I don't know much about Scottish politics, I definitely didn't know that there was once a sectarian element to the SNP at one time.
I found the article very interesting however because of the way british identity needs to be assessed in scotland. Considering the lack of agreement wih the Haas talks regarding parading and the past in northern ireland, the way the scottish approach british identity for the referendum would be illuminating.
The debacle over the flying of the flag over belfast city hall and the 'civil rights' camp at twaaddle has brought all of the lunatics out of the closet. Mainsteam Unionism has been embarrassed to say the least at the conduct of half of the barstool patriots screaming no surrender.
British identity has been sadly hijacked by thugs in NI for the last year. I hope that the normal elements in Unionism will be able to pry it back from them.
As for a 32 county republic... i agree with everyone. We cant afford nor do we want it, at least not for the forseeable future
Moreover, in the central belt, there is a substantial Catholic population of Irish extraction, who have been, until recently, traditionally supportive of Scotland's main pro-Union party, Scottish Labour.
Although in recent years the Scottish Nationalists have eaten into the pro-Labour Catholic vote in Scotland's urban heartland, the No camp are convinced this constituency will balk at backing an independence vote this autumn.
They do not want to alienate Scotland's Catholics by having their pro-Union argument coloured by red, white and blue and shouted out by cries of "No Surrender".
Although the plebiscite in September is probably going to be closer than the polls suggest, all the public surveys so far point to a No vote.
Therefore, if Alastair Darling and his campaigners do triumph, there will surely be lessons to be learnt for pro-Union politicians on this side of the Irish Sea. The arguments from the No side have been fought on the basis of economic reasoning and hard-nosed fiscal logic.
As someone who lives in the Republic, with its ailing, expensive, barely semi-public health service and an unemployment rate still double that of the UK, there are obvious fronts on which a pro-Union case can be made in Northern Ireland.
One based on economic self-interest, rather than emotional attachments to flags, symbols and parades.
In a society where the Catholic population is growing and its middle class expanding, smarter unionist politicians should be accentuating the benefits of Union – the free-at-point-of-use health service, for instance, rather than with triumphalist parading and an obsession with battles from the 17th century.
So, not only should Robinson, Nesbitt, the Orange Order and David Trimble (who surprisingly and to the fury of Scotland's No camp strayed into the Scottish debate in a speech there two years ago) stay out of Scotland's fight.
They should also watch and learn a few things from it.
One of the most illuminating voices on a Radio 5 Live documentary I presented and co-produced about Scottish sectarianism nearly two decades ago was a member of the UDA from Greenock Morton.
The shaven-headed, tattooed, denim jacket-wearing west of Scotland loyalist was brutally honest about the dedication of, in his words, the "45-minute, each-way, twice-a-month loyalists at Ibrox" to the unionist cause.
The UDA veteran was bemoaning the fact that, when he and his colleagues turned up to protest outside Govan Town Hall against the presence of Gerry Adams in 1995 – the Sinn Fein president being an invited guest speaker by none other than the now anti-independence George Galloway – only about 40 local loyalists joined them.
Even though 45,000-plus Rangers fans sing Derry's Walls and The Sash on alternate Saturdays, the Scottish UDA stalwart was disgusted that not even a thousand of the Ibrox faithful could be bothered turning up for a real political battle against one of their-then mortal enemies.
His cynicism put into context the true importance of Northern Ireland for Scottish politics, which was rather nominal compared to the great issues of devolution, de-industrialisation, North Sea oil and a Labour/Left-inclined country dominated by Tory southern England.
It is worth recalling the disillusioned UDA man's frank and realistic assessment of how far down people's agendas the Ulster issue was – and still is – when considering the role of Northern Ireland-based unionist parties and institutions could have in the upcoming Scottish independence referendum.
Because, in reality, the last thing the No/pro-Union campaign needs in Scotland is for unionist politicians, Orangemen and Union flag-waving loyalists crossing the Irish Sea to oppose Alex Salmond's plans for an independent Scotland.
Unlike the Ulster variety, Scottish unionism doesn't need, or indeed want, to fly the Union flag 365 days per year, or even on 18 designated days.
As the Union flag has come to be associated with Rangers supporters and the Ulster loyalist cause in Scotland's central belt, pro-Union forces, ranging from the much-weakened Scottish Tories to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and various pressure groups, won't be waving the red, white and blue during their campaign to save the Union. Instead, their arguments will be rational, rather than emotional.
The pro-Union/No camp say Scotland and Britain are "better together", because of the UK-wide universal health service, the welfare state, a common currency that isn't in the crisis-stricken eurozone, a united foreign policy and a sense of economic certainty compared to the unchartered waters of a smaller, separatist state.
Their 'unionism' has more to do with the Queen on the back of a £1 coin than whether or not a flag can fly atop a council building every single day of the year.
Talking to the pro-Union Better Together campaign, you get the distinct impression that the last thing they want is for the Orange Order to be marching en masse through the streets of Glasgow, or Edinburgh, this year, headed up by the likes of Peter Robinson, or Mike Nesbitt, in support of a No vote.
Scottish unionists do not wish to have the pro-Union cause associated with one particular religion, or ethnic grouping, albeit that Protestantism is still the dominant faith throughout Scotland.
Lt. Hiroo Onoda spent three decades in the jungle before his war ended.
"You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand," Intelligence Officer Lt. Hiroo Onoda was told by his commanding officer, Major Taniguchi, in 1944. "It may take three years, it may take five, but whatever happens, we'll come back for you. Until then, so long as you have one soldier, you are to continue to lead him." Onoda followed his orders to the letter, hiding in the Philippine jungle for over three decades. It wasn't until 1974 that he was finally persuaded to surrender. Hiroo Onoda, faithful to the last, has died of heart failure, at the age of 91.
Onoda led three men when the allies arrived and recaptured the Philippines. They ignored all attempts to communicate, and dismissed messages from locals claiming the war was over. Even letters sent by relatives and newspapers, airdropped in the jungle, didn't convince them. Onoda's troops carried out guerrilla raids and sabotage missions as best they could, while subsisting on coconuts, green bananas and the occasional cow. They killed 30 people all told, and wounded close to a hundred.
In 1949, one of Onoda's troops deserted and surrendered. In 1954 another was shot dead in a skirmish. Onoda's last companion, Private Kinshichi Kozuka, was killed by police in 1972. He spent the next two years alone, before finally being tracked down by a college student, Norio Suzuki. Onoda told Suzuki that he would only give in if his former commander told him to.
At Suzuki's request, Major Taniguchi returned to the island and told the faithful soldier that the war was over. He formally surrendered to President Ferdinand Marcos in 1974.
Onoda didn't regret the time he lost. He spent his last years running nature camps for children across Japan. "I do everything twice as fast so I can make up for the 30 years," Onoda said in a 1995 interview. "I wish someone could eat and sleep for me so I can work 24 hours a day."
Predators like that depend on silence from their victims. Unlike an internet mob they are experienced in dealing with situations like this and will know what to say and do. Also the abuser can not bully a guard into silence.
I've heard some of the arguments for and against and to be honest they are pretty varied. There are a lot of problems to be ironed out but personally I'm optimistic.
This was an interesting read i came across a while back on a Canadian female platoon leader who served in Afghanistan
But to be serious for a moment, i was a moderator on another dating site for a while and i found that the most bitter anti-weMen types tended to be broken hearted, hurt, afraid to approach women types, and all this turned them into very resentful men. Resentful because they felt unattractive or unappreciated or felt that they were seriously wronged.
Not excusing the behaviour but most of these guys just needed a hug.
The other side of the coin is the genuine dinosaur attitudes, but the word 'dinosaur' is most apt here because that is what they are, and they will soon be extinct because the world has moved on.
I'm not sure what you mean, but I'm guessing you are referring to the CS regulars who like to echo dinosaur sentiments for the sake of a good wind up.... at least i hope that's what you are referring to!
Mind over matter means someone can push themselves further than they feel capable of. The body is screaming at them to stop and they keep going anyway like a marathon runners second wind.
Matter over mind however can be a chemical imbalance in the body which leads to bipolar or chronic depression. Despite the stigma attached to it, anti-depressants have made a great difference to the quality of life for so many people for the simple fact that they address a chemical imbalance.
Train hard you are rewarded with Endorphins, immerse yourself with bad people and poor morals and you rot your soul.
The concentration part of the sullen stare is a myth we men like to propagate, that and the fact we can't multitask (a gender wide conspiracy to ensure that we do less work being only able to do one task at a time ;) )
The battle of Stalingrad the russians had women on the frontlines fighting just as hard as the men. Constance Markievicz fought as hard as any man during the Easter rising and was second in command of a group that held out for six days.
Also regarding having a sense of direction, women have the advantage there because ye have the intelligence to ask someone for directions whereas us men simply stare sullenly at the map and pretend to know where we are going :P
The above is a site that has a 'No Death policy' for its animals. It would be a place to home the cats and dogs that are more dependent on you than you are on them.
There is an article there on a woman who has started a charity called 'hungry horse outside' that finds homes and ways and means to help horses. It includes the founders email address and mobile number.
But from what i have read Tiny, you need a break. I appreciate your concern for the Stallion, but horses are so much incredible responsibility. The people with the link above will at the very least offer you advice if not assistance.
I guess i am asking this question for selfish reasons, in what is expected of me as a gender.
looking at all the various profile expectations of this site, people want different things from a prospective partner, and all i am asking here is what they want specifically from a male gender.
From what i see age and different stages and priorities of life play a very significant part here in choosing a partner. Any man can say he is a good man, and most of us genuinely are! I guess all i want to know is what proves it to woman?
You know i honestly think that is a genuine quality of a man that needs to portrayed a bit more.
There is so much about protectiveness, confidence, providence, aggressiveness that people overlook the paternal aspect of it. There is a nurturing need to a man that honestly needs to be reflected more i think.
I'd agree that McDonalds addicts can really only blame themselves, but when it gets to the stage that to make the product as cheap as possible its no longer considered food just boggles the mind.
Its the same way KFC can't use the word Chicken in their name anymore, the goop they use isn't technically Chicken, so you just see the letters KFC everywhere!
Considering all the messing over the Flag Protests, Twaddel and Disident threats im amazed the PSNI still have time for regular policing like Fuel Smuggling!
Funny you mention Breaking Bad and Walking dead as the first two on your list. I just picked them up today from xtra vision. They had a 2 for 30Euro deal going so i snagged them.
Aside from the basic misogyny that's in religion, i'd imagine that women weren't allowed to become priests in case they had Children.
One of the reasons Priests weren't allowed to marry is because the Church generally inherited all the land and property of these men, this in turn made the Church incredibly rich. If a woman became a priest and she had children she'd naturally leave everything to them.
Mind you it didn't stop one woman from becoming Pope :)
"No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than it's opposite."
"If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."
"If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness."
ChiefOhara Forum Posts (36)
RE: 6 nations
Very good match.I was Surprised at Wales, and even more surprised at Ireland.