Ask Wings Over Scotland
Posted on
February 16, 2013 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
We note with interest a letter in the Scotsman today:
“This debate about the word “separation” is annoying and a distraction from the real issues. I am waiting for some answers from the SNP about the potential shape of an independent Scotland. This is a waste of time.
J ADAMS
Harrison Gardens
Edinburgh”
We’re not in the SNP, Mr Adams, but we’re happy to help you out anyway.
We’ve done some checking, and it’ll be something like this:
If you’re a Unionist and you want some answers, just Ask Wings Over Scotland!
I thought that the Isle of Man was our most southerly island historically.
I am becoming increasing worried about the state of my sanity, as the MSM is surely not involved in the dissemination of disinformation. I have said this before, but I am concerned about the negative effect this will be having on the psyche of Scotland’s population. Someone has to step in and stop this from happening. Perhaps the police?
Mr Adams is obviously barking up the wrong tree if he
expects to get any real, unbiased articles regarding the SNP,
Yes Scotland or Independence if he restricts himself to the likes
of The Scotsman. That a so-called ‘quality’ newspaper would print
a letter I would more expect to see in a games magazine or ‘Smash Hits’
says more than the letter itself really.
I often find that if I want to know more about something I have
to get off my ass and go look for it in various sources.
I thought it was very fair-minded of Mr Adams to finish his letter with an objective self-assessment exercise.
The Scotsman – it keeps the flies aff yer chips.
Harrison Gardens is quite a swank part of town. Probs a tory.
Blimey.
I have an image of a man standing staring at a wall shouting, “why on earth can’t I see out onto my garden.”
It only highlights once more a phenomenon of this ‘great debate’:
When the SNP deal with stuff like the legal basis for the referendum or the wording of the question etc, they get accused of hiding behind ‘process’.
When they proffer visions of what an independent Scotland might look like – the constitution, oil fund, no nukes etc, they are accused of presumption and wishful thinking.
In the meantime, eejits like Mr Adams here can’t see the wood for the fekkin trees and actually don’t understand that it is not for the SNP or anyone else to ‘tell‘ them what an independent Scotland would look like – it is for him and millions others to decide for themselves.
We’ll take Rockall too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockall
Sounds like the Hootsmon has turned into Viz.
Got Shetland in the right place. woohoo! Gold star to Wings! (ken, the oil and aa that!). Lord Scott of Maryfield? nae chance!
I am waiting for some answers from the SNP about the potential shape of an independent Scotland.
Surely we’ve had some information just this week about the potential economic shape of an independent Scotland, and further such Scottish Government initiatives will continue to provide answers up to and beyond the point when the white paper is released in the autumn.
At least the SNP administration and the YES campaign are endeavouring to provide information. Now, can the UK Government and the No campaign give answers about the potential shape of a Scotland after a No vote?
I think the writer of the letter is another SNP/Yes Scotland conflator, he’s more interested in doing down the SNP than in actually finding out anything about independence.
Its quite frustrating that so many people are prepared to discard an idea not because its rubbish, but because they don’t like the people delivering it. It is incredibly short sighted.
I went to Edinburgh once. I could tell it was Edinburgh, there was a fork in the sugar bowl!
It’s a proven fact, that if you stick your fingers in your ears, it also affects your IQ.
I can tell J Adams that an independent Scotland won’t have WMD on the Clyde.
I hope everyone’s remembered the anti-Trident demo on 13th April. Discuss it in your political party, union etc and get yourselves to Glasgow. Only independence can get rid of the nuclear weapons and we need to show them how serious we are.
Malcolm> I used to live round the corner from there in student digs, it’s not particularly swanky, you’re probably thinking of the big Rowling/Rankin houses the other side of the canal.
Worth a look – re the Good/Bad nationalism thread earlier –
http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2013/02/16/the-intransigence-of-british-nationalism/
@J ADAMS
shape of an independent Scotland.
Well if Alex Salmonds snp keep up with there present
trend of promising a continuation of everything the snp
believe the Scottish people are reluctant to give up.
The pound,the Queen,the eu.(NUCLEAR)NATO etc
THE ANSWER MUST BE NOT A LOT OF DIFFERENCE
Sorry Niko, but AS can’t promise anything. He and the SNP have delivered the referendum. That is all.
The future is up to the people of Scotland.
@Ianbrotherhood
Cracking piece, and a pretty good look at the true face of divisive nationalism in the UK. Shameless punting of the Rev’s article on Good and Bad nationalism duly posted when I visited earlier. 🙂
Niko
Well if Alex Salmonds snp keep up with there present
trend of promising a continuation of everything the snp
believe the Scottish people are reluctant to give up.
The pound,the Queen,the eu.(NUCLEAR)NATO etc
THE ANSWER MUST BE NOT A LOT OF DIFFERENCE
Clearly you’ve been living in a bunker like Mr Adams in the article.
Couldn’t agree more with this person’s comment.The debate is about “independence” and not “separation”.Despite what he/she may think,most Scots regard this as a significant issue which deserves full consideration and not simply left to the anti Scottish media to disseminate their propaganda.
@Macart –
Aye, saw it. That’s what I love about this site & BellaC – great crossover between the two, but covering so many different topics between them you’re never sure what you’ll find or what’ll pop up next.
And the piece is a good one – I really admire these folk who can see things as if from a great distance, especially when they make an effort to keep the language straightforward.
This may cheer some of you up.
I have been in correspondence with a German chap who moved to England from Germany 12 years ago. His family couldn’t understand his move and he says he was more or less regarded as a ‘("Tractor" - Ed)’ by his colleagues. His brother stopped talking to him.
Then, two years ago, he moved up to Scotland to live here. His brother has visited him on several occasions since then, his friends in Germany like to boast that they have a friend who is living in Scotland and he informs me that when the news got out originally that he had moved to Scotland the expression they all gave out was, ”ooh! Scotland: you lucky bastard.”
He is not only intending to vote Yes, he is working hard for a Yes vote. He has contacted the Gaelic college in Skye as he intends to learn the language, and he is doing research into the Picts and other aspects of Scottish history.
This weekend his folks have arrived in Scotland for a few days and he is taking them up to Burghead to show them the Pictish fort.
We have friends out there in Europe. Believe me.
@ianbrotherhood
The more straight forward for me the better. 😀
Fully agree Ian, the mix between both sites is excellent and caters for a good range of tastes and POVs, from the political to the philosophical. I was stunned to find even Gerry Hassan had penned an almost, nearly upbeat and aspirational piece this week.
http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2013/02/14/no/
Miracles do happen. 🙂
I think we’re all being a bit unfair on Mr Adams here. Clearly, he has been confused by all the talk of Shetland remaining in the UK post-Yes and merely wants reassurance that this won’t happen. He may also be wondering if Berwick will be joining us.
If he reads this article he may also be wondering what the colon, y’know this thing :, is to the West of, I think, North Uist. And to echo of another post here, where is Rockall?
The rough bounds – re: the broch.
Pity they werent up just after nee year. The Clavie is quite a spectacle!
Rough bounds.
I worked for many years In Prague and thereabouts.Some friends form Tábor(150k south of Prague) met me in a plush pub in a Theatre with so much knowledge and information on Scotland.They wanted to set up Czech markets in Galloway where I exist,and to have Scots markets in Prague,Tábor and Pardubice, in return.It was almost strange and pleasant at the same time the depth of their knowledge.
I tried , by making personal appointments locally and with me I had calculated cash flow, customs(?R was not in EU at the time) and how goods would be brought and taken back by ?SAD(Czech national hauliers, How we would receive funding form ?SA(Czech airlines)?D(Czech Railways) and from Budvár,Kr?šovice and Plžen breweries, as well as a Moravian co op of vintners.Mádeta cheese producers(L?žnice na V?selý) and Brno firm I forget tne name,for smoked meats and delikateseen (lah?dký) and salamis, and wooden toys (?elešní) but oor provosts and our english better administrators “Hoo does that work.That cannae work, where is it anyway. A far of country eh?Ach it was no,no.no.no.
I had to go back and say no.Scotland wasnae ready for the world unlike a former Communist country.
These Czechs had organized and found funding because a of a real love of our culture and country.When in Czech, and you want a Scots book, then Báštion in Tábor or antique bookseller in Valentinská Praha 1,where I got a nice wee copy of Burns in Czech and if you want a blether with Scots engineers, Try ? Albert? pub in .
Scunnered Semus
Semus,
Shameful! And to think this is actually used as a positive case for the Union, can you believe it? I.e. ‘Why turn our biggest market (rUK) into our biggest competitor?’ Attitudes like you have experienced are exactly why and how rUK is and will remain our biggest market with a whole world out there clamouring for our produce and our custom. Similar to UK reasoning in denying infrastructure creation to transport and sell renewable energy to Germany and Northern Europe. This energy is theirs and destined for their economy only. As I say, shameful.