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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2017 20:39:10 GMT
A very interesting Thames TV documentary about the SNP following its failure to win Hamilton in the 1978 by-election. Features George Robertson, Margo Macdonald, Winnie Ewing and Denis Healey:
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Post by johnloony on Apr 8, 2017 5:26:41 GMT
A very interesting Thames TV documentary about the SNP following its failure to win Hamilton in the 1978 by-election. Features George Robertson, Margo Macdonald, Winnie Ewing and Denis Healey: Interesting that it ended with the SNP singing "Scots Wha Hae", described as the party's anthem, rather than "Flower of Scotland" as the nation's anthem. Incidentally, one of the minor interestingisms of the later by-election in Hamilton South in 1999 was that fifth place went to the ""Hamilton Accies Home, Watson Away" candidate, with 6% of the votes; Wikipedia says he was a member of the SLP (which I didn't know before). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_South_(UK_Parliament_constituency) |
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Post by johnloony on Apr 8, 2017 6:00:49 GMT
A very interesting Thames TV documentary about the SNP following its failure to win Hamilton in the 1978 by-election. Features George Robertson, Margo Macdonald, Winnie Ewing and Denis Healey: The emotional singing of the supporters in that film also reminds me of this documentary programme about the election campaign of Liverpool Militant MP Terry Fields in 1992, which starts and ends with a room full of his supporters celebrating their heroic defeat. I have always remembered the programme because of the fantasies of some of his supporters, e.g. the woman at about 36 minutes in who described how there would be a great flourishing of culture "after the revolution". |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2017 7:17:19 GMT
I recall George Robertson saying in 1997 during a devolution debate that he wouldn't personally have supported the establishment of the Scottish Parliament if he thought it would lead to the break up of the United Kingdom. He had also said, two years previously, that "Devolution would kill Nationalism stone dead", something the SNP was later to remind voters from 2007 onwards.
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Apr 8, 2017 8:11:45 GMT
A very interesting Thames TV documentary about the SNP following its failure to win Hamilton in the 1978 by-election. Features George Robertson, Margo Macdonald, Winnie Ewing and Denis Healey: Interesting that it ended with the SNP singing "Scots Wha Hae", described as the party's anthem, rather than "Flower of Scotland" as the nation's anthem. 'Flower of Scotland' was only written in the mid-1960s, and only started being used as the Scottish anthem in 1974 unofficially by followers of the Scottish rugby union team. It wasn't officially adopted until 1990 by the Scottish Rugby authorities and later in the 1990s by other sports bodies. |
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The Bishop
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Post by The Bishop on Apr 8, 2017 9:12:38 GMT
I recall George Robertson saying in 1997 during a devolution debate that he wouldn't personally have supported the establishment of the Scottish Parliament if he thought it would lead to the break up of the United Kingdom. He had also said, two years previously, that "Devolution would kill Nationalism stone dead", something the SNP was later to remind voters from 2007 onwards. Some of us thought that a stupid and hubristic thing to say even at the time. George was given to those sorts of rhetorical flourishes, though..... |
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Post by finsobruce on Apr 8, 2017 9:14:31 GMT
I recall George Robertson saying in 1997 during a devolution debate that he wouldn't personally have supported the establishment of the Scottish Parliament if he thought it would lead to the break up of the United Kingdom. He had also said, two years previously, that "Devolution would kill Nationalism stone dead", something the SNP was later to remind voters from 2007 onwards. Some of us thought that a stupid and hubristic thing to say even at the time. George was given to those sorts of rhetorical flourishes, though..... It was. he wasn't alone in that though.... |
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Post by johnloony on Apr 8, 2017 10:03:39 GMT
'Flower of Scotland' was only written in the mid-1960s, and .... OMG I had no idea of that! |
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Post by hullenedge on Apr 6, 2018 22:23:49 GMT
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Post by bluelabour on Mar 21, 2020 22:39:32 GMT
To reinvigorate an old thread – what made the Strathclyde regional council so unpopular? I've watched a couple of videos about 70s Scottish politics like this one and it seems a recurring theme.
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Post by No Offence Alan on Mar 21, 2020 23:05:23 GMT
To reinvigorate an old thread – what made the Strathclyde regional council so unpopular? I've watched a couple of videos about 70s Scottish politics like this one and it seems a recurring theme. Because it covered half of Scotland and basically existed to subsidise Glasgow. |
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Post by edgbaston on Mar 21, 2020 23:35:48 GMT
To reinvigorate an old thread – what made the Strathclyde regional council so unpopular? I've watched a couple of videos about 70s Scottish politics like this one and it seems a recurring theme. Because it covered half of Scotland and basically existed to subsidise Glasgow. Who's idea was it for the borders to be drawn so wide? |
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Post by No Offence Alan on Mar 21, 2020 23:45:42 GMT
Gordon Campbell, Secretary of State for Scotland 1970-74.
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Post by Davıd Boothroyd on Mar 22, 2020 0:08:04 GMT
Well ... there was a separate Royal Commission on Local Government in Scotland which was commissioned at the same time as Redcliffe-Maud looked into England - chaired by Lord Wheatley. It recommended two-tier local government and a 'West Region' which was very similar to Strathclyde as it was created (the main difference being that most of Argyll wasn't included). Gordon Campbell's white paper Cmnd 4583 largely accepted the Wheatley model but fiddled with the boundaries. He accepted that "there has been a good deal of criticism of the very large West region" but could not see any alternative. He did include all of Argyll in it - but cut out Girvan in the southern tip of Ayrshire. By the time of the Local Government (Scotland Bill) in 1973 it had become Strathclyde. Here is a Lords debate showing the concern about it: api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1973/oct/15/local-government-scotland-bill-1 |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2020 0:25:47 GMT
If Scotland ever does become independent I do hope a nice song like "Scotland The Brave" becomes our National Anthem rather than the vulgar "Flower of Scotland".
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Post by Adam in Stroud on Mar 22, 2020 0:36:08 GMT
If Scotland ever does become independent I do hope a nice song like "Scotland The Brave" becomes our National Anthem rather than the vulgar "Flower of Scotland". I've always thought the tune of "Flower of Scotland" to be rather fine, though I imagine it is the lyrics that cause you to call it vulgar. If bombastic nationalism isn't your thing I recommend the Del Amitri World Cup song "Don't Come Home Too Soon" which is wonderfully self-deprecating ("If I have a dream at all it's just that you won't be on that stupid plane; the world may not be shaking yet but you might prove them wrong; even long shots make it - sometimes.") |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2020 0:43:31 GMT
If Scotland ever does become independent I do hope a nice song like "Scotland The Brave" becomes our National Anthem rather than the vulgar "Flower of Scotland". I've always thought the tune of "Flower of Scotland" to be rather fine, though I imagine it is the lyrics that cause you to call it vulgar. If bombastic nationalism isn't your thing I recommend the Del Amitri World Cup song "Don't Come Home Too Soon" which is wonderfully self-deprecating ("If I have a dream at all it's just that you won't be on that stupid plane; the world may not be shaking yet but you might prove them wrong; even long shots make it - sometimes.") I will give it a look. If you really want to p*ss off a Nationalist, tell them that Scotland's only National Anthem is "God Save the Queen". (I don't care if it's strictly true or not, it gets their knickers in a right twist) |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2020 15:18:40 GMT
I love Del Amitri
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Post by finsobruce on Mar 22, 2020 15:38:18 GMT
were we the last to know that? |
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Post by Adam in Stroud on Mar 22, 2020 16:10:00 GMT
A guilty pleasure of mine. |
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