Scots' Welcome To The English

[Rob MacKillop]

Yup!

 

[Davie Hudson]

So, independence it is then!

I really hope not

 

[Pete Askew]

What have you got against Pandas Davie?!

 

[Davie Hudson]

nothing in particular, though they are shifty, looking all cuddly like that but I wouldn't fight one

 

[Pete Askew]

Good point. Let 'em eat cake I say!

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I have clearly slipped into a parallel universe...

I'm going to close my laptop - poor a large glass of Malbec, and then resume

 

[Julian de'Courcy]

And the word Independence is misleading - Scots will still belong to the European Union.

Or Donald Trump and co,

 

[Glenn Clabo]

I have clearly slipped into a parallel universe...
I'm going to close my laptop - poor a large glass of Malbec, and then resume

Did that work?

 

[Chris Dodkin]

Did that work?

Nope!

 

[Keith Hollister]

Well Rob....Having spent time living overseas...and now married to a Canadian...I have come to realize that generally speaking...Americans are extremely myopic and arrogant to what is happening outside our country. If you asked 99% of Americans what was going on politically in Canada's ongoing issues with Quebec they would look at you and ask...where's Quebec? My point is...that's right next door...and Scotland isn't.
Now...that being said we tend to follow our ancestral country and I'm sure that the Scots here are following what's happening there. Only because I read a lot...and try to look outside of here...do I have any knowledge at all. In fact...to be honest...until joining RPF it has not been a subject that has caught my eye. Until I pissed in your tea with the old England comment...I had just a vague understand of the geography...let alone the politics. And now your explanation has focused me even more...but sadly...I know of no one who is interested.
I sure am long winded this morning...I hope that makes sense.

I think you are making it more complicated than it is, Glenn Our countrymen's lack of awareness on issues overseas is, I'm sure, due to just being oblivious to anything not directly connected to their immediate problems. Hell, I'll wager you could find a bunch of people off the street that couldn't even name the Vice President. I don't think it is arrogance (country X is not as good as the US) but just human nature to worry about stuff that directly influences you (country X has nothing to do with whether I get the raise next week).

I also think we tend to be less aware of international politics and issues because the US is so large and not as obviously dependent on our neighbors as many of the European countries are. I am probably a lot more internationally aware than many (I have worked overseas for the intelligence community, had numerous clients for my former job in the UK, Israel, Greece, etc and keep a little more informed just due to curiosity) yet I was only vaguely aware of what was going on in Scotland with respect to an independence vote. The whole GB/UK political arrangement has always struck me as odd, and even some of my former British Army clients couldn't completely explain it I guess there a world wide failure in civics education.

 

[Chris Dodkin]

I'd add that US TV news fails to talk about the rest of the world 99.99% of the time, so people have no data to go on

 

[Rob MacKillop]

What is this "US" you all keep mentioning? Is it the other half of THEM and US?

 

[Pete Askew]

Mostly just THEM I think Rob.