What better evidence could there be to exemplify the problem of the West Lothian and Gordon Brown than the issue of flags? As some will know, Brown has said that the Union Flag would fly on Government buildings and could do so every day. Meanwhile Alex Salmond and the SNP have said that it won't be flown on Scottish Executive buildings and the Government has conceded there is nothing they can do about it.
It seems to me all this British tub-thumping by Brown, which has now been ongoing for a year is getting a little silly. He's just released another book about Britain "unsung heros", and in just five of the statements/speeches available on the Downing Street website he manages to say "Britain" or "British" 55 times.
He really is trying to hard to make everyone forget that he epitomises the raw deal England gets today in the constitutional arrangement. Although it makes sense I guess as he must also know that without Scotland his "bounce" isn't all that.
14 comments:
The Tories simply have to go hard on this issue - the present constitutional settlement is daft, and the English will vote for the party that says so, and proposes a solution.
Some may call me a conspiracy theorist (or just a nutter), but I find it "interesting" that just when GB is pushing "Britishness", the BBC has had a whole series of programmes pushing the same line:-
Buildings of Britain (Dimbleby)
Modern History of Britain (Marr)
Mountains of Britain (starting tonight)
And another one whose title I can't remember!
Of course the BBC has a vested interest in the status quo, but at leastgot its knuckles wrapped for following the Brown line too closely (Paxman telling lies about a dodgy survey and Kirsty Wark acting like a fully paid-up member of the Labour Party).
Tell me if I'm wrong that the BBC is hand in glove with the clunking fist.
The westminster parliament has passed twice as many laws affecting Scotland as the Scottish Parliament has since devolution. The Scottish budget is set by the Treasury. Scotland is in the position of being dominated largely by a parliament made up of 80% English MPs. I would hardly saw England gets the raw deal.
and 96.4% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
Flags on buildings? Aw, come on politicians. Wisen up. Who gives a ****.
And by the way Dizzy, its actually 94.5% of all stats that are made up on the spot.
It's 82%. Anyway "the present constitutional settlement is daft" - I agree. But in a few years time Labour will have brought in enough foreigners that it won't rely on Scottish votes any more.
Baldock Baldrick - Seeing their flags flying on government buildings does promote a sense of nationhood. The Tricouleur flies on all public buildings in France. It's nice. It flies on every mairie in the country.
The Stars And Stripes flies on all public buildings in the United States. Flags are,and were intended to be, an emblem of a country and the citizenry relates to them. In fact, I always feel proud when I see the Stars And Stripes flying in the US and I'm not even an American.
Dearie Me - You are right, although that's the British figure. The EU figure is,as Dizzy said, 96.4.
england,scotland,ireland and wales are all shafted by politicians.
Once upon a time you didn't need a flag to actually fly.
You were british and that was that.
Only foreigners flew flags.
If we can't be arsed writing the name of our country on our stamps, why bother with a flag? Just a thought...
Scotland needs the current settlement - otherwise all our mendacious statist bastards would be up here making our lives miserable rather than spreading socialism and discord down South.
Flash - it's not that we can't be arsed, it's that we don't need to - we were there first. Hence the Royal Navy, not the Royal British Navy; our stamps, as you pointed out, and, for a couple of other examples, our colonial cousins and their 001 international dialing code and (general) lack of ISO3166 country code on their internet domains.
I know, I know, I love it:
THE Open, etc.
Anonymous said...
The westminster parliament has passed twice as many laws affecting Scotland as the Scottish Parliament has since devolution.
And? What does this have to do with
what's being discussed? Nothing at all. Just another red herring then ah?
"The Scottish budget is set by the Treasury. Scotland is in the position of being dominated largely by a parliament made up of 80% English MPs. I would hardly saw England gets the raw deal.'
This has nothing to do with the English being denied their self-determination. I am surprised you didnt come out with the "English government" line you mug!
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