OH LORD, WHY NOT US?

Tell you something though, I bet they don’t have blue passports, made in France.

Image result for norwegian passports

See, I told ya so. So there. Nah nah nah nah nah.

!£$

Oooops, sorry. My bad!

59 thoughts on “OH LORD, WHY NOT US?”

  1. I assume that Norway has no political parties that advocate transferring all powers and wealth to Sweden, all the while telling the people how worthless they and their country are?

    Liked by 4 people

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    3. Does it have a national press telling folk that they would be Better Together with Sweden which subsidies Norway because the oil is poor quality, running out and worthless? Of course there are no other assets like fish, water, wind power etc.

      Liked by 2 people

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  2. I must see if I can get a copy of the McCrone report which the National published on Sunday. Unfortunately, I cannot find the dead-tree National around here, and no one seems to deliver.

    I am reminded of the recent, long-awaited – very long-awaited – judgment in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The Court ruled that the Chagos Islands, home to the Diego Garcia US airbase rather than the Chagos Islanders, had been illegally seized and the islanders illegally expelled. The islands should be returned to Mauritius forthwith. The Foreign Office came out with the usual self-serving claptrap, claiming that the judgment was not a judgment but an advisory opinion (you know, a bit like the Brexit referendum), but it seems to me that the Westminster regime will have to knuckle under eventually. There were words from the Mauritians to the effect that it was unconscionable that the UK was even now holding grimly on to a colony in Africa (broadly) even in the 21st century.

    The reason I was reminded of that recent judgment is, of course, the seizures by Westminster regimes of Scottish maritime territory in the North Sea. Not content with ripping us off for the revenue, they took as much of the source of it as they could.

    The ICJ judgment on the question of the Chagos Islanders and on the rights of the islanders increases my confidence that the ICJ would find in our favour if we were to take the UK Government to court over those and other matters.

    The UK owes us. It owes us big time. We should not be thinking in terms of paying the UK a divorce bill, as the UK is (rightly) paying the EU – if anyone can get the UK to live up to its commitments, that is. No, we Scots should be demanding a reckoning: make good the territorial seizures, pay us compensation for them and for the seizure of our resources, or we’ll see you in the ICJ.

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. I wonder, Ed, if you have seen this documentary. It’s a pretty damning report on a shameful piece of history co,[lete with British government being too afraid to put the whole thing to parliament, and, if I remember rightly, using privy council to pass the necessary legislation. Very modern democratic behaviour.

      As for the sea border between Scotland and England… if we’re all one big happy family, why did Blair think that he needed to alter the sea border so that English waters are filling the harbour in Arbroath?

      Liked by 2 people

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  3. One of the main reasons that Scotland doesn’t have Norwegian levels of prosperity is because our southern neighbour is an overpopulated under resourced small country who needs other people’s assets in order to survive.
    That and Scotland’s sheep who have been conned into believing that oil revenues are only good when our southern neighbour is in control of them.
    I doubt Westminster would have ever allowed a “Northern Power House” to emerge on it’s northern border because they would have had to admit to having no clothes and that empire had gone for good.
    It won’t matter whether it is oil,renewables or whatever,as long as we have what they want,we will continue to be subjected to threats and propaganda in order to leave them in charge.

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    1. Trouble with Scotland is that it would just waste the oil money on health and transport and education and pensions and stuff, whereas we all know that the proper thing to do with a windfall is to blow it on nukes and going to war when and when the President tells you to.

      Dumb Jocks!

      Liked by 2 people

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  4. I’ve got my passport.
    It’s spanking brand new.
    It’s a real U.K. one,
    with a cover so blue.
    But since Brexit brought it,
    I’ve not got any dough.
    So, I’ve a brand new blue passport
    and nowhere to go!

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. What I must ask you is,
      Is it iconic?
      And don;t you think that
      It’s a little ironic
      That after all of this big song and dance
      The passport is stamped with “Fabriqué en France”?

      Liked by 1 person

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  5. Oh, Lord, why not us?

    “But, but, but have you seen what they pay for a cup of coffee in Norway?”

    Seriously, that’s one of the arguments that my elderly friend gets from her group of elderly pals when she tries to convince them that ‘wee’ countries like Norway seem to do remarkably well withoot the ‘guiding’ hand of Mother Westminster to show them the way. You know, they get to control their own finances and so forth.

    When the subject of Scotland having ‘nukes’ on her soil and the fact that most other countries worldwide don’t feel the need for them (or are not ‘allowed’ to by the USA), their response is, “But, but, but we must have them to protect ourselves and these other countries would be relying on us Brits to save them with ours.”

    In the end, you just have to give up on them.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Yes, I guess so.

      I’ve heard the same said of Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Greenland, Iceland, etc etc.

      Always by people who haven’t been there and seen that, even if it ruinously expensive for a poor Brit, somehow the natives can all afford the local prices.

      My pal, Danny, went to Sweden (from Hungary) to do his Masters. He was horrified at the prices (although much intrigued to find that everyone paid with cards or smart phones and he never saw cash).

      Anyway, after a few weeks he got a student job and was telling me he had saved enough money in the first few months, to pay for that holiday we’ve been planning in Greenland.

      Prices are high; wages (even for students, working repairing bikes) are higher.

      Liked by 1 person

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  8. Hmm tris after Brexit will we have
    To pay £50 for a visa to visit
    Munguins republic ( he is a bit of
    a grasper even a kulak )
    Never one to miss a chance to
    gain a few bawbees.

    Just watched the snp guy
    Get-in with Kate Hoey
    Labour MP ???

    As she said best to have
    A new Tory leader and
    Then a general election
    After which the Torys can
    Pursue Brexit .

    Get-in nearly fainted as did
    I and she speaks fondly
    Of working with the men of
    Blood in the DUP

    Fecking amazing they let
    Her remain ( see wot I did there )
    In the Labour Party

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. It’s only £50 for you because Munguin knows you. Most folk it’s £100

      Is Kate up for being the new Tory leader?

      Might as well be. The Downing Street Cat turned the job down, preferring to take his chances with the mutant mice they have in the sewers under No 10.

      Either Kate or Arlene…

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    1. Ah, but remember, the Norwegian pensions (all funded from the wealth fund, are massively higher than Brit ones … and the government pays for OAPs to have a holiday in the sun every winter.

      He might just go for that… and a home brew kit?

      Liked by 1 person

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  10. Just reminded the “kids” today that their passports expire in October this year (first time they have to renew themselves) and as such will not be accepted in most of Europe given the current fiasco.

    Not sure who in Europe accepts passports with less than six months to run from non-EU citizens – maybe Germany & the Netherlands? France, Spain, Italy, Greece & Portugal don’t for sure which will make for an “interesting” summer of English racists blaming “foreigners” for ruining their holidays.

    Personally I can’t wait for the fun to start 😀

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. I’ve often thought that it would be nice if we could pretend to the Brexiteers that Brexit has happened when it hasn’t, just for the joy of looking at them standing in the All Other Passports queues at airports throughout Europe as the rest of us sail past.

      I’m so frazztrated (that’s frazzled and frustrated) waiting for indyref2 to be called – it fair sticks in my craw to have such a major thing, a vital, existential thing, be contingent on the antics and idiocies of those narcissistic, villainous deplorables at Westminster.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. I hear what you say but indyref2 is entirely down to the SNP & the S30 request should have been formally submitted months ago. We all know it’ll never be approved so get that done.

        My personal opinion is that ScotGov won’t even submit a S30 request until after Brexit. Game over at that point.

        You will all have noticed the 13-1 decison by the ICJ over Diago Garcia that the “UK” acted illegally. You’ll all also have noticed that the “UK” has no intention of complying with international law from statements made today?

        So why in the name of sanity do any of you still believe the “UK” will ever allow another indyref vote?

        The SNP have kicked the can as far as it goes. Time to do what they promised.

        Liked by 2 people

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      2. Eddie

        You donna understand
        A true blue Brexiter
        Would never leave jolly
        Old England and mix
        Wid smelly greasy
        ( place insult here.

        )

        Johhny foreigner !

        Well apart from when
        They want to colonise
        Them .

        And you can create a gated version Of Blighty with lots of servants .

        Liked by 2 people

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        1. Just so long as the rest of me gets off scot-free, and with my Scottish passport gets to travel free of let or hindrance, such as visa fees and passport checks, throughout Europe. If I were fit to travel.

          Liked by 1 person

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    2. Well, I have to say the idea of a lot of exceptionalists getting apoplectic about the fact that they aren’t, in fact, an exception at all, with take the edge off my hunger pangs.

      Liked by 1 person

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  11. Elsewhere, Donald Trumps personal lawyer is ripping him apart. Check out the US News channels, excluding Fox, maybe.

    I hope this works:

    It is pretty interesting.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. Oh yes, the Nobel Peace Prize – which Trump actually asked Shinzō Abe to recommend him for! Which Abe duly did, no doubt to help flatter Trump into not imposing (any more) protectionist trade tariffs on Japan.

        Liked by 1 person

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  12. The context for us is pretty fascinating.

    We are in the same trap, but perhaps for a longer time, maybe?

    I’d quite like to be free of the English yolk.

    There is a web site called ‘Independence by Next Tuesday’.

    I dunno, but I agree with them.

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. Colour of passports… certain people mystify me: Yoons, ultraBrits, some retired colonels with handlebar moustaches, right-wing MPs and so on, Farage and Billy Mitchell – with their worship of symbols. It’s the mentality that leads to – oh, the whole “graven images” thing in the monotheistic books.

    As in Exodus 20:4-7: “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.”

    And Leviticus 26:1: “1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God.”

    Taken together, you can derive the Islamic prohibition on figurative art out of those, and the iconoclasts of Byzantium, and reformation Protestants in Europe. “Let’s destroy centuries’-worth of priceless art for the sake of religion! Yaaaay!” Bit like the Taliban blowing up those two 1,700-year-old, 150ft high statues of the Buddha in the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan.

    I included the other bits in Exodus because – though heaven forfend that I should be hauled before the Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition for the heresy of Manichæanism! – that’s Smitey God speaking, and I don’t like that one much.

    Liked by 3 people

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      1. ” Why bother committing to a serious programme if it doesn’t have a credible chance of building an audience?”

        I imagein, because they ant it to be a failure so they can say… we tried to give Scotland its own question time, but no one wanted to watch it because most Scots are more interested in what the Big Boys from the UK think… or some such crap.

        Like

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          1. You nearly made me make the egregious crime of up-voting my own post. 2702 followers for your sane and interesting site. Just recall that you have influence nowadays.

            I do think that this is the best site on the internet. But I have already said that before. And I will again.

            Best wishes for an expanding future.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

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