Seil Chat

1. He's against tax cuts.
2. He's in favour of "trusting ordinary people to make decisions about their own lives."
3. He's against people "banging on about Europe."
4. He's in favour of sunshine.
5. Er, that's it.

He's good for the SNP!

Now you have Salmond, Brown and Cameron, I suspect it will be harder than ever for a Scot to decide which direction is best for Scotland, especially in these troubled times.

What's the problem, PP?

One is a plastic, policy-free toff.

One is a dithering, dour, clueless misery.

One is a competent, effective, positive leader despite having minority support.

No contest?!

We should look for a leader of the ilk of our ancestors three hundred years ago.
1707 was the best thing ever to happen to Scotland.
Prior we were totally bankrupt (all our capital lost in the Darien disaster) and had no way out as we were denied trade access to the fast growing Empires of various European countries.
Post we had all our losses paid back to us and at last we could trade with the Americas.
Our leaders then put down a couple of wee reactionary rebellions aimed at restoring a catholic monarchy and we blossomed. Mid to late 1700s was a time of economic boom for Scotland, roads and bridges built, great houses restored/founded and The Scottish Enlightenment only made possible by a background of peace and prosperity.
So, back to the point. We need leaders of that ilk and which family was a driving force behind 1707? The Camerons.
There's your answer.

Long Memory (Whig by choice)

Cleverly worked answer Longshanks.

BTW can someone tell me the origins of the 'Salmond' name?

According to t'internet, PP, the name Salmond "is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the baptismal name for the son of Solomon". In other words, Alex is genetically wise and patient, if a bit English in origin!!

As to Longshanks's travesty of a potted anglophile history of Scotland, I suggest that he describes various initial events in which Scottish initiative was largely scuppered by English opposition, perfidy, greed and bribery followed by a period of increasing Scottish freedom during which our national and international initiatives were more able to reach maturity. The time is nigh and overdue when Scots will be independent again and free from the likes of wallies like David Cameron, the very type of toff which has blighted so much of early Scottish history!

Well Pantiman;

It appears that the Salmond family is English by origin, possibly with a Jewish influnce:

English and French: from the Middle English, Old French personal name Salmon, Saumon, a reduced form of Salomon (see Solomon).
Jewish (Ashkenazic): from the Yiddish male personal name Zalmen, derived via a German form from Hebrew Shelomo (see Solomon).

The search.ancstry website, from which the above comes, has a name distribution map for the 1841 census showing a predomination of the Salmond name in Yorkshire and Lancashire and Fife.

So it appears that the only true Scot, by ancestry, of our three politicians is Cameron. 2-0 to the Tories then for our recommendation for next leader.

Long Sigh (prepared to be verbally battered by choice)

Is it true he was a boy soprano?

Spidey, old chap, bit like old times eh?
You write:
"a potted anglophile history of Scotland"
Care to quote one anglophile (not that anglophilia is a problem) sentiment/statement from my post?
and
"Scottish initiative was largely scuppered by English opposition, perfidy, greed and bribery"
eh? when, how?
and
"the very type of toff which has blighted so much of early Scottish history!"
eh? who, how?
Been watching reruns of "Bravefart" have we?

Long Bow (Britophile by choice)

OK, Longshanks, let's go! Your name, for a start, is in itself something of an anglophile statement, a memorial to an arrogant English feudal villain with an overdeveloped lust for power. As is the view that the Union was the best thing that ever happened to Scotland. The Scottish Parliament prior to 1707 proved itself far superior to that in England, passing visionary new laws including Knox's scheme for national education and for provision for the poor, besides imposing criminal punishments which were fairer and more humane than those elsewhere. A tradition of superior performance continued recently by the Scottish pseudo-Parliament in Edinburgh. The union itself was brokered by English bribery and was both corrupt and without popular support from start to finish. The relative populations of England and Scotland at the time were in the ratio 5:1 yet Scotland was given 1/12 of the total representation, reducing Scotland to the status of a county of England, an attitude that persisted for centuries. The Darien sheme was of course largely destroyed by English jealousy leading to international political blocking by the English Parliament, for example leading to the King prevailing on the Germans and Dutch to withdraw their previously promised support. And so on.

But, what the hell, it's all a-changing for the better and forelock-tugging whigs like you will just have to put up with it or get out the kitchen! Don't get me wrong, I like the English - I just don't want to be in a union with them any more! And hopefully the feeling is mutual!

End of rant!

he has been brilliant - give the boy credit for what he has done for so far.

we need control of the oil revenues which have been squandered over the years

what is mr cameron going to do for us?

replies please

Spot on, Batman!

During his speech did he not say something along the lines of, I paraphrase......." The present government does not believe in society, only the government or the individual " Which I believe is something Mrs Thatcher said. Perhaps the Tories and Labour should get together..... both seem very good at selling off our assets, the tories can bankrupt us via London and Labour can tie us up in industrial action via its continued support for unions.

On another note I love the way our government has solved the power generation problems we will face in the future......sell off our nuclear generation facilities to the French Government (or EDF as they are known).......... ha ha ha ha you just couldn't make it up, next they will sell of all our oil production to private companies.....oh too late!

Spidey, you seem to equate support for the Union with being an Anglophile (not that there's anything wrong in liking another race!). If that is the case then some 70% of Scots are Anglophile as current polls show that only 30% of Scots want independence, the remaining 70% don't therefore they support the Union. Similar polls show a mojority of English do not support the Union and want Scotland to be a separate, independent nation. What does that make them?
BTW Darien was scuppered because it is a malaria infested swamp and it was us who took (what you call) the bribes. We didn't have to accept bribes!
And Seventh; we had to sell our nuclear power generation to the French as we no longer have the skill, experience nor technology to build them due to opposition of Labour to nuclear power (until only very recently). Anyway, it doesn't affect us as Salmond will refuse any nuclear power on Scottish soil. I suppose he thinks we'll come off the National Grid and hope that the wind blows every day!
I get so fed up with the petty nationalist view that all our problems are caused by the English. Perhaps a proper understanding of History would get that particular chip off our shoulders and we could recognise the real scapegoats; the Gaels.
They came over from Ireland, conquered our lands and completely ethnically cleansed our original inhabitants - the Picts. They then proceeded to establish a culture based on servitude, feuds and interclan warfare and an economy based on theft (raids for cattle and goods).
To cap it all the Gaels produced a grand finale of ethnically cleansing themselves when the landowners in Victorian times (the self same clan chiefs) cleared their lands of their kinsman in pursuit of profit.
I am happy to say the above in the knowledge that my forbears come from Lewis on the male line and Barra on the female.

Long Trench (preparing to be hit by a soggy haggis by choice)

Blimey.
Is it a year already since we had this amusing wee spat?
Still, times' upon us again for Cameron's conference speech.
What's happened in the meantime:
Brown has saved the world but destroyed Britain's future.
Cameron's smiled a lot.
Salmond has not kept any promises still (which is a good thing) but he has released a terrorist.
....and this Forum has descended into any orgy of gibberish and strange backslapping.

Bard Shanks (poetry lover by choice, would love to see some on this forum)

dal riata rules then shankers
or do you feel the irish influence is too modern.

Teddy

ps.as i think ive said before .Its a bit late to bother about who controls our energy policies.

all of the big six are foreign owned and all governments since 1066
are responsible.

Talking of names, my name is Peter Connelly (the younger, so don't blame my Dad). Time this country (Scotland) got out of its blame-mentality and stood on its own feet, for good or bad. See what happens...

Well said, Peter! Let's have a go!

Ignoring cameron for the moment

Wasnt the original definition of democracy

"government of the people
by the people
for the people"

Seems the way to go peter but not unilaterally.

Im a euro-paeon now
instead of a british peasant

Teddy