Why it is NOT a good idea to rush off to a Scottish island to "get away from the crowds"

Your attitude speaks for you ,often you are very dismissive of Scotland and appear to favour English /westminster governance ..that of course is your choice but it does point to you're belief that we are not a country that should rule itself ,no apology from me ..not unless I get one for all the anti English nonsense when its anti Westminster and ONLY anti westminster rule

paddyanne

Your attitude speaks for you ,often you are very dismissive of Scotland and appear to favour English /westminster governance ..that of course is your choice but it does point to you're belief that we are not a country that should rule itself ,no apology from me ..not unless I get one for all the anti English nonsense when its anti Westminster and ONLY anti westminster rule

Who is this addressed to?
GNetters in general?

No, paddyanne, it's Wales that is in England.

Although I have seen some maps where Scotland is still attached to the top bit of England and Wales has disappeared altogether.

National News: First we hear the news from England, then the news from Scotland, then - oh, don't hold your breath, nothing about Wales.

If it’s me you’re addressing, Paddyanne you’re totally wrong. It’s the SNP I am dismissive of, not Scotland. I regard Scotland as a country within the UK, the same as Wales & N Ireland and it makes me sad to see what the SNP has reduced this country to.

I have never once seen you answer criticism from GNetters of how Scotland’s once-esteemed education system is sliding down the world rankings, nor that the attainment gap has barely changed at all. And that free tuition fees mean that each year thousands of Scots youngsters are denied the chance to go to university in favour of RUK/Overseas students.

You never respond to questioning of deteriorating NHS standards - both the Death Star hospital in Glasgow and the Sick Kids in Edinburgh are shameful. The removal of inpatient YP MH units from anywhere north of Dundee, though we are at last getting some more northerly beds back soon.

There is also the question of the unfair allocation by Holyrood of finance for Council Tax and the centralisation of emergency service call centres, removing local knowledge which has led to emergency services being sent to Glasgow instead of Aberdeen.

I have no more desire to be ruled by Holyrood & the Central Belt than I do by Westminster. Better the devil you know, when faced with the incompetence of the SNP. If I could vote for an independent NE of Scotland that would suit me fine.

Callistemon, when we moved abroad to live my daughter’s teacher asked where she had come from. She said ‘Scotland‘.
The teacher answered ‘Scotland? I know that place! It’s in Wales, isn’t it?’ ??

Which is in England ?

Like Russian Dolls, sorry British dolls.

Wales and Scotland register deaths from COVID as being anyone who has been diagnosed with the virus within the previous 28 days and died.

England registers a death from COVID as meaning anyone who has died having been diagnosed with the virus at any time.

Aberdeen now has its very own outbreak of Covid. The city is back in lockdown. 140 cases at the last count.

Covid has allowed the racism, nationalism & parochialism that lies at the heart of the independence movement to flourish. I am so sad that this beautiful country I moved to 40 years has been divided and its institutions such as schools, the NHS and universities reduced to a shadow of their former selves

As a Scot living in England, I have to agree. The reports from my family still in Scotland completely back up what you say, especially the desperate deterioration in educational achievement. 'Wee Nicola' as my aunt calls her is great on rhetoric, a wonderful speaker, but sadly stirs up the worst in many people with her constant blaming of Westminster. I feel it necessary to point out that we did not all vote for the bunch of clowns currently in power here, and talking as if we did is very irritating. Going back to the OP, my brother lives in a very remote village in Perth and they have been spending their weekends clearing up muck, litter and human faeces left by Glaswegians having a day trip, enjoying their country, just as NS said they should. Perhaps she could have asked them to take their rubbish home with them too.

Ah, so now it's Nicola Sturgeon's fault that some people feel the need to leave litter and human waste behind when they visit places where they do not live? Doesn't happen in England, I assume, as she doesn't have any influence there.

Oh but Wheniwasyourage some Scots love to lay claim to Scotland being superior to England in just about everything. We have a better class of litter lout here than ‘down south’.

Wales is, as usual, trying to play catch up.
But all the English tourists will give us a helping hand, I'm sure, leaving their English litter behind in the hillsides, vales and on the beaches.

?

I said Wales is playing catch-up
I should make it clear that is on the litter front.

Looking at other threads, we seem to be ahead of the game

I'm on an Irish facebook page for my ancestral home and today they were blaming their council for not stopping the hordes of campervans, litter etc from ruining the town. They also said "It would never happen in the North, or in the UK!!"
What seemed to anger them the most was that these travellers were not paying to stay in the proper campsites.

Callistemon

Wales is, as usual, trying to play catch up.
But all the English tourists will give us a helping hand, I'm sure, leaving their English litter behind in the hillsides, vales and on the beaches.

?

We English shall fight you on the beaches.?

With a 1 metre staff - keep at two arms' length please!
And take your crisp wrappers home with you.

? I can’t promise anything.

Callistemon, you mentioned a while back about Wales being used as a comparison for size. I was a bit taken aback as it always seems to me that places are compared to either Norfolk or Belgium. But then shortly after, I read a news story about Lebanon which said it was half the size of Wales. So there we are!

We always laugh!

It's approximately 97km x 274km

I did think that Lebanon was much bigger than that.
You learn something new every day on GN.

I haven’t checked the veracity of the BBC’s statement of the size of Wales v Lebanon! It could be an urban myth. ?

It's probably true, its narrower than Wales, I think.

Probably half the width of Wales!

I’ve had to go and Google it, otherwise I won’t sleep tonight. ?

Wales is 8005 square miles and Lebanon is 4035 square miles. The BBC is (almost) correct.

Btw, my mum is Welsh, born in Mountain Ash.

Currently on a Hebridean island. First guests this year in this holiday home. We were fortunate to have our ferry booking honoured as we had booked it a while ago and more recent bookings were cancelled. Been lovely and just what was needed. Beaches are more or less deserted - as usual. Some of the places we’d normally visit are closed though. Feel fortunate to have got here! The islanders released a video on social media a couple of weeks before we came welcoming visitors to the island.