dougiedanger

He is still writing about us - in the sports pages !!

 

CB's non-irritating, refusenik alter ego--I knew it.

Clacher is basically right, fear and ignorance are BT's only weapons and we either stand up and overcome them or fall into line and know our place like we have done for centuries.

I slipped and fell onto him has to be the worst excuse ever!

 

Granvillesque.

With all due respect to SP, I found his post above to be one of the most depressingly negative comments I have read on the Independence debate.  It comes across as a plea for Independence so that the youth of the country aren't forced to emigrate as he did. It is sad that he felt he needed to leave Scotland to progress but obviously it is great that the move worked out well. Nearly 40 years ago I moved to Scotland to work and was certainly never short of opportunities to progress. No doubt views are coloured by one's own experiences and the kind of business you are in.

 

It may well be that 40 years ago someone with ambition and ability found it hard to progress in Scotland (and the rest of the UK for that matter) but Scotland is not like that now.  Whilst North America may have led the way in encouraging ability, the UK has caught up and in my view has a far more balanced approach than is evident across the pond.  Moving from company to company may provide one kind of experience but staying put in the same company provides experience and knowledge of the business that many employers have the sense to value.  In any case, there are loads of folk who simply want to stay in jobs they like and are good at and don't wish to be pressurised into feeling they constantly have to move and "progress".  My experience of the workforce in Scotland is that we have a great balance of opportunity for those who wish to change and progress whilst offering job security for those wishing to stay put.

 

Scotland is undoubtedly a more vibrant and dynamic place than it was 40 years ago.  Far from people feeling the need to emigrate to find work, the population of Scotland has been rising steadily as folk from the rest of the UK and Europe move to Scotland to live and work.  The Scotland SP knew 40 years ago is not the Scotland I know today.  There are no yokes and shackles for the Scottish people to break free from in order for Scotland to flourish.  Scotland is already flourishing as an integral part of the UK - and long may it continue to do so!

 

With respect, SP was making a valid point from the perspective of someone born in the Highlands, and that perspective mirrors that of many in subsequent generations. It is great that you have witnessed progress in your time here, but again with respect, the experience of people born and bred here may not exactly reflect your own.

 

And yes, begin governed from London is indeed a yoke and a shackle as you put it, for countless reasons.

Go on , chums ....Plunge into ever-ever land instead of never never land as it exists today in Scotland.

 

The old saying comes to mind-- "The river, if taken at the flood, leads on to greatness.".

 

And this river  may greatly reduce in its flow if you DON'T vote "yes".

Because it's running strong just now but of you vote "no" then  Cameron and his  friends will ensure that  this will never happen again and I don't mean because he will shower us  Scots with baubles and beads. Eventually he will cut your throats if he can..mark my words.

 

Why do you think I emigrated to the new world - Canada-- over forty years ago?

Because I was caught up in the stifling, retarded and controlling thinking of the day all these long years  ago when you could not move upwards or onwards without risking severe censure if you dared to ask when you were going to get promoted. That was a challenge to AUTHORITY and not seen as an indication of the fact that maybe, just maybe, you were little more than a likely lad with normal ambition who needed the parry and thrust of an environment that rewarded effort and encouraged further education and upward mobility. So that, at least, there was SOME goal ahead that appeared to be reasonably accessible. 

 

Emigrating is a challenge and you and your and your attitudes have to change to survive. There is prejudice also to contend with when the incumbents of the new country think that you may be a threat to their upward mobility and instead of helping you they decide to thwart you if they can. This proves to be a daunting emotional challenge but, within all the disruption and shattered concepts that you landed with, you gradually see that upward mobility coming to fruition, thanks to some wonderful people that you are fortunate to meet along the way, and eventually you find your own level of success. In the Scotland I knew, if you DARED to move-on  you were well, er, frowned upon. What a waste of energy and talent. And what a stifling existence. 

 

In Canada,  if you are not prepared to move from one company to another, or "move-on" as they euphemistically say, (maybe a complete change of career, like I did) then you have only yourself to blame for  a boring life and lost opportunity. Isn't that right Scotty?

 

Go for it, chums and make it happen, not expect it to do so!

Or to put it succinctly, accept this change as the best thing since sliced bread and run as hard as you can with the ball.

 

Great post SP, people in Scotland will only realize their full potential if they free themselves from the very culture of control and domination that you describe and which is very much alive today.

 

Maybe in the future so many young Scots won't have to leave to realize their ambitions.

 

We frown upon forced marraige within other races of this world yet here's DD defending a forced marriage. Look at the lead up to this so called marraige and see how England done all in her power to destroy what was a growing and thriving economy. Why? Because England didn't like the fact we were doing better around the world.

Hardly think you can slate DD for his views considering you were all for the forced marriage of ICT

Anyway I see the Orange Order of Scotland have now thrown in their weight for the Against campaign and with that comes tens/hundreds of thousands of NO votes

Dougal

 

 

Including your own perchance?

Yes.  Current.  There are two things here.  The first one is that the recent poll specifically indicates that there are many undecided voters who are more likely to vote "YES" if at referendum time they think Cameron will will win the next UK general.  Just how current can you get? 

 

The Thatcher issue is a red herring.  She was rightly hugely unpopular in Scotland but, she is gone.  As I have said before, more often than not Scotland votes for the Government that takes power at Westminster.  Since 1945 there have been only 6 occasions when Scotland voted differently to the UK as a whole with 4 of those being in the Thatcher / Major years.  The current administration is one of the other two. It is hardly a trend that justifies ending a 300 year old marriage.

 

Interestingly, back in 1951 Scotland Voted Tory whilst England voted Labour and we ended up with a Tory government.  That goes to show how dynamic political preferences are.  Clearly Thatcher has caused major damage to her party North of the Border and was the catalyst for the rise of the SNP, but there remains a strong body of opinion in Scotland which remains conservative (with a small "c").  Given the fluctuating dynamics of party politics, it does seem wrong to me to contemplate an irrevocable change based on such a short term sense of not being represented.

 

And what of us in the Highlands and Islands?  Whilst I have not looked at the figures, I would guess that we will be even less likely to get the Government we vote for in an Independent Scotland than we currently are within the UK.  Since 1945 the Highlands has voted firstly Conservative and then latterly Lib Dem.  If we had been an Independent country all this time we would have been living in a socialist state dictated by the central belt.  Does that justify calling for Independence for the Highlands and Islands?  No, of course not, just as perceived lack of representation in Scotland as a whole does not justify independence.

 

The fact of the matter is that however large or small the electorate and whatever voting system you use, there will always be some people who perceive themselves to be disadvantaged.  But this is just a reality of democracy.  Remember that we also have a considerable range of powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament  and therefore have rather more say on our own affairs than the English do. To suggest that we need independence because that is the only way we can have a say over our own affairs is a myth that continues to be pedalled by the YES campaign.

 

Sadly, many do not see this as a 300-year old 'marriage' as you put it, and have a quite different view of history as a process of assimilation, marginalization, and at times outright mistreatment, especially in the Highlands. That is a valid perspective for many, and this arrangement is anything but the benign relationship that you seem to see.

 

New poll in the Daily Record, very positive for Yes.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bombshell-daily-record-poll-shows-3678091 

 

Latest Daily Record poll will be a boost to Alex Salmond

The prospect of another five years of David Cameron as Prime Minister would be enough to convince Scots to vote for independence, a bombshell poll reveals today.

 

 

This really illustrates the farcical nature of the process we are going through.  The referendum is about the ongoing future of Scotland and not the make up of the Government for just the next 5 years. Yet it appears that we may choose to discard 300 years of history as part of the United Kingdom based on the fact that at one particular point in time in Scotland a particular Scottish politician is more popular than a particular English politician.  The implications of this are just too depressing to contemplate at the moment.

 

 

No offence, but for many those 300 years would be quite gladly discarded, and it has nothing to do with who happens to be in power at the moment.

 

Indeed the prospect of such a break is far from depressing; it would be a thing of great joy and the fulfillment of a lifetime's wish.    

I noticed that the author of that report also tended towards the YES campaign with his reporting.

He describes a hypothetical 8% point 'win' for YES as being 'comfortable', whereas earlier he claimed the actual 6% lead for NO was 'neck and neck' and 'wafer thin'!!

Difference between a lead and a win I suppose.

New poll in the Daily Record, very positive for Yes.

 

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bombshell-daily-record-poll-shows-3678091 

 

Latest Daily Record poll will be a boost to Alex Salmond

The prospect of another five years of David Cameron as Prime Minister would be enough to convince Scots to vote for independence, a bombshell poll reveals today.

The dramatic survey for the Daily Record shows the Yes campaign will win a majority if they can persuade voters Cameron is heading back to Downing Street in the 2015 Westminster general election.

The Survation poll of 1004 Scots also found the Yes and No camps are virtually neck-and-neck with less than 100 days to go until the historic referendum.

A total of 39 per cent plan to vote Yes on September 18, with just 44 per cent saying No.

If you remove those who have still to make up their mind that would give a wafer-thin majority to unionists, with a referendum result of 53 per cent No and 47 per cent Yes.

The figures mean there has been a tightening in the race since the last Survation poll for the Record four weeks ago. Then, 37 per cent were intending to vote Yes compared with 47 per cent backing No.

The results come in the wake of the European Parliament elections, where the success of Nigel Farage’s UKIP in England was used by many Nationalists as an argument for independence.

But the most dramatic results in the new poll came when we asked how Scots would vote if they were sure Cameron would remain PM.

Then, the figures change to 44 per cent Yes and 38 per cent No – giving a comfortable referendum victory to the nationalists, with a result of 54 per cent Yes and 46 per cent No.

The change is caused mostly by Labour supporters changing their referendum vote.

The news is a major boost for First Minister Alex Salmond, whose life-long dream of independence now seems in touching distance.

The figures will worry the No campaign, who know the Tory-led Government could be one of their biggest weaknesses in the campaign in the weeks ahead. Polling expert John Curtice said: “This should act as a warning sign to the No side that they can take nothing for granted about the result.”

The Strathclyde University professor added: “One of the things to watch over the summer is that a rise in the polls for the Tories as far as the Westminster general election is concerned could mean some Scots reconsidering their referendum vote.”

Labour leader Ed Miliband remains ahead in the race for Downing Street, with one poll published this week saying he leads the Tories by four points.

But the Yes campaign has made it one of their central arguments that a separate Scotland would never get Tory governments Scots didn’t vote for.

Salmond has also tried to capitalise on Cameron’s unpopularity north of the border by demanding he take part in a TV debate with him.

The Yes campaign was last night celebrating the best poll result they have had in several months.

Yes Scotland chief executive Blair Jenkins said it confirmed their message is “getting through”.

He added: “This is the best Survation poll – the gap between Yes and No has halved since last month – and Yes now only needs a three-point swing to move ahead. The poll also highlights the strong appeal of the guarantee that Scotland always gets the government we vote for only with independence - instead of being inflicted with Tory governments.

“This independence guarantee is undoubtedly a major factor in persuading more and more Labour voters and members to vote Yes.”

Better Together chief Blair McDougall put a brave face on the results. He said: “This is yet another poll showing the campaign to keep Scotland in the UK ahead.”

But he admitted it showed “there can be no complacency from those of us who passionately believe that being part of the UK secures the brightest future for Scotland”.

Nice perspective, our system of governance is really an outdated anomaly.

 

 

Just admit it

 

You are bigots

 

Tell Mr Salmond you are not good neighbours

 

And for the record I don't care half as much if England do well in the world cup as I do that ICT finish in the top six

 

And if you keep having a go at me , I will keep reminding you to be good neighbours till you shut up

Sorry Laurence but you are the one having a go. You are the one instigating that we should support England. As a Scot and supporter of Scotland why should I then support any other nationality? .

Well it didn't stop you changing your allegiance in season 94/95 did it Alex?

As far as I can see you try and come over pro Scottish but there is an extremely thin line between that and anti English

Dougal

 

 

Quite right, it's not as if anyone on here would hold an irrational hatred for any nationality, say for instance, the Irish.

You guys might be able to wax lyrical amongst yourselves for a Yes vote but the kids in Salmond's backyard told him different

Time you stopped kidding yourselves  -  Yes is dead in the water

 

 

http://news.stv.tv/north/239978-thousands-of-scottish-secondary-pupils-vote-no-in-mock-referendum/

 

Finger on the pulse as ever.

I didn't mean Scots or Northerners.

I meant the usual Anti Dingwall, Anti Butcher, Anti everybody brigade who frequent this message board.

They know who they are. I don't think but a few of them are a third of my age.

Not wanting to sound pompous but I felt "you lot" summed up completely my feelings.

I am not anti anybody. I quite like Scotland, Ross County, Hibernian or even Rangers.

The exception that proves the rule is I anti bigotry on this message board.

 

When can we expect the English translation of this?

What an embarrassment to have that fat, ginger, duplicitous twonk Alexander as MP for Inverness.

It's good we're really getting to the heart of the key issues in this whole independence debate.

Thought he is very overrated as a manager. With no competition he won 3 titles but was out witted tactically in so many cup games during his time. Was not a good ambassador for his club but fitted into the fans conspirisy mindset and often played to it.

Yes, he conspired to have bullets sent in the post to him, to be assaulted while doing his job at Tynecastle (and for the assailant to be acquitted), and to have to live with a personal bodyguard.

That's some "conspirisy" be f**k. The totally despicable actions of these people have nothing to do with football or his management abilities but hiding inabilities by threatening to write to the SFA about decisions against his team and his part in the infamous dossier of conspirisies that never saw the light of day and his all round ability to never accept his team were beaten by a better team worked straight into the hands of the diluded fans. Never defeated always cheated. But of course lets not read what's posted and just put a spin on things to avert peoples gaze from what was actually being said. Lennon could have written that post. And to be clear, my disgust at the non-football crap he had to endure holds no bounds but had nothing to do with my post.

Fair enough, but there is an argument to be made that every team in the SPL has long been cheated by the financial wrongdoings of one former club, and you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to feel that your club is not playing on a level field.

Thought he is very overrated as a manager. With no competition he won 3 titles but was out witted tactically in so many cup games during his time. Was not a good ambassador for his club but fitted into the fans conspirisy mindset and often played to it.

 

Yes, he conspired to have bullets sent in the post to him, to be assaulted while doing his job at Tynecastle (and for the assailant to be acquitted), and to have to live with a personal bodyguard.

 

That's some "conspirisy" be f**k.

You lot get me going

 

When Scotland entered the World Cup I think Munich. All of England were behind them

Now due to the "little man syndrome", which prevails north of the border, we get this nonsense

 

Quite right Laurence, it is ridiculous those Jocks don't think or act how you want them to, especially after all this time you have lived in Jockoland, and given that they forced you to live among them.

 

Poor show by the sweaties. 

What attendance would we normally get on average for a County game at home and the same for Celtic?

Reckon if you swapped even just those 2 games to home encounters it would make a difference.

Despite it being morally correct or not to have removed the team, All the SPL teams miss the Rangers fans head count.

What I worry is that Rangers fans will boycott away games to the teams that voted against them. It's not like they need the away fans at their games as they can more or less fill Ibrox every week.

Having next to no away fans at a game like that would seriously hurt us in the pocket.

 

Rangers were not "removed" --they went out of business and the new club was fast-tracked into the bottom tier. If anything, they "removed' themselves.

What's this about an opinion poll commissioned by the Westminster lot that they are trying to keep quite, but which apparently shows a surge in Yes support?

That day at Huntly was the saddest day I've ever had at football.

Any idea what date pre-season training starts this year?

God bless her and her family.

Nationality is a legal bond between a state and an individual.  Also The Universal Declaration Of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to a nationality and no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Possession of a nationality carries with it the diplomatic protection of the country of nationality.  This referendum has the potential to change all that for me and all other Scots living overseas. Yet we are not allowed a say or a voice in the matter. 

 

No one posting here so far has been able or capable of telling me what will happen to our nationality status should Scotland cede from Britain. This is because they do not know and they do not have clue what will happen. They are just trusting that she'll be right mate as they say here in NZ. Not a very clever way to make a decision about your nationality and your future.  Also no one has presented a compelling or sound argument as to why we the minority group that live overseas should not be included in the vote. I feel an appeal to the UN and the European Commission coming on given our minority status.

 

Bit more drama plz.