Friday 25 July 2014

Another Union Dividend.

First of all, I don't think any one wouldn't be moved by Ross Murdoch getting his gold medal - scooped in the 200m breast stroke which I am given to understand is a swimming thing. The favourite - Michael Jamieson - looked gutted, but that was more than off-set by the look on the winner's face.



The BBC's Tom English said of the win:

"He powered on, super-charged by the roar of the crowd. Not just British-class or Commonwealth-class but world-class."

And there lies another union dividend. On behalf of the British establishment,  the national identity of others is over-written so it can lay claim to international plaudits to which it has no right. And if you're Scottish, Welsh and to a lesser extent Irish; there is no escape. Wimbledon for example, when Andy Murray plays, he plays for Britain, so when he wins - he's British not Scottish. If he was playing tennis in the Commonwealth Games, he should be representing Scotland, but if he won, the BBC's Tom English, would label it a 'British-class performance.'

In the Commonwealth Games, Scotland is distinct, we're not competing as part of Britain. However, when one of our own wins - by default - its a win for Team GB. It hints at a certain mindset - there are those who don't understand that Scotland is a country in its own right, they see Scotland as a part of Britain and Britain is England/England is Britain. When Scots point out the error; we're called moany, chippy or over-sensitive.

The games themselves are being usurped by Britain. In a fly past, the red arrows were going to release blue and white smoke, but it was changed at the last minute to red, white and blue. Flags with Saltires on one side and Union Jacks on the other are also being handed out - it highlights how desperate the British state is to hammer home the message - You might be Scottish, but you belong to Britain.



Its an example of what's at stake on the 18th of September, much as many in the No camp would like you to believe - this isn't about national pride, its about national identity and the ethos it espouses. British ideals today fall way short, they've been warped and bastardised by hard-nosed conservatism and an inbred sense of entitlement. If the world was an open plan office, Britain would be the self-righteously grasping, privately educated twat in the corner taking credit for the hard work of others while pinching their milk and biscuits from the tea point.

This is subtle stuff, but its British Unity by thousands of tiny cuts. You might not notice them now, but when you do, you could find the time for treatment has passed you by.

Keeping the national debate out of the games was always a forlorn hope, as usual, those insisting on it the most broke their own diktats soonest, and given the almost maniacal British nationalism of the Olympics - it was probably an unrealistic expectation anyway.

If double standards was an event, the union would win gold.

9 comments:

  1. double standards was an event, the union would win gold.

    The thing is - were wise to it... so all it will achieve is to irritate and annoy. They would have been wiser not to have tried to suborn the Games - but wisdom hasn't really been a defining characteristic of the unionist campaign

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  2. Hi Lily.

    You're quite right of course, we are wise to it and more & more are getting wise. Its seems those in charge of the campaign for the union can't see it from within their murky bubble.

    Thanks for reading, its always appreciated.

    :-)

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  3. PA

    I was going to blog about this but there has been so much already written.

    From what I have suffered,sorry seen, this has to be the most British of games ever. 2012 Olympics was wall to wall English but Glasgow is wall to wall British.

    There appears to be a total reluctance to call a Scottish athlete Scottish we appear to be British or them while English athletes are US and we. The BBC have shipped in the bigger presenters from England implying that BBC Scotland is rubbish, which it is, but thats not the point.

    I noticed that the volume of flower of Scotland goes down, the English cyclists have the union Jack on their helmets and use God save the queen as their anthem. All very subtle but typical. The BBC have no doubt employed people on how to make these the most political broadcasts ever and so subtle it really is scary.

    When you add in the disgusting coverage by the BBC of Gaza anyone with a brain can see that the BBC no longer try to even pretend to be impartial . This is one of the reasons I just cant bring myself to watch it to be honest, I put it on in the background but I just find myself getting angry at the commentary of the event. The hypocrisy is startling to say the least. Glasgow and Scotland would appear to have done a decent job, minus barrowman at the opening ceremony the prick, but you would never know it from the language used and the sad reality is most people wont see or understand the subliminal messages the BBC are broadcasting, people like us who see it will be called cranks or worse.

    Sadly the games show unionism at its very worst , but they just couldn't help themselves due to how afraid they really are.

    Great blog.

    Bruce

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  4. defence secretary michael fallon

    not supplying military arms to Russia

    small print


    But permits covering sniper rifles, night sights, and components for air-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft guns, combat helicopters, depth charges and rocket launchers, remained in force


    Arms export licences
    UK arms exports to Russia
    still active

    Exports of small arms ammunition, gun mountings, body armour, military communications equipment and "equipment employing cryptography" are also still permitted, the committee added.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Bruce and thanks, this post got about five times as many reads as most others, which always has me worried - I wonder if I've made a terrible mistake or caused some awful controversy, I think I'm ok here though.

    As you say, we're portrayed in the press as being paranoid or chippy about it - they say; "but its only a wee bit of smoke out the back of a plane!"

    The thing is, if the running shoe (haw haw) was on the other foot and it was the unionists who felt aggrieved; it would be in the papers for a fucking month.

    I missed entirely the opening ceremony so only had reports to go by, not sure if that was good or bad to be honest. Using Barrowman was however bad - a prominent poster boy for the BT campaign? That wasn't even that subtle.

    The BBC are a joke, again we'll no doubt be dismissed as being over sensitive, but you'd have to be a monumental idiot to not see the coverage over Gaza - about which I haven't the words to adequately express my disgust at that entire situation - and how woeful its been.

    As 'Water' says above, the entire edifice is crumbling, Fallon is just another wide-eyed unionist robot who'll say anything and think we'll swallow it.

    Its all intensely crap and disappointing.

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  6. Craig Murray mentioned on Munguin's Republic that he knew Fallon.

    He says he is a ultra ultra right Thatcherite person, who used to go around singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me" which is a Nazi anthem isn't it?

    By the way, I've always thought that breast stroking was something that should be done in the privacy of one's private chambers. But if people want to do it in a stadium in a pool in front of millions, who am I to argue?

    Porn ON the BBC instead of IN the BBC for a change.

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  7. Oh dear.

    Normally its me who lowers the tone. I'm proud of you. ;-)

    Fallon has that glassy eyed look about him, a sure sign of the career politician.

    I've managed to watch none of the commonwealth games at all, I think I'm doing quite well.

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  8. I had the ultimate in teachers Pa... You taught me all I know.

    Well I don't watch tv, but I'm following it on Twitter and hearing from Nicola and Shona and the FM... and Doug Daniels how well things are going.

    We are doing really well. And that's good for moral, and for the crap that they tell us that we couldn't do it without the UK

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  9. Looks like we're third in the medal table just now, as you say, hopefully - in terms of sport at least - people will see we're more than capable.

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Thanks for comment as always and I apologise if you have to jump through any hoops to do so. Its just that, I'm still being spammed by organisations who are certain I can't get it up or when it is up its not big enough or that I don't have anyone to get it up for.

Who knew blogging could be so bad for ones self-confidence?