FREEDOM!!!!

Glasgow has been ranked as the UK's most violent area in a new report.

The UK Peace Index, from the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), said the city had the highest rates of homicides and violent crime.

The study, which looked at 10 areas, described it as "the least peaceful major urban centre", with London and Belfast in second and third place. IEP founder and chairman Steve Killelea said: "It's not all bad news for Glasgow. If you look over the last decade it's actually more peaceful."
- BBC

What has this got to do with vikings? Stop norcing this thread, it's not going to work.

What has this got to do with vikings?- Amarie

Well its about violence isnt it?

Well, there's that. And you lot and we do have some common words too.

There's shed loads about Scotland/Scandinavia on Wiki !
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scandinavian_Scotland
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_Scotland
and so much of the flora & rocks are the same in both countries. You could easily believe the two countries were ONE country millions of years ago, as was Briton with Europe, before the world started to break up & the seas poured in,separating us all.

Yup- we hav a long and tangled history with those Fjordians.
Thats one of the things I like about it here- we are a mongral nation, always have been, hopefully always will be.

basically us and the Fyordlandians, its like they are us but with a weird Language that sounds like Lobsters dancing on cheese and bigger jumpers.

Why is Mark Gatiss' face on Scottish banknotes?

Thats The Bruce. Robert the Bruce- King of Scots.

It was his claim to the Papacy for the rights of Sctos which lead to the famous Declartion of Arbroath- setting out in legal terms both the rights to independent freedom of the Scottish people and the principle that a Scottish Monarch serves the peope but is not above them- the people retain the right to remove the King as Monarchy only hold office with the 'will of the people'.

Mrs Figg wrote:basically us and the Fyordlandians, its like they are us but with a weird Language that sounds like Lobsters dancing on cheese and bigger jumpers.

oi, that's not true...

I can't comment on that, I have never heard lobsters dancing on cheese... or on jumpers for that matter.

Perhaps next time Finrod goes diving with that camera of his, he can bring some cheese and see if he finds a lobster who's willing to cooperate.

Pettytyrant101 wrote: Thats The Bruce. Robert the Bruce- King of Scots.

You mean that's why it says "Robert the Bruce" right above his head? I don't believe you. It's clearly Gatiss.

It is NOT Gatiss!!

Eldorion wrote:Why is Mark Gatiss' face on Scottish banknotes?

he looks like he has just been asked to get the round in, ''waa hef I to pay then? nevers! yell nae git me sporan ta open the nicht''.

Today the Uk government released another report on independence- apparently the report is supposed to be independent too- although how independent might be debatable as every single Mp who sat on its committe and drafted it is a Unionists one.

On the plus points amongsts its length it concedes the following points-

a suggestion that UN membership is likely to be "swift and unproblematic", that Scotland "could play a valuable role in Europe", and that it could in principle set up a "successful diplomatic service".

However thats is not the main point of the report which is to look at the effect on the rest of the UK (rUK- and if we do get indepnednece in Scotland looks like you lot are stuck with a shit new name, rUK?! )

But despite the reports obvious bias it does have some interesting points it raises-

"It is difficult to measure the impact on the rUK's (rest of UK's) international standing and influence in the event of Scotland becoming an independent country but we conclude that some degree of reputational damage is inevitable.
Witnesses did agree that the way in which the rUK handled 'the business of the break-up' would significantly influence how much reputational damage and loss of prestige the rUK suffered internationally."

In otherwords if rUK is seen to be treating us unfairly it might not do their rep any good.

"post-independence negotiations over Scotland's share of the UK's assets and liabilities could limit the SNP's ambition for a speedy removal of Trident and "could mean that Scotland might not be nuclear-free for another generation". "


I think that may be a threat.

'UK ministers have said they are committed to maintaining Trident, committee witnesses said the costs may be so prohibitive that a nuclear-free Scotland could precipitate full UK disarmament.
The report said: "Any resulting disarmament by the rUK would be received badly by the UK's key allies and could create problems for Scotland with other Nato and EU members as it forged a path as a new state."- BBC


Oh I see, yes it was a threat.

Serious question: would there be any good reason for an independent Scotland to remain a part of NATO? It's not like there are any pressing military threats to the European continent, and the one time that the U.S. tried to rally the rest of NATO to a common banner (War on Terror) it met with a decidedly mixed response anyway. Seeing as the EU has its own common defense policy and not all EU members are part of NATO, I'm not sure why Scotland would feel the need to join.

Except for money. I assume there are military goodies/subsidies they could get their hands on for cheap.

Serious question: would there be any good reason for an independent Scotland to remain a part of NATO?- Eldo

Simple answer Eldo- because it greatly reduces the cost of policing the north sea oil fields.

Makes sense I guess. Who exactly are you trying to keep out though? Oil pirates?

The pro Union lot will win the referendum, you know.

Who exactly are you trying to keep out though?- Eldo

Terrorists- oil refineries are popular targets- and I suspect commercial interests and secrets too.

The pro Union lot will win the referendum, you know.- Ally

They certainly have it to throw away as they started out from a very strong position- but its been eroding ever since.
And its worth noting six months before the last Scottish election Labour were on course for a victory- in the end the SNP overturned a masive points differecne in the polls to not only win, but win a majority in a PR system of govenment with a specific stated aim of being designed to stop the SNP ever winnning a majority.

Its unwise to right off Salmond so early with a year still to go.

Buckfast has been linked to over 7,000 crimes in Scotland over the past three years.
The powerful drink was mentioned, on average, six times a day by police officers across the country- Daily Mail.

Pettytyrant101 wrote:
The powerful drink was mentioned, on average, six times a day by police officers across the country- Daily Mail.

....which is still less than the average daily mentions by certain Forumshire moderators .

And what are you saying David? Are you looking for trouble!?

If I was a buckie fan I'd feel I'd been really really insulted, Petty.

Yes, I think you are right there Orwell, as the more buckie I drink the more morally indignat I become and therefore the more insulted I feel.