alx

Fatal flaw in summer football = the death of the season ticket. Even daft teenagers with no kids go away a lot in the summer, never mind the grown ups.

It seemed a bit hit and miss. I was really early at daft-o-clock so no queues at that point.

They owe me twenty quid from last season... even after I mentioned in the office once. One more time and I'm out.

There are seriously large numbers of jags scarves on Sauchiehall St.....

I'm having to move to the top of section 1. Sections 2&3 are nearly boooked out nearly down to the splash zone (from the wall chart in the office).

I sit directly behind Oor Wull (when not in the North Stand). I used to be J I think (getting confused) now G or H. A bit bamboozling... is a change as good as a rest or do I fear change.... hmmmmmm existential angst question that one...

I read some where that they ripped up 131 seats at Cliftonville as well. I've heard of this a few times with these scum bags. Celtic must be getting close to being banned from a few grounds. They appear to have a teenage hooligan element that is allowed to do what they want *inside* football grounds. Not on. Decent, normal, football clubs and their fans would snuff this out in minutes.

Yon Dumbarton pie was much worse than Firhill. Talking of watching the match from the pie queue (obviously Ayr are stil in the running)... I've not been to the new St Mirren stadium before, so the old watching the match from the queue routine is presumably gang aglae (wipes nostalgic tear from eye).

Usual pre-season type of match. I'm not sure that I learn't anything. Weather good!

Sometimes you think 'what on earth are they up to?'. Stephen Noon the ex-SNP now-Yes strategist has a humorous policy of explaining how the No campaign should proceed in order to win. Fully in the knowledge that they are too thick to take his advice. The way you would go about this would, for starters, be honest and dignified. Chances of that happening? Hee haw. It must be some sort of imperial attitude -- sneaky divide and rule stuff that has served the leaders of the union so well all these years.

To be fair, last season I went in the NS when shorty wasn't at the game and went in the JHS when he was. I like both things, as Vic and Bob once said 'I love the Argos catalogue. I thought you loved egg nogg? You can like more than one thing can't you?'

Agreed. Thistle legend in my book. Amazing at lots of penalties as well.

Stealth Bomber, better than the hairy baw.

I've just dropped off the home top at Mortons T-shirt printshop for an ammendment to the yellow back.... heh heh hhe hehehehe heehhhh heh

That is scarily accurate for quite a few in my branch!!!!

Blimey.... it just seems like yesterday. The March of Time... Rust Never Sleeps. My son wasn't even born then yegads.

I can't answer questions on borrowing rates etc, I'll have to leave that to someone else. I'm not going to Google bluff!

I can only give a personal opinion on this. John Swinney will no doubt be very detailed on this in the upcoming white paper. Keeping the pound seems sensible to me. For two reasons -a- the Irish free state kept the pound for decades, and, get this, accepted not a penny of the national debt, -b- the euro is a non-starter in my book. Can you imagine the EU debate after independence? - Spain "Scotland's not getting in" (fear of Catalan referenda) - Scotland "Jings that's not very sporting, are you sure about that?" - Spain "Yes, you're not getting in" - Scotland "- Scotland "Okay all fishing boats out" - Spain "Ahem, okay you're in" - Scotland, back to the EU Commission "What's the terms?" - EU Commission "15 billion Euros" - John Swinney (back to finances) "That's not great, better offer?! - EU Commission "14.5 billion Euros" - - John Swinney " I think we'll pass on that, same time next year?" - EU Commission "okay, see you next year" ....... - EU Commission "16 Billion Euros" - - John Swinney " I think we'll pass on that, same time next year?" and so on and so on.

Okay then, pick a specific issue that you're bothered about. Facts are chiels that winae ding.

For what's its worth, as you can guess I'm an enthusiastic Yes and SNP activist... I think that things are going well and the Yes campaign is going well. There are challenges ahead of course but so far so good!

Home top bought after a drive via St George's Cross. Jeezo, all I'm saying is that if you're not used to that part of town you need to keep a close eye on the road numbers. Spaghetti Junction.

The SNP are getting pelters for a lack of information on various issues. Most of these questions take 30 seconds on Google to answer. Some of the above posts are asking question that are covered by: http://www.newsnetscotland.com/index.php/scottish-opinion/4341-a-unionist-lexicon-an-a-z-of-unionist-scare-stories-myths-and-misinformation Deja Vu... hasn't this been on fora passim???? Anyhoo the topics covered are: Abandoning the English: We'd abandon the English to decades of Tory rule. Alex Salmond: Alex Salmond stirs up divisions. Anti-English: Scottish nationalism is motivated by hatred of the English. BBC: You'll not get the BBC on telly after independence. Benefits: An independent Scotland couldn't afford to pay the bill for everyone on benefits. Bombing airports: Scotland's airports would be bombed by England. Border controls: There would be border controls and we'd need passports to visit Newcastle. Border disputes: There will be disputes about the border between Scotland and England. Braveheart: The woad to independence. NEW British identity: After independence, Scots can no longer share in a British identity. Brussels rule: With independence we'd just be swapping London rule for rule from Brussels and Berlin. NEW Case for independence: Supporters of independence need to argue their case and supply precise details of how independence benefits Scotland. Central bank: We can't really be independent without our own currency and a central bank. Continental shelf: If Westminster retains control of Shetland, Orkney and Rockall, Scotland will have no oil resources. Credit rating: Scotland would lose the AAA credit rating it enjoys as part of the UK. Cybernats: There's a concerted and organised campaign of vitriol and hatred from cybernats. Darien: The Darien scheme bankrupted Scotland and we were saved by the Union. Debt: Scotland would be unable to service the amount of debt it would be required to take on. Defence: Scotland would be defenceless without the UK armed forces and would lose thousands of defence jobs. Devo-max: If we vote against independence we can have devo-max instead. Divisions: Scotland is too divided to be independent. Embassies: It will cost a fortune to set up separate Scottish embassies everywhere. EU membership: Scotland would be forced to reapply for EU membership. Euro: Scotland would be forced to use the euro. Expats: I'm an expat, independence means my English children would become foreigners to me. NEW Freebies: After independence Scots would lose our 'freebies' like free prescriptions, free education, and bus passes for the elderly. Gaelic: Public employees would be forced to learn Gaelic. Gay rights: Scotland would allow homophobes to dictate policy and introduce anti-gay legislation. Greece: An independent Scotland would end up like Greece. Greed: Scotland benefited financially from the UK before the oil was found. It's just greed to keep it for ourselves now it's our turn to share. History: We have 300 years' of history in the Union, we shouldn't throw that away. Independence negotiations: Independence negotiations will drag on for years. International influence: The Union allows Scotland to punch above her weight internationally. Investment: The independence debate threatens inward investment in the Scottish economy. Nationalism: Nationalism is regressive and backward looking. Northern Ireland: Independence would undermine the Good Friday agreement. Violence in Northern Ireland would spread to Scotland. Oil: The oil is running out and won't last much longer. NEW Oil: After the oil runs out Scotland will not be able to afford to pay for public services. One party state: Under Alex Salmond and the SNP, Scotland would become a one-party state. Overseas business: Independence would destroy Scotland's say in the world – removing the ability to do big business overseas. Partition: If some parts of Scotland vote no, but others yes, then we could find the country partitioned. Positive case for the Union: The anti-independence parties will make a positive case for Scotland remaining within the Union. Postage charges: It will cost a fortune to shop on eBay as postal charges from England will increase. Pound sterling: Scotland wouldn't be allowed to continue to use the pound. Poverty: Scotland is too poor to be independent. Public sector workers: Scotland is over reliant on public sector employment Without Westminster we'd lose all those jobs. Queen: Scotland won't be able to retain the Queen as head of state. Racism: The SNP is just a neo-fascist tartan version of the BNP. Redistributive union: If we believe in the idea of Scotland as a progressive beacon, why would we turn our back on the redistributive union, the United Kingdom? Referendum legality: A referendum held by the Scottish Parliament would be illegal and non-binding. Rejoining the UK: An independent Scotland would not be able to rejoin the UK if everything went wrong. Rennie's Riddle: If 51% vote for independence, but 99% vote for extra powers, independence wouldn't be the choice of the largest number of people. Royal Bank of Scotland: The cost of bailing out RBS would have bankrupted an independent Scotland. Separation: Nationalists want separation. Service personnel: My son's in the Royal Navy. He'd lose his job after independence. Shetland and Orkney: Shetland and Orkney aren't really Scottish. NEW SNP: I'm a Labour / Lib Dem / Conservative / Monster Raving Loony voter. A vote for independence is a vote for the SNP. Social union: The SNP doesn't know what it means by independence if it talks about a "social union". Spain: Spain would veto Scottish membership of the EU. Subsidies: Scotland depends upon subsidies from the UK to run our economy. NEW Terrorism: An independent Scotland would be a terrorist threat. Togetherness: We're stronger together than we are apart. Travel abroad: Independence would prevent Scots from travelling safely in foreign countries. Trident: Scotland would have to pay for the removal of Trident and the cost of a new base in the rump-UK. UN Security Council: The UK will lose its seat on the UN Security Council. Unanswered questions: Too many unanswered questions remain about independence. Volatile oil price: Scotland is over-dependent on the volatile price of oil. World War 2: We fought Hitler together, independence betrays the memory of those who fought WW2. Young voters: The SNP want to allow children to vote because they're more likely to vote yes to independence.

Any tips on how to get there (either car or walking)? Can you get through via Garscube Road at all or is it a spaghetti junction nightmare at Cowcaddens?

It's sort of SNP policy. They've been getting pelters from the lefties for being too pro-establishment, pro-NATO, pro-monarchy and so on. We can all vote for this stuff after indpendence anyway. As someone said recently (I can't remember who, alas) 'people need to establish the correct order of the horse and cart'.

Let's get one thing clear. The worst case scenario with independence is more or less the status quo. Obviously people would argue that the future would be way better than the status quo, it's up to Scotland to 'make it so' if we want. BUT - staying in the union means Tory chaos, disaster and destruction. NHS deid. Post office deid. Railways stay deid. Oil money deid. Life expectancy deid er reduced. If you're bothered about EU membership - maybe deid (I'm not bothered with that one I'm a Euro sceptic). The Tories might even be working up to a new war in the middle east. Finally, didn't anyone notice that the tories gently mentioned this week that there would be an end to 'automatic pay increases' and an introduction of 'peformance related pay'. In some public sector areas, when people get promoted their wages increment for a few years until they reach the threshold for trying for promotion again. This is a sort of fair way of paying people in an environment that doesn't have annual bonus payments or sometimes even overtime payments for working extra hours. The Tories want performance related pay to cut wages for the umpteenth year in a row - there is no actual bonus for good performance. Anyway, the result of this policy? CHAOS in the UK, possible general strikes and riots. We have to get out of this union, and get out quick. The alternative is frightening.