I guess as a Scot people will take it for granted that I am watching the now almost certain 2014 referendum on Scots independence. However I always look a step or two on. I have come across a few interesting things that actually fir in with questions why we are in France.
OK, I am for ending the 300 and a bit years of Scotland in the UK. Historically it was the will of a minority with vested interests but never the majority and now their participation in a vote may take the first steps toward the end of the Union. It is, however, interesting other successionists. There are already things being written in online and printed media on the separation of Belgium into Flanders and Wallonia, Bavaria separating from the rest of Germany, Lombardia has long campaigned to separate from Italy anyway and now here comes France. The Corsicans are naturally first in line, with the Bretons close behind. I found an interesting thing on the Piedmontese still having a line of accession should they ever be able to get back out of France. I went looking for Occitan, which I was surprised not to find, but blow me down if I did not find the descendants of the last royal house of Aquitaine who are related to the Spanish king saying they would be ready to return to an independent kingdom!
What an interesting time to live in. There are good linguistic, ethnic and cultural arguments in most cases and the majority who did not count in the past, but do now, have it in their hands. I wish I was a wee bit younger to see what happens. Imagine no longer living in the France we know today but in Bretagne, Aquitaine, Piedmont and any other devolved and independent part of what is France today and what would be left?
Bossi is amusing, my OH's bit of CH, Ticino, is half with him for being a province of Lombardia and half against but not wanting to be as powerless within the confederation because in all honesty the Schwyzerdietsch don't want them. So watch them all glued to the TV whenever he does a Lega thing! The rump Italy with la bella Roma actually has some of the greatest wealth in the world there. Unfortunately it is all in the hands of mafia bosses!
that whole pidmontese savoia thing has been mixed up since the 1860 changes - I stayed with an old lady in Nice years ago who only ever watched the italian news TV and spoke to her friends in Italian rather than French! One out come of the mess in Italy could well be more support for Lega Nord but i can't see Umberto Bossi really getting anywhere with his ideas and if the north ever did become separate it'd leave Rome the capital of something poorer than Portugal or Greece :-O
By the way, I correct myself on the Piedmont bit, being mainly in Italy but I was reading about there being Piedmontese within France along the border who have joined the movement based in Turin to recreate Alba! What about the Subalpine Republic then, we need places with boring names like that! Oh bring back Metternich, he'll sort Europe out once and for all.
actually I'm far more of a republican than a royalist but the idea would be fun, well for a day but I think I'd soon get bored! as for the various lines to european thrones - they're all an inbred bunch really - I like the idea of the spanish "complot". As for the 12 nations - excellent idea, the more the merrier and make sure all games are on France 2 and not canal+ ;-)
so 'Highness' rather than 'Grace', although I don't think the latter suits you. Loyalty in this day and age, hmmmm, an idealist then!
I've looked at the various royals, pretenders and so on. The Stuarts are also in themselves extant but the Spanish royal family also hold that lineage. In fact, some of the closest relatives to the former German Kaisers are not the Saxe-Gotha-Coburg pretending to be Windsor mob as I had assumed but also Bourbons in Spain! This little question is apparently unveiling a plot. Spain will take over all of Europe and not the Merkel-Sarkozy mob. Haha! Now I see, le petit Nicholas and dicke Angela are just decoys. Strange how one thing leads to another.
I wonder what side Scotland will come down, probably depends on things like how well they do in the Six Nations which could soon be at least the 12 Nations with all the dividing and going off independent.
I rather fancied a duché myself ;-)
on second thoughts, in for a penny in for a pound, make it Roy André I
and I'll be looking for "loyal servants" soon... !
Roi Andrew I ou Président Hearne?
L'Occitanie it is then and the Aveyron is slap bang in the original occitan speaking area ;-)