Oh goody, an email from the Scottish Book Trust advertising a one-day seminar that would be right up my street. Packed full of useful and interesting stuff, and a bargain at £15 to boot. I download the booking form, but that is as far as I get for it is not for me: I may live in Scotland, pay my taxes in Scotland, even have been partially educated in Scotland, but this is for graduates of Scottish Universities and Scottish Universities only.
There can be – how shall I put this? – a provincial air to Scotland at times. What I would call a little-Englandish mindset, were it a few miles further south. Last summer there was a nasty spat between the RSPCA and the SSPCA about the RSPCA daring to advertise in Scotland when any money donated would end up rescuing English (or Welsh or Irish) dogs and not their Scottish brethren, while everybody else just scratched their heads and wondered why we needed two charities doing exactly the same thing on different sides of the border and spending good time and money having a turf war over it to boot. But it’s not just them. There’s Scottish versions of pretty much every charity – even the poppies, I noticed, surely a national symbol if ever there was one, announce that they are Scottish poppies, for a Scottish charity. I’m not begrudging the Scots their share of the cake (indeed, I’m happy to partake in the much more generous Scottish system myself, and very grateful that the rest of the country feels obliged to bribe them to stay in the union), but it’s not exactly Culloden we’re remembering on November the 11th. Although actually, up here maybe it is.
But then, I suppose, the Scots have to compensate a little for their centuries of occupation, their total exclusion from mainstream British society, and the BBC’s habit of ending all weather forecasts with the words ‘and finally, Scotland…’. After all, America might have elected a black president at last, but how many more years will this oppressed and noble people wait before you can imagine Britain having a Scottish Prime Minister?
…oh no, hang on, wait…
November 16, 2009 at 10:07 am |
Ha! Yes, Italy is much the same. God forbid that I should want to eat any food that isn’t Italian. I also find that when my internet dies (which it does with depressing regularity), half the time it is because I’ve been visiting a site which promotes international travel. Coincidence …?
November 16, 2009 at 10:45 am |
Ooh, wait, Italy, how did I miss that? Hello, must update my blogroll.
November 16, 2009 at 10:53 am |
RSPCA doesn’t work in Ireland either (USPCA and ISPCA work in the two jurisdictions there) – there are other differences though – the RSPCA is entirely a charity (although it likes to pretend it’s a 4th/5th Emergency service and dresses it’s officers in a manner which might be mistaken by the general populace for some official force) has no powers beyond those of a regular citizen – no power of entry or arrest, no ability to bring a criminal prosecution – for that they must act with the police and CPS.
SSPCA inspectors have a special legal dispensation to prosecute people under animal welfare legislation. Their inspectors also have powers under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, providing powers of entry, search and issue of notices enforcing the law.
November 16, 2009 at 3:47 pm |
And then there was the Poll Tax fiasco to add to the list of grievances
November 16, 2009 at 6:17 pm |
Why should you have to have graduated from any university to attend?
November 16, 2009 at 7:42 pm |
Ah, you’re right – we notice it a lot with the television to. STV is about as parochial as it gets; already, we get it already, you’re Scottish! It’s as if they’re worried they’ll forget so have to tell you again every five minutes. And then they have adverts on at the moment of Scottish celebrities having multiple orgasms over Rabbie Burns.
I do love the country, but sometimes the people wierd me out
November 16, 2009 at 8:06 pm |
Mary – it was for postgraduates, so that part made sense.
November 16, 2009 at 8:54 pm |
Hullo! Yes, I’ve given up acting, retrained as an EFL teacher and moved to Italy. It was all a bit whirlwind (and I’ve been a rubbish blogger for the past year or so), so you’re forgiven for missing it.
November 16, 2009 at 9:39 pm |
Best keep quiet about the fact that I’m syphoning your Scottish data into England via the intertubes to read on my laptop – don’t want to cause an international incident.
November 17, 2009 at 4:00 pm |
Too late, Alec Salmond is coming down for you as we speak…
November 17, 2009 at 6:51 pm |
Yes I know , but I’m voting for J. K. Rowling as the greatest ever Scotsman.
Hold on a minute……..
November 18, 2009 at 10:49 am |
I think the place where Scottish Nationalism is most evident is…
Tesco.
Scottish products all over the shop.
November 18, 2009 at 11:00 am |
Oh God yes. The saltire everywhere. Who do they think they are fooling?