To be triggered by the sight and sound of Nicola Sturgeon

[Ladytremain]

Since lockdown started I have found that it creates a feeling of dread and anxiety in me every time I hear her voice or see a photo of Nicola Sturgeon or watch her on TV. Same with Boris to an extent, but less so due to Scottish restrictions being more relevant to me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to hear her speak or see her without these horrible feelings coming back: feeling of bleakness and worry about what she’s going to say next. I think I’ve just come to associate her voice and face with bad news. There’s also part of me that has a sense she’s enjoying the level of control she has over the nation. I just don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen to her again without being transported back to these horrible times. I know in my rational mind she’s just doing her job, but I still feel a strong aversion due to the messages she’s delivering

I lived in England in my 20s for 6 years and had a ball. Only time my being Scottish was referred to was genuine interest about where I came from.

Back to Scotland. In the central belt I had someone telling me I couldn’t be Scottish as my accent wasn’t strong enough to be I have a very soft accent whereas the central belt area have stronger accents.

I experienced a fair bit of bullying at work (various jobs) on my return to Scotland and couldn’t put my finger on why. Never had it before I left, or in England, just on returning. Maybe the bar for being Scottish since the SNP rose to power is higher in that you must sound obviously strongly Scottish? Maybe my husband’s accent and those of my in laws and friends in England has rubbed off on my already soft-spoken Scottish accent?

I just don’t know, but something has changed here.

Bidenswingwoman, Kohli said 'It’s about morality, integrity and humanity.' - I can't really think of many other ways of saying 'We're better than them....' I'm totally fed up with the SNP positioning Scotland and the Scots as 'better', especially compared to those south of the border. It's utter guff. There have been increasing references to 'White Settlers' on local social media round here. I hate it. It's divisive. The business with the SNP over the Salmond affair smacks of 'No true Scot'.

We are no better and no worse than any other part of the UK. There is nothing special about us - there are plenty rascist, misogynist arseholes in Scotland. We are not more socialist, more welcoming. There have been surveys recently showing Scots would be no more accepting of tax hikes to fund services than any other part of the UK. Talking of our votes not being representative - it's only 10 years ago that we had a 13 year labour government fronted by Scots. At the moment in Scotland I am not represented.

Well as I said I’m down the road,and anti Scottish prejudice is very much a Thing. Such prejudice manifests both overtly and covertly

Interesting. I think it's entirely possible to have a different set of moral standards without thinking I'm superior to someone else. I think it's entirely possible to want to want to stand up for what I think is right, without thinking someone else is wrong for not thinking the same way.

Admittedly I do have 'blindspots' with it. I do have issues with racists, for example, and other bigots. But I would hope the majority would.

But I don't think saying 'we have different morals' is the same as 'I'm better than you'. I haven't lived in your shoes. I don't know the experiences that have shaped why you feel the way you do.

And as I said, I'm not in his head, so how I read it is based on my feelings. How your read it is based on yours. And neither of us know his, you may well be right about what he meant.

At the moment in Scotland I am not represented

Another good reason for independence. The SNP would most likely lose their stronghold here as people returned to voting for other parties, and with proportional representation (which I would hope we would keep) they would be much less likely to hold a majority than they do currently.

So I should vote for independence, something I fundamentally disagree with and believe would not be good for Scotland, just to get rid of the SNP. Okeydoke. No.

Lol, I wasn't telling you what you should or should not vote for, don't put words in my mouth!

Just making the point that we are all more likely to be represented in an independent Scotland.

The only time I've been 'represented' by Westminster, as in my local MP was in with the majority there, was when the lib dems got in bed with the Tories. Hideous.

But I'm not so blinkered at to think that means all or even most English are anti-Scottish
And conversely I'm not so blinkered at to think that means all or even most Scottish are anti-english
Having worked up and down the road I’ve def experienced anti Scottish sentiments. I’ve experienced Anti Irish sentiment too when I’ve elaborated upon my heritage

@stampsurprise

www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1377408/andrew-neil-twitter-scottish-independence-snp-news

ANDREW NEIL has hit out Scottish nationalists in two impressive clashes on Twitter after a former SNP MP appeared to compare Boris Johnson's Government denying a second Scottish referendum to the Apartheid and American civil rights oppression.

Mr Neil skewered independence activist and former SNP MP George Kerevan after he appeared to suggest a link between indyref2 campaign struggles to the Apartheid, American civil rights and British colonial oppression. Mr Kerevan posted pictures on Twitter of Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr and Mahatma Gandhi.

Along with these images, he wrote: "People who did not ask for a referendum from their oppressors before they demanded freedom."

Responding, Mr Neil wrote: “So Scots’ current condition is to be compared to Mandela’s long years in jail under an oppressive apartheid regime?

“Truly the Christmas Sherry has been drained dry.”

The media veteran also mocked Scottish comedian and broadcaster Hardeep Singh Kohli – a Scottish independence supporter – after he launched a separate us and them attack on Twitter.

Commenting on the Brexit deal and the attitude of Boris Johnson’s Tories on Scottish interests, Mr Kohli tweeted: "Look South. Tell me this.

“Do they represent us in any way, shape or form?

“They are not us and we are not them. It’s not about economics. It’s not about sovereignty. It’s not even about politics. It’s about morality, integrity and humanity.

"They are not us and we are not them."

Mr Neil responded: “So Scots have superior morality, integrity and humanity to the English? When did that happen?”

Good points.

The main problem is that when SNP members/activists make such horrible, inflammatory and outright offensive things about the English or: "Westminster","Tories" or "London", as they so disingenuously like to put it, the SNP leadership take no action at all to quell this bigotry. Indeed they promote it.

The SNP have brought shame upon Scotland. I've no doubt that one day this particular era will be looked back upon with a shudder by all decent people, all over the UK.

The SNP have brought shame upon Scotland Such frothy hyperbole
It lacks credibility to be so blinkered

The latest Sturgeon tweet here reported by BBC :
Following Mr Lewis's departure, Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: "Disunity in the Union unit. Or maybe just despair at realising how threadbare the case for it is."

How is it responsible for the First Minister of Scotland to be tweeting like that in a pandemic and yet still claim she needs to be on the telly everyday and it is not political?

How are voters who want to stay part of the UK
(I believe a majority) supposed to feel?. The sheer ingratitude for the
financial support available as part of the UK is 'threadbare'. Delusional woman - she doesn't know the meaning of 'do not bite the hand that feeds you or rather she does because she just wants to make everyone else in the UK fed up with Scotland.
Is there no function in the role of FM that requires them to try to bring the country together and act responsibly in a pandemic?

Exactly. Every single opportunity to snipe snipe snipe. Despite the fact that pro independence supporters will argue that Scotland pays its way - and there are arguments both for and against - an independent Scotland would not have had the borrowing power outside the UK to borrow the funds needed for the furlough and loans required.

@dotoallasyouwouldbedoneby

The latest Sturgeon tweet here reported by BBC : Following Mr Lewis's departure, Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: "Disunity in the Union unit. Or maybe just despair at realising how threadbare the case for it is."

How is it responsible for the First Minister of Scotland to be tweeting like that in a pandemic and yet still claim she needs to be on the telly everyday and it is not political?

How are voters who want to stay part of the UK
(I believe a majority) supposed to feel?. The sheer ingratitude for the
financial support available as part of the UK is 'threadbare'. Delusional woman - she doesn't know the meaning of 'do not bite the hand that feeds you or rather she does because she just wants to make everyone else in the UK fed up with Scotland.
Is there no function in the role of FM that requires them to try to bring the country together and act responsibly in a pandemic?

Its just constant, unrelenting. A bit like having a conversation with an independence supporter. I've never met one who didn't make me want to run away and hide when I saw them, virtually or in real life.

I might feel different if there were a few politicians within Scotland who inspired expectation of great constitutional minds at work, who were likely to lead the country to being a shining beacon of tolerance, accountability and transparancy, enshrined in a written constitution with a committment to joining not only the ECHR but enshrining the Charter into Scots law prior to EU membership.

It defies belief that the SNP have spent decades talking about independence but almost no time talking about a written constitution and what it might contain. It smacks of either incompetence or disorganisation at a level which is barely capable of running a council department, never mind a country

Instead, it seems full of parochial, jobs-for-the-boys urban career politician types, who are that sort of semi-mediocre middle management sort, fighting amongst themselves. The thought of living in a western version of Lithuania or Estonia, stuck on the northern edge of Europe, in a tiny country with tiny opportunities and no EU membership is not appealing.

They've also now had years to prove their rhetoric, to attract business, improve housing, they've had the power to increase taxes etc and have done either nothing or tinkered round the edges.

@HeelsHandbagPerfumeCoffee

The SNP have brought shame upon Scotland Such frothy hyperbole It lacks credibility to be so blinkered

I don't accept that claiming the SNP have bought shame on Scotland is "Frothy Hyperbole" at all. I can see that that would be the case, if you're the type of person who considers the Anti English outbursts and actions of the SNP as nothing worth talking about. Personally speaking, I believe the majority of decent Scot's view it as completely unacceptable and demeaning to them as a people.

It's demonstratively true that Anglo-Phobia is encouraged by the SNP, It's the party's driving ideal in fact. Just as it it is true of anti semitism amongst Labour party members. The lid has always been kept on it - up until Corbyn came along and then the most rabid jew haters came crawling out of the woodwork in the belief that their time had come.

Same with the SNP in Scotland.

From 2013, though I don't suspect things have changed much over the last 8 years.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/sophie-rodger/scottish-independence_b_3819366.html

@reprehensibleme

They've also now had years to prove their rhetoric, to attract business, improve housing, they've had the power to increase taxes etc and have done either nothing or tinkered round the edges.

They repel all inward investment on a business and personal level because they won't respect the 2014 result despite agreeing to do so.

Instead, it seems full of parochial, jobs-for-the-boys urban career politician types, who are that sort of semi-mediocre middle management sort, fighting amongst themselves. The thought of living in a western version of Lithuania or Estonia, stuck on the northern edge of Europe, in a tiny country with tiny opportunities and no EU membership is not appealing.

greenland ^this

It's demonstratively true that Anglo-Phobia is encouraged by the SNP

Just like it is 'demonstratively' (sic) true that Nicola Sturgeon can't bring herself to say the word Oxford?

Forgive me if I take your rhetoric with a pinch of salt.

I’ve spent equal amounts of time in S Orleans as in England. I have never experienced any anti Scottish feeling in England. Quite the reverse. However there is a LOT of anti English feeling in Scotland and Independence will only make it worse.

Scotland not S Orleans!

Whilst never a supporter in a political sense, I had placed NS into the category of a politician I could respect.

I had high hopes for her at the start of the pandemic that she would put party politics to one side to get us out of this mess.

However as we have lurched from one disaster to another I have completely changed my viewpoint.

We have the daily party political broadcast which was apparently to help keep people informed. Most people I know don’t listen and are completely disengaged with the view of tell me if it’s something really important, ie information overload.

Then in the middle of all of this, the bloody referendum rears it’s head again. Wtf, we are in the middle of the worst crisis of our lifetime where people I know are mourning the loss of loved ones, their health, jobs, coping with the huge strain this has placed on their lives and despite all of this she brings up the bloody referendum! Totally tone deaf as all her attention should be on the current crisis of which the impact will be felt for some time. It really makes me so angry.

Totally agree with you. I feel the same.

Lots of people felt that way about Winston Churchill. Hence why he was not voted back in after the war

History has a different view of him now now but lots of people hated him during the war. He made a lot of very unpopular decisions. I am not saying Nicola Sturgeon or Boris Johnson will be thought of as Winston Churchill ( far from it.), just that it probably isn't uncommon to feel like you do op about a leader in difficult times who will have to make a lot of difficult and often very unpopular decisions.

@BidensWingWoman

It's demonstratively true that Anglo-Phobia is encouraged by the SNP

Just like it is 'demonstratively' (sic) true that Nicola Sturgeon can't bring herself to say the word Oxford?

Forgive me if I take your rhetoric with a pinch of salt.

I'm afraid it is demonstratively true, and a lot more than just "rhetoric". Your unwillingness to face facts on this matter is showing you up.

In 2017, Dave Doogan, an SNP councillor, called us "redcoats" and claimed Scotland has been “under the heel of foreign influence for 300 years". The SNP took no action over this blatant anti-English rhetoric.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/07/snp-not-disciplining-senior-councillor-anti-english-remarks/

A racist Scottish nationalist once linked to a notorious tartan terrorist has passed the SNP’s vetting process for council candidates.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/settler-watch-extremist-links-tartan-9834853

Then, there's this repulsive individual who actually gives Sturgeon a run for her money for victim mentality disorder.

www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/senior-snp-mp-ian-blackford-22047093

I could post these all day.

Oh, you are sticking with 'demonstratively' are you?

I mean, I could start posting the nonsense and lies that some unionists have gotten away with, with nothing done by proper higher up. I'm not narrow minded enough to think they are all racists/idiots/whatever though.