Scotland Thread

[Mekong]

Scotland 6 v 13 England

[Julian2]

What a great game with all those goals.

Did they play at Wembley or Hampden Park?

[The_Munchmaster]

That's not the score that's the number of sendings off for each side!

[The_Munchmaster]

'Oldest living twins' aged 102 in Aberdeenshire

 

Two 102-year-old sisters who live in Aberdeenshire have been recognised as the world's oldest living twins by the Guinness World Records.

 

 

Edith Ritchie and Evelyn "Evie" Middleton were born in 1909 and reached their latest milestone in November last year.

 

The twins, whose maiden name is Rennie, live together in Bonnyton House care home in Ellon.

 

Neither of them has ever travelled outside of the UK.

 

Although not identical, their mother would dress the girls in the same clothes.

 

 

After leaving school the pair worked on farms before starting their own families.

 

Evelyn married William Middleton and had four children, 12 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

 

Edith married Nathaniel Ritchie and had four children, nine grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.

 

When asked her secret to a long life, Edith said: "Simple living, hard work and a good husband."

 

Guinness World Records editor-in-chief Craig Glenday said: "Edith and Evelyn are a remarkable pair.

 

"When they were born the likes of Mark Twain and Florence Nightingale were still alive and we had yet to conquer the South Pole.

 

"They're not just the oldest in the UK, they hold the world title. They've clearly benefited from good genes and a solid lifelong friendship that only twins can truly understand."

[sayjann]

tou hoping for a 3some next time you get back to Scotland?

[The_Munchmaster]

tou hoping for a 3some next time you get back to Scotland?

 

I am actually, just not with them!

[sayjann]

I am actually, just not with them!

 

too young for you?......

[The_Munchmaster]

Relaunching a Europe of the Regions?

 

Thu, 09 Feb 2012

 

The Scottish referendum on independence, to be held in autumn 2014, may provoke effects far beyond the frontiers of the UK.

 

 

In 1963 the French academic and politician Guy Héraud published a list of the so-called stateless nations around Europe in his book L'Europe des ethnies. The publication made Héraud, along with the likes of Alexandre Marc, a main reference for supporters of European federalism based on the self-determination of people.

 

His 'Europe of the regions' is still an unattained dream – or nightmare for some. The surrounding debate has largely been restricted to the confines of European universities. Yet a small step towards the political construction suggested by Héraud might take place in the autumn of 2014, the date when the Scottish government intends to hold a referendum on the independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom. The debate over the popular consultation has been going on for more than three years, but it has exacerbated after the stunning success of the Scottish National Party (SNP) during the 2011 Scottish Parliament general elections. Following the electoral programme, the government run by Alex Salmond, has accelerated the process of passage of the referendum bill, even obtaining the support of David Cameron’s UK government, which is eager to put an end to this centuries-old dispute.

 

The quarrel between Salmond and Cameron, however, is not over just yet. The UK Prime Minister supports the holding of a binding referendum for independence on a 'yes or no' basis, but the Scottish side asks for a three-option question. They are adding the hypothesis of 'Devo Max' or Full Fiscal Autonomy (FFA), which would guarantee Scotland much broader financial powers while still remaining within the borders of the UK.

 

Currently, polls show an appreciable advantage for the unionists. The potential introduction of the 'Devo Max' option, however, might reverse the result in favour of the position supported by the SNP, suggesting that the UK government and David Cameron will have to fight a tense and tough battle to retain Scotland within the kingdom.

 

Despite all of the referenda in the UK, however, they are constitutionally only consultative due to the primacy of the parliament. Yet the possibility of the full independence of Scotland is not illusionary. The UK government could not ignore a strong 'yes' from the Scottish voters and the European Union might have to start working toward the inclusion of an additional member to accommodate Salmond's support for independence in the EU and, potentially, NATO. The secession of Scotland may even produce a domino effect on other European countries, notably Spain.

 

The Iberian country has at least three minority nations – Catalonia, the Basque Country (Euskadi) and Galicia – two of which (Catalonia and Euskadi) express constant requests for higher autonomy and, potentially, independence. The claim for popular consultations on sovereignty in Catalonia and the Basque Country were raised after the referenda on the independence of Montenegro and Kosovo, the latter still not recognised by the Spanish government. In Catalonia, a local independence platform has even organised non-binding unofficial referenda in 2009 and 2010, recording a surprising turnout of about 30% of those eligible to vote.

 

The news coming from Edinburgh has heartened the Catalonian and Basque separatists, raising concern in Madrid. Sources from the Spanish capital indicate Spain may block the accession of Scotland to the EU in much the same style it rejected the recognition of the independent status of Kosovo. Nonetheless, the Catalan Prime Minister Artur Mas has already drawn a parallel between Scotland and Catalonia, taking advantage of the situation to ask for more fiscal autonomy from Madrid. The most extremist separatists immediately called for a popular consultation on the model of Scotland's.

 

The outcome of the Scottish referendum on independence could produce effects far beyond the frontiers of the UK, potentially opening the door to a new phase of regional politics in the European Union. A Europe of the regions inspired by the model suggested by Guy Héraud is pure utopia, but the Scottish events might provoke a resurgence of the debate on the minority nations, possibly one that would avoid partisan demagogy and establishing the basis for the construction of a new model of European integration. The European Union's institutions should thus pay more attention to the evolution of theses political processes all over the continent. Until now, the European regional policy has been limited to the distribution of funding to enhance economic growth in European regions, without taking adequate consideration of the potential role of sub-state entities in the political construction of the EU. Scotland's referendum is showing, however, that it may be time to give more thought to the national minorities.

 

by Federico Martire

[The_Munchmaster]

Basques 'jealous' of Scottish bid for independence

by: Graham Keeley From: The Times February 21, 2012 12:59PM

 

ANY Scots troubled by splitting up with the old enemy south of the Border might be pleasantly surprised to learn that Edinburgh may have an opportunity to extend the country's borders 900 miles south.

 

Nationalists in the Basque region of Spain have proposed a draft law that would unilaterally replace Madrid with Edinburgh as their capital.

 

Not content with political union with Scotland, the Basques want sartorial integration, adopting the kilt as part of the national costume.

 

While the proposal may not feature high when David Cameron meets his Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy in London today, for Andoni Ortuzar, president of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) in the Bilbao region, the matter is a pressing political issue.

 

"We have a tradition of carnival in the Basque Country and I used this to suggest we adopt the kilt as part of our national dress," he said. "I also said in a satirical way that we should annex the Basque Country to Scotland because they are going to be able to choose their future whereas we cannot."

 

Dressed in a kilt and sporran, Mr Ortuzar said that the Basques had been denied a referendum on independence by Madrid for years.

 

"We are a little jealous of the Scots," he added.

 

Once the draft law is passed, Mr Ortuzar said there would be no obstacle to stop the Basque Country becoming annexed to Scotland.

 

The PNV has had close relations with Alex Salmond's Scottish National Party in the past but it is not thought that talks on political union have ever been discussed.

[The_Munchmaster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qkj9KViN_cA