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Latvian lessons 127

Posted on October 24, 2013 by

Latvia has been ruled by others for most of the past thousand years, with Riga even being the largest city in Sweden until they carelessly lost it to Peter the Great in 1710. Independence from Russia came in 1918 and then from the Soviet Union in 1991.

latvia

I arrived in Riga a few months later and stayed for a year and a half. At the time I joked that, apart from my paid work, I was there to observe what they were going through and to take notes for when Scotland became independent. It’s been a long time but some things, I hope, will be relevant to the process over the next year.

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    • Chas on The shifting sands of memory: “This article is ‘manna from heaven’ for all the fringe nutters and cranks who habitually pollute Wings. Much gnashing of…May 22, 09:14
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: “I think that that’s a reasonably accurate summary of the historical situation. So that’s how we came to be where…May 22, 07:51
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: “Strong, the “wanking on and on” is, in this one. Or should that be “wan” 🙂May 22, 07:33
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““the next ref” Aw, bless. Barbie’s pinning her hopes on there being another referendum! Ah well. Decades of pointless pish…May 22, 07:29
    • Big Jock on The shifting sands of memory: “The deid Queen called herself QE2. It was on the coinage. Yes I know she was QE1 officially in Scotland.…May 22, 01:00
    • Geri on The shifting sands of memory: “Not necessarily. Kosovo manages just fine. There are many countries who have ongoing disputes. It’s countries that recognise other countries,…May 22, 00:53
    • Geri on The shifting sands of memory: “It was meaningless because it wasn’t written down legally anywhere that they’d actually enact the result – just that they’d…May 22, 00:36
    • Geri on The shifting sands of memory: ““no matter what some nit picking academics poring over 3 centuries old dead parchments might argue.” Wait a minute there,…May 22, 00:26
    • robertkknight on The shifting sands of memory: “Scotland was effectively acquired, through hostile takeover, by England, who had threaten to cut off Scotland’s international trade through naval…May 21, 23:38
    • Oneliner on The shifting sands of memory: “What word from London, AI Dan?May 21, 23:22
    • Anthem on The shifting sands of memory: “Yawn….May 21, 22:49
    • Mia on The shifting sands of memory: “” the laws that were not compatible with the Treaty fell into desuetude” Sorry, Lorn but on this, I have…May 21, 22:34
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: “My reading is that it’s the settled view of many that because the majority of Scottish residents returned the wrong…May 21, 21:50
    • Aidan on The shifting sands of memory: “What word from New York Alf?May 21, 21:41
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““he believes that there was and is a Treaty of Union” No shit, Sherlock! That puts him in the overwhelming…May 21, 21:38
    • Aidan on The shifting sands of memory: “The Union with England Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament prior to the amalgamation into the Parliament of Great…May 21, 21:25
    • Andy Wiltshire on The shifting sands of memory: “Is it the settled view of most people on here that the independence referendum of 2014 was meaningless? And moreover…May 21, 21:24
    • Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “Ian: you kind of have to provide evidence that you ARE a colony, not just being treated as one. It…May 21, 21:23
    • McDuff on The shifting sands of memory: “The western world is consumed with righting wrongs of the past so surely that must include Scotland. The Scottish people…May 21, 21:16
    • Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “PhilM: I don’t think Stephen Kerr is being mendacious; I think he believes that there was and is a Treaty…May 21, 21:06
    • Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “Actually, no, it’s not, Dec. The Treaty was real and very much based in legality. The Scots have never really…May 21, 20:53
    • Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “Mia: the laws that were not compatible with the Treaty fell into desuetude – which means that they were no…May 21, 20:51
    • Hatey McHateface on Some Attention For James: “Uh oh, Barbie’s been allowed back into the community. Is it me suggesting we get vets to run the euthanasia…May 21, 20:33
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““We will have to use every ounce of ingenuity and courage to free ourselves” Sure, but you’ve missed the third…May 21, 20:21
    • Mia on The shifting sands of memory: “@Geri They made several attempts at a union, but all monarchs failed until Anne. She seemed to have achieved what…May 21, 20:21
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““I wonder how the BBC will report the liberation of the Scots” Do you really? I’m thinking most grounded people…May 21, 20:06
    • Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: “If you use AI to write it, you can use AI to summarise it. “We wus robbed” about covers it.May 21, 19:50
    • JB on The shifting sands of memory: “Lorm @6:23pm As to “surrendering the fishing industry” on Monday, so far that is only a political agreement to surrender…May 21, 19:48
    • Geri on The shifting sands of memory: “It’s my understanding there was no union or parliament of ‘Great Britain’ because it never happened. It was a wish…May 21, 19:37
    • Northcode on The shifting sands of memory: “Mia, your comments are often a mammoth read but it’s always worth making that little extra effort to read them.…May 21, 19:28
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