There are five million Scots-born people in England, as many as the entire population of Scotland. But they, along with the Unionist Scots-Irish of Northern Ireland, have also been neglected. If this homecoming were what it claims to be, then there would be adverts all over the national media. But the publicity team are waiting until after Burns Night to show their Caledonia advert in Ulster and London
The term, "disowned children" seems rather appropriate.
17 comments:
Whilst it should have been aimed at the English side of the diaspora (it was probably assumed that it would filter through the UK media), the promotion of the links between Scotland and Ulster has to be dealt with gingerly.
You do not want hords of Orangemen coming across on the ferry singing the "Famine Song". I could see elements of the West coast Labour Party rubbing their hands with glee if the SNP was sucked into "Billy and Dan" debate.
Maybe the Scottish government could hire Robbie Coltrane to reprise his "Mason Boyne" character and make an advert especially tailored for that market!
You do not want hords of Orangemen coming across on the ferry singing the "Famine Song".
That's just the slightest of stereotypes-it's like saying don't advertise in London are you'll get all the Rab McNesbitt lookalike homeless around Kings cross coming up
I'm a "horde of orangemen" and I have no idea what the famine song is.
I'm looking forward to "homecoming" in March to kick your arses in the Rugby mind you.
We aren't all a bunch of spides.
The Scottish MPs voting 7 days a week on English issues need to attend the homecoming and not come back.
People are beginning to catch on.
5 million Scots-born in England alone? More than the Scots-born population living in Scotland? Where on Earth did you get that statistic? That would mean well over half the Scottish population have abandoned the country of their birth!
To quote Winnie the Pooh, "ho hum...tum tee tum...".
Now lets all conga dance (virtually) while signing, 'the SNP are morons..."
5 million Scots-born in England alone? More than the Scots-born population living in Scotland? Where on Earth did you get that statistic?
I didn't, it was the guy writing the article. It does seem a bit high, perhaps speaking also about 2nd generation.
No it is quite a specific comment. And one that simply cannot be true.
I don't understand what the fuss is about, these adverts are in the main about the oversees market. And the issues over the ancestry of many black west indians would be a sore point and deflect from the purposes of the adds. Although many Scots forced from their lands and forced to work as labourers on these plantations, were only too happy to have black partners.
I take exception to Aberdonian's stereotype. I am an Orangeman and I refuse to be described in such a disparaging and offensive manner and I refuse to acccept that misplaced description (call it what you will) of my brethren for the vast majority are certainly not like THAT.
5 million? - Total nonsense.
The stereotype of Orangemen in the Scottish media is akin to bunch of rednecks. I remember the Sunday Herald (in a supposedly impartial article) describing the senior members of the Dumcree Orange Lodge as the "Chief Rednecks" or "spokesman for the Rednecks" or "leader of the Rednecks".
If the Orange Order wants to clean up its act then it should look at its own marches and the havoc they have caused. They have the right to march, but many a time in Western Scotland it does reduce to "hate marches".
To a degree they have done so. But it would be interesting whether you are still get beaten up for walking in front of an Orange march when crossing the street. I have seen it happen. One guy had his head bounced off a car bonnet in the middle of Glasgow City centre - by the march steward in 1997.
Or the tale of two American tourists having legs beaten with twirling batons earlier in this decade for naivly crossing the street.
Do you guys thing you are kings of the road?
There have been complaint for centuries about the conduct of these marches. I remember speaking to a former kirk elder who remembered in the post-war years drunk orangemen carousing through the streets of Kilburnie.
And I heard similar reports about similar bad behaviour in the 1960s.
Not to mention in the early 19th century when an Orangeman shot a cop in Maybole after the local plods refused to let them march through a Catholic village (last public hanging in Ayr was his fate)
The columnist Jack McLean once said that an Orangeman was a "moron in cheap suit, drunk on cheap wine and on the arm of an even cheaper wife!"
Strangely he got some death threats after publishing that column.
Also Aberdonian you will be aware of your great city's stance towards these hate marches. I know Ayrshire quite well and nothing you say surprises me at all. They held their grand march in Greenock several years ago. Deliberately choosing a place that has plenty of Catholics. The local chief constable described them as animals and vowed he would not let them do so again. This was told to me by a senior Ayrshire Orangeman.
This is one stereotype that is borne out by facts.
Hello Dewi, bora da
Your first comment Aberdonian:
the promotion of the links between Scotland and Ulster has to be dealt with gingerly.
We've now moved in one east leap onto American tourists getting their knees whacked and here's me thinking you were guilty of one-box stereo-typing;)
The links between Ulster and Scotland are not as one-dimensional as you seem to be implying, I think Tony might confirm what I'm getting at...
No I can't, please elaborate.
On either here or Slugger, I seem to remember you saying you had family ties to Ulster; if you don't I apologise and I'll alter the comment.
Gie's peace Oneil, that is not what you were getting at. And the two groups are no way comparable in terms of bigoted impact, and you know it.
I actually had a run in with some of the people you were associating me with on Sunday evening. I'm not sure that you would have approved entirely though. At a Republican sing song I was at, in a well known Glesca pub there was calls for hush as the national anthem was played. At the finish I suggested to the singer that he should sing our national anthem as well, ie. flower of Scotland.
Perhaps I'll tell ye one day how it panned out ;¬)
It was funny.
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