One lion on oor flag We’re still getting steamin Three hunner years of hurt Didna stop us scheming It’s comin hame, It’s comin hame. It’s comin. Fitba’s comin hame. The English think that they invented football, but it’s not true. Everyone knows that it was invented in Aberdeenshire. It …
Read More »Back soon in 2055
Nicola Sturgeon said that Scotland will be back soon in Europe. Where does she think we are now? Does she think that somehow Scotland has sped up the process of plate tectonics so that we are somewhere near Jamaica now. If so, why isn’t it warmer? Worse if Scotland is …
Read More »Scottish nationalism is based on historical ignorance
Scottish nationalists frequently talk about the countries that have become independent and that they never regret it. They list various new nation states in Europe and places that were formerly part of empires. But what they never mention is the number of places that were formerly countries and now are …
Read More »Clap for Nicola
Since March I have not clapped for anyone. I have not gone into the street. I have not banged on pots and pans. I have not yelled, and I have not sung. I do not do such things. I have a different viewpoint on ethics and follow this teaching: When …
Read More »Some holes in letter from Arbroath
The mistake that we most frequently make about history is that the past is like the present. Scottish nationalists for instance think that the Declaration of Arbroath tells them something about Scotland in 2020. This is partly because too many of them are stuck in a badly understood version of medieval …
Read More »Rishi Sunak just killed Scottish nationalism
Twice now in the space of twelve years we have seen a British Chancellor do what it takes to save the British economy. In 2008 the Treasury bailed out the banks in 2020 it has just bailed out everyone else. Can any Chancellor prior to Rishi Sunak have had such …
Read More »Does the SNP have the right to demand a second independence referendum?
As I was going home the other day, I passed a group of students waving Catalan flags. I didn’t stop to find out what they were demonstrating about. Rather confusingly someone handed we a leaflet about socialism in Chile. Were they Chileans complaining about Catalonia, Or Catalans complaining about Chile? …
Read More »The UK is none of Ireland’s business
The great fear in the 1970s was that the Troubles would cross over at the narrowest part of the Irish sea. Scotland and Northern Ireland are so close that they almost touch, but Glasgow was never turned into Belfast. The Scottish Central Belt and especially the part around Glasgow is …
Read More »Only Euronationalism could make Tories vote for Corbyn
I’ve been trying to think of what would make Tory MPs bring down a Conservative Government. What would make them contemplate making Jeremy Corbyn Prime Minister? Well it’s August. This is supposed to be the silly season. Perhaps alternatively Ken Clarke, Dominic Grieve, Oliver Letwin et al have all been …
Read More »The Brexit strategy
If there wasn’t enough excitement over Brexit, we’ve had an opinion poll suggesting that support for Scottish independence has increased and that a Labour Government would allow a second poll on Scottish independence. It baffles me frankly why anyone pays any attention at all to opinion polls any more. I …
Read More »The Scottish establishment is wrong about Brexit and Boris
There is a conventional wisdom in Scotland about politics that everyone agrees on. It doesn’t much matter which party the Scottish establishment support, they still hold the same assumptions. The problem is that this same Scottish establishment has been wrong about everything ever since they came up with the idea …
Read More »The Brexit case against Scottish independence
Let’s imagine that somehow the UK leaves the EU sometime around the end of October and makes a clean break. The EU faced with the prospect of no deal might at the last minute give us a more favourable deal. Alternatively, the UK might actually leave with out further negotiation. …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 16
After a brief exchange of e-mails in early July, at Effie’s suggestion, Jenny didn’t write again until late August. When she did she wrote in much improved Russian. Dear Effie, I’ll be coming back to Aberdeen soon and I’m already thinking of my studies and how good it will be …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 15
Paul didn’t receive a reply from Jenny. When he got home the next morning, he checked his e-mail account, but there was nothing from her. Too early, probably, or else she hadn’t had the chance to read or reply. But later that evening when he checked again, there was still …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 14
It was the beginning of July and Jenny was due to fly the next day. She went to Effie’s house with her last collection of essays all written long hand in Russian and all about Scottish independence. “You’ve learned more than one new subject, Jenny, you know that,” said Effie. …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 13
Their final term ended, but they barely noticed. It hardly seemed to matter beside what they had found with each other and what they were learning about music and about themselves. They danced to the music of Rachmaninov’s Vespers, only their dance didn’t involve any use of feet or at …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 12
It had been a strange film. For the first hour or so he’d just found it dull. He knew that Jenny wanted to practice her Danish, but he didn’t quite see why he should have to sit through stuff like this. Ordet… There had certainly been enough words spoken. He’d …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 11
Jenny’s main subjects in her final term at university became Scottish independence and Russian language. She did both together. Effie was delighted with the results. The arguments were subtle, imaginative and at times devastating if only the person reading them could understand them. They talked regularly usually at Effie’s office, …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 10
She met some resistance with Parceval. They listened to it one night and Paul accepted it as a chore, but one night wasn’t enough. One night was just the first act. “It’s turgid. It just goes on and on,” said Paul. “I thought you liked the Grail story?” “I do, …
Read More »An Indyref Romance: Harmony and Dissonance – Chapter 9
In the weeks that followed Paul and Jenny continued their embraces to the accompaniment of Jenny’s music. He said that he found some of it rather difficult, but would like to hear more and would like to understand better. She started with Glen Gould playing the Goldberg Variations, and then …
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