I don’t follow Scottish politics, so perhaps Alasdair or my dad or somebody can tell me: is this a fair summary of yesterday’s election results?
FREEDOM!!!!! 🙂
P.S. Meanwhile, it’s FPTP FTW, and I believe Nick Clegg is saying to his enemies that they may take his Alternative Vote, but they’ll never take his adorable cats!!!
Vurragood movie clip. (Notwithstanding that it does star That guy. He’s a jerk but he plays the part — and similar ones — well.)
I dunno that it quite constitutes a Fair analysis of the Pàrlamaid na h-Alba 2011 election returns ;} — I’ll leave that judgement to much-better-informed and vastly-more-Objective ;> commentators such as Laird Alasdair — but to those of us
geneticallytriballydruidicallySpiritually linked to the Celtic Nations, it surely is an Inspiring one. 🙂I may Remark later upon the UK Referendum issue of First-past-the-Post versus (as we call it on Erin’s green-&-orange Isle) the Single Transferable Vote (STV) system — if I can ever figure out the crazyassed Conflation of the two which currently prevails in Scotland & Wales. / For now, suffice it to say that in elections for the devolved-parliamentary Stormont representatives from the Multi-member constituencies of
the Stateletthe Six Countiesthe Royalist EntityHer Majestey’s Province of Northern Ireland, theSTV system is doing quite nicely, Thenkyou veddymuch Indeed.
🙂
Brendan – for the Grauniad, it lives down to Grauniad standards … it exhibits bias, inaccuracy, and cluelessness, all lightly sprinkled with the occasional inadvertent evenhanded moment, and just a hint of an occasional fact, and very rarely some genuine insight … the Grauniad is sort of an equivalent in the UK of The Onion over here – except that The Onion shows humour, is usually insightful, and seems to be pretty much equal opportunity in its targets (qualities which the Grauniad sadly and consistently lacks) …
(It is known as the Grauniad (while trying to call itself the Guardian), due to its many decades of editorial neglect/abuse/aversion … it’s grammar, spelling, and syntax are and were notorious through the British Empire as archetypical bad exemplars of each … the name – Grauniad – was taken from how the paper printed its *own* name many times per decade … it was truly amazing) …
With that said, a more accurate analysis can be found – well, almost anywhere – but, specifically, try the Glasgow Herald’s analysis …
While Venerable Loy’s observations are ofttimes politically astute, Her Majesty’s Province of Northern Ireland could only accurately refer to that subdivision within the Church of England Communion – which, at least traditionally, does not fall within the ambit of Stormont or any other Multi-member consituency … (I ignored the lèse-majesté displayed by mis-spelling ‘Her Majesty’ as “Her Majestey”)
Laird Alasdair an Aigh: I deeply appreciate the very Republican (USA variant 🙂 way in which your innate sense of noblesse oblige compelled you to Ignore (sic 😉 my butterfingeredly-inadvertent Crime-via-“mis-spelling” (sic; possible UK variant 🙂 against the Dignity of the Sovereign. Accordingly, may I reciprocate by similarly Ignoring your unintentionally-Contractive apostrophe which converted your phrase to “… it is grammar, spelling, and syntax are and were notorious through the British Empire…” — not that I would Doubt the Truth of whatever that may mean, considering that the Sun never Sets, & So forth.
(Btw, FWIW, your linked Glasgow news piece seemed prettygood to me.)
Bugrit !
(and you may quote me !)
(grin)
mea culpa !
As to the possibility of a referendum on independence for Scotland succeeding, it is much more likely to go the way of the Québecois in Québec, Canada …
The seperatist PQ were elected to replace the arrogantly-corrupt Liberals – when the PQ then held their first referendum on separation from Canada, the Québecois said “No, thank you !” – so the PQ said “Zut alors ! Then we will have *another* general election !” – and the Québecois elected ’em into government, again, cuz they had been essentially honest politicians … and Québec remains part of Canada …
In Scotland, things are likely to follow similar lines … the electorate basically has thrown out the tumshies, and has told the SNP “You asked for it ! You got it ! You have only your own selves to blame for what happens now !” …
The simplest problem of Scottish separatism is who would become Monarch/President … there is respect for Her Current Majesty (not so much for her firstborn, however) … and I know of no Scots politician who has earned anywhere near the respect currently held by the old Queen Mum’s elder daughter …
The economic side could work, given revenues from Oil and Water of Life – but I doubt if *anyone* trusts any government made up of current politicians to handle the economy sensibly …
Fair Ole Al, your (grinsome, as always 🙂 acknowledgement of grammatical Error, AND your erudite presentation of same in Discworldian (and for all I know, in the Braid Scots as weel 😉 AND in Church Latin, are all much Appreciated. / In re your “mea culpa !”, be not Afraid: for I’m certain that no less an ecclesiastical authority that Fr. Guido Sarducci, SJ, SNL, would pronounce your misplaced apostrophe “a small-a Sin”, albeit that perhaps “it-ta Mounts up.” ;> For your penance, you may just say one Our Father & one Hail Mary and sing the last verse and chorus of Skye Boat Song; and now make a good Act of Contraction. Ego te absolvo a peccatis tuis… 🙂
Now with the Niceties & the Sacraments out of the way: I think your analogy of the SNP to the PQ is actually vurragood (très bon). Of course I side — emotionally — with President Charles DeGaulle’s July 24, 1967 declaration, in Montreal: “Vive Montréal ! Vive le Québec ! Vive le Québec libre ! Vive le Canada français ! Et vive la France !”
Won’t it be fascinating if the now-prettymuch-inevitable Scottish Independence referendum more-or-less Coincides with the GFA-promised Norn Iron Status referendum? With both occurring, say, circa the Dublin Rising centennial of 2016? // By Gob, if my health somehow holds out I’d love to travel to the British Isles for to see that. / Not that I really long for the Dismemberment of the United Kingdom or anythinglikethat — the consequences to All concerned could well be very Severe — but, still: it would be Fun to Go & See what happens. (My guess: Scotland stays; the Six Counties leave, by the narrowest of margins; and Wales, with Plaid Cymru still fumbling around, doesn’t bother to even Vote. 🙂
I’ll bite …
Why would the 6 Counties leave ?
A few years ago, when the Irish (Eire) economy was booming, i could see it … now ? Not so much …
What are the incentives for joining up with Eire ? The stricter laws against abortion and birth control and divorce ? The unemployment rates in the past couple of years of 12-13% (vs UK rates of 7-8%) ? The OECD statistics showing that stuff costs around 12% more in Eire vs the UK ?
(grin) Even discounting the historical biases, I can’t see many Ulsterfolk (of any denomination) rushing to pay 12% more for day-to-day purchases … (grin)
Correct me if I am misunderstanding, but, as far as I can tell, most of the IRA hard-line sympathisers have died out … and most of the hard-line Orange folk have also died out … on the Orange side, however, are they not still having their Orange Marches each July ? (We shoulda *known* it would take Irish folk to have their March in July each year … (grin)) …
“I’ll bite …”
And here (for once 🙂 I wasn’t even trying to Bait ye; I was just (more-or-less) Ruminating. [Here interpolate whatever Sheep joke takes your fancy. ;]
Of course you do make a Good Point re the present Economics of the matter. The roaring Celtic Tiger having shriveled — due in part to the mighty Bubbleburst of an Irish lending profligacy which makes Ours look positively pikerish by comparison — into a whimpering Sick Puppy: now is not the Time to put A Nation Once Again on the Ballot.
BUT: say, for purposes of argument, that, oh I dunno — perhaps 5 years On from Now, after many Lessons have been learned & many Deutschmarkishe Euros infused — things may look rather different. / We shall See.
” (We shoulda *known* it would take Irish folk to have their March in July each year … (grin)) … “
Hee hee! / Well, yeah; but after all it was King Billy who in 1690 chose July — albeit on his calendar back then it was the First, not the Twelfth — as a fine time for to frogMarch my ancestors across the River Boyne & thence to Oblivion.
:>
(bigger grin) Are you so sure on which side (or is it sides?) your ancestors are to be found, back then in the way-back-when ?
O so it’s sides izzit! Diarmait all, I’d have ye to know that not a wee drop of mac Murchadha blood runs in these veins! ;} Now look here, Raibeart Ruadh, I don’t have the Boyne battle rosters but my matrilineage is all McNamaras & Quinns & Keanes & suchlike nametaigs 🙂 so you do the math, McGrath. :> (Of course me Da’s heritage, God rest him, was rather more Church-of-England but I’m confident no loys were involved in the scuffle, except possibly as weapons, and that on me Ma’s side, God rest her. 🙂
So, my trusty fiere, what did You do at Culloden?
🙂
OY !
So it is linguistically valid to call a Loy a Loy ! That does explain your evident expertise shoveling it on !
ROTFLMFO !
As for Culloden, one (and a bit) side(s) of my lineage is Cameron – and the other includes Haliburtons and ‘John Finlayson’ appears several times on my father’s side … so – it seems we were most likely Jacobite … (grin) … crofters, teachers, sea-captains, all sorts of things …
“…linguistically valid to call a Loy a Loy ! That does explain your evident expertise shoveling it on !” THENKyou veddymuch indeed, Laird Sam Spade. ;} And in Point of Actual Fact I Do have a Document certifying that I kissed the Blarney Stone, back in the Bicentennial ’98. ;>
“… it seems we were most likely Jacobite … (grin) “ Well “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w8SQtqZXPw”>O then you are Welcome homeward, now at Summer’s coming”. “…crofters, teachers, sea-captains…” Indeed.
;>
Well, clearly I Screwed that up. Guess I’ll have to flee to the Isle of Skye. :> And Thence to fair France. ;}
The above-busted link should be O then you are welcome homeward, etc.
And the Other one, Working but you may hve missed it, is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cQK7ivQ2h4
You Blarney-Stone-kissing-whippersnapper !
My own labial encounter with the Blarney Stone, high up in the Castle, was back in the late 1960s, while I was still in Secondary School ! It added new meaning to “bending over backwards to learn a skill” …
Do you know if Loy Minor has any plans to enhance his lawyerly skills by emulating your feat ?
“Do you know if Loy Minor has any plans to enhance his lawyerly skills by emulating your feat ?”
He’s already Emulated it — and when he was still in Secondary School, long before Lawyering had even occurred to him! Himself & his Mom & I vacationed in the Repooblich in the summer of ’98 so of course Blarney was on the agenda. / We queued for the stone-cold kiss on the castle roof in the soft Irish rain. Near us in the long line were two English ladies, and we were delighted to overhear one remark to the other, “Here we are, paying good money to stand in the rain, waiting to kiss a rock. And we say the Irish are stupid!” 🙂
(Among the Other pilgrimages on our itinerary were to Caisleán na Cnapóige [Knappogue Castle], ancestral seat of the Mac Conmara [McNamara] sept ~ who, though we were Earls of West Clancullen, nonetheless served hereditarily as subordinate Marshals to the fookin’ O’Briens, which greatly Irked me when I learned of it there; AND of course, the year being the glorious Bicentennial of the Wexford Rising, to Vinegar Hill, o’er the pleasant Slaney, where
Our heroes vainly stood back to back. / [OK OK, so the Missus sat whilst I stood Vainly. Yeah, that’s actually Us, contemplating the bloody Battlefield. The unsuspecting future Lawyer took the Picture. :] )
So now: aren’t you Glad you asked? 🙂