Watsoniansfan

While I wouldn't say I hate Star Wars, I'm certainly on the "casual fan" end of the spectrum. Anyone else a bit weary of endless Star Wars memes (a picture of a bass pedal with DV's fave on it and the legend "I find your lack of bass disturbing", a dog done up like a Wookie, etc etc.), every time a new planet or asteroid is discovered a tenuous link made that it looks like the Death Star (no, it really doesn't). This hysteria isn't just the because the films are coming out either - in recent years with the rise of social media it seems as if you can't get away from it - May the 4th be with you - as if we need a Star Wars day when it's all Star Wars, all the time anyway. Don't get me wrong, it's great for the kids and I'm sure the new film will be very good, but it's just non-stop. I also find adult Star Wars obsessives a tad peculiar and the Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones were utter, utter pash. Didn't even bother with the third one. Can't even remember the title without looking it up.

Harry:- here's a useful insight into the last Labour government's immigration policy. Thplinth's talk about dissolving the people and electing a new one is exactly right.

Out of the Blue is a terrific double album. Just bought it on vinyl.

Gie's peace. You're a dreamer/wannabe writer and a conspiracy nut.

Foxtrot, Selling England By the Pound and Trick of the Tail by Genesis Led Zeppelin IV Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd Armed Forces By Elvis Costello

Let's start with "fitba". Don't get much wankier than that. The absolute worst though is pundits who refer to "the football club" every single time. I promise you, we know you're talking about football...

Out, out, out! Brussels is a bureaucratic nightmare, Euro membership has wrought economic devastation all over southern Europe, and then there's the explicit desire for "ever closer union", with all that implies for sovereignty. The EU is the devil. What really grinds my gears is that some in the IN camp think the only possible explanation for being opposed to the EU is a hatred of foreigners. It shouldn't be taboo to be opposed to membership of an international organization. The Swiss and the Norwegians don't seem to have any inclination to join the EU, but the cosmopolitan internationalists don't seem to have a problem with that. It's only when their compatriots quietly suggest that EU membership isn't really something we want that they see a chance to put the boot in. These people are either dishonest or idiots.

But it is the English constitution. The pre-1707 Scottish state took on the 1689 English constitution and inherited the English international treaties whereas the newly formed UK did not inherit the previous Scottish treaties.

Excellent post, with the caveat that a Federal system could definitely work if tried. Whether there is the appetite for it is another matter, however...

These were tried during the Blair years, and rejected. Can't say I blame them one iota - who wants their country carved up into regions? Rubbish - it's been an issue since the advent of devolution. Folk like Tam Dalyell have been pointing out the constitutional anomalies and unfairness inherent in devolution for years. Something had to be done to redress the balance. EVEL is a fairly minor concession to be honest. The only way the Union can be "fair" now is to go down the federal road...

Can't be anything just now with their first minister throwing his toys out the pram!

45% of those who voted. Safe to assume that those who didn't vote at all were satisfied with the status quo. So the actual Yes vote was about 37%. So Scunnered was correct.

He always annoyed the baps off me -- his jingoism in events in his commentary during Gulf War 1 really grated. Also referred to Mr Fuji as "Wax On, Wax Off" at the 1990 Survivor Series. Cut a ridiculous figure as a Canadian pretending to be an American pretending to be a Scot.

Paris, tbf many in the media have been highlighting this sorry state of affairs for yonks (e.g. Henry Winter), but precious little attention was paid.

Not the FA, who are far from blameless. The likes of the Sunday Times. I'm glad the chickens are finally coming home to roost for FIFA, and I don't begrudge English media outlets for being cock-a-hoop that they've been pointing this out for some time and weren't really listened to. This clearly grates with you. You'd far rather see a big dose of GIRFUY to the Ingerlish than FIFA get its long-overdue comeuppance.

Cretinous remark. Yes, the smugness of the English media is the real issue here. "Leaves a lot to be desired" is a very kind way of putting what FIFA has been getting up to. Well done to them for uncovering the trough of corruption and the parlous state that the world game is in as a result. Now hopefully this Qatar nonsense will be killed stone dead and Australia will get 2022 instead.

No idea re percentages but if Scotland had voted Yes last year I think rUK would not have lasted very long after that. Wales has been constitutionally tied to England for yonks though so, who knows, maybe you'd see a Serbia&Montenegro-type arrangement for a while. If England went independent it's highly doubtful the other three would stay together as one. Remove Scotland from the Union and part of NI identity goes I think given historical links. Sure to be knock-on effects. I think part of the reason the union is always talked about in terms of Sco & Eng is because the post-Union futures of Wales and NI would be too complex to even contemplate.

If you were in the UK, who would you vote for?

Donny's been making intelligent, insightful contributions to this board for many, many moons now. You, on the other hand, have been on here about a year and show yourself up time and time again. Not only is every post you make laced with bitterness, hate and resentment, but you are so biased that you are incapable of looking at anything rationally. We just get this stream of consciousness fanatic goobledygook laced with words that you clearly don't have the first clue of the meaning of. Take a look at the garbage you trotted out on this thread, for example - how can anyone vote to deny themselves self-determination? The vote was self-determination, man! Do you even realise that Donny supports independence? The fact he doesn't buy in to much of the propaganda spouted on here by folk like you doesn't make him a "troll", it makes him a voice of reason. Every time you lock horns with more intelligent posters on this forum, you end up looking foolish, e.g.: - You don't know what a Chargés d'affaires is - You don't know the difference between Tanzania and Tasmania - You think the UK doesn't have a constitution

So much for civic nationalism, eh? Let's assume what you say is true about more "Scots" voting for independence than against - so what? The referendum wasn't about Scottishness. It was about the polity called Scotland, and the democratic right of all its inhabitants to self-determine its future. As you know fine well, when I refer to "the Scottish people" I'm talking about everyone who was eligible to vote - "The People of Scotland", if you prefer. "It does appear" - nice spin!!! No. It was the Yes case that was based on a tissue of lies - currency union, EU, defence, the NHS, oil, renewables... Allegiance is nice. But it's not the same as national identity, An eskimo could wake up tomorrow and decide he feels allegiance to Scotland. And that would be great. But in no real sense could be said to be "Scottish". Accent is a central element of national identity, I contend (though not the be all and end all). Where you grew up is probably the most important factor.

Do you not live in England? Therefore you can't vote SNP anyway.

Israel, most likely. I think 9/11 could conceivably be a LIHOP event. I think the attacks on New York could have been "waved through" with the government firing a missile at the Pentagon for good measure, and to bring an uncooperative/anti-Bush DoD on board. The fact that the PNAC's "second Pearl Harbour" occurred less than nine months after their front man won the presidency, and immediately led to war against a country that had no involvement in the attacks, but had been on the PNAC's hit list, seems remarkable to me. But I don't believe that a crew of potentially hundreds of demolition men could have been co-opted and then kept perfectly silent for the next 14 years, or murdered without anybody noticing. That is not believable to me. It completely fails the common sense test. Seems quite obvious to me that if you fly a plane into a building at top speed then it stands a good chance of falling down. But a lot of people swear blind that nothing could be more preposterous!

Also, every advanced country has foodbanks.

Westminster has the popular consent of the Scottish people. I'm British - I don't consider the English to be foreign (much more culturally and linguistically in common with them than the French and Germans anyway) nor would I wish them to be. I'm in favour of an appointed rather than an elected Lords for the same reason that I tentatively support the monarchy. The theory doesn't particularly sit well with me but if we scrap them then the vacuum will inevitably be filled by grasping, corrupt politicians. This will only make the system worse. If the best and wisest minds in the lands are required to become career politicians in order to sit in the legislature (which is where we should want them, if we know what's good for us as a society) then obviously most of them will say "no thanks" and we will be left with the corrupt, mediocre party political hacks who are only in it for themselves.

Don't be absurd, my own countrymen and women are running my country. You've been utterly taken in by my username I see. I chose it pretty much at random and haven't ever been to a public school. Re the Lords, I'm not really against a non-elected house per se (although the hereditary principle is a bit antiquated, admittedly) if it could be filled by people with genuine expertise who don't wish to sully themselves in electoral politics. There's something rather tautological in having two elected assemblies, unless you can constitutionally keep their terms of reference separate.