Scottish Politics / Independence - Vol 12

[irc]

If we are to have dual signage I nominate Polish. The number of speakers in Scotland is roughly the same as Gaelic at 54000 Polish compared to 57000 Gaelic. Unlike the Gaels they are not concentrated in one region so there would be more benefit from countrywide signs. There is more chance a Polish speaker is not fluent in English. They are an EU country so would demonstrate our love for all things EU before we ask to get let back in. They deserve it having retained their language and culture better than us despite being battered senseless by Hitler, Stalin, and numerous other historical bullies.

[halo34]

Evercross said:

alangla said:

There’s also the fact that Glasgow City Council are currently cutting teacher numbers, but also opening yet another Gaelic primary school, the fourth in the city. I suspect this is for the middle class, non-native speakers in Dennistoun rather than any underprivileged native speakers actually living in Calton.

You're not far off.

The justification for opening these schools is that apparently Gaelic schools show a higher level of attainment on national testing ranks. A classic example of the logical fallacy of correlation not being the same thing as causation. The teaching of Gaelic has sweet FA to do with the levels of attainment. It is entirely to do with the demographic that the pretentiousness of offering Gaelic lessons attracts.

I have directly encountered this political sophistry at my work and I have given up pointing it out, because it is...

EC2 said:

...all about creating division, a point of difference from the nasty English and rewriting a historic narrative incorrectly.

Plus the teaching ratios tend to be less teachers/pupils in Gaelic schools. I really dont understand why it gets such leg and budget room when there are other much higher priorities.

[Olivera]

halo34 said:

I really dont understand why it gets such leg and budget room when there are other much higher priorities.

Part of a cynical long term plan to shoe-horn in cultural differences in order to engender independence support?

[alangla]

halo34 said:

Plus the teaching ratios tend to be less teachers/pupils in Gaelic schools. I really dont understand why it gets such leg and budget room when there are other much higher priorities.

The same could be said for a lot of SNP/Green hobby horses that GCC piss money away on (eg the “Avenues” projects, the “rain gardens” that have apparently turned Sauchiehall Street into a forest of Heras fencing)

[Roderick Spode]

Thank goodness there's plenty of spare cash sloshing around to hose up walls on additional ministers, bribing Hamas, floating white elephants and suchforth. The SNP are evidently tumescent with largesse for all their pals - heaven forfend any charity focusing on mental health should depend on their meagre public rations for survival.

Press and Journal said:

Scotland’s largest men’s mental health charity faces being wound up in a matter of months after the government pulled all funding.

Critics warn the Scottish Government is “presiding over a loneliness time bomb” after cutting ties with the Scottish Men’s Shed Association.

The charity tackles social isolation among men and aims to improve quality of life for its community of 10,000 members across more than 200 independent sheds.

They help volunteers set up shared spaces where people from all walks of life can gather to learn new skills, pass on their experience and benefit from companionship.

The first Men’s Shed was opened in Westhill by John Swinney – and now the newly appointed first minister is being asked to take action to save their future.

Government funding was scrapped in April 2022 but a last-minute sum of £75,000 was agreed between SNP ministers and the charity last year.

However, no funding has been agreed since and the charity now faces being wound up by the end of the year. Politicians warn that would heap further pressure on already struggling health services.

There is also confusion over which area of government could support the charity after Tom Arthur, who previously held the community wealth portfolio, confirmed it is “not supported by a specific minister”.

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/scot...

[irc]

So the £75.000 men's shed funding was scrapped while there was enough spare cash to send 10 times the amount to Gaza when Humza's family were stuck there?

Meanwhile pet projects like LGBT youth Scotland get cash chucked at them. £1M in 2022/23.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politi...


A U turn for now.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24319490.scott...

Edited by irc on Tuesday 14th May 15:02

[Leithen]

Never forget that the first Covid study the Scottish Government agreed to fund was the potential impact of reopening pubs on the emergency services....

https://www.stir.ac.uk/news/2020/05/new-study-exam...

[halo34]

alangla said:

halo34 said:

Plus the teaching ratios tend to be less teachers/pupils in Gaelic schools. I really dont understand why it gets such leg and budget room when there are other much higher priorities.

The same could be said for a lot of SNP/Green hobby horses that GCC piss money away on (eg the “Avenues” projects, the “rain gardens” that have apparently turned Sauchiehall Street into a forest of Heras fencing)

Oh 100% - its just one example, the mens shed is just the flip side of that coin, an important and valuable service that suffers when £ millions are getting poured down the brain on vanity or minority needs. Albeit I see thats got a temporary retrieve.

I would vote in a heartbeat to wind the Scottish parliament down and its associated infrastructure for more effective services in Scotland.

[Scotty2]

Oh and they have enough money to send someone to Harvard for a mere £77 000.
FFS

"A senior executive at Scotland's water industry regulator has claimed a Scottish government official knew the public body was paying more than £77,000 for her to attend Harvard Business School."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx03385px5go

[hidetheelephants]

Scotty2 said:

Oh and they have enough money to send someone to Harvard for a mere £77 000.
FFS

"A senior executive at Scotland's water industry regulator has claimed a Scottish government official knew the public body was paying more than £77,000 for her to attend Harvard Business School."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx03385px5go

Harvard Business School offers nothing that can't be obtained in the UK other than bragging rights and a prolonged stay in Boston. They're an administrator at a small regulatory body, any course at an institution outside Scotland should have raised eyebrows, never mind outside the UK.

[alangla]

hidetheelephants said:

Harvard Business School offers nothing that can't be obtained in the UK other than bragging rights and a prolonged stay in Boston. They're an administrator at a small regulatory body, any course at an institution outside Scotland should have raised eyebrows, never mind outside the UK.

The article has a claim by her that she wanted to go to Edinburgh or Oxford, but the chief exec pushed her to look at North American institutions.

[A.J.M]

irc said:

So the £75.000 men's shed funding was scrapped while there was enough spare cash to send 10 times the amount to Gaza when Humza's family were stuck there?

Meanwhile pet projects like LGBT youth Scotland get cash chucked at them. £1M in 2022/23.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politi...


A U turn for now.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24319490.scott...

Edited by irc on Tuesday 14th May 15:02

Of course it will get scrapped in the end.

Society doesn’t care about men.
We are the source of all evil in the world.
Masculinity is toxic, regardless of what it is.
There is a huge problem with loneliness and suicide in men but society doesn’t care.

Best way to get ahead in some areas is to be part of the querty community.

[hidetheelephants]

AIUI many sheds are self-funding through subscriptions and donations, while the govt should be donating it's not the be all and end all.

[Klippie]

irc said:

If we are to have dual signage I nominate Polish. The number of speakers in Scotland is roughly the same as Gaelic at 54000 Polish compared to 57000 Gaelic. Unlike the Gaels they are not concentrated in one region so there would be more benefit from countrywide signs. There is more chance a Polish speaker is not fluent in English. They are an EU country so would demonstrate our love for all things EU before we ask to get let back in. They deserve it having retained their language and culture better than us despite being battered senseless by Hitler, Stalin, and numerous other historical bullies.

Or better still when people who want to come and live here one of the stipulations must be you speak our language, I don't want to see fking Polish, Albanian, Filipino on our signs, I don't want to see your langauge on anything, we will welcome you but don't expect us the native people to change their ways just because you arrive...join us or stay away.

Holyrood need to be reminded its us "THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND" we come first in our own country.

Of course our wkstain politicains love all that viture signalling crap, I wish they would fk off somewhere else.

[Mercdriver]

Go to a hospital in Spain and quite rightly, if you do not speak Spanish you are required to hire a translator at your expense. Sounds reasonable to me.

Why do our health service pay for translators?

Time all this Gaelic nonsense was stopped, want your children to speak Gaelic? Then pay for it just do not see the point of studying it what use will it be for you in your working life?

[emicen]

A.J.M said:

irc said:

So the £75.000 men's shed funding was scrapped while there was enough spare cash to send 10 times the amount to Gaza when Humza's family were stuck there?

Meanwhile pet projects like LGBT youth Scotland get cash chucked at them. £1M in 2022/23.

https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politi...


A U turn for now.

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24319490.scott...

Edited by irc on Tuesday 14th May 15:02

Of course it will get scrapped in the end.

Society doesn’t care about men.
We are the source of all evil in the world.
Masculinity is toxic, regardless of what it is.
There is a huge problem with loneliness and suicide in men but society doesn’t care.

Best way to get ahead in some areas is to be part of the querty community.

Hell of a lot of news nowadays just makes me do the usual rolleyes, mutter, shake head etc, but this situation boils my blood.

I’ve never in my life encountered a confuzzled Gael who has mistakenly alighted at Anniesland instead of Partaig. Never seen a distraught one with an injury trying to flag down an ice cream van cause they couldn’t see anything marked Ambaileans.

Tell you what I have seen though, the reality of 6 men I know struggling and deciding suicide was the only way out. I don’t keep a large friendship circle and these weren’t vague acquaintances, we’re talking friends, family, friends’ family. That’s a really stark number.

£117m in the past 4 years spunked on Gaelic grandstanding whilst pulling the funding from charities which can save lives. Disgraceful.

[Mercdriver]

Not likely to change with deputy FM tasked with promoting Gaelic

[alangla]

Mercdriver said:

Not likely to change with deputy FM tasked with promoting Gaelic

More importantly, is it likely to change under Labour?

[Klippie]

An incoming Labour government scares the hell out of me, there are far more radical lunatics in Labour's throng of supporters who make the SNP / Green rockets look like damp squibs...Labour is an unkown factor these days we have no idea what horrors are bubbling away below the surface.

Fourteen years is a long time in the political wilderness...remember Corbyn, his madness festered away mostly unnoticed until one day he was party leader and very nearly PM then we all got to see what the Labour party was all about...thankfully we dodged a bullet back then.

Sir Keir Starmer...the very man who served under and supported Corbyn, do we want this man as the next PM..???

[hidetheelephants]

Step away from the tabloids, they've rotted your brain.