APP - Ted Kennedy loathed Britain - so why did Gordon Brown knight him? Read more: http://

I read some polls a few months back that said about 60% of the British public think that Ireland should unite and about 60% of the Northern Irish want to stay united with Britain.

Irony.

Anyway, Charv, my ancestors descendants don't cost you as much as the bloody Scottish.
 
TheHappyHippo said:
I read some polls a few months back that said about 60% of the British public think that Ireland should unite and about 60% of the Northern Irish want to stay united with Britain.

Irony.

Anyway, Charv, my ancestors descendants don't cost you as much as the bloody Scottish.
Click to expand...

As soon as the remaining Scotch oil and gas has been exhausted they can take those massive anti-English chips on their shoulders and deep fry them in an independent Scotchland as far as i'm concerned.

This must be what marriage is like - co-existing with a partner that can't stand the sight of you, constantly whinging to the neighbours about how badly you treat them, but more than happy to pile on the weight, bleeding your cash machine dry to spend it on ciggies and lard.

It really bugs the Scotch that the English just don't give a shit about them. :D
 
charver said:
As soon as the remaining Scotch oil and gas has been exhausted they can take those massive anti-English chips on their shoulders and deep fry them in an independent Scotchland as far as i'm concerned.

This must be what marriage is like - co-existing with a partner that can't stand the sight of you, constantly whinging to the neighbours about how badly you treat them, but more than happy to pile on the weight, bleeding your cash machine dry to spend it on ciggies and lard.

It really bugs the Scotch that the English just don't give a shit about them. :D
Click to expand...

As long as we're less annoying than the Scotch, I'm happy.
 
T&A said:
Out of curiosity, if N. Ireland leaves, will we go back to using the name "Great Britain," or is United Kingdom here to stay?
Click to expand...

UK and GB are used interchangeably here already.

I suppose Great Britain would technically be correct if NI went though. I think i prefer Great Britain and, if abbreviating to initials, the G and B keys are slightly closer together than the U and K keys saving vital milliseconds over the course of one's lifetime.
 
charver said:
UK and GB are used interchangeably here already.

I suppose Great Britain would technically be correct if NI went though. I think i prefer Great Britain and, if abbreviating to initials, the G and B keys are slightly closer together than the U and K keys saving vital milliseconds over the course of one's lifetime.
Click to expand...

Isn't Scotland also now technically independent? Though many ties remain, I seem to recall something being signed a few short years ago. Don't know many of the details.
 
Thorn said:
Isn't Scotland also now technically independent? Though many ties remain, I seem to recall something being signed a few short years ago. Don't know many of the details.
Click to expand...

Scotland has devolved powers resting in its parliament. However, I think the powers that the Scottish parliament has are actually less than what a normal US state would have. For one, they don't have the ability to raise taxes, and can only subsist off of what the UK parliament gives them.
 
charver said:
UK and GB are used interchangeably here already.

I suppose Great Britain would technically be correct if NI went though. I think i prefer Great Britain and, if abbreviating to initials, the G and B keys are slightly closer together than the U and K keys saving vital milliseconds over the course of one's lifetime.
Click to expand...

Well, I've only honestly gotten used to the term "UK" over the last two years. Before that, I always said "Britain" or "Great Britain," and when I first came accross the new term, it had me completely befuddled.

I think it would be nice to go back to the old way. And quickly, before I get completely used to "United Kingdom."

:clink:
 
T&A said:
Well, I've only honestly gotten used to the term "UK" over the last two years. Before that, I always said "Britain" or "Great Britain," and when I first came accross the new term, it had me completely befuddled.

I think it would be nice to go back to the old way. And quickly, before I get completely used to "United Kingdom."

:clink:
Click to expand...

As i say, nobody from these fair isles would likely pick you up on it. :)

What really annoys the Scotch, Welsh and Norn Irelanders is when Americans refer to the whole country as England.

It's very funny seeing the faces of American tourists in Scotchland when the locals brusquely inform them Scotch people don't really like to be called English.
 
Thorn said:
Isn't Scotland also now technically independent? Though many ties remain, I seem to recall something being signed a few short years ago. Don't know many of the details.
Click to expand...

WM is right, the Scotch voted for devolution from Westminster in 1997.

The Scottish parliament has a certain degree of independent action on things like Education, Health, Environment, Transport etc. The recent release of the chap who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing from a scottish prison was a product of devolution, decided by the Scots justice minister (although even before devolution the Scotch have always retained their own separate legal system)

Westminster retains a firm grip on the purse strings although the Scotch are allowed to vary the basic rate of income tax in Scotchland by (i think) 3p but they have never used it. There's talk of handing more tax raising powers to Scotland as it would allow Westminster to cut back on expenditure.

The last Scottish parliamentary elections produced a minority Scottish nationalist government who desire true independence but it would have to be approved in a referendum of the Scottish people and, so far at least, all polls suggest there aren't the numbers to win such a vote. However, with the prospect of a Conservative government in Westminster this may change (the Scotch have an intense hatred of all things Tory thanks to Margaret Thatcher).

The Nationalists want to hold a referendum after the next Westminster elections and it would be in the Conservatives interests to get rid of Scotland and their many Labour MP's altogether.

If you're still awake at the end of that...well done :)
 
charver said:
WM is right, the Scotch voted for devolution from Westminster in 1997.

The Scottish parliament has a certain degree of independent action on things like Education, Health, Environment, Transport etc. The recent release of the chap who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing from a scottish prison was a product of devolution, decided by the Scots justice minister (although even before devolution the Scotch have always retained their own separate legal system)

Westminster retains a firm grip on the purse strings although the Scotch are allowed to vary the basic rate of income tax in Scotchland by (i think) 3p but they have never used it. There's talk of handing more tax raising powers to Scotland as it would allow Westminster to cut back on expenditure.

The last Scottish parliamentary elections produced a minority Scottish nationalist government who desire true independence but it would have to be approved in a referendum of the Scottish people and, so far at least, all polls suggest there aren't the numbers to win such a vote. However, with the prospect of a Conservative government in Westminster this may change (the Scotch have an intense hatred of all things Tory thanks to Margaret Thatcher).

The Nationalists want to hold a referendum after the next Westminster elections and it would be in the Conservatives interests to get rid of Scotland and their many Labour MP's altogether.

If you're still awake at the end of that...well done :)
Click to expand...


Still awake. Thanks, Charver. :)
 
charver said:
WM is right, the Scotch voted for devolution from Westminster in 1997.

The Scottish parliament has a certain degree of independent action on things like Education, Health, Environment, Transport etc. The recent release of the chap who was convicted of the Lockerbie bombing from a scottish prison was a product of devolution, decided by the Scots justice minister (although even before devolution the Scotch have always retained their own separate legal system)

Westminster retains a firm grip on the purse strings although the Scotch are allowed to vary the basic rate of income tax in Scotchland by (i think) 3p but they have never used it. There's talk of handing more tax raising powers to Scotland as it would allow Westminster to cut back on expenditure.

The last Scottish parliamentary elections produced a minority Scottish nationalist government who desire true independence but it would have to be approved in a referendum of the Scottish people and, so far at least, all polls suggest there aren't the numbers to win such a vote. However, with the prospect of a Conservative government in Westminster this may change (the Scotch have an intense hatred of all things Tory thanks to Margaret Thatcher).

The Nationalists want to hold a referendum after the next Westminster elections and it would be in the Conservatives interests to get rid of Scotland and their many Labour MP's altogether.

If you're still awake at the end of that...well done :)
Click to expand...

My understanding is that a lot of people vote for the SNP for reasons other than independence.

And I know the Scottish hate tories, but aren't these conservatives sufficiently different so that they can get over it?
 
T&A said:
Well, I've only honestly gotten used to the term "UK" over the last two years. Before that, I always said "Britain" or "Great Britain," and when I first came accross the new term, it had me completely befuddled.

I think it would be nice to go back to the old way. And quickly, before I get completely used to "United Kingdom."

:clink:
Click to expand...
When I was a kid I always use to think that England was a country and it was different than the United Kingdom, which I assumed must have been in Africa. It's a pretty weird name for a democratic country, at least.
 
TheHappyHippo said:
My understanding is that a lot of people vote for the SNP for reasons other than independence.

And I know the Scottish hate tories, but aren't these conservatives sufficiently different so that they can get over it?
Click to expand...

Many people with no desire for independence voted for the Nationalists as they were the main opposition to the Lib Lab government, which had been running Scotland since '97. As i say, the numbers don't exist to win a referendum on leaving the union yet. The recent financial turmoil didn't exactly help the Nationalist's case as they'd been citing Iceland as a model for a future independent Scotland.

Scotland is a no go area for the Tories. They have no Scots MP's at all (although they have a chance of maybe gaining a lowland seat next time round). I don't think the Scotch see the Tories as having changed at all and apart from Cameron himself, who has done a good PR job, a lot of the Tory party hasn't really changed. With the next government inheriting an economic situation requiring cuts and/or tax rises, comparisons are almost certain to be drawn with the Thatcher cuts of the 80s.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top