Stewarty looks back. ...And forward.

[stewarty27]

Not all Brits are equal. It's been going on for a long time. It is, chiefly, the reason the Irish left.
1690, Ireland conquered by the English.
1707 Scotland join the Union, in dubious circumstances. Wales had earlier been subsumed by war and a dodgy marriage.
You'd think that by 1707, or a few years thereafter, we'd all be simply Brits.
But no.
Regiments raised in Scotland, on a promise that they'd only serve in Scotland were sent overseas.
When England had a famine, the Irish died of hunger. The same would have happened in the Highlands. Their food was taken away. But Scotland was too cold for the Colorado beetle, the blight didn't get here and the potatoes did not turn to mush.
The Highlanders had worse in store.
Cleared from the land for sheep.
Many sent to indentured servitude in the West Indies that led to an early grave.
There are Britz and there are Brits.
It still goes on.
Scotland has circa 97% of UK oil.
But our country has not had its infrastructure developed.
Ever the call is that London and the SE need it and it will benefit us all.
How am I benefitted by HS1?
Terminal 5? A second runway?
I'd rather the UK 's clearest runway was built up so I could hop on a transatlantic flight after a two hour drive, not an hour's flight.
Scotland we are told is poor.
After 3 centuries in one of the world's most powerful economies? With our small population and embarrassment of resources? Our educated population?
I smell Sh1te.
Either we are poor, and the Union didn't help us, or they are lying.
We are wealthy, we have many friends. And we are most certainly not stupid.
So how is it so many don't understand there are Britz and Brits, and we are second class Brits at that.
Time we got off our knees and looked at our abundance. Looked at what our great wee country has, what we've done and imagine what we can do.

[noahrab]

Not all Brits are equal. It's been going on for a long time. It is, chiefly, the reason the Irish left.
1690, Ireland conquered by the English.
1707 Scotland join the Union, in dubious circumstances. Wales had earlier been subsumed by war and a dodgy marriage.
You'd think that by 1707, or a few years thereafter, we'd all be simply Brits.
But no.
Regiments raised in Scotland, on a promise that they'd only serve in Scotland were sent overseas.
When England had a famine, the Irish died of hunger. The same would have happened in the Highlands. Their food was taken away. But Scotland was too cold for the Colorado beetle, the blight didn't get here and the potatoes did not turn to mush.
The Highlanders had worse in store.
Cleared from the land for sheep.
Many sent to indentured servitude in the West Indies that led to an early grave.
There are Britz and there are Brits.
It still goes on.
Scotland has circa 97% of UK oil.
But our country has not had its infrastructure developed.
Ever the call is that London and the SE need it and it will benefit us all.
How am I benefitted by HS1?
Terminal 5? A second runway?
I'd rather the UK 's clearest runway was built up so I could hop on a transatlantic flight after a two hour drive, not an hour's flight.
Scotland we are told is poor.
After 3 centuries in one of the world's most powerful economies? With our small population and embarrassment of resources? Our educated population?
I smell Sh1te.
Either we are poor, and the Union didn't help us, or they are lying.
We are wealthy, we have many friends. And we are most certainly not stupid.
So how is it so many don't understand there are Britz and Brits, and we are second class Brits at that.
Time we got off our knees and looked at our abundance. Looked at what our great wee country has, what we've done and imagine what we can do.

Who told you we are poor?

[JackSnakes]

Who told you we are poor?

Apparently we do not have the wherewithal to look after our own finances.
If we are left alone we will be skint in five minutes, bankrupt in ten, and confined to the annals of history as the stupidest nation, financially, on the planet within the hour.
I confess this is the impression I get...

[JackSnakes]

On a point of order, it was Scots who sent other Scots off across the Atlantic as slaves.
It was Scots who evicted the highlanders from their lands.
It was Scots who cared more about their pockets than their people.

[noahrab]

On a point of order, it was Scots who sent other Scots off across the Atlantic as slaves.
It was Scots who evicted the highlanders from their lands.
It was Scots who cared more about their pockets than their people.

No no no.

It was them basturd English.

I think you'll find that's what wee stuarty was alluding to.

[JackSnakes]

No no no.

It was them basturd English.

I think you'll find that's what wee stuarty was alluding to.

Unfortunately I believe you may be right - but the English are a convenient scapegoat for this shameful episode in our history.

An interesting wee paragraph or two here:
http://www.clanjames.com/clearances.htm

"The ‘Highland Clearances’ are a scar on the Scottish psyche to this day. These clearances were at their worst during the period 1763 – 1775, but they did not end until around 1881. During this time, a documented number of 170,571 Highlanders were ejected from their traditional lands. These official figures are generally accepted to be very conservative, and the actual numbers are much greater. Huge numbers of these dispossessed people migrated to Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand at this time.

These awful clearances are often laid firmly at the door of the English, which is factually wrong. For example, in the book ‘Tartans’ by the American author, Brenda Ralph Lewis (who does appear to exhibit a general anti English attitude) – she states under the entry for the MacFie Clan that:-

“the MacFies were widely scattered by the notorious Highland Clearances of 1763 –1775, in which the English evicted families from the Highlands and the Isles of Scotland”.

This is wrong, plain and simple. It excuses the callous and profiteering actions of certain clan chiefs and nobles during the Clearances. It also smacks of the blinkered anti-English or anti-British sentiment that can unfortunately surface in some people from America. The small tenantry of the Highlands were evicted by the landowners seeking 'improvement' and enhanced rents, and these were more likely to be Scots than English."

[noahrab]

Unfortunately I believe you may be right - but the English are a convenient scapegoat for this shameful episode in our history.

An interesting wee paragraph or two here:
http://www.clanjames.com/clearances.htm

"The ‘Highland Clearances’ are a scar on the Scottish psyche to this day. These clearances were at their worst during the period 1763 – 1775, but they did not end until around 1881. During this time, a documented number of 170,571 Highlanders were ejected from their traditional lands. These official figures are generally accepted to be very conservative, and the actual numbers are much greater. Huge numbers of these dispossessed people migrated to Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand at this time.

These awful clearances are often laid firmly at the door of the English, which is factually wrong. For example, in the book ‘Tartans’ by the American author, Brenda Ralph Lewis (who does appear to exhibit a general anti English attitude) – she states under the entry for the MacFie Clan that:-

“the MacFies were widely scattered by the notorious Highland Clearances of 1763 –1775, in which the English evicted families from the Highlands and the Isles of Scotland”.

This is wrong, plain and simple. It excuses the callous and profiteering actions of certain clan chiefs and nobles during the Clearances. It also smacks of the blinkered anti-English or anti-British sentiment that can unfortunately surface in some people from America. The small tenantry of the Highlands were evicted by the landowners seeking 'improvement' and enhanced rents, and these were more likely to be Scots than English."

Dont start bringing facts into the debate.

Wee stuarty will be along shortly with another cut and paste job from wingsoversomerset, the national or some other such bastion of impartiality to debunk that and blame it on wastemonster.

[Bodie80]

Unfortunately I believe you may be right - but the English are a convenient scapegoat for this shameful episode in our history.
Ww
An interesting wee paragraph or two here:
http://www.clanjames.com/clearances.htm

"The ‘Highland Clearances’ are a scar on the Scottish psyche to this day. These clearances were at their worst during the period 1763 – 1775, but they did not end until around 1881. During this time, a documented number of 170,571 Highlanders were ejected from their traditional lands. These official figures are generally accepted to be very conservative, and the actual numbers are much greater. Huge numbers of these dispossessed people migrated to Canada, America, Australia and New Zealand at this time.

These awful clearances are often laid firmly at the door of the English, which is factually wrong. For example, in the book ‘Tartans’ by the American author, Brenda Ralph Lewis (who does appear to exhibit a general anti English attitude) – she states under the entry for the MacFie Clan that:-

“the MacFies were widely scattered by the notorious Highland Clearances of 1763 –1775, in which the English evicted families from the Highlands and the Isles of Scotland”.

This is wrong, plain and simple. It excuses the callous and profiteering actions of certain clan chiefs and nobles during the Clearances. It also smacks of the blinkered anti-English or anti-British sentiment that can unfortunately surface in some people from America. The small tenantry of the Highlands were evicted by the landowners seeking 'improvement' and enhanced rents, and these were more likely to be Scots than English." Great post Jack :) Not challenged by any of our resident separatists though :O