to feel very proud of the Scots' reaction to Nigel Farage?

[HeadFairy]

Particularly the man who yelled at him "foreigners are welcome in Scotland, you're not!"

:o

www.richardcorbett.org.uk/theres-something-about-ukip.pdf

Euphemia

I am intrigued. What are their names?

JustinBiebermakesmevom

Sorry, missed your post. I lived in Glasgow. I still have a love-hate relationship with the place, so while I have shed it in a bad light, there is some love there too.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/scotland/9678469/SNP-blocks-inquiry-into-Mike-Russell-bullying-claims.html

Ah yes, Mike Russell.

The tactics of fervently nationalistic supporters are predictable -

(1) Pretend everything is wonderful
(2) Tell people how they should vote and that no-one votes for other parties any more, or if they do, they are stupid
(3) Give examples of wonderous SNP practice/revel in examples of perceived Scottish stereotyping, such as swearing/use of insults/slightly rough behaviour.
(4) Insult your political critics and try to discredit them, even if they aren't politicians but simply normal tax-paying citizens, so that people feel intimidated from giving their real views.

It just reminds me of a would-be dictatorship. I can't believe some of the comments directed at me on this thread, implying that I don't understand certain words in the English language, when I am a professional woman (I'm a lawyer) and perfectly entitled to hold what are not very radical opinions. Rather than persuade me to "the cause", that simply tells me an independent Scotland wouldn't be a particularly good place for an intelligent professional woman who isn't a fervent SNP supporter, and that they don't want women like me in an independent Scotland.

I'm really uncomfortable with the way Scotland is developing, alongside all this nationalistic fervour. I did my Masters in International Law and Relations and spent quite a lot of time studying how the situations that developed in former Eastern bloc and Middle East dictatorships developed were allowed to develop, and there is so much happening in Scotland right now that reminds me of this.

Really, really uncomfortable with a lot of it.

looked on wiki and found the following re english born MSP's who represent SNP

"SNP MSP Ian McKee has by contrast pointed out his own status in the Scottish Parliament chamber as an Englishman[27] as evidence of there being no such anti-English feeling. Indeed, McKee is one of six SNP MSPs born in England, along with other prominent figures such as Christine Grahame and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning Mike Russell."

www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/9129998/Welcome-to-planet-Cybernat-where-the-air-is-toxic.html

www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/opinion/comment/iain-gray-cybernat-attacks-serve-to-damage-our-country-1-1946858

davidtorrance.com/cybernats-a-scottish-political-phenomenon/

I think there actually is support for UKIP up where the by-election will be.

My past experiences of living in Scotland and being Scottish are completely different to what I have encountered since moving further North. Aberdeenshire is, I have found (and, of course, it's a personal view), nasty, bigoted, and racist. On the whole, people are obsessed with money and what is rightfully 'theirs'. They are openly hostile to immigrants, travellers, anyone who doesn't fit into their narrow view of what is 'right.' It is a deeply unpleasant place and I can't wait to get out. There are some lovely people but it doesn't take long to find out they're in the minority.

ftm42 how lovely to see you and your 'silent majority' on this thread. Have you sorted out all of those nasty gays from Eurovision now? [hmn]

for ftm42 of course - I have been befuddled by those naked Euro-popsters with their undermining of good Christianity on her other thread . . .

I think there's been a lot of rather cloth-eared misinterpretation of the cultural feelings expressed in the Farage farago.

This has it better, I think (keep scrolling down to get the audio version of the song).

That thread has been deleted twirly, but it does make me think we should take her opinion with a pinch of salt.
I live in Aberdeenshire for a year, in Ballater.
There's a hell of a lot of naice retired people settled there, about half are English.

Euphemia

I am sure membership of the SNP will assuage all but the most ardent Nationalists. That said:

Mike Russell: Born, Bromley (Scottish father, English mother), brought up and educated in Scotland.

Christine Grahame: Born, Burton (no details of parents), brought up and educated in Scotland.

Stuart McMillan: Born, Barrow-in-Furness (no details of parents), brought up and educated in Scotland. Plays the pipes. Supports Morton.

Ian Mckee: Born South Shields (no details of parents), brought up and educated in Scotland.

Of the above, only the latter appears to identify as English and there is no reason to suppose that he doesn't also identify as Scottish. Let us say that these are no Farages.

I now have the image of a huge, red-bearded man rising to his feet and declaiming: "Hoots mon, Aam sassenach, as ye will ken if ye swatch up mah kilt an' see mah St George's Cross long-johns!"

*lived

OhBuggerandArse that has made me laugh!

LadyBeagleEyes - yes, the English ones up in Aberdeen/shire are all fine!

Not sure whether I should be glad that other thread has been deleted - it was ludicrous, but it was also quite heartwarming to see pretty much everyone point that out .

Edinburgh's response was hilarious.

Farage's weak attempt to paint it as anti-English sentiment equally hilarious, in its patheticness and wrong-headedness.

Unfortunately I can still see UKIP gaining in strength and popularity. There are a lot of swivel-eyed loons out there.

Euphemia

I agree that is how it should be. Which is why they should not be possibly incorrectly identified as English to make a political point.

LadyClarice

No, it's all good. A strong UKIP = split in the conservative vote. Not that I see UKIP support lasting till the next election.

Toad, unless UKIP get so many disenchanted Tories that they flat-out win [horror].

Why do you think support will wane? Do you see them as a flash in the pan rather than a growing stain power? Don't get me wrong I hope to God you're right ... Maybe I'm being pessimistic but I do feel that, with the continuing economy/unemployment problems, UKIP are filling a political gap for quite a lot of bigots people at the moment.

I don't think they'll survive the heat of a general election campaign very well. At present, they don't have policies, and such as they develop will probably get unpicked. All the main parties have difficulty finding decent candidates for election, and UKIP will not only have that problem, but will also have to risk fielding candidates who haven't been thoroughly vetted.

Toadinthehole

No, it's all good. A strong UKIP = split in the conservative vote.

Except that it isn't. Lord Ashcroft's polling back in 2010 revealed that 1/3 of people considering voting UKIP didn't vote at all, and 1/5 were Labour voters.

Have a read.

Born in England to a Scottish mother and an Irish father. I have had more hassle about being Irish tbh :o Lived in Scotland all my life.

What part of the fact that the vast majority of SNP supporters are anti-WESTMINSTER and not anti-English are people not getting?

Anyone who is anti_english , or anti-Scottish for that matter, is indeed a bawbag :o

flatpack

So if 33% of UKIP voters were previously non-voters, and 20% previously supported Labour, that's still probably about 40% ex-Tories, allowing something of a margin for the Lib Dems.

There is another survey, done at the time of the AV referendum, which sought to work out what the result of the 2010 election would have been had it been run under AV. According to it, UKIP support split as follows: Lab 8%, Green 12%, Lib Dem 14%, BNP 17%, Conservative 49%.

I hope you're right, Toad!