'Pride' .. the perfect film to see on an evening as unique as this one. Whatever the outcome, we are all in this together. It's not just a question of the Scots., but of all those in the UK that have been forgotten.
'Pride' by Matthew Warchus
This film is inspired by an extraordinary true story. It's the summer of 1984, Margaret Thatcher is in power and the National Union of Mineworkers is on strike, prompting a London-based group of gay and lesbian activists to raise money to support the strikers' families. Initially rebuffed by the Union, the group identifies a tiny mining village in Wales and sets off to make their donation in person. As the strike drags on, the two groups discover that standing together makes for the strongest union of all.
Initial release: September 12, 2014 (United Kingdom)
The average Englishman, in the home he calls his castle, slips into his national costume, a shabby raincoat, patented by chemist Charles Macintosh from Glasgow, Scotland.
En route to his office he strides along the English lane, surfaced by John Macadam of Ayr, Scotland.
He drives an English car fitted with tyres invented by John Boyd Dunlop of Dreghorn, Scotland, arrives at the station and boards a train,the forerunner of which was a steam engine, invented by James Watt of Greenock, Scotland.
He then pours himself a cup of coffee from a thermos flask, the latter invented by Dewar, a Scotsman from Kincardine-on-Forth.
At the office he receives the mail bearing adhesive stamps, invented by James Chalmers of Dundee, Scotland.
During the day he uses the telephone, invented by Alexander Graham Bell, born in Edinburgh, Scotland.
At home in the evening his daughter pedals her bicycle, invented by Kirkpatrick Macmillan, blacksmith of Dumfries, Scotland.
He watches the news on his television, an invention of John Logie Baird of Helensburgh, Scotland,
and hears an item about the U.S. Navy, founded by John Paul Jones of Kirkbean, Scotland.
He has by now been reminded too much of Scotland and in desperation he picks up the Bible, only to find that the first man mentioned in the good book is a Scot, King James VI, who authorised its translation.
Nowhere can an Englishman turn to escape the ingenuity of the Scots.
He could take a drink of whisky, but the Scots make the best in the world.
He could take a rifle and end it all, but the breech-loading rifle was invented by Captain Patrick of Pitfours, Scotland.
If he escapes death, he might then find himself on an operating table injected with penicillin,which was discovered by Alexander Fleming of Darvel, Scotland and given an anaesthetic, which was discovered by Sir James Young Simpson of Bathgate, Scotland.
Out of the anaesthetic, he would find no comfort in learning he was as safe as the Bank of England founded by William Paterson of Dumfries, Scotland.
William hill now giving odds of 1/6 on for the no vote to win, good bye alex salmond.
They've announced details of the new Scottish currency.
10 New Moans equals 1 New Gripe
100 New Moans equals 1 New Lament
Old moans,gripes and laments which were pegged to the British pound will no longer be legal tender; purchase of new moans, gripes and laments shall be directed to the Great Caliph Alex bin Salmond (for it is he), Bank of Lost Resort, Dundreamin Castle, Glendoom, Sterlingshire, Former UK. Full exchange facilities available at Gretna Green (Closed Sundays, Glasgow Fair week and during Ramadan) Inwards Investments welcome (sterling cash preferred) Values of investments may go up and will almost certainly go down Available in very small print, MacBraille and Bangladeshi Crystal English Scots compliant
Significantly over 100 Brian! Nevertheless interesting!!! My first wife was Scottish and lurved salmon so much I revolted too!
'Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains' to be precise. Quite.
That was the 19th century whisky wars between the 'excisemen' and illicit distillers. There was civil unrest caused by social change and a struggle for land rights. I am not sure what the salmon bit was entirely, but a man called Wise who was the keeper of a vast estate began to give the people salmon every day so that the poachers lost that market locally. The people no longer got anything else such as venison and small game from the estate so they rioted against the daily salmon. The whisky wars were the real cause of this, not sure how, but some how or other the wealthy landowners were complicit and made a lot of money so they set up called robberies, sea crimes, there were even murders (excise men and their informers mainly) and increased poaching to counterbalance the salmon. So, the landowners tried to stop all poaching and had to tolerate reduced illicit whisky production during that period which turned into violent riots again.
I get the feeling there are a lot of oligarchs and bankers who play a 21st century of the same game in the glens and moors of Central London nowadays.
Did that use to be Mac Fisheries? They were taken over by someone weren't they? I don't think it was Rupert Murdoch.
I also seem to remember that at some stage in the 19th century the Scottish "peasantry" rioted because the lairds gave them too much Salmon and not enough of anything else. We know the feeling well.
Yes Martin, no New Lanark, perhaps because there is no Welshman available with that vision ;-) As for cold and dark, I spent a while in a Norwegian city called Mo i Rana (chasing a woman, idiot I was) just below the Arctic Circle and that place alone made Scotland seem like a tropical paradise, and that was before real winter set in - by which time I had given up a hightailed it back across the North Sea. Economically there are problems and Salmond has played some very stupid bluff cards, however the counter responses have often been as or more stupid. Oil has limited resource life but everybody kept quiet about the high quality coal. Mind you, do we want to see more coal mined? Not I really. However, economically Scotland has as much on offer, certainly more, than several other 'small' countries plus a head start from its time within the union on which experience is built.
Salmond surprises me in that he was an oil economist before stepping full time into politics and should have left his prejudices behind and made a far more impartial summary whenever. As for the tomfoolery with currency, just a few examples of currency, a central bank, treasury/finance and ministry being set up in a very short time would be Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia. Thus far Latvia has done well and Slovakia is just beginning to pick up but the other two are not totally in the bin either, nonetheless have their own economies. Having said that, it remains an identity and wish to see a nation in its own right that drives my support for independence and not economics. Chances and errors are there to be made for good or bad.
@ Cate - love it.
Evens that whatever the result is the "losers" will claim a moral victory. One is reminded of the words of Jean-Jacques Rousseau "Man is born free but everywhere he goes he is in chains". Discuss (No more than 100 words please Brian my patience threshold is lowering by the minute) (Not with you just the whole d****d thing.....
Hi Brian,
A bit late on the scene with this but I think your erudition and communication skills should be applauded and the piece stands out from the professional commentariat much of which appears to have hidden agendas.
I have a couple of problems with the content of the piece but I'm not an historian so I see little merit in arguments rooted in the past, sensible people live in the present and for their future however much they're encouraged to live in the past by cultural commissars. I'm an economist by inclination and schooling and, from a long long way out, I have always been a "Yes" to Scotland completely "severed" from England (like "fog in the Channel. eh? :) ). I have this view from the combination of two perspectives. 1) Scotland is a cold, dark, country in the far north that has little economic resource left to exploit except its excellent educational system and the resourcefulness and resilience of the people. 2) The aspiration of the Scottish people as expressed by the National Assembly in general and Alec Salmond in particular needs a much larger pool of resources and a "world-class" generator of economic well-being to fund.
So, I hope the residents of Scotland vote "Yes". Scotland won't be bankrupt, but will also find it hard to find someone else to fund the next "New Lanark" to allow the people of Scotland to live in the manner their leaders have promised. The UK too has to face the economic realities of the present but will be in far better shape without Scotland.
The future, of course, belongs to the BICS - generally warm, generally sun-lit, and definitely resource rice.
Good piece Brian, thought provoking and very much appreciated.
Much in what you say Peter, especially d) which if it was dealt with today would see the back of it, but e) is so very likely if there is a no and the present parliament gets it in their hands or it goes through very watered down and the Clause 29/Section 125 matter will not go away anyway. The reality is, for me, I am unable to trust any politician as it is and the lot the UK has at present deserve to be shut away together in a soundproof cellar on an island far from anywhere to shout their promises, vows, pledges, lies and ignorance of the people they are supposed to represent among themselves. The French lot is invited to accompany them.
Off today but here is my forecast.
a) The NOs will win by a very small margin - probability 80 to 90%
b) The YESs will claim there was electoral fraud - probability 70 to 80%
c) There will be some civil disturbance - probability 50%
d) AS will demand another referendum asap - probability 90%
e) The Pledge will be rejected by MPs - probability 60 to 70%
f) Things will not settle down - probability 90%
g) The likelihood that I will in the future be employed as a soothsayer - probability less than 10%
h) As life really is too short, I will not read any more of the comments on this topic on SFN - guaranteed 100%
Enjoy
Peter
I had some lovely days with friends at race courses, the main ones being Ascot, Windsor, Sandown, Lingfield but also at Newmarket, Plumpton, Brighton and countless point to points. I even ran a syndicate when I was at school until I was found out! Never had an account at bookies or the Tote, just a bit of fun with nice picnics, pretty girls and plenty of humour. Oh yes there was plenty of liquid refreshment too!
I lived within one hour's walk of the Derby course at Epsom, but SW and W London had/have so many courses when one remembers Alexander Palace, Hurst Park and other forgotten ones. Then after two years I moved out of the city and was always closer to Newmarket than Cambridge until 10 years ago. Then there were all the East Anglian ones to boot, mostly National Hunt that I never betted on. But I was always 90% spectator and 10% betting man, thank goodness because I became a well know bookies' charity. I always gave them but never seemed to take :-(
Referendum day tomorrow. We have our WMDs ready, the bagpipes will blast all the noes to eternity!
Only ever sit at a table to play poker, what you can afford to lose on the day in pocket. Leave the game when it is done and never take credit to continue, that is a mug's game, and never become hooked. I like risks, gambling is a very soft one and I only ever did it within the safe bounds of what I am (was) good at. Race courses were basically because I went to the meetings for the sport being a horse lover but had a bet on the side
A guy in the next village became addicted to on line poker- lost the lot and his marriage. A bloke in our village who is on CAF for everything lost a 20k euros inheritance the same way.
No Vic, perhaps yes though, the nags never did me any favours but backgammon and poker have seen me many quids in over the years. Never take tips, no two tipsters say the same but there is only ever one winner. Wine is a better bet as a rule, but then even there rules are not always reliable.
The only people making the money are the bookies or politicians/hangers on. The rest of us bet (vote) on the basis of rubbish information. It's more fun buying wine and consuming it at least you know you will have some enjoyment!
I have been a lifetime gambler (awful habit, anyway on courses but never bookie shops or online) and the rule for making real money is never bet on favourites.