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Scotland, their Scotland

8/9/2014

I wonder where the romance has gone in the Scottish referendum. An argument for independence is that Scotland will be able to keep the British currency. An argument for union is that power will be devolved from London to Edinburgh. This is Scotland. Scotland. Clans. Loyalty. Burns Night. Bagpipes and pipers, Highland regiments, legends, feuds, that Australian actor in Braveheart. Haggis, Glamis Castle, grouse moors and lochs.
Scotland. Scotland. I'm English, but my children are half-Scottish. If I had a voice in this, I wouldn't want a squabble between politicians about currency units and tax-raising powers. I'd want everything that I celebrate when I celebrate my country.

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Read My Shorts?

Here is yet another page of old blog posts and other writings. Sorry, but I need my metaphorical sock drawer for metaphorical socks. The link to the page is right at the end of the paragraph here.

A very green picture. I can't remember where I took this.

Roads without end

Here is a passage from a review of the book The Road to Somewhere by David Goodhart. I haven't read the book (yet), but the collected reviews would make a worthwhile set of political arguments in their own right. More.

Also available in English. 'Can I Quote You on That?'

State of the Union

Several commentators today saying that they've lost confidence in the US. Making their point by talking up the glories of the past. After two weeks of this administration, they're not going back.
Were they wrong, and they've seen the light? Or has the US changed? I guess the latter is the intended meaning. But we should at least acknowledge the possibility... More.

Categories
(Started 4th November 2017; forgotten shortly after that.)

Kitchen parenting

I have teenage children. When they're home, sooner or later one of them will come to me and say: "Dad! We're going to make a mess in the kitchen!
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Man down?

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Looking at both the US election and the revived Brexit debate in the UK, the question is not: who wins? but: how did we get here? More.

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Early morning, Church Street, Falmouth

Not available in Vietnamese. Sorry.

9th May 2014

On the day that I wrote this, the early news told us of a parade in Moscow to celebrate Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Crimea remained annexed, and the Russia/Ukraine crisis was not resolved. At around half eight, the BBC’s reporter in Moscow was cut off in mid-sentence summarising the military display; the Today programme on Radio 4 cut to the sports news. More.