"Supporters of independence will always be able to cite examples of small,
independent and thriving economies across Europe such as Finland, Switzerland
and Norway. It would be wrong to suggest that Scotland could not be another such
successful, independent country."
Was it
a) Alex Salmond
b) David Cameron
c) Sean Connery
d) Kirsty Wark
I'll post the answer later, but in the meantime, do feel free to speculate...
47 comments:
none of the above. I was Gordon Brown trying to win back the hearts and minds - surely
It's got to be a trick question. David Cameron. Who's Kirsty Wark?
It was definitely Dave. It can only add to the speculation that the Scottish Tories are heading towards dumping unionism.
You see the problem nowadays is google. Makes finding the answers to questions like these just no fun as it is too easy!
But I wont spoil other people's fun!
Why has the person concerned (DC) included Finland? Is he trying to say it is outside of the EU? In which case he is a bit wrong to say the least.
Probably David Cameron out of context.
Kirsty Wark is some BBC presenter connected with Scotland it would seem.
Whoever said it was mad. Scotland becoming independent is not going to help their economic performance, especially as the Barnett formula would no longer apply.
Let's have a sensible debate about an independent Scotland - let's not delude ourselves it will be an economic miracle.
Who ever said that was mad. There's no way that Scotland is going to manage to achieve the economic strength of Finland any time soon. Plus the Barnett formula would cease.
Let's have a sensible discussion about Scottish independence - there are valid pros and cons, but it being an economic panacea for the Scots is not one as far as I'm concerned.
It was Dave Cameron in his article in the Telegraph today.
A (conservative and) unionist leader could easily say that. In fact; it would be surprising if he didnt!
Totally not a trick question then!
That was in the Telegraph today and it is David Cameron.
I am cautious that the Dale is making life a leetle to easy for us
Must've been David Cameron. I can't see anyone else on the list saying something like that.
Gotta be Dave as part of his 'promise to all, deliver to none' agenda.
Whoever it is needs a reality check.
b) David Cameron.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/04/11/do1101.xml
Can I have my prize please?
Yes, I did Google it.
(b) Cameron today(sound man).
But also said by (a) and (c) in the past, but never by (d) who is part of the Labour/BBC Establishment in Scotland who let Jack McConnell use her Majorcan villa for holidays (until they were found out).
It was David Cameron, speaking at RAF Leuchars today.
An SNP victory would help the Tories immensely by screwing over Labour and - in the event of an entirely seperate parliament in Scotland - culling 40-odd of their MPs, ensuring an easy Tory majority in Westminster.
I like Iain's coverage of the SNP campaign. I am a Tory turned Lib Dem turned SNP, over Iraq and a dysfunctional democracy mainly. It is clear that an SNP victory would not mean sudden acrimonious seperation. Scotland and England have shared a monarch longer than they have shared a parliament. There is already a seperate legal system in Scotland, albeit with the same constitutional authority from the monarch. An independent Scotland would have a fully seperate parliament with tax-raising powers, with the Queen as the constitutional monarch and seperate representation in Europe. The pound would probably be kept as the currency and there would be various bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding regarding cross-border issues and defence. Scotland would end up staying in NATO. Economically, both England and Scotland would be better off.
Of course, it COULD be a success. On paper, Hearts could win the SPL next season - it could happen.
The likelihood, of course, is that it won't.
John Major said it first... maybe David Cameron has been stealing his best lines .. again.
Iain,
Don't you think your readers take the Torygraph? It's David Cameron.
In the same article Cameron also said we need to continue to make the positive case for a united Britain by ensuring that the Union remains relevant to all English and Scottish people.
Not much in the Union for the Welsh then Dai?
It scans and sounds like Wark, crumpet for Newsnight addicts, now upstaged by Emily Mitliss
So what's it going to be then, Scotland? Mobile phones, whaling or nazi gold?
Dave/id MacCameron the Slayer of the Clans ...
There ain't no blue in the Union Jack.
Scotland should be independent, with its own monarchy - I suggest it would give Prince Andrew something to do.
Prince Edward could get Wales on the same terms.
Northern Ireland could have Princess Anne - that'd stop any sectarian nonsense pretty damn quick.
Let them go.
I'm looking forward to telling my mam that she's a wo....
Alwyn ap Huw: There are three separate Unions in this country. And all must be advocated.
David Cameron in today's Daily Telegraph. The SNP have rushed to take those sentences out of context. However, much more important is what he said at the end of the piece he wrote, which I quite on my own blog.
a, c & d are too obvious. It must be David Cameron.
Whose Kirsty Wark ? She played for Ipswich didn't she, or was that John Wark.
Why should Tories want to maintain the union? Scotland's principal export is Labour MPs. When Scotland becomes independent, so does England.
It would be right to suggest that Scotland is simply a hopeless basket case economically and socially and survives only by leeching off the rest of the island. It should be sawn off, towed out into the North Sea and the plug pulled. That would solve the West Lothian question once and for all.
I will go with Dave
My Aunt, who I live with, calls her Pigeons home to roost with the call:
WARK, WARK!, WARK!
(yes I know its: "with whome I live")
The same man who wrongly claimed that the Act of Union inspired the Titans of the Scots Enlightenment such as Hume.
Cameron's right to identify the Scots philosopher David Hume as one of the great giants of philosophy. Yet far from the Union inspiring Hume to set the Scots Enlightenment in motion as Cameron claims, Hume brought about it's collapse.
Hume's philosophical sceptism and powerful critique of Reason and Causality effectively put a keg of gunpowder under 18th century science's claims to certain knowledge and left the Germans to light the fuse. The blast blew away the Scottish and Engish Enlightenment's hopes in the power of Reason, science and certainty and opened the door to the German Romanticism of Kant, Hegel and Marx. Their rescue attempt for Reason did it - and ethics - few favours and maybe underlies much of the great ethical vacuum we're in now.
This speech has all hallmarks of the utopian. Hiltonites. Though I did like Cameron's emphasis on the importance of the strong ties of the heart and kinship between Scotland and England, as opposed to Broon's fantasy 'Britishness'. Full marks for that - though did not go far enough to make amends for opportunistically calling us 'sour little Englanders' down here.
Auntie Flo'
judith said...
Scotland should be independent, with its own monarchy - I suggest it would give Prince Andrew something to do.
Agree with you about independence, but send Prince Andrew, blimey, remember the last time...?
The Wee, Wee German Lairdie
Wha the de'il hae we gotten for a king,
But a wee, wee German Lairdie:
When we gaed ower to bring him hame,
He was delvin' in his kailyardie.
He was sheughing kail, and laying leeks,
Without the hose, an' but the breeks,
An' up his beggar duds lie cleeks.
This wee, wee German Lairdie.
An' he's clappit doun in our gudeman's chair,
The wee, wee German lairdie;
An' he's brocht fouth o' his foreign trash,
An' dibbled them in his yairdie.
He's pu'd the rose o' English loons,
An' broken the harp o' Irish clowns,
But our Scotch thistle will jag his thumbs,
This wee, wee German lairdie.
Come up amang our Hieland. Hills,
Thou wee, wee German lairdie,
An' see the Stuart's lang kail thrive,
They hae dibbled in our kail-yairdie.
An' if a stock ye daur to pu',
Or haud the yokin' o' a plough,
We'll break your sceptre owre your mou,'
Ye feckless German lairdie.
Auld Scotland, thou'rt ower cauld a hole,
For nursin' siccan vermin;
But the very dogs in England's court,
They bark an' howl in German.
Then keep thy dibble in thy ain hand,
Thy spade but an' thy yairdie;
For wha the deil now claims your land,
But a wee, wee German lairdie ?
No offence intended to Prince Andrew or our Queen, who I imagine will know this old Scottish folk song by heart.
Auntie Flo'
Only a wild guess, but it was Dave the Rave, wasn't it?
PS Finland and Norway have nat res, Switzerland has banking and gold reserves, Scotland has chavs n' whisky n' bagpipes and exports politicians and financial advisers and lawyerly labour-ish do-gooders to our oh-so-grateful metropolis.
No, that's not my opinion, I'm only quoting Des Browne and Doug Alexander.
"Then keep thy dibble in thy ain hand"
Auntie Flo - I'm shocked: please get a grip.
Actually, as an Englishman, I'm all for genuine independence for Scotland, and not for aggressive reasons either - just interesting to see what happens. If it's genuine independence and works, why shouldn't England do the same?
But the Scots aren't going to declare genuine independence, are they - they'll go for EU small-nation status with lousy roads and communications and oh God mountains, we can;t cope, n' rain and 'turrible snow inna wint'er', and some kind of tax-free whisky enclave fiddle; they have no real industries (apart from insurance and booze) so they'll hope for Ireland's EU windfall (which is a bit like investing in shares that did well ten years ago) and carry on taking plenty of UK tax money, but up a different orifice.
Warking for a living.
Over my bloody dead body they will!
Gawd, it's like Quebec transported to Britain.
I've explained this before.
Wark is the Scottish bird on Newsnight who looks like she's having an orgasm whenever she 'interviews' Gordon Brown.
And it doesn't matter who the quote is from provided it helps the Scots (and their crappy English-hating, thieving politicians) to sod off.
I wonder why Cameron doesn't believe that a country like England could thrive as an independent nation out of the EU like Switzerland etc too.
Last go: I think its a trick question and Iain has spotted that David Cameron was copying Kirsty Wark who couod easily have said such a thing and has no other reason to be in the list.
So the answer is Wark amd Cameron
Auntie Flo is right on David Hume.
"Reason is passion's slave" said the man himself.
Kant said of Hume
"He awoke me from my dogmatic slumber"
The Scots say of Cameron
"Nae Tories, thanks"
Thank you for the excellent quotations, anon 11:58 AM. You've reminded me of another element in the philosophical procession which followed on from Hume.
Hume begat Kant, Kant begat Hegel, Hegel begat Marx...and also irrational fideism and Hitler.
Auntie Flo'
Auntie Flo:
George 1, admittedly a horrible man, was a Stuart via his mum, but was probably a better bet than Bonny Prince Charlie.
judith said...
George 1, admittedly a horrible man, was a Stuart via his mum, but was probably a better bet than Bonny Prince Charlie.
If you mean the other Great Pretender, Boney Prince Charlie, I totally agree with you.
Post a Comment