Angus

[Francewhite]

France could be in for a very rocky year politically - En Marche seems less of a march than a grinding halt.

If the national party wins the Frexit could become a thing

No, that won't happen. The usual charge by Le Pen from the electorate to show dissatisfaction with Macron then in the run offs, when it's serious, it will be En Marche again. No chance of Frexit, where I live in France the UK, or more accurately, England is seen as a joke and provokes much hilarity. My saving grace is being Scottish and when I tell them that I suddenly, and obviously, go up in their estimation.

[WTF11]

No, that won't happen. The usual charge by Le Pen from the electorate to show dissatisfaction with Macron then in the run offs, when it's serious, it will be En Marche again. No chance of Frexit, where I live in France the UK, or more accurately, England is seen as a joke and provokes much hilarity. My saving grace is being Scottish and when I tell them that I suddenly, and obviously, go up in their estimation.

Have you witnessed the internecine fighting between two monumental egoists at the top of the SNP? Sturgeon is so myopically focussed on independence she can't see the wood for the trees, and Salmond is going to get her sacked. Support for independence is dropping like a stone, (and no wonder with the unedifying spectacle of the SNP leadership ripping each other apart, plus if it wasn't for subsidy from the UK Parliament, Scotland would be bankrupt and your free prescriptions and University education (amongst other "treats") would be vague memories, something the electorate aren't exactly unaware of), unfortunately. It would be entertaining (for those south of the border), to watch the consequences of a Scotland whose population was willing to stand (or more likely, stagger), on their own two feet and take the consequences of independence. Scotland the brave, meh!

[spaldy]

No, that won't happen. The usual charge by Le Pen from the electorate to show dissatisfaction with Macron then in the run offs, when it's serious, it will be En Marche again. No chance of Frexit, where I live in France the UK, or more accurately, England is seen as a joke and provokes much hilarity. My saving grace is being Scottish and when I tell them that I suddenly, and obviously, go up in their estimation.

Xi, is that you? don't you have anything better to do. Here I'm make you feel better. The chinese are our friends. I agree that the virus was not manufactured and that trump released it in wuhan. Orange man bad. You don't mistreat Hong Kong or the Muslims. I agree that soclialism is great and that no one but the CCP or big tech should be allowed to dictate policy or want individual freedom or choice of how they live.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Have you witnessed the internecine fighting between two monumental egoists at the top of the SNP? Sturgeon is so myopically focussed on independence she can't see the wood for the trees, and Salmond is going to get her sacked. Support for independence is dropping like a stone, (and no wonder with the unedifying spectacle of the SNP leadership ripping each other apart, plus if it wasn't for subsidy from the UK Parliament, Scotland would be bankrupt and your free prescriptions and University education (amongst other "treats") would be vague memories, something the electorate aren't exactly unaware of), unfortunately. It would be entertaining (for those south of the border), to watch the consequences of a Scotland whose population was willing to stand (or more likely, stagger), on their own two feet and take the consequences of independence. Scotland the brave, meh!

I think the Scots are quickly realising all politicos are somewhat flawed.

[Tichi1]

Have you witnessed the internecine fighting between two monumental egoists at the top of the SNP? Sturgeon is so myopically focussed on independence she can't see the wood for the trees, and Salmond is going to get her sacked. Support for independence is dropping like a stone, (and no wonder with the unedifying spectacle of the SNP leadership ripping each other apart, plus if it wasn't for subsidy from the UK Parliament, Scotland would be bankrupt and your free prescriptions and University education (amongst other "treats") would be vague memories, something the electorate aren't exactly unaware of), unfortunately. It would be entertaining (for those south of the border), to watch the consequences of a Scotland whose population was willing to stand (or more likely, stagger), on their own two feet and take the consequences of independence. Scotland the brave, meh!

Think about 30% of our Army are jockstraps.....

[WTF11]

Think about 30% of our Army are jockstraps.....

And the greatest of respect to them all, no matter what their views on independence might be.

My point being that for the last few decades the SNP have championed that cause, and yet the population as a whole has rejected it when the chips are down (and the funding via the Barnett formula has been put at risk). Just feel that the implied moral superiority of the sort that FrenchWhite spouts doesn't sit well with a population that in general isn't prepared to stand on its own two feet.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

And the greatest of respect to them all, no matter what their views on independence might be.

My point being that for the last few decades the SNP have championed that cause, and yet the population as a whole has rejected it when the chips are down (and the funding via the Barnett formula has been put at risk). Just feel that the implied moral superiority of the sort that FrenchWhite spouts doesn't sit well with a population that in general isn't prepared to stand on its own two feet.

Suspect one of the issues for the Scots is that for years we had the benefit of natural resources in ‘their’ territorial waters and some of their big national businesses, such as RBS and some of the other utility companies, got subsumed into wider UK companies and relocated/reregistered in London.

Not sure how many like the SNP but they sure don’t like Boris, the Tories or Brexit.

I think it is incredibly sad how much division there is in society and the regions as people increasingly focus on the negatives and not the positives these days - hey ho.

[WTF11]

Suspect one of the issues for the Scots is that for years we had the benefit of natural resources in ‘their’ territorial waters and some of their big national businesses, such as RBS and some of the other utility companies, got subsumed into wider UK companies and relocated/reregistered in London.

Not sure how many like the SNP but they sure don’t like Boris, the Tories or Brexit.

I think it is incredibly sad how much division there is in society and the regions as people increasingly focus on the negatives and not the positives these days - hey ho.

I'd be more sympathetic to the SNP and the cause of independence if the former weren't so holier than thou about the latter, painting Scotland as entirely virtuous, and just about everyone else as the villain. They have "national" in their party name, but they don't seem very equitable to all scots as to how they are regarded or how they should be represented (at Holyrood or Westminster).

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

I'd be more sympathetic to the SNP and the cause of independence if the former weren't so holier than thou about the latter, painting Scotland as entirely virtuous, and just about everyone else as the villain. They have "national" in their party name, but they don't seem very equitable to all scots as to how they are regarded or how they should be represented (at Holyrood or Westminster).

Yup - love Scotland, the Scots, their golf courses and their whisky but most definitely don’t like the SNP and it’s leadership.

[asturianblanco]

No, that won't happen. The usual charge by Le Pen from the electorate to show dissatisfaction with Macron then in the run offs, when it's serious, it will be En Marche again. No chance of Frexit, where I live in France the UK, or more accurately, England is seen as a joke and provokes much hilarity. My saving grace is being Scottish and when I tell them that I suddenly, and obviously, go up in their estimation.

Bollox. Neck n neck in the polls, all the french i know will vote le Pen. Why? because if you dont, you end up with a joker like Macron.