The world's most-read Scottish politics website

Wings Over Scotland



Distorted reflections 19

Posted on February 10, 2013 by

It sometimes feel as though the jagged, jittery line stretching from Gretna to Berwick isn’t so much a border as a fracture in a mirror, through which things look different according to which side of it you’re standing on.

broken2

On its south side, Labour decry a Tory government as the worst thing that can possibly happen. To the north, it’s an inconvenience Scots must bear for six or seven years out of every ten despite always rejecting the Conservatives at the ballot box, because to cast them out decisively would be selfish, childish “narrow nationalism”.

Scottish Labour MSPs abstain from voting for the replacement of Trident nuclear weapons, presenting a transparent lie of opposition to the weapons of global destruction. But something about the short train journey to London persuades Scottish Labour’s MPs to advocate Trident replacement enthusiastically, demanding only to know what else can be cut to ensure there’s enough money for it.

When in Scotland, the Tories and Lib Dems in the coalition government issue dire warnings that an independent Scotland would be cast out of the European Union and into international isolation. Safely back home in England, the Prime Minister promises UK voters a referendum that (according to polls) will achieve that very end.

The Huffington Post quotes the PM today on the subject of Scottish independence.

“He questioned why people should be made to choose between Scotland or Britain when they could be part of both, adding: “Britain works. Britain works well. Why break it?”

But hang on. “Britain ain’t broke, don’t fix it” wasn’t Mr Cameron’s previous view.

Read the rest of this entry →

  • About

    Wings Over Scotland is a thing that exists.

    Stats: 6,786 Posts, 1,221,750 Comments

  • Recent Posts

  • Archives

  • Categories

  • Tags

  • Recent Comments

    • Lorn on Just Good Friends: “For starters, we do not know that Iain Robertson is actually guilty of anything. Innocent men have been arrested and…Jul 10, 11:42
    • sarah on Just Good Friends: “Haha! Excellent, robertknight!Jul 10, 11:39
    • robertkknight on Just Good Friends: “In a remarkable coincidence, Sturgeon (acipenseridae) are also bottom feeders. Fancy that!Jul 10, 11:36
    • Anon A Mouse on Just Good Friends: “Of course, Iain famously laid on a Burns Supper for the SNP in Glasgow where Nicola was the guest of…Jul 10, 11:23
    • sarah on Just Good Friends: ““same face grinning in the background…”. “Foreground”, surely, Rev?Jul 10, 11:14
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “It has been argued that the old members of the old Scottish parliament joined the new parliament of Great Britain,…Jul 10, 10:48
    • Shug on Just Good Friends: “You can understand why the Swinney’s of this world did not speak up. She must have beed an absolute bitch…Jul 10, 10:38
    • Southernbystander on Too Tight To Mention: “The British and Anglo-Saxon are not synonymous. I am sure you know this. But you often use the term Anglo-Saxon…Jul 10, 10:20
    • duncanio on Just Good Friends: “Surely not another case of hiding in plain sight. “Think about it”.Jul 10, 10:17
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “The devolved Scottish parliament can only be referred to as a subsidiary parliament of England and Wales under the introduced…Jul 10, 10:07
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “Worthless Treaties. Un-democratic voting for Scots. The other half of the treaty of union down south after much discussion decided…Jul 10, 09:51
    • Anthem on Too Tight To Mention: “That’s some amount of shite CC.Jul 10, 09:28
    • James on Too Tight To Mention: “Cheers, YL. They don’t like it up ’em. LOLJul 10, 08:50
    • James Cheyne on Too Tight To Mention: “Undemocratic elections, Rigged elections for Scots. They knew they should give the Scots a vote ‘they” had discussed it in…Jul 10, 08:41
    • twathater on Too Tight To Mention: “It never ceases to amaze me how many fuckwits actually think they are in the same rich league as these…Jul 10, 03:05
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “Wow! Did the paramedics get to you in time and are you alright? Would have sent you a posse of…Jul 10, 02:06
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “That I believe would be the Celtic mythical Tuatha de Danann, the Celtic equivalent of the Gods of Mount Olympus.…Jul 10, 01:48
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “Reply to Chas @ 8.26 Oi Chas Leave James alone! It’s me that goes fishing and frankly, it’s no-one here’s…Jul 10, 01:38
    • Young Lochinvar on Too Tight To Mention: “Well that would be you P3nisbreath; posting about “sucking blokes off” (your post), shafting blokes between “spread bum cheeks” (your…Jul 10, 01:13
    • Alf Baird on Too Tight To Mention: “Yes, worthless treaties simply used ‘to legalize colonialism’, at least in the eyes of an Imperial justice system. A hoax…Jul 9, 22:59
    • James on Too Tight To Mention: “Piss off troll.Jul 9, 22:24
    • Chas on Too Tight To Mention: “How’s the carp fishing going James?Jul 9, 20:26
    • Xaracen on Too Tight To Mention: ““–the chair of C-24 is quoted in a Guardian article explicitly saying that C-24 cannot.” Irrelevant, Aidan, because it doesn’t…Jul 9, 19:56
    • Captain Caveman on Too Tight To Mention: “I literally asked you to provide evidence for any single one of your dumbass, unsubstantiated assertions. That’s not a “rebuttal”…Jul 9, 19:39
    • TURABDIN on Too Tight To Mention: “Treaties are worthless, not unlike cease fires. How many treaties did the imperialist British sign before annexing the other signatories…Jul 9, 19:30
    • AndrewR on Too Tight To Mention: “Aidan She didn’t participate in acts of terrorism, and certainly not of treason (this was in Syria). This same murderous…Jul 9, 19:26
    • Dan on Too Tight To Mention: “Ah, jist noticed this post by Aidan trying to diminish understanding of how much energy is exported from Scotland’s geographic…Jul 9, 19:22
    • Aidan on Too Tight To Mention: “@Andrew – I suggest she had her life destroyed by the decision she took to join a murderous death cult…Jul 9, 19:09
    • AndrewR on Too Tight To Mention: “Hatey – “… you expect me to feel sorry for the people who slaughter and abuse my country’s and my…Jul 9, 18:29
    • James on Too Tight To Mention: “Sam – did the university poll a wide range from the UK? Scotland only would probably throw up different results?…Jul 9, 18:17
  • A tall tale



↑ Top