In my ongoing theme of identifying ways in which the Scots are different enough from the English to justify being an independent self-governing country, I’ve touched on a number of themes including our preference for more inclusive, communitarian, caring, social policies and generally more left-wing politics. See, for example:
- Free bus pass for the over 60s
- Free care for the elderly
- Superior NHS
- Free HE tuition
- More GPs per head of population
- Compensation for the bedroom tax
- Stronger fire and flood safety regulations
- Giving all new mothers a baby box of essentials
- Less child poverty
- Lower stillbirths and early deaths
- Better police/Muslim community relations
- No junior doctor strikes
- Highest organ donor rate in UK
- 26% of Syrian refugees taken in by only 8% of UK population
- First to end period poverty
- Tories who support the winter heating allowance!
Don’t these add up to evidence of the dominance of a more caring communitarian set of values even in our Tories? If you need the evidence for the above, search my site. It’s all there.
In a recent YouGov poll ‘What do Brits think of the social classes?’ a look at the regional breakdown is illuminating. While the Scots subset respond in quite similar ways to the regions of England and Wales with regard to perceptions of the working and the middle-classes, their views on the upper class are significantly more negative.
In response to the statement ‘Contributes the least to society’, 60% of the Scots respondents choose the upper class with the North closest at 50% and the South at only 42%.
Perhaps most striking, in response to the statement ‘Are the least moral’, 56% of the Scots respondents choose the upper class with the North closest at 47% and the South at only 42% again. That’s quite a strong, condemnatory, statement for so many to go along with and so indicative of a quite deeply-held view.
These are quite large gaps and suggest further evidence of a difference that makes a difference between most Scots and many of those living in, especially Southern England. I’m reminded of my recent piece based on a survey suggesting Scots business people were actually more principled than might have been thought. Listening to Ruth Davidson recently, you might even argue our Tories are less right-wing and more communitarian than many English Tories.
Other sources:
Who said Scots were not more left-wing than those in the rest of the UK?
Talking-up Scotland 
And yet, ‘Scottish’ newspapers are owned by the wealthy, David Cameron buys an estate in Scotland, Paul Dacre owns an estate, creaming in £400K a year from subsidies, Theresa May and her Cabinet of rich toffs heap destructive policies on Scots, and we refuse the legal opportunity to do something about it.
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I know.Are we all talk?
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Minister’s cats?
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Hi John and Co.
Were I a religious man I might interpret this snippet of news from beeb website as a sign from the divine power?
Edinburgh Castle flagpole snaps in high winds
The flagpole which has been at Edinburgh Castle for more than 50 years has snapped in high winds.
The pole, which is on top of the Crown Square clock, broke in the early hours of Monday.
Work to fix a mechanism inside it, which had failed, had just been completed last month.
The Union flag is raised every morning and lowered every evening.
The flag flies under Queen regulations because the castle is a military saluting station.
The flagpole is maintained and the responsibility of the MoD.
Time for an alternative ‘Flag in the Wind’?
Ludo
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I think this may be an omen!
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A good one
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In a crosswind
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Talking of crosswinds:
The ScotRail Alliance will invest millions of pounds to keep people moving during autumn, as it undertakes a major push to deal with the very real safety risks caused by leaves on the line.
With much of Scotland’s railway lined by trees, a common cause of disruption during autumn is leaves falling on the line. A build-up of leaves results in a slippery layer forming on the tracks.
This can be dangerous, causing trains to skid and overshoot signals and platforms – potentially putting passengers and staff in danger. As a result, drivers must accelerate and brake gently.
This causes services to go slower than normal and can result in disruption for customers. Leaf debris can also interfere with the signalling systems, making it difficult to track trains on the network. Led by Network Rail, from the middle of October the autumn campaign will include:
• £2.6million invested in clearing the tracks • 11 leaf fall teams, totalling 30 staff based at locations across Scotland including in Inverness, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Tayside, the Borders and Fife • A fleet of seven specialist treatment trains designed to clear leaf debris and spray lines with a glue-like coating to help train wheels grip the tracks • Treatment trains covering an average of 1,500 miles a day • Up to 7,200 staff hours dedicated to clearing the line • A colour-coded warning system on Twitter each day, advising customers of any expected disruptions caused by the weather.
David Dickson, infrastructure director for the ScotRail Alliance, said: “We are working hard to build the best railway Scotland has ever had, and part of that is keeping people moving during autumn when the weather can create major safety risks. “We know few things annoy customers more than when their train is delayed because of leaves on the line. People are always a bit sceptical, but the reality is that leaves on the line can be dangerous and lead to disruption. “The ScotRail Alliance is investing millions of pounds and pulling out all the stops to tackle this problem over the coming months.”
Expert forward planning in the Scotrail Alliance – HUMZA MUST GO!
Ludo
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Jeez, Ludo, you find out more than I do.
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Hi John – well you’re to blame – I used to plod along in standard fashion until I came across this blog!! – Ta, ludo
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Is that Boris, seated on the right ?
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Hi Alan – the blond moptop is indeed ‘Joggin’ Boris’ and the slight figure on far right (no comment) – leaning against the wall – is yer actual Gideon ‘George’ Osborne. Silver spoons or what?
Ta, ludo
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Thanks Ludo. Would not have recognised the future and ex chancellor. Fascinating stuff is thrown up, for me, looking at the image. Like watching the courtship strutting of the bower bird. Perhaps due to it all being so alien to me. Is there significance in wearing silvered buttons and white lapels or black buttons with black lapels. Possibly Moss Bros just ran out of white lapels.
Anybody know who the gadgy (did you get the ref. John) is second from left standing ? Indeed who are all the others.
Alan
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Hi Alan – Isn’t ‘gadgy’ one of our (many) word borrowings from Romany roots? or am I way off base?
Not sure who the standing guy 2nd from left is – let’s just say if he were chocolate he’d be eating himself quick-smart.
I suspect there is some kind of dress code designating status within the ‘club’ going on – Someone with considerably more patience than I would have to anayse it all!
Cheers, Ludo
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Hi Ludo, yes gadgy is a borrowed Romany word. Means, not one of us. Pal, is one of us. This came up in one ofJohn’s threads some days back.
I noticed elements of ex PM call me Dave in the chap standing 2nd left, looking into the middle distance trying to channel a choclatier. But what do I know i don’t even recognise me in the mirror.
Alan
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