is an international hub for long distance. Schipol is also more pleasant for European destinations, I don’t think many would mourn Heathrow. Of course CDG is even worse.
Lesley-Anne – I went to school for a time in HK too. St George’s at the top of Waterloo Road, Kowloon. Sorry Rev!
Lesley-Anne – I went to school for a time in HK too. St George’s at the top of Waterloo Road, Kowloon. Sorry for o/t Ren and I still can’t spell my own name!
Bill McLean – or indeed the Rev’s.
@lesley anne, 10.48
The one question that Broon the Loon’s call raises for me is how long will it be now before we have the same eejit calling for our own N.H.S. is integrated into the ever expanding PRIVATISED English N.H.S.
That’s already been suggested by Andy Burnham, the shadow Health secretary. In an interview in the Holyrood Magazine (January 2014?) he said that there should be a unification of the Health Services ( a rif on Labour’s One Nation theme). Clearly he was not suggesting that the English NHS should follow the example of the Scottish NHS.
Muscleguy
I’m quite green with envy
Your right though, why go through the trauma of Heathrow.
Even if British Airways, condescended to fly from either Glasgow or Edinburgh, they would still get hammered in the choice stakes as Emirates is far better.
By the way Etihad, the Abu Dhabi based airline are launching new cabin styling to beat Emirates. Qatar, I understand are also about to improve their cabins at all levels
TJenny – well spotted but I did have most of my education in British Military and Naval schools. Excuses!!! but true!
We’re done yet, we’ve still got plenty of celebrating to do when we party for the anniversary of “The Great War™”
ny excuse to listen to the adverts here though, and how apt and on topic so hopefully I won’t get a row.
link to youtube.com
Ya, missed one.
Elvis lands at Prestwick airport, North Britain.
After being referred to as “Death Eaterish” by JK Rowling & a “Blood & Soil” nazi by Alistair Darling I was thinking of calling the cops about being abused and misrepresented by two members of the No Scotland team. I’ve been so upset & can’t stop crying. Also, I’ve been mistaken for a famous Scottish writer on more than one occasion & no one apologised for this cruelty. What next? A famous North Briton being smeared by Darling?
Just read John (mmm Peas) Majors contribution to the referendum debate. Foaming at the mooth, deranged idiocy with a sprinkling of threat and ‘your’e all Anti English’ thrown in for good measure.
Newsflash John Major – I’m not Anti English, but I am ‘Anti F**ing Idiot who knows not what he talks of and treats people with contempt’ In that classification you stand among your Peers like a shining beacon of arrogant stupidity.
I’m late to this discussion and my point has been said before but my brain hurts and I’m definitely getting paranoid. Every item I want to buy in the UK supermarkets has a Union flag… subliminal or what. But they don’t know or understand the Scots… works against the union, builds resentment
I do love the warmth engendered by our political and media classes. You could almost believe there is hope for humanity.
I wonder if the Northern Irish feel left out.
We can send them all the Butcher’s Aprons after Independence.
Always liked Charlie Brooker. Has a way with words that cuts through the crap.
“Brutishness” (Sorry having trouble spelling today but it looks appropriate) If it has to be taught me thinks it is not self evident or real.
Sorry I forgot my poem for such an appropriate topic, not sure if I have posted this one before.
From a Jack to a Jill
Jack is feeling quite ill, his background is lost
It’s now time for Jill to cope with the cost
Two red crosses on a field of white
The Saltire’s gone home, restoring what’s right
A fitting end to a devious pact
Scotland now cleansed by this final act
James Dow
It’s up to a lot of you faint hearted Jessie like Scot’s to take
heart, for my poem to ring true. Here’s hoping from all of us
here in Australia.
James Dow@
Aye if the Scots bottle it on September 8 we will be asking for all austerity and massive theft that will surely follow.
Vote YES!
Major Bloodnok says
““The Battle for Britain’s Breakfast (BBC2)”
Scramble!”
Er I’d rather have a fried egg if you em don’t mind Major
But can I just say you do look rather fetching in that waitresses uniform,
No look what you’ve made me do me monocle has fallen into to me porridge dontcha know?
BtP says
“I’m glad I am in France, no one looks awry at me when I don’t sing the Marseillaise.”
Huh and I got arrested for singing the Marseillaise on Kelty high street on Bastille day, they said I was breaching the peace!
I wonder what they’ll do when we have our own La Fête Nationale?
Nana Smith says
“Well that list makes me even more happy I don’t watch television.”
Did you watch the Great British Radio listeners last night?
ah’ll get ma coat.
Mcart says
“You don’t suppose they’re over egging the pudding slightly? ”
Did I here someone mention Eton Mess? mmmm
Ok ok Im going Im going no need to push me out the door.
Robert Louis says
“When the UK Prime Minister declares he wants to promote ‘Britishness’ by teaching all children about the Magna Carta – a purely English document irrelevant to Wales, Scotland and N.Ireland – then we know the truth of all this ‘britishness’ nonsense.”
I’ve got one I’ve got one
The Great British declaration of Arbroath
What do you think?
Eric the Cheeseman
“The Great British Superiority Complex?”
And there it is ,
arise Sir Eric the Cheeseman!
David Smith says
“In all honesty, I automatically back off from anything with ‘British’ in the title.”
I could not agree more David,
I was scrolling the menu on tv looking in vain for something to watch and found a programme called
Britain’s Busty Babes,
To say I was disgusted is putting it mildly,
all of the Busty British Babes came from Essex not a single one from Auchtertool.
sJames Sneddon
““The Battle for Britain’s Breakfast (BBC2)”
Scramble!” Easy Major you’re walking on eggshells there!
I’ll be here all week yolks!”
At last, its aboot time you came out of your shell.
Tamson says
“Has Brown produced evidence of these polls of 14-17 year olds wanting a UK education system?”
And you care why?
Do you give your kids everything they want?
will you adopt me.
SS says
“The Great British Concentration Camps
The Great British Kenyan Massacres”
The Great British Opium Trade!
Did you really think the holds of those Tea Clippers were weighted with rocks?
Defo says
“A sort of mega-squirrel, ”
Now this I have to see,
WHERE?
JLT says
“Don’t forget the Royal Wedding. That was an epic day for being ‘British’. Union Flags everywhere. In fact, I’m surprised Catherine didn’t get married in Ginger Spice’s old Union Jack dress!”
Cathrine? cathrine? who the f**k is Cathrine
link to youtube.com
BtP says
“Kai Tak was some white knuckle airport; the landing was world famous.”
It can be worse than Gibraltar Bugger
they have aircraft carrier arrestor cables on the runway,
all you hear is bolter bolter bolter every time a plane comes in
BtP say
“SABENA
Such A Bad Experience Never Again.”
Air Lingus?
Ah’ll get ma emerald green colour coordinated coat.
Sinky says
“Following the lead of broadcasters our food producers / supermarkets feel the need to plaster everything with a Union Jack. I wonder if they will dare to use the Saltire during the commonwealth games or is that too political?”
The wife was selecting strawberries in the supermarket the other day and she always checks that they are Scottish and after picking up a punnet, decided to put it back again and select the next punnet to it,
when I asked her why she pointed out that in spite of the fact the strawberries (THEY REALLY ARE JUST BETTER) were indeed Scottish (Perth grower) they had a union flag on the packaging, whereas the next punnet along had a Saltire (Angus grower) I sincerely hope the Perth grower thinks long and hard before allowing a union flag to be printed on his produce in future, not big and not clever my man.
Rock says
“I wonder if the Northern Irish feel left out.”
Who?
Donald Anderson says
“James Dow@
Aye if the Scots bottle it on September 8 we will be asking for all austerity and massive theft that will surely follow.
Vote YES!”
How many rooms have you got James?
The Maggie Carta gave more power to English Bishops and nobles and hee haw t the English peasants. In fact the English King beheaded the peasant leader after he found him revolting.