Styx
Back in April our companion of nigh on 16 years bowed out.
Our regular reader will have known her only as Bumpy, but she preferred her true name of Ellie.
Training to Fail
7 years ago
Posts
Friday, August 05, 2016
Saturday, August 08, 2015
Can Seo
Over on Twitter the low oxygen level up yon munros has clearly got to Muriel Gray.
I like Muriel Gray. I bought her books.
Can I refer all involved in the resultant furore to this evidential work.
Back in the very early eighties, following Varsity, I worked as a Field Researcher and Analyst for a very similar and indeed the first National Opinion Survey on Scots Gaelic under the auspices of An Comunn Gaidhealach. I can only say read the research and findings there.
I also found this article to sum up what needs saying.
Am I a native Gaelic speaker? Chan eil.
Do I speak Gaelic? Tha, beagan.
But back to the hyperventilation over at Twitter.
Some observations:
- Many countries have bilingual road signs where there is a significant linguistic rationale for doing so. Off the top of my head I recall Magyar script on Eastern Austrian road/village signs. This pleases me because my family name is Hungarian, although admittedly our lot emigrated back circa very early 18th century and well before UKIP!
- Gaelic was, and indeed is, spoken well past (i.e. south) Inbhir Nis agus An Gearasdan for the information of a few so called intelligenti of the SNPout coven.
- My recollection and the stats confirmed that the attitude to Gaelic was surprisingly favourable even in the most unlikely spots such as Kirkcaldy and East Kilbride!
- The comments on Muriel's tweet, and the significant follow up blog by Paul Kavanagh, have now become a political football with #SNPbad and rabid nationalism attributes being flung about in relation to the well intentioned actions to reverse the decline in the language due to the linguistic colonialism of English. This is all the more disappointing as it was George Younger, aye him, Thatcher's Secretary of State for Scotland, that was at the head of the queue pushing Gaelic to the forefront as he had a deep affinity to, and what I like described as, the Gaelic Community. (Jen Topping was deceptively close with her assertion that it was The Iron Lady herself that was the promoter of Gaelic back in the early eighties). Language has no direct political hue.
- My forebears on three sides were undoubtedly Gaelic speakers (from Rothes, Strathdon and Scalpay, Harris), the late MiL was a downtrodden native speaker and I have a significant past supporting what I liked to jokingly call the Gaelic mafia. My view was simply that the language, and the cultural strings attached, were being trampled on by the Beurla stampede and some significant positive discrimination was needed.
Finally, the author of our 1981 survey had this to say to the Leveson Enquiry about Gaelic. If you've ever heard Ken speak in depth about Gaelic, his Rayleigh accent knocks you right off your stot! More fun even than that was myself and his loon (nepotism alert!), whilst surveying in Castlebay, entering a local hostelry and abidy hearing our accents (mine is a Heinz 57 mix of mainly Buckinghamshire and a few other RAF airbase twangs coupled with couthy Doric and his; piercing Essex) and the patrons yapping to each other in Gaelic clearly believing we hadn't a scooby what they were saying. Like I say, I speak a little Gaelic, but wasn't letting on. My cohort, however, despite the foregoing is fluent. He timed the reveal to perfection. Oh and we both have a particularly appropriate first name for that particular island. Mine is the standard English spelling. Unsurprisingly, Ken's loon is the Gaelic version. The jungle drums went feel thereafter........
UPDATE: Auntie and the PnJ have now had their say too.
BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.
Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.
Saor Alba.
© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Canteen mythology
There has been a wee bit of a kerfuffle recently over at Twitter in regards to Polis eating habits and canteens.
Ever prescient, I offer you this piece (sic) from 2008.
BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.
Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.
Saor Alba.
© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Thursday, May 07, 2015
Jockalypse
BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.
Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.
Saor Alba.
© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Wednesday, May 06, 2015
Election Eve Message from Toy Town™
— Ross Colquhoun (@rosscolquhoun) May 6, 2015
BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.
Saor Alba.
© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Complete Mayhem
Combining two of my least favourite things gives you this ludicrous apocalyptic vision of the future.
There's democracy for you.
Funnily enough we Scots ain't feeling the love anymore......
You may wish to check out the Twitter hashtag #WorstCrisisSinceAbdication
BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.
Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.
Saor Alba.
© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™
Thursday, April 09, 2015
Sea change
I apologise, well no I don't actually, to my usual reader as I am about to get all Political.
I can imagine reader that you have just planted your forehead firmly on your desk schoolgirl stylee as I suggest this, but.....
I have had an enforced 30 years away from open and public politicking and even more so from an open allegiance and membership of the SNP. I have lot of catching up to do and sooooooooooo much to say.
Stay with me!
There will be plenty musings to follow in the run up to the General Election and next year's Holyrood elections, but a wee tale to start us off.
I live in WAK (or Toyland if you prefer) and this has been a FibDem / Conservative and Unionist marginal for all the time I have known. Liebour and the SNP have never really had a shout, such that many (including myself) voted tactically to keep the least worst option out.
Recently in the Euros and Local elections the SNP have made patient and gradual progress into a challenging position, but I am now told it's a two horse race here in #GE2015. Literature delivered by the FibDems and Tories confirm this as so and that it is the FibDems that are the inferred and 'preferred' challenger for those voting tactically.
Two observations follow on from this:
I voted partly to keep a party out of this constituency/government last time and then the turncoats entered into an unholy alliance - you can call it a coalition if you wish. I also voted partly for the individual as he was an old classmate at Varsity and thus a decent enough chap you'd have thunk. My cautionary tale for tactical voters is - you don't always get what you vote for with second choices. Stay true, whatever your leanings are.
Secondly, and much more importantly, I was sat aside a gent some maybe 10 years older than me in the local barbers this morn, when I overheard his conversation with the not overly stretched stylist regarding the forthcoming vote. He was regaling the lassie with what he appeared to suggest was an awakening to him (and may I suggest the nation) that "that Nicola Sturgeon came over really well and she seems to have some good policies." This was clearly a surprise to him and not the statement of a paid up member of the SNP, but the one next to him was fair chuffed, especially when the lassie agreed.
There is a sea change happening......
BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration.
Feel free to spread the joy by joining the SNP today.
Saor Alba.
© McNoddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Endex
Busy daen naithin a noo, bit fan I'm ready tae yap, look oot. Nae holds barred ye ken.
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Thursday, August 07, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Freedom shackled
Being forced to accept the status quo without comment is NOT neutrality.
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Friday, June 06, 2014
A Life to Give
A Life to Give from Stirling University Production on Vimeo.
I might just ken a loon involved in helping put a' this agither.
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Thursday, March 06, 2014
Landshark Mk.II
Following on from the blinder played by T. Mayhem re Supernintendos, here is her latest plan to replace Polis dugs.
© Bumpy the Dog
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Friday, February 28, 2014
A certain age.....
This month I exceeded the limit.
28 day rolling contract begun. Do your worst.
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Sunday, December 01, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Polishambles
If you have been missed out, give us a shout.
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
Monday, September 09, 2013
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
More Myanmar misery
Dear friend
Yesterday (Monday 22nd April) was a significant and sad day for Burma. It provided a striking example of the growing disconnect between the reality on the ground in Burma, and the policies of the international community, including British government policy.
The day started with the BBC releasing a shocking video of the anti-Muslim attacks which took place in the Burmese town of Meiktila last month. Police stood by doing nothing as Muslims were beaten and burned, and shops and homes destroyed. You can view the video here.
Human Rights Watch then published a new report, ‘All You Can Do Is Pray’, which provided evidence of ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity against the ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma. The report included evidence of Burmese authorities involvement in crimes against humanity. You can read the report here.
Later the same day European Union Foreign Ministers met and decided to lift all sanctions against Burma except the arms embargo. This is despite multiple violations of international law still taking place, and the fact that the EU’s own benchmarks for improvements in human rights have not been met.
Our press release, which includes details on how those benchmarks have not been, met is here.
The Democratic Voice of Burma also published an article by the Director of Burma Campaign UK on how the EU is ignoring human rights, available here.
Perhaps just as bad as the lifting of sanctions was the statement from the EU, which is a significant misrepresentation of what is taking place in Burma, downplaying and ignoring problems, and talking up small positives. It’s a rose-tinted view of Burma which ignores the facts and the serious human rights abuses still taking place. You can read it here.
In an editorial, the Daily Telegraph said that it was ‘deeply embarrassing’ that British Foreign Secretary William Hague agreed to the lifting of sanctions. The Telegraph warned that the EU’s credibility is damaged by lifting sanctions despite human rights benchmarks not being met, and that the EU is now relying of the regime's goodwill to make further reforms. You can view the editorial here.
A key factor in the shameful approach by the EU is the fact that Foreign Secretary William Hague has abandoned the former policy of putting human rights first in making Burma policy. Without Britain’s strong voice for human rights within the EU, countries like Germany, which always wanted to prioritise trade, get their own way. Worse, the British government now seems to be trying to compete with Germany in downplaying human rights and promoting trade.
Sanctions are gone now, but the human rights abuses remain. Burma Campaign UK will campaign to persuade the British government to put human rights first in its Burma policy. We will be in touch with you soon with campaign actions. The people of Burma still need our support, now more than ever. We will keep campaigning for human rights for all the people of Burma.
Thank you for your support.
Anna Roberts
Executive Director
Burma Campaign UK
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Out to pasture - or "Time to become a duck."
A song for long time Gadget followers.
BTW you can follow me on Twitter @Toytowner
© Noddy
Published by Toy Town™ Times
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