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Some reflections on matters Caledonian

The Scotsman is making much of a poll putting the SNP well clear of the Socialists, and if things stay the same, the SNP could form a coalition with the Yellow Peril and make the big push for independence.

I can't say I'm enormously keen on the Union being broken ahead of the 300th anniversary, or for that matter at all, but this has massive implications for the Labour party leadership. If Blair stands down before the May Scottish elections, Broon could be the last Prime Minister of a United Kingdom, and if Blair stands down after May, with there being a SNP/LD ruling coalition, his position is completely untenable. Might Alan Johnson as the only half way serious English contender for the leadership be reconsidering his position, or perchance David 'Owl Magnet' Milliband will be pondering a move ? Interesting times..

Meanwhile, apologies for the late start. This is entirely due to the incompetence of Railtrack and Network Rail. I will spare the grisly details.
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Anonymous Anonymous said... 11:02 am

Too busy making a profit:

http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1957984,00.html  



Anonymous Anonymous said... 11:19 am

Yeah Yeah C I know your smooth sidstepping of old. Outrage !
The problems involved in breaking up the Union are underestimated. I think it is inevitable but it must be in the HOP ( ie English votes) and not in a new Parliament for England , the last thing we need .
Custody Battles
Oil
N Ireland
British Army

The moment you start to think through the negotiations you realise it will be like being joined to your ex-wife at the hip.
With no "ein fur die strasse " thrown in.
I think I can happily live without the sweaties. Whats your problem C
dreaming of Victorian Empires returning some day ?

Funny thing is lots of nice Tory Scots suddenly come out of the woodwork and that confuses things  



Blogger Croydonian said... 11:34 am

N - It is essentially an emotioanl thing. I rather like having the Sweaties on board, and would not like Scotland to be a foreign country. Financially and politically we blue-leaning London types would be in clover if the Celts went their own way, but that still doesn't swing it for me.

In terms of a break up, we'd need a new flag, and new name for the country just for starters. The division of state assets would be quite a thing - who gets the nukes, who gets the capital ships, would the rump UK be the successor in title to the UN seat etc etc? More facetiously, would the Duke of Edinburgh need a new title, would Gretna leave the Scottish league, and could we deport all the derelicts at Euston station?  



Blogger The Hitch said... 12:36 pm

Here's a suprise I hate the oat slurping fuckers.
Several years ago I had the misfortune to visit Scotland whilst taking part in the three peaks challenge, We booked ourselves into a hotel in a village called the bridge of oughty, you wouldn't believe the way we were treated, there wasn't any request that wasn't too much trouble and all this at £150 a room per night, they wouldn't even make us a sandwich as the kitchen was firmly closed (8.30 pm) so we had to eat at the little chef, then the carping started in the bar, so we decided to piss them off, I went to the bar and ordered a whole bottle of chivas regal (best they had) after discussion was told they didn't sell whole bottles, so I then ordered 40 single measures (+: (for 5 of us) at that point the owner came in and gave us an earful of abuse saying we where misbehaving (we weren't) and should leave we said fine we want out £500 back he refused and all the local came and stood behind him, wrong thing to do two of us were ex marines one a serving met flying squad officer im an ex soldier as was one of the others so we offered to take them on, long and short we got our cash back and had to drive arseholed through glencoe all the way to fort william, before leaving the police officer with us went and collared the owner and flashed his warrant card and told him who he was dealing with ad that if we got a tug from the police on the drive to fort william we would come back and shred him and his hotel.
A long boring story, i obviously have way too much time on my hands this morning  



Blogger Croydonian said... 12:47 pm

Peter - I think that might have coloured my attitudes somewhat too.  



Blogger Croydonian said... 12:53 pm

Could not find Bridge of Oughty. Was it Bridge of Orchy? If so, I've had a look at their website, where it claims 'Here you will feel friendliness, a sense of well being and charming Highland conviviality'.  



Blogger The Hitch said... 1:03 pm

tis the bridge of orchy
never go there
to be fair, the chaps at the hotel in fort william gave us a great welcome, bacon butties and lots of beer until 3 am and the local police inspector didn't enquire as to who had been drinking and driving when we all turned up pissed at midnight (he was in the bar having a coffee)i then slept outside on a bench over looking the railway yard as the clown i was sharing a room with snored for england (and scotland) full breakfast and up and down ben nevis in under 4 hours sweating beer, don't ask me to do it again  



Blogger Stan Bull said... 5:11 pm

Interesting that the whole purported claim of devolution (according to NuLabour) was to weaken the appeal of the SNP and "strengthen the "Union".

While the SNP could emerge as the single biggest party, I rather suspect that the Lib Dems will be persuaded to stick with Labour. Broon will be willing to throw all kinds of bribes and blandishments at them.

Were the SNP to seek to legislate for an independence referendum as part of the Scottish devolved government, the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament would have to judge whether a referendum on independence is within the Parliament's competence. A non-SNP Presiding Officer would, thus, be able to kill off such a bill at the start of the legislative process. In any case, at the end of the legislative process, the Secretary of State for Scotland has the power to pass an order that prevents the Scottish Parliament's Presiding Officer from sending any referendum bill on independence for Royal assent. In short, talking about independence is one thing: translating the rhetoric into legislative reality is decidely complex.  



Blogger dearieme said... 10:36 pm

We need a vivid public event that will unite our two nations in fellow-feeling. How about hanging Blair?  



Blogger Croydonian said... 12:57 am

IT - An insightful comment, as ever. Thank you.

DM - Now that would galvanise The People...  



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