CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Do we need an EU referendum thread? (Brexit thread)

(3978 posts)
  • Started 8 years ago by I were right about that saddle
  • Latest reply from chdot

  1. chdot
    Admin

    "Still amazed that I'd never heard of Patrick Geddes"

    Always impossible to know 'everyone' even in (overlapping) fields where you have an interest.

    How about (Edinburgh related) -

    James Gowans

    William Arrol

    Frederick Pilkington

    George Washington Browne

    Basil Spence

    Posted 6 years ago #
  2. chdot
    Admin

    Slightly earlier, some people will know all (or most) of these. Most people have probably only heard of Burns.

    "

    Among the fields that rapidly advanced were philosophy, political economy, engineering, architecture, medicine, geology, archaeology, law, agriculture, chemistry and sociology. Among the Scottish thinkers and scientists of the period were Francis Hutcheson, David Hume, Adam Smith, Dugald Stewart, Thomas Reid, Robert Burns, Adam Ferguson, John Playfair, Joseph Black and James Hutton.

    "

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Enlightenment

    Posted 6 years ago #
  3. Colonies_Chris
    Member

    I was in the Central Library this afternoon and noticed they have a George Washington Browne room. That's the first time I'd heard that name, and now here it is twice in one day.
    Another name that has faded from memory is Hugh Miller. Back in the day (late 19th c) he was known to just about everyone in Scotland - he even has a bust in the hall of Scottish heroes at the Wallace Monument - but today, the name conveys nothing to any but a few specialists.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Hugh Miller's house in Cromarty still stands. NTS property.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  5. chdot
    Admin

    "the name conveys nothing to any but a few specialists"

    http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=16721#post-226985

    Posted 6 years ago #
  6. chdot
    Admin

  7. chdot
    Admin

  8. I were right about that saddle
    Member

  9. chdot
    Admin

  10. LaidBack
    Member

    I note that 50 people wrote an open letter to the Herald newspaper today.

    "We call for a national debate on Brexit. We ask our fellow citizens, and our politicians, to think again. It is time to call a halt to Brexit."

    http://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/letters/15416518.Letters__Why_we_believe_it_is_time_to_call_a_halt_on_Brexit/

    This strikes me as a Scottish tail trying to wag the RUK dog. I hear many people down there are fed up with experts and foreigners and many of the signatories here might be considered to be both (!)

    Anyway it appears that being ignorant and incompetent is good enough these days. Add in contradictory policies and appearances on TV helps too. I also note that the 50 don't want to talk about the Scottish DIY dimension (one way to get out of this mess) yet the letter is only in a Scottish newspaper AFAIK - so easily ignored by RUK media.

    In short I think the days when Scottish influence on UK could bring the rest of the UK nations along in our direction has gone.

    post 1000!

    Posted 6 years ago #
  11. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    British history is just a long drawn-out answer to the question 'What happens if you put a bunch of mediocre toffs with a sprinkling of genuine psychos in charge of complicated important stuff?'


    EU set to halt Brexit talks ‘because the UK is not ready'

    Posted 6 years ago #
  12. LaidBack
    Member

    Ha, ha! :-)

    People 'here' don't vote for them.
    Just because dwellers in North Britain like Dr Who and Brideshead doesn't mean we actually want to take part in their fantasist experiment!
    Henry McLeish cannot avoid supporting an Indy solution in my view. Corbynomics will only work so far but will hit an obstacle with WMD. That useless use of money needs freed up and put into creating jobs here.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  13. wee folding bike
    Member

    I wish Henry McLeish would do something or get off the pot.

    Dennis Kanavahn and Tommy Sheridan managed. Henry hasn't seemed happy in Labour for years.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  14. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Drivers are paying more than 5p a litre extra for fuel because of the weakened pound since the Brexit vote, the AA motoring group claimed today.

    "

    http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/brexit-vote-added-140-to-fuel-bills-1-4511002

    Posted 6 years ago #
  15. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    The Labour party's approach to the UK of GB&NI's exit from the EU is quite mystifying to me.

    In England they are pro-Brexit despite the members and MPs being mostly anti-Brexit.

    In Wales they seem to be anti-Brexit despite the people voting for Brexit.

    In Scotland they are anti-Brexit but won't support the one thing that avoids it.

    In Northern Ireland they allow another party, the SDLP, which is in favour of a united Ireland, and therefore keeping NI in the EU, to stand for them.

    No wonder Henry McLeish keeps his heid doon.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  16. gembo
    Member

    @Iwrats, who can say anymore? Next Michael Gove will call for a Green Brexit.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  17. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @gembo

    I am still troubled by the fact that I used to drink in the same pub as him. I read a lot of Sci-Fi in my youth, all that go back in time and accidentally kill a butterfly stuff.

    In the alternative universe I am Environment Minister for Airstrip One, currently calling for relaxation on the rules governing thorium in breakfast cereals.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  18. gembo
    Member

    When Scottish parly was at the general assembly the bow bar in Victoria street was greatly reduced as a watering hole by presence of Mike Russell. He looked, smelt and sounded like a Tory to me in those far simpler days,

    Of course when I gave up working as a barman in the Doublet Bar of kelvinbridge, they replacd me with Jim Murphy.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  19. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @gembo

    Yes, many conservatives and a few Tories in that party. Jim Murphy of course famously teetotal so good bar staff, but also renowned for his high octane all-night dancing prowess.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  20. gembo
    Member

    Did not know about the Murphy dancing? For years his only political contribution at Westminster was running the football team. By some accounts he is only making a tenner a day at moment. He was also first on scene at Clutha vaults helicopter tragedy. All strange but not as strange as Allan Stuart and his flintlocks or Lord James Douglas Hamilton whose cafe I was in yesterday (scrib Tree of Douglas Estate, Douglas, though Jimmy is dead now and maybe he owned more of Hamilton than Douglas?) crossing Scotland from South East to south west on A70, Douglas is considerably nicer than anywhere else except Sorn of course

    Posted 6 years ago #
  21. chdot
    Admin

    "Next Michael Gove will call for a Green Brexit."

    Already -

    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Michael+Gove+will+call+for+a+Green+Brexit.&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-gb

    Posted 6 years ago #
  22. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    The peoples are so confused.

    The Welsh first minister said the UK should follow Norway, which retains almost full access to the single market as a member of the European Economic Area despite not being in the EU. Jones said that he did not accept the argument (used by both Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May) that the vote to leave the EU amounted to a vote to leave the single market.

    Norway of course a member of both EFTA and the EEA. EFTA will never accept the UK of GB&NI as a member due to its size and history of disruptive behaviour.

    Can't think of any country in EEA without being in EFTA or EU. Suspect one or other is a prerequisite.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  23. I were right about that saddle
    Member

  24. PS
    Member

    The report ... says that with “proper planning” the UK could be ready for Brexit.

    Good luck with that.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  25. amir
    Member

    http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-eu-negotiator-europe-euratom-airline-safety-negotiations-theresa-may-worse-anyone-guessed-a7858586.html

    Well I guess we should just ignore the experts and listen to the politicians instead

    Posted 6 years ago #
  26. Morningsider
    Member

    Well, at least the chlorinated chicken will stay fresh while stuck in a 100 mile long snarl-up near Calais.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  27. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I can still see valid reasons for wishing to leave the EU, but you would need to have a plan for the ten years leading up to exit and the twenty years after. And the whole country would need to agree on those plans and the need for the inevitable sacrifices.

    This is...what was the phrase...drunken mud wrestling in an unlicenced clown abattoir?

    It seems inevitable now that important things are going to be broken and real people are going to be badly hurt.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  28. chdot
    Admin

    "I guess we should just ignore the experts and listen to the politicians instead"

    Well, perhaps there should be more scrutiny of those politicians who choose to ignore "experts".

    Politicians should be willing to lead in directions that "experts" advise against, BUT they also need to be in a position to be able to deliver, and need ideas beyond ideology and blind faith.

    "I can still see valid reasons for wishing to leave the EU, but you would need to have a plan for the ten years leading up to exit"

    Yes, but maybe not 10 years.

    Of course "valid reasons" isn't necessarily the same as 'good reasons'.

    Alleged reasons include 'getting our country back', 'controlling borders', 'no rule from Brussels', 'no control by EU courts', 'ability to trade with the rest of world'.

    Any politician who says that these (and any other things) is 'what people voted for, so we must respect the will of the people' is disingenuous or delusional.

    The problem now is not how much these can be delivered to the satisfaction of the 50% of voters who imagined they thought they knew what they were voting for.

    The future looks to be full of unintended, unexpected and unthought through consequences.

    The chances of things being better for all but a select minority seem slim.

    But then again, maybe Liam Fox knows what he is talking about, and will make it all OK.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  29. chdot
    Admin

    Gove just on R4 saying 'no chlorinated chickens', 'no diesel or petrol cars sold after 2040', 'mustn't do things to make climate change worse', 'want to be technology leader, like in Margaret Thatcher's day'.

    All be easier after Brexit of course.

    Posted 6 years ago #
  30. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Ministers have been wary of being seen to "punish" drivers of diesel cars, who, they argue, bought the vehicles after being encouraged to by the last Labour government because they produced lower carbon emissions.

    The UK announcement comes amid signs of an accelerating shift towards electric cars instead of petrol and diesel ones, both at home and abroad:

    "

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40723581

    Posted 6 years ago #

RSS feed for this topic

Reply »

You must log in to post.


Video embedded using Easy Video Embed plugin