Scottish Politics

lefty_jakobz said:
Best city in the world...if you take out all the stabby wee neds, the junkies, the racists...etc
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Reminds me of this story from one of our very own Scouts @esmufc07

esmufc07 said:
After a long night out in Glasgow when I was a more desirable lad and had managed to snag the one chav lassie in the city that still had all her natural teeth left, we capped a night of mental shagging by finishing off her flatmate's bottle of lambrini with some Tizer at 7am. Cut to me sauntering into the train station and realising that Mr Anus was about to do some spring cleaning.

I rushed to the bogs - the kind you need 20p to get access to - panicking as Doctor Dookie was poking his head through the door. Just as I reached the first free stall and fumbled around with the world's worst lock it fell out into my boxers. It must have been acting like a cork because before I could say "oh dear, I appear to have defecated in my pantaloons" I shit myself. And it wasn't normal shit; it was the kind of shit that you have after a night of pile driving a tidy blonde bird whilst your stomach churns away with six pints of snakebite, half a dozen shots of After Shock and half a box of chicken pakora. Suffice to say, it was like the waters that must have flooded Atlantis.

Being the respectable gentleman that I am, I took said skittered shorts and stuffed them behind the toilet that I had finally managed to wiggle my way onto (which by this point was only necessary as a perch so that I could wipe one's bum). Or so I thought.

To cut a long story short. After a following two hours in which I drunkenly wondered why - a) everyone kept laughing at me, and b) why it felt like the smell of shit was following me around, I came to two conclusions.

The first is that you should always check to make sure that the protection granted by the barrier of your undergarments hasn't been breached and made the invaders pass to your jeans. The second is that top quality Glaswegian clunge is so good that you'll fail to realise that one of your shoes has melded with a pair of newly browned Calvin Klein's and refused to release it until you're near Kinghorn station.
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Camilo said:
https://www.scotsman.com/news/opini...-before-upholding-law-brian-monteith-3238724#

Found the whole thing pretty bizarre last week.
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The whole thing was a bit of a stunt, but that article is crazy hyperbolic. The simple counterargument to all of it is that the event was in protest to UK policies, and that an independent Scotland would set its migration policies more liberally and humanely - and then adhere to those reliably. But given the author's allegiances, I don't suppose he's very interested in that perspective.
 
Cheimoon said:
The whole thing was a bit of a stunt, but that article is crazy hyperbolic. The simple counterargument to all of it is that the event was in protest to UK policies, and that an independent Scotland would set its migration policies more liberally and humanely - and then adhere to those reliably. But given the author's allegiances, I don't suppose he's very interested in that perspective.
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A yes, the fake Scottish liberal bollocks.
 
Camilo said:
A yes, the fake Scottish liberal bollocks.
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Eh? Isn't Scotland demonstrably more liberal than the UK government on most issues?

I don't know what Scotland would actually do on immigration if it were to become independent, but 'bollocks' certainly does describe that opinion piece very well.
 
About a quarter of my family, well at least two grand-kids were born in Glasgow (fathers side) and although living most of their lives (so far) in England, always support Scotland football, Rugby, etc.
Because I have had a long association with Scotland and its inhabitants I have no doubt over time that the country could be self sufficient, especially in energy (Hydro electric potential in particular), but its greatest export, i.e. 'Scots men and women', have to stop though as they are the drivers (when they have a mind to); however the current generation and maybe two more generations after that would have to suffer, or go without, but there would be light at the end of the tunnel for those brave enough to enter upon the 'road to independence'.
"A journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step"
 
Camilo said:
You only have to live here, all the evidence necessary. Liberal in that nationalist, anti-UK way.
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If I were to compare the nationalist pro UK position to the nationalist anti UK position I know which camp I'd consider relatively liberal.
 
Camilo said:
You only have to live here, all the evidence necessary. Liberal in that nationalist, anti-UK way.
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I'm not sure how that relates to the original point. You posted an opinion piece saying that no-one will see Scotland as a reliable partner in the future since they don't uphold the law. I said that Scotland may not want to uphold that law, and may set a different law (that it will uphold) if it were to become independent. Then you brought up 'fake Scottish liberal bollocks'.

So my question is still: aren't Scottish policies and its overall political direction significantly more liberal on the whole than Westminster policies and its political direction?
 
They've fecked our schools and colleges but maybe they can get boats right?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-66067065

The cost of building a long-delayed and overbudget CalMac ferry at the Ferguson shipyard has risen by a further £20.5m.
The yard's boss told MSPs that issues with securing regulator approval meant the planned delivery date could also slip again, into next year.
David Tydeman said the shipyard was continuing to discover problems arising from past design or build mistakes.
The final cost of building Glen Sannox and its sister ship Hull 802 will now be more than £300m.
The two ships were meant to cost £97m and be delivered in 2018 under the terms of the contract signed nearly eight years ago.
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Nah, they can't fecking do that either.
 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66739510

Colleges across Scotland are striking because Hollyrood wants to stick its head in the sand and ignore the sector's looming collapse. It's a shame that the article fails to even mention the core reason for the strikes; which are the job cuts that are tied to the pay deal being offered. Basically, the Scottish government said they would enforce rules to prevent college leaders from tying this to future pay deals, and now that the leaders have done it anyway they've been ignoring the unions for months... Not a great time right now...

From what I gather, the unions were all willing to accept the pay deal PROVIDED it didn't come with further job cuts to a sector that is already on its last legs and desperately needs funding (after a decade and a half of severe cuts), but that agreement wasn't on the table.

If I'm honest, the lack of press coverage is harmful to the strikes. If nobody takes notice then they'll all be for nothing. It's great to see unity between the teaching and services unions again though. Nothing better than a joint force.
 
Mr Pigeon said:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66739510

Colleges across Scotland are striking because Hollyrood wants to stick its head in the sand and ignore the sector's looming collapse. It's a shame that the article fails to even mention the core reason for the strikes; which are the job cuts that are tied to the pay deal being offered. Basically, the Scottish government said they would enforce rules to prevent college leaders from tying this to future pay deals, and now that the leaders have done it anyway they've been ignoring the unions for months... Not a great time right now...

From what I gather, the unions were all willing to accept the pay deal PROVIDED it didn't come with further job cuts to a sector that is already on its last legs and desperately needs funding (after a decade and a half of severe cuts), but that agreement wasn't on the table.

If I'm honest, the lack of press coverage is harmful to the strikes. If nobody takes notice then they'll all be for nothing. It's great to see unity between the teaching and services unions again though. Nothing better than a joint force.
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And that is why strikes needs to be disruptive. Strikes are great, but if they are preplanned and agreed with the council and limited on an area that doesn't bother anyone, no one will care. go to fecking princess street, george street and king's mile and adjacents and see how the news papers shit on the protestors and how they don't allow people to go work or "the emergencies"
 
4bars said:
And that is why strikes needs to be disruptive. Strikes are great, but if they are preplanned and agreed with the council and limited on an area that doesn't bother anyone, no one will care. go to fecking princess street, george street and king's mile and adjacents and see how the news papers shit on the protestors and how they don't allow people to go work or "the emergencies"
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It's infuriating. They don't see the months, or years for that matter, of stonewalling from management and government. Going on strike is absolutely the last resort and only occurs when no other avenue is available. The unions were asking as late as Monday for everyone to come around the table one last time and they were just ignored.
 
Mr Pigeon said:
It's infuriating. They don't see the months, or years for that matter, of stonewalling from management and government. Going on strike is absolutely the last resort and only occurs when no other avenue is available. The unions were asking as late as Monday for everyone to come around the table one last time and they were just ignored.
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This is appalling. We reach a point in politics that they decide to blatantly ignore the people and any actors as we are so tame that they don't fear us anymore. They just push through. Iraq war protests for example. Workers strikes like you mentioned. Only violence changes the world for good or bad. And it seems that they only want us to push us towards this route
 
Mr Pigeon said:
Going on strike is absolutely the last resort and only occurs when no other avenue is available
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Isn't this the problem, 'Striking' by the very name suggests immediate action and should be done early to indicate the seriousness and to keep management on the hop!

I am old enough to remember the days when what became known as 'wild cat' actions were successful, mind you eventually when everyone was at it, it nearly bankrupted the country! I think strikes are terribly destructive, often don't really resolve anything, leave a legacy of turmoil and there is always a price to pay, e.g. nowadays massive fines for Unions from the courts; however if Unions are going to use this weapon, then use it appropriately and at the right time, don't give opponents time to marshal their forces or plan options....;)
 
Maticmaker said:
Isn't this the problem, 'Striking' by the very name suggests immediate action and should be done early to indicate the seriousness and to keep management on the hop!

I am old enough to remember the days when what became known as 'wild cat' actions were successful, mind you eventually when everyone was at it, it nearly bankrupted the country! I think strikes are terribly destructive, often don't really resolve anything, leave a legacy of turmoil and there is always a price to pay, e.g. nowadays massive fines for Unions from the courts; however if Unions are going to use this weapon, then use it appropriately and at the right time, don't give opponents time to marshal their forces or plan options....;)
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Aye the unions are pretty and neutered now. Might as well wish upon a star for change at this point but what else can you do.
 
Mr Pigeon said:
Aye the unions are pretty and neutered now. Might as well wish upon a star for change at this point but what else can you do.
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For a start don't just wish for a star, get some into lead the Unions through their real strengths. Leaders shouldn't be asking members to lose their pay on strikes. The days of big 'pitch battles' are gone. Scargill in the first miners strike showed what 'flying pickets' could do, this was the last of its kind. Unfortunately for Scargill, he kept the same tactics for the home match (second miners strike)and got beat up by Maggie. Surely there are some bright leaders in the Unions somewhere, not just the political activists/ time servers, who usually seek power?
 
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