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darwinsmonkey

Listed below are comments made by darwinsmonkey between Wednesday, 15th October 2008 and Thursday, 11th December 2008.

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What's in a nickname? 5:07pm on 11 Dec 2008 Let's face it FMQ's are nothing more than a rather second-rate comedy act. What is particularly depressing is the habit adopted by some back-benchers of trying to contribute to this farcical spectacle by behaving like performing seals and applauding every inane utterance that passes through the FM's oral cavity. It's time they grew up and realised that they are there as our representatives in our parliament to hold the government to account and not simply to act as a passive audience to their follies. I don't blame you, Brian, if you've lost the will to live. No one should be exposed to such banal drivel on a daily basis as part of their employment. There should be a law against it.
Gracious speech 5:15pm on 03 Dec 2008 "It's so thin it makes the Calman report look impressive by comparison."

Well to paraphrase Mandy Rice Davies "they would say that wouldn't they"

This tedious and predictable reflex sound-bite response seems now to be the stock in trade of the Scottish Government. What about a bit of constructive dialogue and exchange of ideas? After all we’ve got nothing to lose and potentially much to gain. Things are too serious now for this type of low-level public bar political banter.
The ultimate sacrifice 4:31pm on 11 Nov 2008 My father had the distinction of being at Dunkirk and Singapore; arguably the two biggest fiascos in British military history. He was a volunteer, and idealist who wanted to do his bit against Hitler. In 1945, after three and a half years of enforced slavery he returned, physically and mentally a broken man. He had done much for his country but it seems that his country was not prepared to do much for him when the war ended. Effectively, he relived the war every day in his head. I can remember that he was invited to attend the ceremony at Cenotaph in London sometime in the 1960s. He refused to go. It was obvious that this was something he simply could not cope with. Of course we must remember with gratitude those who made the supreme sacrifice to guarantee our freedom, especially in WWII, which of all wars must have been the most just. But equally we have a debt to those that survived. We should honour the remnants of the WWII generation before they slip into history. This should not be done once a year but every day of every year.
Honeymoon ends 5:32pm on 07 Nov 2008 Unfortunately Brian, the SNP are incapable of learning from any experience. Just witness the above.
Glenrothes by-election 09:11am on 07 Nov 2008 I'm not particularity concerned that Labour won this seat but what is particularly gratifying about this result is that it has not only wrong-footed the SNP but also most political commentators and pundits in Scotland (Brian excepted). One of our major papers was confidently predicting (telling us) of a 2000 plus spectacular win for the SNP only 2 days ago. How did this myth arise? Are these people as incompetent as bankers? Or are the people of Fife more intelligent then they are?

Well to the contest and its aftermath: here we have the true colours of the SNP coming out arrogant in victory arrogant in defeat. Clearly this is a party that does not recognise an opportunity when it is offered to them. Now we have a chance to abandon the childish level of politics that has been characteristic of the Scottish political scene for the last 18 months and start to do some grown-up things. Will the SNP rise to this challenge ? I doubt it. I don't see any prospect of Salmond changing his spots. The early signs are that he is getting even worse. Humility is not a word in his lexicon. The up-side of all this is that the Scottish people are beginning to see thorough his empty rhetoric and hopefully now his days are numbered.
The US decides 3:40pm on 05 Nov 2008 Salmond, never to miss a trick, is jumping on the Obama band wagon and claiming that he (Obama) has Scottish roots through his mother’s side of the family. Quite frankly so what? Are we now to claim Obama as one of our own? Does Obama even know who Alex Salmond is? Does he care who he is?

The difference between Obama and Salmond is that the former appears to be an inspirational statesman who offers an inclusive vision for the people of the USA (Government of the people, by the people for the people). Salmond on the other hand is a divisive figure who offers inspiration to a narrow faction of Scottish society who condemn and abuse their fellow countrymen if they do not share their vision (Government of the SNP, by the SNP for the SNP). Scotland will not be at peace with itself whether it remains within the UK or leaves it. We need our own Obama now more then ever. And Salmond is no Obama.
Glow or gloom 5:56pm on 21 Oct 2008 #28

Come off it! The boot is usually on the other foot. Some of the most hateful comments I've seen have emanated from from the mouths of no doubt a small but, vocal minority, of SNP supporters. As a man of God are you prepared to defend bigotry, racism and even sexism from your own kind? I agree with you that condemnation of such views should be universal, but put your own house in order in the process.
Glow or gloom 5:48pm on 21 Oct 2008
#22
"Scotland is not uniquely incapable of independence and those who claim we are are not representative of the public at large"

No one doubts that Scotland could run its own affairs. This is not the central issue. The question you need to answer is; "What sort of country would an independent Scotland be?".

If the parochialism of Holyrood and the culturally narrow view of Scotalnd espoused by the SNP are harbingers of things to come, then count me out thanks very much. Scots deserve better than this!
Superman or Clark Kent? 1:57pm on 17 Oct 2008 #3

"The vacuous arguments emanating from the Unionist side are comparable to the apologists of the 1940's Vichy Government"

I'm afraid that it is your ludicrous historical parallel that is vacuous.

Obviously you think you are being clever but this sort of nonsense gets us no where.

Incidentally I find the patronizing use of 'Englandshire' quite unacceptable, this is an example of the underlying unacceptable racist face of the SNP. If the SNP ever want to to have any real credibility then the leadership needs to root out this element in the same way that Labour rooted out Militant.
Scotland in economic strife 12:07pm on 15 Oct 2008 #58

Alba go brath. Indeed!

Bet you don't understand a word of Gaelic but obviously you believe your own myth.

Here's some Scots which sums up the feeling of many of us about the SNP:

I curse their heid and all the haris of thair heid; I curse thair face, thair ene, thair mouth, thair neise, thair tongue, thair teeth, thair crag, thair shoulderis, thair breist, thair hert, thair stomok, thair bak, thair wame, thair armes, thais leggis, thair handis, thair feit, and everilk part of thair body, frae the top of their heid to the soill of thair feet, befoir and behind, within and without.

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