RuamRudy

You seen to be contradicting yourself in this thread, old pal. Is it the just the SNP supporters or all of Scotland who has a go at the English?

I don't believe that the defeat of the Nazis was a solely English accomplishment.

Do you know the political affiliation of the fans in question or are you making unfounded assumptions? Why would any dislike of England, if it actually exists outside your head, manifest itself in disrespect to the queen of the united kingdom? She doesn't represent England alone.

I am sorry if it appeared that there was any form of judgment on my part. I fully respect the democratic decision taken at the time, and it is not my intention to point fingers at individuals who voted contrary to what I believe is best for my country (in fact I would say that the subsequent years have been without any significant recrimination or rancour). But it is disingenuous to suggest that those Scots who voted for independence are in the minority, an odd band of wode-clad fantasist rather than people from every walk of life, as has been the narrative from the unionist side. Everyone comes from different experiences and those experiences shape their world views. The SNP and the Yes campaign failed to convince enough of those who were brought up in other countries that Scotland's interests were best served when decided by Scottish people. If anything, the fault lies with the Yes campaign.

No, it was not a vote for Scottish people, it was a vote for people living in Scotland whether they considered it to be home or not. Analysis has shown that most people who were born in the country voted to leave the union, whereas most people born elsewhere voted to remain, and it was the latter which tilted the vote in favour of remain.

Ah, sorry, I was just foolish enough to think that you had read the posts that seemed to rile Jonnyf so much. Here is the point in a quick, digestible form: in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum, the majority of voters who were born in Scotland voted for independence. In other words, most Scots born in Scotland rejected the UK.

Which one was that?

You seem quite upset that me and the majority of my countrymen consider that being in a union with you and your country is toxic and damaging to Scotland. I would have thought that since 2014 your leaders would have learned from it and actually lived up to their promises of a better, fairer and more equitable UK but sadly it is increasingly unfair and an increasingly nasty little hole of a place. It is not that nothing has changed since then - what was then bad has got markedly worse since then. So there we have it - the SNP will continue to have the largest number of MPs and the largest number of MSPs and we will be able to show clearly that it is not the Tories that is the problem, it is the UK as a whole - and that Scotland would be massively better off walking away from it.

Of course, when we discuss the SNP's decline, it is important to put it in context - prior to the dissolution of parliament the SNP held 73% of the seats in Westminster. They are currently predicted to return with around 60% of the seats. The Tories started with 11% and are predicted to return just one Scottish MP - one too many in most Scots' books, to be honest.

I did explain this to you previously but maybe you forgot? Independence referendum figures revealed: Majority of Scots born here voted YES while voters from elsewhere in UK said NO

When you say Scottish Nationalists, you really mean Scottish people, because don't ever forget that the majority of us voted to leave this rancid union in 2014.

Football is not really my thing, but are you referring to this? No thanks, the rest of the world is tired of this every time your country goes abroad. Why would we want to be associated with that?

I am not sure why neither of your links will open for me - are they based on UK wide polling? It tends to distort Scottish predictions because of the added SNP factor. Here is the one I was referring to. Since Humza Useless stepped down, the SNP has steadily closed the gap on Labour. Swinney is a bit dull but much more relatable.

You should read about what Liz Truss did the economy and how she turned the UK into an international laughing stock in barely a month - I promise you will be shocked! You should read about the PPE scandal and how UK government ministers funnelled billions of pounds into the pockets of their friends and family - I promise you will be shocked! You should read the results of last week's Ipsos Mori poll which has support for independence ahead of support for the union - I promise you will be shocked! https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2024-06/ipsos-scottish-political-monitor-june-2024-tables.pdf

It seems more and more common in the news that western businesses and governments are coming under attack from Russian, North Korean or Chinese hackers but we never hear of attacks on these countries' institutions. I imagine that the west has its own cyber army poking and prodding at the defences of the enemy constantly.

Any more inept or corrupt than any of the other parties in the UK? English MPs hold all the cards in Westminster, and Scottish resources have always been channelled south to cushion the south of England so you can understand why so many see England and Westminster as being perniciously synonymous. I am confident, however, that when your country eventually grows a pair and shows that it has the ability to stand on its own two feet, without having to suck resources from its neighbours, that the relationships between England and the rest of the countries in the union will improve.

A typically slanted report by the Telegraph - it fails to mention that after 14 years in government in Scotland, the SNP is running almost neck and neck with Labour, with the likelihood that the SNP will still return the largest number of MPs to Westminster. It's all very well saying that the SNP is responsible for the various challenges that Scotland faces, but it's utterly disingenuous to make that complaint without acknowledging that the efforts of any Scottish government, be it SNP, Labour or Tory (ok, that's obviously never going to happen), will always be diminished by our continued minor place in the United Kingdom. One of the fundamental requirements to improve our country is to throw off the shackles imposed on it by being in this corrupt and unequal union.

Have you seen the self-righteous frothing at the mouth he generates on these boards and in pretend newspapers like the Express and Mail whenever he comments on politics? Clearly there is a lot of interest in his views.

Not unlike the pro-Zionist mob who try to destroy the careers and reputations of any high profile person who dares criticise the state of Israel by calling them antisemites.

Thanks - I was unaware of the play, but this is from the Wikipedia article on it: A Raisin in the Sun is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959.[1] The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred"[2]) by Langston Hughes.

Why Education Predicts Decreased Belief in Conspiracy Theories "People with high education are less likely than people with low education to believe in conspiracy theories."

What traditional culture are they intent on destroying?

I don't think they see an opportunity. The police couldn't be accused of being touchy feely in the 80s and 90s when the UK was beset with regular rioting. If anything, things seem more calm these days.

A particularly derivative response from you - no justification made in my post, rather a suggestion that government intransigence results in people feeling that violence is the only avenue open to them. Sometimes you should try to look beneath the superficial. You might be surprised what you see there.

The reality is, however, that passive protest rarely accomplishes anything other than giving a vague sense of self righteousness to the protesters while giving governments and big business freedom to behave in unethical ways. If governments refuse to listen to peaceful protesters they must expect that something volatile can be brewing in the background. Langston Hughes said it best. Harlem BY LANGSTON HUGHES What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore— And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over— like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?