England V Scotland

[Incognito]

The merger was the result of your nation disastrous foray in the Darién colonisation scheme, leaving your nation effectively bankrupt. England took pity and allowed you to share in the wealth of its own overseas colonies by the Act of Union

Research your history, Darien was a failure on many parts, largely on the orders though of William (urged by the English Parliament) to ban all Dutch and English trade with the Scottish colony. You can go off as many wiki articles as you like, but the fact was that Scotland's so called King was acting on English interests to bankrupt Scotland (going under the pretence of not wanting to antagonise Spain).

You didn't repel:

• The Norse
• The Irish
• The Romans (they gave you the name Caledonia, established forts at Melrose & probably Perth, google Mons Graupius for details of the outnumbered poor Scots )
• The English

btw the concept of Scotland as a nation came centuries later than the Romans

Did I list the Norse or the Irish? Did the Norse or the Irish subjugate the people of the Scottish Isles? I think you'll find they didn't. Scotland is an amalgamation of the Picts, Gaels, Norse and Danes.

I think you'll find we did remove the Romans and the English. At least that's what history states.

That's quite a rant and some chip on both shoulders by the sound of it
Feel free to fook off back north of the border when you cannot stand it anymore - or will you be like shaunbhoy settled in some southern English county but always bitter to the nation that hosts you?

At the moment, it's Britain that hosts me and it's Britain that my taxes contribute to so I'll settle anywhere I like.

You must long for a socialist utopia north of the border where honest Scottish taxpayers will at last pay for your bloated public sector without having to rely on English taxpayers to subsidise you

The bloated public sector is unfortunately a result of Labour policies. However, an independent Scotland will quite easily be self sufficient with our oil, fishing, future energy, tourism, financial and whisky industries. We also won't have the English bloat to subsidise.

Don't forget, the Barnett formula was an English kneejerk reaction to growing calls for Scottish independence and the potential disastrous loss of income to the British coffers that that would have entailed.

Feel free to read the McCrone report and wonder why the government at the time suppressed it and prevented publication, I'll quote the salient part for you though:

Can one be certain that the oil is without doubt a Scottish asset or, even if it is, that these substantial revenues and balance of payments advantages would indeed accrue to an independent Scotland? Clearly these questions raise complicated issues in international law which could, if allowed, occupy the legal profession for many years. Two possible lines of argument may be expected: either that Scotland should pay England some compensation for appropriating the most productive part of the Continental Shelf, or that the whole shelf should be regarded as the common property of the nations of the former United Kingdom with revenue distributed in accordance with some population based formula irrespective of where oil is discovered. As regards the first of the arguments, the prospective return from oil revenue would at the very least be one of the factors taken into account in determining the financial settlement between the two countries when they become independent. To argue the second would be directly counter to the line that the UK Government has taken with the EEC, that the resources of the Continental Shelf are as much a national asset as are those on land, like coal mines, and that there is therefore no question of the Europeanisation of North Sea oil. Disputes on these matters might well occasion much bitterness between the two countries, but it is hard to see any conclusion other than to allow Scotland to have that part of the Continental Shelf which would have been hers if she had been independent all along.

There might be some argument about where the boundary between English and Scottish waters would lie. At present this is considered to be along the line of latitude which lies just north of Berwick on Tweed, and it might perhaps be held that it should run NE/SW as an extension of the Border. This could have the effect of transferring the small oilfields in the south, Auk and Argyll, to the English sector, but would not affect the main finds.

It must be concluded therefore that large revenues and balance of payments gains would indeed accrue to a Scottish Government in the event of independence provided that steps were taken either by carried interest or by taxation to secure the Government ‘take’. Undoubtedly this would banish any anxieties the Government might have had about its budgetary position or its balance of payments. The country would tend to be in chronic surplus to a quite embarrassing degree and its currency would become the hardest in Europe, with the exception perhaps of the Norwegian kroner. Just as deposed monarchs and African leaders have in the past used the Swiss franc as a haven of security, so now would the Scottish pound be seen as a good hedge against inflation and devaluation and the Scottish banks could expect to find themselves inundated with a speculative inflow of foreign funds.

You can quite clearly see English manoeuvring trying to prevent Scotland retaining the oil in events of a split, plans even involved trying to convince the Orkney Isles to claim independence to remove large swathes of the oil fields from Scottish waters. Desperation indeed.

That's because the English don't have a psychotic inferiority complex.

We don't have an inferiority complex, we know we're tulipe at football and rugby.

[minestrone]

Thing about ingonoto's posts are you get bored after the first line.

[Incognito]

Thing about ingonoto's posts are you get bored after the first line.

Never you mind, away back to your poetry corner.

[minestrone]

Never you mind, away back to your poetry corner.

I managed to get through one of your posts without my brain telling me to fall asleep.

Stick to that policy of writing rather than garbled google nonsense son.

[Incognito]

I managed to get through one of your posts without my brain telling me to fall asleep.

Stick to that policy of writing rather than garbled google nonsense son.

You don't have to agree with it, you're entitled to your opinion. It's clear we have differing views on what Scotland is. The usual way to counter that though is to dispute the argument with facts if you disagree. I'm not really bothered about your opinion. Your argument maybe.

[minestrone]

You don't have to agree with it, you're entitled to your opinion. It's clear we have differing views on what Scotland is. The usual way to counter that though is to dispute the argument with facts if you disagree. I'm not really bothered about your opinion. Your argument maybe.

I have some kind of understanding of what Scotland is, would you like to care to take the time to tell me I am unaware of what Scotland is? So I am going to pitch in reminding me that you do not live in Scotland but you want to change my government. Shurely Shome Mistake here?

[Incognito]

I have some kind of understanding of what Scotland is, would you like to care to take the time to tell me I am unaware of what Scotland is? So I am going to pitch in reminding me that you do not live in Scotland but you want to change my government. Shurely Shome Mistake here?

I didn't say you were unaware of what Scotland is, I said our views differed.

I'm Scottish, all my family live in Scotland, I still own property in Scotland. I live in England currently, however when I have kids and they are ready to start schooling I would prefer to move home (which I still consider to be Scotland). So yes, I believe I have every right to have a say in Scotland's determination. I am on the electoral roll in Scotland for a reason, I don't really care who sits on the council in my local borough down here. No mistake, one man one vote, I care to cast it in Scotland.

[DodgyAgent]

Anyway, back on rugby.

Rugby is a metaphor of how socialism should work. Everyone can play no matter what shape or size they are, they can play at a standard that suits them. Rugby is the ultimate inclusive team game where everyone pulls together for the common good- no one can take it easy and each individual has their role to play. There is also great scope for the individual who can use his/her special skills to benefit the team. there are leaders and doers and no one is left out.

It may well be a boring game to watch for those who do not understand it, but it was never meant to be a spectacle.

It is ironic that it is a game that is played and supported by the upper middle classes who tend to loathe socialism.

[Chaffinch]

Anyway, back on rugby.

Rugby is a metaphor of how socialism should work. Everyone can play no matter what shape or size they are, they can play at a standard that suits them. Rugby is the ultimate inclusive team game where everyone pulls together for the common good- no one can take it easy and each individual has their role to play. There is also great scope for the individual who can use his/her special skills to benefit the team. there are leaders and doers and no one is left out.

It may well be a boring game to watch for those who do not understand it, but it was never meant to be a spectacle.

It is ironic that it is a game that is played and supported by the upper middle classes who tend to loathe socialism.

Heard that somewhere before, great post, well said

[shaunbhoy]

The English generally like the Scots, Irish and Welsh

This I agree with. Overwhelmingly I find this to be the case, regardless of whereabouts in England I have lived or visited.

- support them rather halfheartedly in international tournaments when there's no conflict of loyalty, but secretly not that bothered, and quite enjoying looking forward to harmless ribbing when the time comes

ftfy

However, I don't mind that really. I don't really expect English people to get too worked up about the sporting fortunes of Scottish (or Welsh or Irish) contestants. Just so long as they don't expect ME to get too excited about how they get on either.
For me, where it all changes is where any particular athlete or team are representing Britain as a whole. Under those circumstances anyone gets my support regardless of where they come from.

No, in short I enjoy living where I do. I like the climate, the people, and the job I do.
The fact that it also gets right up the nose of little racist tosspots like Troll is just an added bonus.