If you can find any country that has had a referendum on independence
based on any other basis than those living in the territory concerned,
I’d be delighted to hear of it.

South Sudan comes to mind….

I’ll be gentle with you. It’s not nice to be savage towards those who are intellectually challenged.

There is free movement within the CTA which currently consists of the UK, Eire, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Those who suggest that all people born in Scotland should have a vote on Scotland’s constitutional status, must logically think that all those resident in Scotland, but not born there, should not have a vote.

If you want to bring sporting rules into it, then you really should consider cricket.

Once you have some understanding of the issues, feel free to respond.

Heavens to Betsy! You have come up with a good example!

Syria: More news of escalation. 

It looks as if the air force is now involved in attacking insurgent positions in the North and Western line of battle  Syria.

Whats worse, the city of Homs and Rankous are being bombarded to the hilt. Homs in particular has seen a lot of casualties and after days of softening up Assad;s forces have moved into Rankous. Sadly for them a fair number of the Free Syrian Army managed to move out.

Discretion may be the FSA watchword at this point. They have good support but not big numbers of fighters, they don’t have heavy weaponry (though don’t necessarily need it) and they can’t hold off heavy mechanised attacks but again they dont need to, If they can keep themselves alive, keep the shooting matches well spread, keep routes over the Lebanese and Turkish borders open and keep the likes of Idlib province a relative stronghold then they will, eventually just wear down Assad’s forces by means of stretching them.

It is a real life violent form of whack-a-mole for Assad’s ls troops who nominally have around 70-80 000 army staff under genuine control, not including airforce, navy and internal security police. Only half of those army troops however are considered 100% to fight it out if the crisis gets worse.

Meanwhile, the world watches and the Saudi’s, the Qataris and some Lebanese elements continue to get support in for the Syrian opposition mainly via the Syrian National Council. They have been doing so for months but now realise this one is a much tougher nut to crack than Libya.  The ‘West’  has kept its support limited to advice and some useful pieces of comms kit but may well seek to step it up/. The Turks by the looks of still have a lot of splinters in their collective rears despite much talking though they are hosts to camps where insurgents have trained.

As for Russia and their laughable attempt at diplomacy, says it all. Perhaps they should follow the Iranians who while assisting Assad in men and materiel hope for his survival but are already prepared for his defeat.

It’s getting worse, it still hangs in the balance.

Y0kel, I really do appreciate these reports that you post. Sometimes, however, “Like” is a really inappropriate response to what the reports contain.

In fairness to the Nats, they have (recently, in any case) campaigned for Scotland as an independent “country” – not as a “homeland” for the Scots “race” – not that you’d know it from some when they are in their cups mind you. So the logic inevitably follows that those resident in Scotland, be they born in Tobermory or Timbuktoo should get to vote, while those, like myself, born there, but no longer resident, should not.

Sunil……That it is a solecism to begin a sentence with and is a faintly lingering superstition. The OED gives examples ranging from the 10th to the 19th c.; the Bible is full of them.

Thanks Sunil when I finally work it out etc…(but thanks if you see what I mean)

This must be one of the best language blogs available online:

http://www.pagef30.com

You could have said the same about Barack Hussein Obama and he won!