Stapes's Content - Page 8 - Tartan Army Message Board Jump to content

Stapes

Member
  • Posts

    867
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Stapes

  1. 56 minutes ago, Auld_Reekie said:

    a minority who think it's funny to leather balls about a town square

    Just don't get this at all. Someone is going to be seriously hurt. A few years back in Amsterdam my mate's wife put a bottle to her mouth and was just about to drink when a ball bounced off the ground and up into the bottle, smashing her teeth.

  2. It's pretty clear from the article that the 'journalist' is attempting to create a story out of very little. Should guys have flashed? Should they have jumped in the fountain? Should they have lit a couple of flares? The answer will vary depending on who you ask. Desperate-to-be-offended middle Englanders and Daily Mail journalists will no doubt condemn it as an absolute disgrace on a day that should be set aside for respect of those who died and served. As someone who was there (and was there simply to take in the atmosphere - I wasn't drinking as I had my son with me) these were all minor things. Is showing you baws clever - no. Is it offensive - well offence is in the eye of the beholder, so yes, to some it is. Is it something that justifies being splashed all over the front page of a national newspaper and vilified. No, not even close.

    But here's the thing. Many Scots attended the service and the silence was impeccably observed (I was there). But by the time Trafalgar Square started to get crowded the remembrance event was over. By a good two or three hours. Indeed, they had dismantled the stage by the time people started singing. And many of those Scots who were in the Square were ex-soldiers - the ones most attuned to what respect is required. An ex-soldier over on Facebook, who was there, put it best when he said that he spoke to a number of ex-soldiers and their response was along the lines of 'the fallen would be happy for us to have a drink'.

    For me the negative story comes about because of a combination of two things - the politicisation of the whole remembrance day/poppy which has happened in the last 15 years (no poppy on strips in 1999), and a growing dislike of us uppity Scots in the establishment media (which has grown since we were 'given' our own parliament in 1999).

  3. I have a real issue with gambling generally. I've never gambled personally, but the level of money I see people losing stuns me (I have a family member who has spent pretty much every penny he's ever earned in a bookies (and the pub) for the past 20 years). The gambling ads on TV and on football shirts is having a massive negative impact on society generally, but also on today's kids. They'll see it as the norm to hit the bookies, and once the addiction kicks in ...

    When I was a councillor we discussed with officers the possibility of limiting bookies in the town and were told that, unlike pubs or restaurants, there is no over-provision for bookmakers. As such they can open up shop after shop and nobody can do a thing. And that's what they started to do, primarily because the big payout bandits were limited to, IIRC, two per shop. They were opening shops just around the corner from another shop, just to get two more machines in the town. Legally they had every right to do so. Morally repugnant. Utter parasites.

  4. 1 hour ago, hunchy said:

    The boxing has been a farce so far. Been a couple of very very dodge results the biggest being the Irish lad against a Russian. The Irish boy totally outboxed him but the judges gave a unanimous to the Russian. Seems the old have got a bit fed up with them as well as 5 have been sent home

    Watched a Kazhakstan boxer take a Russian apart and the decision went against him.

    Most embarrassed athlete at the games? Watch the 2nd handover at the 4x100m relay between the St Kitts and Nevis runners. Hilarious stuff.

  5. 1 hour ago, Toepoke said:

    I don't think there's any doubt that Farah has been the world's best distance athlete for than last few years. With them being more tactical races the actual times aren't seen as important as in the sprints.

    Fair point.

    2 minutes ago, weekevie04 said:

    All, but one of the Scots medals were won in a team event with other Brits. As much as I dislike the Team GB, I'm not that keen on the ''We've got 50 athletes/9medals'' Reporting Scotland parochial stuff either. I'm just a grumpy Gus probably.

    The 200m swimming medley was a team of Scots, which I didn't realise until I saw that list. Pretty impressive.

×
×
  • Create New...