Scotland - how you see it

[general jack o'niell]

good job nobody knows i'm actually the chook of argyll, (chook, small hen or chicken) i'd never hear the end of it, what with all my land and titles and death duties(still paying off the grandfathers) then theres thon pictures of my great aunt and the headless man, oh the scandal, nearly brought up my gin and tonic there at the very thought(gobbler, a kind of turkey)

still, if you take away the itch of those bloody tartan breeks they make me wear everytime i have to mingle with the prols(calamine lotion) its not such a bad life, how do you think i have time for this mire i'm blethering in? you'd have to have a private income to make the time to chunter on here with some of the riffraff you get, bloody good job i have those boys in kilmory in my hip pocket, i'll dem well mek sure the don't have a decent road into the place, keep the scruffs at the south end of my little kingdom, i see them all the time, not paying for parking, limbo dancing under the turnstile to use the facilities and they will go on about the price of a cheese roll, you'd think you were asking them to part with the crisis loan they'd just got so they could go up the road to watch the "old firm" and buy a new summer wardrobe in primark for a tenner.

in my father's day it would have been both barrels from the ghillie's 12 guage and they wouldn't stop running till they reached whitehouse, sadly that was in the days when scotland was free, free of scroungers, liberals and bloody socialists!!!!!

[ionnsaigh]

[The Elusive Mr D.]

I've seen a lot of Scotland in the (fairly) recent past, when I started taking walking holidays with my wife. ( She insisted on keeping the beer money until we reached our destination each day)
The tartan tourist traps are everywhere, but if you swerve past them you can still find shops that will give you friendly, helpful service and B&Bs that serve up breakfasts that could keep an army marching all day.
Scotland is how you find it, no more or less than any other nation. If you go looking for a stereotype you will find it. If you look with your eyes open you will see some distressing sights but you will also see the beauty of the land and its people.
And the people of Scotland are made up of the people of the rest of the world, just like every other country.
History is important to any nation, but too often the single-minded use past events to justify modern actions.
To anyone coming to Scotland, "Welcome", if you can ever get me in there's a cup o' tea an' a piece in ma hoose, (just don't mention......whateffer)

We've also walked down the Royal Mile to find a really disappointing modern building at the bottom.

Where it belongs

[Bobbie En Tejas]

Really nice post, and I agree... people see what they want to see.

[bakbjerg]

Really nice post, and I agree... people see what they want to see.

Jaaps, and so this thread should have bee titled "Scotland - how you want to see it"

[general jack o'niell]

sorry, i never got past the bit about him walking, i'm afraid when i couldn't believe that bit the rest of the piece fell apart like four day old breed!!!!

once i calmed down i gave it a second look and there he is offering liquids to strangers? have i been struck on the head and awakened in some weird parallel universe where everything is reversed? i hope so, i've run out of sugar free lollies, i've only three fags left and it'll be an hour before anyone gets home to resusitate me!!!

oh here, its independant over here, maybe its not so bad afterall, chuck us one of thon pieces, i'm naw in any hurry to leave

[ionnsaigh]

do i feel poor? no, living in this part of this special country with all its failings makes me feel like the richest man alive, its my Scotland, my heritage, my country, if i was a religious man i'd thank God every day that i was born here and nowhere else

General, feelings may be highly commendable attributes - when dealing with interpretations of experiences. They are however - to be avoided like the plague, when it comes to forming an objective opinion.
People being people - will however place feelings above and before reality. For example, residents of the Brazilian shanty towns grew to love their own wee bit of hell. I personally watched with sadness - workmen pulling down the slum area that I grew up in - this was after only a period of Twelve years. A famous Glasgow psychiatrist once uttered the immortal words - " feelings I told them to feck off years ago ". I imagine feelings are down to the individuals own personal internal appreciation - or otherwise of any given set of circumstances - what I love Today I could hate Tomorrow or vice versa. I love Scotland, however this love does not blind me from the harsh facts of reality- chiefly the unequal division of wealth - and the subsequent antagonisms - within our beloved country that this unnatural division creates.
Fellow Scots are dying in large numbers -through lack of decent living conditions. Surely our collective identity as a nation - coupled with these dire circumstances - runs counter to the notion that we are in any way a civilised country. More like the - I'm all right Jack - mentality. A dog eat dog society isn't the kind of place Scotland should be. I firmly believe that a Socialist Scotland fits comfortably with our history and development too a higher altruistic understanding of our people and our land.

[bill]

Should'nt that be "I'm allright JOCK"?

[ionnsaigh]

Aye Jock- strap for me.

[The Elusive Mr D.]

sorry, i never got past the bit about him walking, i'm afraid when i couldn't believe that bit the rest of the piece fell apart like four day old breed!!!!

once i calmed down i gave it a second look and there he is offering liquids to strangers? have i been struck on the head and awakened in some weird parallel universe where everything is reversed? i hope so, i've run out of sugar free lollies, i've only three fags left and it'll be an hour before anyone gets home to resusitate me!!!

oh here, its independant over here, maybe its not so bad afterall, chuck us one of thon pieces, i'm naw in any hurry to leave

I did say that you would have to get me in, before I could offer tea, pieces or any other sustenance. Given that in my job I work broken shifts that could start at 8 in the morning and finish after 9.30 at night, getting me at home at all could be quite tricky without prior arrangement.
But if you are stuck for a piece, give me a call

And as I have never owned a driving licence, walking has been a habit of mine for about 50 years now

[ionnsaigh]

Aye walking is a great form of exercise. I -along with my toddler grandson in buggy walked down Maryhill Road this morning. He really enjoys all the hustle and bustle. He likes Papa stopping to show him all the pubs.
Anyway after we had lunch in what appeared to be a trendy cafe it turned out not to be, and even after they served an egg on my vegi breakfast, it wasn't bad.
We ended up in a children's play area , absolutely fantastic place safe and generous in terms of space, with plenty of things to keep little ones amused. Does Campbeltown have a similar service ?

[jock the boat]

WITH MY EYES

[general jack o'niell]

roof still on the pool? the new school in lochgilphead lost its, and they thought that we were daft