cantankerousoldgit

Friday

Great news- what a farce it's been though.

I agree that there is a strong argument that it wasn't a penalty. Nobody could have guessed that the SFA would act in this outrageous manner but unfortunately with the benefit of hindsight it might have been better if both Josh and John Hughes had said less after the event.

Sickening. He has to fight it. What's to lose against missing the game of his career so far. Although the TV evidence looks bad, personally at the time I did not think he deliberately attempted to block the ball with his hand. He is a very honest lad.Anyway If Shifty can get away with what he has then it has to be worth a try for Josh. This has only happened because of the amount of noise Celtic have been able to make, well supported by the Central belt media.

COG - were you thinking about something like Victoria Park, Dingwall at 1215 on a Sunday?

No

I thought our support was terrific at the semi final but let's be honest- are a maximum of maybe 10000 of each set of fans going to create any kind of atmosphere in a 2/3 empty Hampden? Would an alternative venue be better and if so where?

Tremendous day out. We thoroughly deserved it and fans were terrific. Bring it on!!

Watching Ed Milliband on TV the other night put me in mind of 'The Flowerpot Men' a much loved show from yesteryear.

Did you mean utterances such as "Blub, blub slubbub" or "WEEEEED"

Oh- is that what he was trying to say?

Watching Ed Milliband on TV the other night put me in mind of 'The Flowerpot Men' a much loved show from yesteryear.

Religion is probably the root cause of more strife and injustice in the world than anything else and I don't care one whit what the pope says about anything.   I would, however have respect for the pope if he came clean and announced that there actually was no God and therefore the vast assets of the Catholic church were to be sold off and distributed among the poor.

We'll find out on Sunday if there's a god or not.

What the London based unionist parties are offering is three similar shades of Sh**e.

Yup... I know.... the choice between Labour, Tory and Libdems is a bit like choosing between Measles, Mumps and Chicken Pox.

 

But none of them is quite in the same league as getting the (Yellow and) Black Death.

Er, ok. Thanks for your input.

One option open to people but rarely used deliberately, is to spoil your ballot paper.  In that way you make the effort to participate in the election but don't feel obliged to give your vote for any candidate.  Years ago when I was an election agent in a Westminster election, the returning officer showed the agents a ballot paper in which the "voter" had used a marker pen to put a big black cross over whole framework of the candidates' names and had then clearly written below "I hereby exercise my democratic right not to vote for any of these t*ssers".  Wasn't you, by any chance, Charles?

Great idea. I suggest both you and Charles do that and really prove a point.

From some of the arguments being advanced one gets the impression that just over half the population think that just under half the population are naive, woad painted, claymore rattling, gullible idiots rather than intelligent reflective people who have a rational considered contrary view.

You don't have to spend very long in the classrooms of Scotland to realise that probably around a third of the population just don't have the intellectual wherewithal to have the remotest scooby about even basic political issues, be they relate to the referendum, a Scottish election or a general election. That may sound harsh, but it's an evolutionary reality for which there are many parallels and, once seen, can very easily be believed.

There is a lot to be gained by any party who can persuade this sector of the population that they will gain most out of voting for them. The Tories to some extent achieved this, albeit not totally, in the Thatcher era. Before that, this was a significant factor in the Atlee landslide of 1945 which, by the election of 1950, had shrunk to a marginal majority which only lasted until the following year when the Tories did the trick for the next 13.

A demographic analysis of the referendum vote and of the Scottish vote in this forthcoming general election could therefore be revealing.

I think I see where we are going here. Presumably those who disagree with your political viewpoints do so because they don't share your intellectual capacity and should not be entitled to to an opinion let alone to express themselves at the ballot box. Fortunately I have spent considerably more time in Scotland's classrooms and can reassure you that your depressing analysis is incorrect.

From some of the arguments being advanced one gets the impression that just over half the population think that just under half the population are naive, woad painted, claymore rattling, gullible idiots rather than intelligent reflective people who have a rational considered contrary view.

I'll wave my claymore to that.

A second referendum is simply not on the table at this general election so I 'm no sure why you keep wanting to discuss it? Would it not be better to focus on the issues, some of which you list as being currently of more importance to people that something not anyone's agenda. As for being simplistic- the idea that a nationalist conspiracy could offer free bananas in order to sneak independence in by the back door is not only simplistic but shows a contempt for the Scottish electorate.

You seem a bit confused yourself. What Nicola Sturgeon is saying is that if the Scottish People don't want another referendum then they simply need to use the ballot box to prevent any party having a mandate to do so.It is not in the hands of the politicians but the electorate.That is democracy. What authority do you or anyone else have to dictate what future electoral candidates have in their manifestos?

Jim and Ed are hardly best mates. Jim possibly thinks that Ed isn't prime minister material. But then what do I know? I can't read minds like some folk on here.

 

Is it just me but or do others think that Miliband seems to have been spending far too much time watching Tony Blair videos of how to be Smarmy on prime time TV?  Murphy is far more natural and I have to say I rather liked his more old fashioned shoot from the hip style.

Milliband's stage-managed gawking down the Camera is certainly creepy in the extreme but it is Murphy who is the greatest gift to the SNP. He comes over as patronising and insincere and his spiel about the wifie who couldn't afford shoes left my skin crawling.I'm sure I'm not alone in finding him cringeworthy.

Door

I wouldn't say the surge in support for SNP will decide the outcome so much as the slow, painful demise of the party for the working man. Remember them? The party built from the blood, sweat and blisters of the UK's shipbuilders, steelworkers, miners.....oh wait!! there's none of them left now. And very soon there won't be a Labour party.

And good riddance - they sold out out long ago. There is only one party which represents working Scots and they are set for a landslide despite the nonsense that CB and his unionist chums are coming out with.

Not sure why so much negativity. Wasn't there but stats looked good and haven't lost ground in battle for Europe place.

A GB Olympic team including players from the home nations does not need sanction by the individual bodies. If England go ahead maybe not this time but in future, it is up to players themselves if they wish to compete.

Being  hidebound is not an answer to everything progressive.

You're just flogging a dead horse now Laurence.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31934088

Best player in Scotland according to McNamara. Doesn't reflect well on him or his club that he appears to condone the disgraceful conduct of this thuggish cheat.

Simply a terrible idea and should be buried once and for all. A far better idea would be for Scotland to have full national representation in all Olympic sports but we all know what it will take for that to happen.

Sekajja again scores for draw against Sevco

An absolute disgrace. That's twice he's got away with blatant thuggery.

Shadow