Disappointing Crowd for Open Air Gilbert and Sullivan
1,600 people attended British Armed Forces Day in Stirling. 20,000 attended Bannockburn Live, 1 mile away. Guess which the BBC covered?
The unionists have long been obsessed by the fear that the 700th anniversary of Bannockburn would remind Scots that their ancestors were prepared to die for their national freedom. I have never seen any Yes campaigner even mention it, as the case for independence is nothing to do with the early medieval period. But the British state was so concerned, that it waited until the dates for the Battle of Bannockburn event had been set and all the permissions given by Stirling Council , and then announced they were holding National Armed Forces Day at the same place and same time.
As a result, due to police fears about the overcrowding, Bannockburn Live was forced to slash capacity from 40,000 to 20,000.
Stirling Council should never have agreed to hold both events on the same day. In fact, it is a secret how they did agree. Stirling Council officials, called before a Scottish Parliament inquiry to explain, stated they could not say who at Stirling Council had given the permission, as because the process was irregular it was subject to an independent inquiry.
Only the Labour Party in Scotland could come up with that one – “because we have done something extremely dodgy, it is therefore secret.” Stirling Council is in fact run by a right wing Labour-Tory-Lib Dem coalition aimed to keep the largest party – the SNP – out of power. Stirling Labour Party is therefore the absolute epitome of just how disgusting Labour are.
So today the BBC News lead item was the Stirling Armed Forces Day commemoration, with David Cameron parading about with his soldiers in front of every Tory in Scotland (1,800 people). The BBBC had three crews at the Armed Forces Day plus two radio crews. Not one of them managed even a mention of the ten times larger Bannockburn commemoration just down the road.
On top of which the BBC coverage was as appalling a bit of state propaganda as you could ever wish to see. A fine old retired soldier, they reported, told David Cameron that he did not wish to see the country he fought for broken up. It really was, straight out, as crass propaganda as that. Evidently the BBC were unable to find a single ex-soldier who supports independence.
But for me the piece de resistance was the BBC’s conclusion. It showed that when the BBC really puts its mind to it, the BBC can try to be completely biased in a more subtle way – by use of body language, inflection and expression. In September, the female presenter opined, Scotland would have to choose between what it has to [spoken lightly, trippingly, frivolously high pitched voice] gain, and what it has to [stentorian, serious, loud, low pitch, serious expression] lose.
To explain Bannockburn, I feel the Declaration of Arbroath coming on. This is an astonishing document which predates Locke and Hobbes by well over three hundred years. It is the first declaration in history that puts forward the idea of the sovereignty of the people. It praised Robert the Bruce for defending Scots from the dreadful atrocities of English armies, but then goes on to say:
Yet if he should give up what he has begun, seeking to make us or our kingdom subject to the King of England or the English, we should exert ourselves at once to drive him out as our enemy and a subverter of his own right and ours, and make some other man who was well able to defend us our King; for, as long as a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be subjected to the lordship of the English. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.
The document is signed by named nobles but is in the name of the “freeholders and whole community of the realm of Scotland”. There is no document anywhere near it temporally that describes the idea of a nation state like this. Unionist historians have done everything possible to denigrate this very plain sentiment, making the obvious point that the signatories were nobles and clerics. Well, neither Locke nor Hobbes were refuse collectors. The appeal to the Pope was of course to be expected in the early XIV century. It cannot be denied, except by those who hate the Scots, that these sentiments encapsulate the “social contract” and an idea of the nation that was a major advance in European civilisation.
From Mary, helpful as ever:
“Craig has certainly managed to bring the resident trolls out of the woodwork”
__________________-
To which Habbabkuk would reply : “and the usual bitch(es) as well”
**********************$
More seriously, there are several people here commenting adversely on Craig’s comments who do not post very often. Is it not typical of Mary to immediately accuse them of being trolls, presumably for having an opinion she does not share?
Has she looked up Hilde Benjamin yet, I wonder?
As sexist as ever.
‘Bitch, literally meaning a female dog, is a common slang term in the English language, especially used as a denigrating term applied to a person, commonly a woman. It often refers to someone who is belligerent, unreasonable, malicious, rudely intrusive, and/or aggressive.
Its original use as a vulgarism, documented to the fourteenth century, suggested high sexual desire in a woman, comparable to a dog in heat. The range of meanings has expanded in modern usage. In a feminist context, it can indicate a strong or assertive woman, one who might make men feel threatened. When applied to a man, bitch is a derogatory term for a subordinate.’
LOL
O/T
and infuriating
Former NSA/CIA head: ISIS’s ascent in Iraq poses 9/11-like danger to U.S.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/06/29/former-nsacia-head-isiss-ascent-in-iraq-poses-911-like-danger-to-u-s/
and the zombies among the American public will eat it right up
Mary
You can choose whichever meaning of “bitch” turns you on, but you can safely assume that I’m using it with the same degree of friendliness and good manners as you show when you’re using the word “troll” to refer to me.
Actually, I think you quite like the attention you receive from me. Furthermore,our former moderator Jon once begged me to address you less frequently because my comments just seemed to spur you on to even greater displays of verbosity and absurdity – he said something along the lines of you wanting to demonstrate through this increased activity that you weren’t going to be intimidated. I think he was spot on.
BTW – careful about using “LOL” or you’ll have one of the Useful Idiots writing again to say that you seem a little old to be using that expression 🙂
Dre; It is rather puzzling that these dunces can revisit past stupidity with no accountability.
Habbakuk. Stop cluttering up this blog. It does not belong to you.
craig 29 Jun, 2014 – 6:05 pm
Then he hurdles a crazy tackle in the penalty box which would’ve been a sure-fire penalty if he went down.
Then he gets hacked down twice, either of which should’ve been a penalty, but the ref ignores both.
Then he takes another dive and is awarded the penalty which wins the game.
That’s football.
^^ oops, wrong thread ^^
I’ve reached the age where one count the crowd thread looks very much like another.
Anon,
Your understanding of Scots is bizarre and is exactly the reason why you and your companions are now losing the debate. As Plato said “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something”.
I shall converse with you no further.
Good night and god bless.
Thanks Mary …Yes, silly me I knew it was something ending in ongs. That’s a very good question why would she?
Rab
Hope you rant made you feel better – but it is quite possible to be against nearly all the things on your list (as I am) and still consider that keeping the UK is a better way of dealing with them – especially as you avoid the consequences of whipping up nationalism in Scotland and also probably England.
-infuriating indeed Dreoilin. We note according to the Daily Wail the CIA has abandoned Zombie reporting on extremism in the Britain, preferring to sent it’s own ‘wolves’ IMO to establish new lines of communication with ‘terrrra cells’ – ISI(S) has crossed the big pond…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2673511/Obama-sends-CIA-UK-probe-terrorist-breeding-ground-President-pointed-snub-MI5-lone-wolf-mission-interrogate-British-security-experts.html
AS an actual re-enactor discussing the history at Bannockburn with the public, it was well attended and the public were great. A fair number wore “Yes” t-shirts and badges, but deliberate attempts to ensure it wasn’t a triumphally anti-English event had been taken and it seemed to have worked.
AS for armed forces day, the phot of the explosion looks to me like it has, based on events I’ve been to and seeing the 1 to 2 thousand watching each battle in the Bannockburn area, as maybe 10k at most, probably more like 5k; you can pack a surprisingly large number of people in a small area, use the portaloos for scale. It’s definitely more than 1600 though.
And fortunately the Red arrow who flew over Bannockburn after 5pm did so after the show was over, otherwise there might have been an accident involving spooked horses – one did step on a handlers foot in their own enclosure when startled by the noise of the plane.
“Professor Anthony Glees, of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at Buckingham University, said the mission, which took place earlier this year, showed the level of concern in Washington over the issue, which he claimed was rooted in the UK’s ‘lax’ immigration policies.”
It happened months ago? It would be more likely Obama sent FBI, and the fact that CIA mustered the intrusion, sounds like their roguishly normal behavior. I’m sure Obama and others have been displeased with progress with Assange as well. Then there’s Greenwald’s former paper of record. I wouldn’t be surprised if MI5/6 had the gun on personnel sledge-hammering hard drives, and CIA had guns on MI5/6.
The US has it’s own immigration/border issues.
http://m.cbs7.com/multimedia/article_5087837e-f5d2-11e3-8302-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm
They can keep what they don’t kill.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/jan/31/snowden-files-computer-destroyed-guardian-gchq-basement-video
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Able_Danger
Resident Dissident
“especially as you avoid the consequences of whipping up nationalism in Scotland and also probably England.”
You can blame the propaganda war being waged by the UK aided by the mainstream press for that. In fact the slurs and insults meted out to Scots on a daily basis is so outrageous as to make you vote Yes regardless. Not that I think there is any other choice mind you. Why suffer the Westminster buffoons any longer?
Cameron looks as though he’d rather be daaaahn sarf snortin ching off Rebekah’s …..
There were 12 versions of the BBC report on the event.
Stirling leads Armed Forces Day celebrations across UK
http://www.newssniffer.co.uk/articles/801399/diff/0/1
Interesting to see that they put such effort into updating and adding bits as other bits were taken out. I should think those responsible for the editing over two days must have been thoroughly sick of it by the end.
Mary
“Habbakuk. Stop cluttering up this blog. It does not belong to you.”
________________
For Heaven’s sake be original, dear – you’ve pinched my line about Mr Goss being an “Insolent Squatter”.
Re clutter – in California Ben epigrammatic style : beams and motes?
Have a great day now!
John Edwards @ 3:34pm – yes, Bannockburn was originally 3 days, but the know nothing scaredy cats reduced it to 2 because oddly enough in Scotland, you simply won’t sell all your tickets months in advance for something that isn’t a music festival or similar because Scots prefer to check the weather on the day before going. This is a well known problem in many events. There are of course other reasons, but ticket sales were as good as I expected, it’s just the committees of bureacrats overseeing it all know nothing about events and thought it would all go wrong. They also thought armed forces day would suck away potential visitors too.
I’m sure I saw aims of 50k and more attending armed forces day,
http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/arts/news/stirling-armed-forces-day-events-unveiled-1-3362263
so 35k is a failure by any stretch of the imagination. Note the Hootsmon article is carefully slanted to do bannockburn down as much as possible.
Algeria Won Gaza Cup
Algerian team presented by (the Islamic Society team) won the final game against Mexico presented by (Rafah Services team) in Gaza World Cup championship, which was held under the slogan “occupation besieges us and the World Cup our access,” organized by the Popular Committee Against the Siege and sponsored by Miles of Smiles Convoys and Partners of Peace and Development for Palestine “PPDP”.
The match was run in presence of the minister of justice Saleem Alsaqqa, Minister of Public Works Mofeed Alhasaina, MP Jamal Elkhoudry, the chairman of the Popular committee against Siege PCAS, Dr. Essam Yousef the head of Miles of Smiles convoys, the vice president of the Palestinian association of football Ibraheem abuSaleem, and some Legal persons.
MP Elkhoudary said that Gaza Cup widely spread emphasis on the ability of the Palestinian people to get rid of this unjust siege that has been imposed on them for the eighth year paralyzing all fields of life.
Yousef, the head of Miles of Smiles convoys, expressed his happiness to be in Gaza, stressing the strength of the relationship between the two peoples, Palestinian and Algerian, who work hard to break the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip. He also said that the convoys will continue coming to the Gaza Strip until breaking the siege. 2014 will be the year of breaking the siege he said.
They both, Elkhoudary and Youssef, gifted the first winner the cup of the championship with 2,000$ while the second winner was gifted 1000$ and the same amount of money was given for 20 people of the audience as gifts.
From an e-mail in today from Free Gaza.
For Blackwater, iraq was a ‘golden’ shenanigan.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/30/blackwater-security-firm-above-law-us-state-department-killed-17-iraqis
“US embassy officials in Baghdad sided with Blackwater rather than the state department investigators as tension escalated between Richter and Blackwater in August 2007, the Times reported on Monday. The officials told the investigators they had disrupted the embassy’s relationship with the security contractor and asked them to leave. Once back in Washington, Richter wrote his 31 August memo to state department officials to warn of lax oversight of the company.”
The Caliphate instructs that the Rulers must be deposed. This is the uniting force behind all the apparent weird alliances. Now it’s official.
http://uk.mobile.reuters.com/article/idUKKBN0F309Y20140628?irpc=932
“SHANNON Ireland (Reuters) – Saudi King Abdullah pledged in talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to use his influence to encourage Sunni Muslims to join a new, more inclusive Iraqi government to better combat an Islamist insurgency, a senior U.S. official said on Saturday.”
Further Gilbert and Sullivan.
Ruritanian general and ex tennis champion revisits outpost of British Empyre.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2675711/General-Nastase-fashion-dictator-SW19-Former-Wimbledon-runner-ups-military-style-outfit-turns-heads-does-Sir-Cliff-stripey-blue-suit.html
Outplayed by the Cliff Richard ensemble!