Happy Separation Day
Posted on
July 04, 2013 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
Relaxing at the splendid American Museum high on the hills at the outskirts of town tonight, celebrating Independence Day on a glorious summer’s evening with a few Budweisers, a barbecue and a couple of hundred ex-pats and well-wishers.
Our turn soon.
I thought the very same.
A fine sentiment, and yet I cannot silence that small niggling voice in the back of my mind: “how much will stamps cost?” it asks.
At Hunters creek Florida at the moment and just had a great Indy party with the locals. A blast and looking forward to a party in Scotland Sept 2014!!
AH! I can smell the barbacue..Hmmm! lovely, Independence on the 18th of Sept sunny days in the park, Im so glad independence day isnt in the dark winter days.
And they had #ProjectFear back in 1776. In the Battlegreen Museum, Lexington, there is a letter from George III to Thomas Jefferson, pointing out that “after independence, you will no longer be able to drink tea…”
Plus ca change …
Just had a fabulous BBQ (here in Houston, Tx) going to have a few beers, relax and hope we are doing it ourselves in just over a years time. I can not wait!
All the very best to everyone.
Sitting here on my lonesome in sunny Aberdeenshire. Never mind, got a Bud and the wife’s downstairs watching the telly, ah bliss. Happy Separatist Day to all Separatists everywhere.
Please, please, please. When we have an Independence Day can we make it sometime around mid summer. Anniversary of Bannockburn bang on mid summer a good idea? I guess a few on here might have attended the odd St. Andrews day march in Edinburgh it is like an endurance test and arctic survival rolled into one. Strange how all of our national days New Year, Burns Night and St. Andrews day mostly celebrated in the pitch dark and are always feckin baltic. What masochist decided on these dates anyway? Time for some summer sun for a change.
Sitting here in not so sunny South Lanarkshire where the wind would cut you in half. Jumper, bunnet and jacket required for walking the dug earlier. 🙁
@Andy-B
Sept sunny days are you kidding. The “village” I live in has a scarecrow festival every September and it has been a complete and utter washout for the last three years running.
Perhaps we should “separate” let’s tow Scotland to somewhere nice and warm like the Canary islands. Bugger the oil think what we would save on the heating bills.
Not meaning to ruin the party atmosphere, but here’s the man keeping it real (for anyone who missed it the last three times I posted it).
Cheers
I sent out a “happy Independence Day” post on Facebook to my many American friends: a good number sent messages back, saying they’d hope to return the favour soon!
O/T but have been out all day.
On BBC Radio Scotland news review at 1.30 pm Stuart Cosgrove referred to the Andy Murray tweets and gave plug to Wings over Scotland.
Ian B
Is that you and JoLa dancing in the second last photo?
Just watched the local 4th of July parade here in Big Stone Gap VA. Quintessential small town America.
Ach, it’ll never last. They’ll come crawling back soon enough.
@SeasickDave-
Sadly, no. I’m holding out for Jackie Baillie, and she only ever dances when there’s a full-moon (allegedly).
Cool shoes the dude’s got though…
For those who haven’t read it/got a copy, here is a link to the Declaration of Independence.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html
A Yes-supporting twitterer sent it earlier today to PF-heid/unionist apparatchik-in-chief Blair McD, when he was trying to make snidey trite comparisons to Texas separatists.
The first para starts with some very pertinent words: “When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another… “
Budweiser? You puir wee soul!
Get yourself to next week’s Scottish Real Ale Festival in Edinburgh Corn Exchange and we’ll give you 159 Scottish beers to celebrate Separation Day, even if a week late.
What’s that blue stuff above the ground in the final picture … looks scary, will that be imposed on us if we become independent? I mean, between that and the postage thing, well . . .
Beachthistle – quite a few references to separation there!
Just noticed – 2nd last photie – that jaiket, again…
@Ianbrotherhood
I believe a black shirt or top under the jacket is a requirement for the full look!
Budweiser? So it’s true, independence *will* turn the beer to shit!
@ Roddy Macdonald
‘a letter from George III to Thomas Jefferson, pointing out that “after independence, you will no longer be able to drink tea…”’
TBF, whatever is is that the Septics currently sip from their bone china, I wouldn’t describe it as tea (nor Budweiser as beer for that matter).
@Doug Yes indeed the word ‘separation’ is used quite a bit in the Declaration of Independence – but given that they had and still have the Atlantic Ocean between them and Britain it was and is a more accurate and appropriate word than as currently used by anti-Yes unionist lickspittles and propagandists.
And even though they succeeded in ‘separating’ you would think from a lot of BBC (in particular World Service) reporting in news bulletins and current affairs programmes that the US and UK are (still) as one…
@TMITJ-
‘I believe a black shirt or top under the jacket is a requirement for the full look!’
If we’re being de rigueur about it, yes, but consider Willie Rennie – he could wear nothing else (at all) and still get away with it.
The bitch!
Yup Rev, looks like Stuart Cosgrove is a fan of Wings.
@ianbrotherhood
Oor Wullie wearing nothing else at all fills me with such horrors that I had better keep it to myself. Only the thought of Ms Baillie writhing in a bath of baked beans and cake (steady now) exceeds the horror of what you propose. Wullie should outdo Joke McConnel and get a kilt made up in puce to match the jacket. I am sure that Gok Wan or whatever you cry him would approve.
About ten years ago I was in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada (where my brother lives) and attended a BBQ in a friend’s garden. I hadn’t previously registered it was the 4th of July until someone in the large gathering changed the CD in the player blasting out inoffensive rock to a recording of The Star-Bangled Banner. At which point several people I was speaking to, plus others dotted about the yard, stood stock still, placed their hands on their hearts and began singing along. They were obviously Yanks.
I, at first taken aback, then laughed and tried to engage one or two in some banter. But all I got back in return were fierce stares as they continued through the verses and chorus for all the world like humans possessed by an alien force. Afterwards, the warmth I had experienced was entirely gone. I had “disrespected them and their country.”
So, yeah – let’s hope pray, work and strive for our own independence. But if it turns us into anything like the brainwashed ‘Yoo Ess ‘A”, my country right or wrong, patriot zealots many Americans are then, frankly, I’ll stick with being a curmudgeonly auld Jock in the union.
Independence, let us remember, is not just an end in itself. It’s also about how you handle it.
Beachthistle
I should consider the use of emoticons 😉 Use of separation was accurate/technically correct, without emotion in the declaration. Entirely unlike the modern pejorative use!
Just shows you how context is everything!
Almost completely OT – Comet ISON
While nothing is certain about how spectacular this ‘comet’ might be, just to point out that the most likely thing is that, although it might appear as a faint smudge to the naked eye long before it is at its closest to the Sun, it is more likely that it will only become really spectacular after its closest approach.
It will swing round the Sun at not far off half a million miles per hour and will do so only about one Solar diameter away from the Sun. At that distance, the vapourisation of material by the heat of the Sun will be extreme, it may even volatilise entirely. Hence the expected spectacular display as that material begins its return journey. It should, if expectations are met, be visible to the naked eye in daylight.
However, here is the potential Scottish related point that makes this comment not 100% irrelevant. This closest approach (perihelion) is set for 28th of November. It will not be visible to the naked eye because of its proximity to the Sun, certainly not safely, until it is sufficiently far from it. That first safe opportunity may be around 20 Sun diameters (about 10 degrees or more) away or to make the point quite likely to take until around 30th November, St Andrew’s Day, to achieve.
[Disclaimer: Looking directly at the Sun for anything other than the briefest glimpse, even with the naked eye, can and will damage your eyesight. DON’T DO IT WITHOUT APPROPRIATE EYE PROTECTION. Inform yourself with the advice which will no doubt become readily available in the media as the event approaches.]
Now the appearance of naked eye visible comets have long been held to be both bad and good omens by those which believe in such nonsense. Usually the former. However as a portent, independence can be viewed as good by indy supporters or bad by British imperialists, so you can pay your money and take your choice as to what it might ‘mean’.
@Freddie Threepwood
Have you ever been in a “loyalist” pub or club in N. Ireland at closing time? When God Save the Queen is played (and it always is) it is absolutely compulsory to stand up or it can be a lifetime ban. I have seen numerous times guys so utterly pished that they don’t know what planet that they are on being held up by their mates. This is of course considered perfectly normal and no one bats an eyelid.
Oh, oh,
After reading two successive tip yir hat tae the journalist articles from Rev, it seems we’re back in Cringeville Tennessee. I just can’t get my head around the exclusion aspects to this part of the debate. Union jack waving is bad to us Scot nats, but can the same not be said for Saltire waving in the minds of those Scottish unionists? Or indeed those like me who simply cringe at the thought that someone else may be offended by pronounced celebrating of one side landing up of any two sided coin. American independence day celebrations remind me of orange order marches.
@ Man in the Jar
I don’t actually fear US/Ulster Loyalist-style nationalism in Scotland – I think we’re far too canny and oddly diffident in our national pride for that to happen. I just mention my experience as a caveat to any comparisons. Just saying like.
o/t – Sorry Rev, but this is brilliant. I have just been watching the Press Preview on SKY News with Carol Malone and some other dude. They were discussing Ed’s little problem with Unite and the Watson resignation. The Times and Guardian are describing the little local difficulty in Falkirk as civil war, but the real news is that, according to Carol, Labour activists/bloggers/supporters have already conceded that Labour will not win the 2015 General Election. Apparently,again according to Carol, some Labour blogger called Dan Hodges is already blogging that Labour have conceded the 2015 Election and are already planning for the next one. She also said that she had read “loads” online confirming that Labour know they are screwed. Happy days indeed!
@Freddie Threepwood
Likewise!
P.S With the latest polls showing only a 5% lead for Labour, I have to agree with Carol.
@Atypical_Scot
So, Independence Day holiday/celebration for Scotland…bad, but for a sizeable majority of the world’s countries…good? Sounds very do-Scotland-down Bitter Together Project Fear UKOK propaganda, does it not?
“An Independence Day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation‘s assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state; more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Most countries observe their respective independence days as a national holiday, and in some cases the observance date is controversial or contested.”
link to en.m.wikipedia.org
Isn’t it a tremendous feeling watching Labour tear itself apart. Can’t wait to get up in the morning now and see this shower of self cantered morons go at it again, because this is not going anywhere fast, this is here till the 2015 GE…
My family in Gateshead now see just why Scotland must go for Independence but they will be very down to learn that basically the only vague chance of change for them, has all but gone now that Labour are so pathetic and pretty much planning on losing a general election in 2015.
I noticed that Tom Watson has given the title: ‘Independence Day’ Resignation Letter, on his blog to his letter of resignation to Red Ed.
Is Tom just referring to Americas independence here, or is he firing a warning shot across the Labour parties Bows, re: what will happen in the referendum, if they continue with their right wing agenda.
I’m loving watching these ("Quizmaster" - Ed)s fighting like rats in a sack.
How can these people live with themselves knowing what they turned their backs on ?
they must be regretting their foolishness every minute of every day 🙂
“Perhaps we should “separate” let’s tow Scotland to somewhere nice and warm like the Canary islands. Bugger the oil think what we would save on the heating bills.”
you better pray that’s right, you know how voronsky’s blood pressure gets 🙂
jeez nearly forgot the apostrophy
aarrgghhh
apostrophie, apostraphy, apostrofy,apostrophe shheesh
Ianbrotherhood said
“Not meaning to ruin the party atmosphere”
I was going to post this to a couple of waverers in my team at work, then thought better of it, I don’t want them thinking we’re some sort of tinfoil hat wearing swivel eyed loons, any thoughts on how these guys can stumble on it by themselves?
I’ve only just started one on her journey of discovery and don’t want to push too hard too quickly, you know the type, I wont vote for independence because I hate that Alex Salmond and the whole debate is just one big ego trip for him,
I need some help on persuasion techniques.
“Ach, it’ll never last. They’ll come crawling back soon enough.”
aye and hell mend them an aw.
alisdair said
“What’s that blue stuff above the ground in the final picture … looks scary, will that be imposed on us if we become independent?”
Don’t worry alisdair its called b-l-u-e s-k-y
and it’ll be our limit when we vote YES
“Oor Wullie wearing nothing else at all fills me with such horrors that I had better keep it to myself.”
fit aboot a clippies ticket machine wid that work?
Having an Independence Day anniversary celebration would, to my mind, accord too great a significance to the aberration that has been the last 305 years in the great scheme of things in the ancient Nation that is Scotland.
Bannockburn? I’d say the Battle of Dun Nechtain on 20 May 685 was more important in underlining Scottish independence.
That said, on the day of independence itself, we should party bigstyle.
Heres a good one for you,
that lunatic Peter Bone of conservative ilk decided that the August bank holiday should be renamed Margaret Thatcher day
doncha just luv em?
@john king.
A technique I use for AS haters goes something like this.
They – “I hate AS, so won’t vote Yes”.
Me – “I hate him too(I don’t), so that’s why i’m voting yes. I’ll be voting Labour(change to suit the person) in an independent Scotland. AS will probably resign then anyway, as his job is done. He will probably go on for ever if we vote No.”
This helps folk see that independence is not about AS.
I celebrated in an Irish bar in France.
They are Aye Ready for a hoolie.
@ Roddy Macdonald;
Bannockburn? I’d say the Battle of Dun Nechtain on 20 May 685 was more important in underlining Scottish independence.
Now that’s more like it. I can see myself partying for that again.
*hovers pointer over first photo, expecting to reveal amusing caption*
*hovers pointer over second photo, hoping to reveal amusing caption*
*hovers over third photo, just in case there’s an amusing caption*
*gives up looking for amusing captions*
“*hovers pointer over first photo, expecting to reveal amusing caption*”
There are limits to live blogging via iPhone, man.
Aw! Look at the poor souls. Faces filled with regret at their foolishness, just wishing Britain would take them back. If only they’d given more thought to the price of stamps before embarking on this independence nonsense.
@ Doug Daniel;
They are all very difficult ‘Where’s Wally’ pictures.
@ Chic McGregor
Yes, let’s hope ISON is a spectacular comet.
“When beggars die there are no comets seen;The heavens themselves blaze forth the death of princes.”
Let’s hope the princes are Cameron, Milliband et. al.
Newsnight Scotland managed to last 25 mins without mentioning Falkirk at all, despite covering the paper ‘headlines’ at the end.
Credit to Kay-with-a-knee for discussing it. (Was that our very own BillC on earlier?)
@ Dee,
It’s not getting any better for Labour, even though they are trying everything to minimise the issues at Falkirk.
Asked whether Mr Miliband should comply with Unite’s call for the internal inquiry to be released, Ms Eagle said: “Len McCluskey can have an opinion on that, but it is the internal party Labour structures which will decide on how we protect the integrity of our rules. This is not about the Labour Party administration. We are proud of our link to the trade unions because it connects us with millions of ordinary working men and women up and down the country. We will not tolerate the kind of behaviour we have seen in Falkirk, whoever is responsible for it. There is sufficient evidence of misbehaviour amongst particular individuals up in Falkirk to justify the action that the leader of the Labour Party took yesterday.” Responding to Ms Eagle’s comments, Labour’s former general secretary Peter Watt – who held the post from 2005 to 2007 – said on Twitter: “If Labour attempts to blame Falkirk just on ‘particular individuals’ rather than accepting institutional problem it will be a disgrace.”
@ianbrotherhood – Sorry to disappoint Ian it wisnae me. I take it the guy was a star, dishing out pearls of wisdom like sweeties? Wee smiley thing.
@BillC-
The guy was very good. (I guess he was on about 9.20-ish.) Kaye allowed the man to speak and seemed to hum approvingly to a lot of his points i.e. Labour has lost its roots, Milliband is unelectable, and as an ex-Labour voter he’ll never go back unless they get themselves sorted out.
When Scotland does, indeed, have its Independence Day holiday/celebration, can it please be sometime between May and August? At least then there is the chance – repeat, chance – that it’ll be a reasonable/nice/scorcher of a day weatherwise, and with more daylight hours to enjoy it, too. None of that cold, dark and dreich wintertime nonsense, thank you very much!
As a matter of interest, who is responsible for setting the date of the Falkirk by-election?
Is it the Govnment or the incumbent party? If the former then I’d be very surprised if the date isn’t announced very, very soon to take advantage Labour’s internal bickering!
could be interesting if the SNP get their boots on the ground in short order!
The pilot on the flight down from Edinburgh yesterday morning wished all the American passengers a Happy independence Day. Sir Menzies Campbell (leader of a less well known political party), who I was sitting next to, didn’t flinch.
If only I had been erudite and sufficiently awake at that time in the morning to make a loud comment!!! what a chance lost. oh well.
Why do we need an independence day, when we can celebrate Britishness day? Oh, there isn’t a Britishness day? Out of curiosity I wondered just how many countries have an independence or national day and how many don’t. This is a real eye opener:
link to en.wikipedia.org
It is a small map, but it looks like the only countries in the entire world without such a day are Denmark, Switzerland and the UK! Not sure what that says about the UK but it is an interesting stat.
and New Zealand
@ianbrotherhood – Cheers Ian, the guy sounds like one of many tens of thousands of ex-Labour voters.
@Boorach – I think Joyce is hanging on until the GE in 2015.
Out of interest, I did a very quick run down of the list of independence days on wikipedia (link to en.wikipedia.org), made a note of what/who they were celebrating independence from, and totted up the scores. Here are the top eight, from eighth to first (Australia, Belgium, USA and Netherlands are tied on 3 apiece). There is one country way out ahead:
Independence From, number of national celebrations
Yugoslavia, 4
Germany/Prussia/Holy Roman Empire, 5
Turkey/Ottoman Empire, 6
Portugal, 7
Spain, 18
Russia/Soviet Union, 19
France, 25
United Kingdom, 53
If there are 194 countries in the world, then over 27% of the world’s countries (and given that they include the USA and India, perhaps a similar percentage of the world’s population) celebrate independence from the UK!
“There are limits to live blogging via iPhone, man.”
Fair doos.
“There are limits to live blogging via iPhone, man.”
With that in mind, I do hope that you will be able to attend the Independence Rally in Edinburgh in the same manner.
It takes place eleven weeks tomorrow and will be a very important date on the Indy calendar and will mark the opening of the last twelve months of campaigning.
It would be interesting if a ‘Wings over Scotland’ contingent could be put together to attend and represent the website at the rally. It would be a good promotional event and I am sure a good way to meet up with others that contribute to the site as well as the other sites. I would imagine it would be good for some positive press as well as giving you a number of good feature to include on the website.
http://www.independencerally.com
“With that in mind, I do hope that you will be able to attend the Independence Rally in Edinburgh in the same manner.”
I’ve already been asked to take part in an event after the main rally, so I’m certainly intending to be there, barring any unforeseen disasters.
Wow, can’t believe it’s only 11 weeks away. Doesn’t seem like 10 months since the first one!
Can’t wait to see how many folk go along to this one. Last year, I only decided to go along at the last minute (quite literally), so I bet there’ll be a lot more folk this time around. Better get some exercise in advance though – it’s going to be up to Calton Hill this time!
I’ve already been asked to take part in an event after the main rally, so I’m certainly intending to be there, barring any unforeseen disasters.
Marvellous, should be a great day, just hope the weather is as good as last year.
Bannockburn? I’d say the Battle of Dun Nechtain on 20 May 685 was more important in underlining Scottish independence.
While I think Dun Nechtain absolutely deserves more recognition, I don’t think it’s quite as important as Bannockburn: for one thing, that was the Picts, centuries before the Kingdom of Alba was established, so it isn’t any more an underline on “Scottish” independence than the Battle of Edington underlined English expansion. For another, the Northumbrian hegemony over Britain was starting to collapse with the Mercian revolt under Æthelred. In contrast, England was and remained a political powerhouse for centuries after Bannockburn, yet Scotland still kept their independence after seeing off the largest invading army ever sent past the border.
That said, my preferred date for Indy Day shouldn’t be tied to any historical one, and should fall on whatever date the formal declaration is made.
@The man in the jar
Sept sunny days…
Just thought I’d take a leaf out of project fears book, who say everything will stop after independence, so the rain will stop over Scotland and every day will be a sunny day.
The 5th of November?
@Andy-B
I thought that project fear had scheduled a plague of locusts for September. Anyway how will the sun shine when the sky has fallen in. 😉
No everything that’s bad will still be there plus a plague of locusts on independence day. Do you not know that anything worthwhile or good will only be left in the remainder of the UK.
@Big Jock
I have already turned my garden over to growing tatties as that is all that we will be allowed to eat apart from deep fried Mars bars.
Locusts are actually quite tasty.
@Juteman
Behave yourself! 😉
Anyway they dont go with deep fried Mars bar.
So are chilli mealworms.
“Nobody likes me,
Everybody hates me,
I think I’ll go and eat worms.”
National anthem?
Get away the lot of you. Geein me the dry boak!
I won’t eat prawns either, as they are just beasties that live under the water. Bottomfeeders at that 🙁
@The man in the jar….
It will be the end, but not for Scotland, for Scotland it will be the beginning, a brave new world awaits, we just need to reach out and grab it…Oh! and a wee bit of Duct Tape will fix the sky nicely.
I believe this to be true.
During the 19th cent. A minister toured the Highlands to make a report on social deprivation.
One day he came across a wee boy and asked him.
What did you have for breakfast?
Tatties Sir!
What did you have for your lunch?
Tatties Sir!
What did you have for your tea?
Tatties Sir!
Do you have anything apart from Tatties?
Aye Sir a spoon!
I’ll tell you what I find amazing…that the Duke of Sutherlands monument is still standing…as I said, theres a lot to be said for that Duct Tape.
I’m waiting till i’m older Andy, then the statue is getting the good news.
I’m not a middle class Edinburgh student,
so i would get 15 years for being a terrorist.
@Juteman
Im waiting till Im older…
After independence like Saddams statue in Baghdad it should be pulled down, with all the worlds press around it taking pictures……Even the Dukes Castle, has an opulent name to it “Dunrobin Castle”……as for Westminster, its other name is “Neverdonerobin”. The Duke would have been proud of that name.
Bags I the first slap with a sandal!
Please, please don’t discuss that bloody blot on top of Ben Braggie. I have to see it every day as I look over the firth…. small wonder I prefer winter to summer….. it disappears periodically in the murk
I can see the tears of anguish and regret from hear. Every one of them is wondering about 500 vital questions before they dare so much as eat a morsel from that BBQ.
thanks Juteman
but the trouble is everyone in my team knows I’m a committed Nationalist and admire AS
but the principle runs true anyway, as a yes vote frees the others from being anti independence to being for it (if they know whats good for them) and would quick sharp ensure AS cannot again become first minister, which to my mind would be a shame but I know everyone has their own opinions on that.
craig p,
I would want to see that little fact on every front page of every paper in Britain,
just a shame its not gonna happen, so it’s up to us again ,already sent that POWERFUL piece to my work email ,and thanks a lot for that. 🙂
@The man in the jar”Sept sunny days…Just thought I’d take a leaf out of project fears book, who say everything will stop after independence, so the rain will stop over Scotland and every day will be a sunny day.”
Doesn’t matter if it isn’t, in our hearts it will be, it’ll be like being twelve again 🙂
“The 5th of November?”
Do you know it may well have been that, that started me on my own personal road to independence, because as much as I liked fireworks as a kid I always had this nagging question, why are we celebrating a particularly English event?
@JutemanBehave yourself! Anyway they dont go with deep fried Mars bar.”
They do if you coat them in chocolate!
link to bbc.co.uk
““Nobody likes me,
Everybody hates me,I think I’ll go and eat worms.” National anthem?”
Well that’s England sorted out so what about us?
@TMITJ-
‘Only the thought of Ms Baillie writhing in a bath of baked beans and cake (steady now) exceeds the horror of what you propose.’
I couldn’t respond to this right away as it troubled me, and does even now.
After a long-night of abstinence, meditation, and several I-Ching consultations, I arrived at the question:
How would Archimedes approach it?
Which should be placed in the bath first?
Baillie?
Or the beans?
(Can we leave the cake out of it for now?)
If you get a ‘eureka’ moment, please let me know asap (so I can end this absinthe, sorry, abstinence…)
Boot tends to be on the other foot nowadays.
link to morningstaronline.co.uk
@ianbrotherhood
Definitely the beans first. To do otherwise would rob us of the delightful noise made as Ms. Baillie lowers herself into the aforesaid bath of beans!