Mark Steyn: The Celtic canary in the UK's coal mine

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 01/24/06 | Mark Steyn

[Pokey78]

Steyn ping!

[Miss Marple]

Och, my brethren in the Highlands need a good shot of backbone!

[Red Boots]

And, as far as the Scotsman is concerned, the alarming thing about this development is that it could put cushy state teaching jobs "in doubt". For crying out loud, man, get a grip. It puts every job "in doubt". It puts the continued existence of your country "in doubt". And it means the Scottish National Party is going through the motions: nobody needs a Scottish nation if there are no more Scottish nationals. See you, Jimmeh? Not for much longer.

Nobody says it like Steyn.

[Red Boots]

And, as far as the Scotsman is concerned, the alarming thing about this development is that it could put cushy state teaching jobs "in doubt". For crying out loud, man, get a grip. It puts every job "in doubt". It puts the continued existence of your country "in doubt". And it means the Scottish National Party is going through the motions: nobody needs a Scottish nation if there are no more Scottish nationals. See you, Jimmeh? Not for much longer.

Nobody says it like Steyn.

[Richard Kimball]

BTTT. Boy, is that guy brilliant.

[NZerFromHK]

Thanks for the ping Pokey.

I recall that a majority the Southern US's population are Scottish descents (Scots or Irish-Scot) and they have inherited the fiercest fighting spirit of their ancestors and are some of the most solidly conservative (in British terminology, classical liberal). It is ironic for them to observe that the descendents of their ancestors' relatives or friends who stayed in Scotland descends to French-clones.

Having said this, English descent may be worse. New Zealand is majority British descent (that is, English. We don't have too many Scots descents apart from the Otago region) and hey, New Zealanders love the welfare state to death.

[NZerFromHK]

Remember Scotland has a long term affinity with France since time immemorial (Auld Alliance). It wouldn't be a stretch to assume modern Scots behave like the Frogs.

[billorites]

"Indeed, the remarkable feature of contemporary Scottish nationalism is that it has achieved all the features of a failed nation state without achieving the status of a nation state."

I wish I was one half the snide bastard that Steyn is.

[voletti]

The Highlanders are forever!

As for the Highlanders, well...

[brushcop]

"the facts of life are conservative".

Maggie, we miss ya! What a great quote.

[colorado tanker]

Mrs. Blackitt: What are we dear?

Harry Blackitt: Protestant, and fiercely proud of it.

Mrs. Blackitt: Hmm. Well, why do they have so many children?

Harry Blackitt: Because... every time they have sexual intercourse, they have to have a baby.

Mrs. Blackitt: But it's the same with us, Harry.

Harry Blackitt: What do you mean?

Mrs. Blackitt: Well, I mean, we've got two children, and we've had sexual intercourse twice.

Harry Blackitt: That's not the point. We could have it any time we wanted.

Mrs. Blackitt: Really?

Harry Blackitt: Oh, yes, and, what's more, because we don't believe in all that Papist claptrap, we can take precautions.

Mrs. Blackitt: What, you mean... lock the door?

Harry Blackitt: No, no. I mean, because we are members of the Protestant Reformed Church, which successfully challenged the autocratic power of the Papacy in the mid-sixteenth century, we can wear little rubber devices to prevent issue.

Mrs. Blackitt: What d'you mean?

Harry Blackitt: I could, if I wanted, have sexual intercourse with you...

Mrs. Blackitt: Oh, yes, Harry.

Harry Blackitt: ...and, by wearing a rubber sheath over my old feller, I could insure... that, when I came off, you would not be impregnated.

Mrs. Blackitt: Ooh.

Harry Blackitt: That's what being a Protestant's all about. That's why it's the church for me. That's why it's the church for anyone who respects the individual and the individual's right to decide for him or herself. When Martin Luther nailed his protest up to the church door in fifteen-seventeen, he may not have realised the full significance of what he was doing, but four hundred years later, thanks to him, my dear, I can wear whatever I want on my John Thomas... [sniff]

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

Great read.

[Lurker]

Mrs Thatcher liked to say that "the facts of life are conservative"

Mrs. Thatcher was right.

L

[lawnguy]

Another good Steyn demographic piece.

He takes a long view on these issues, and he is right.

What does it matter if you call a place Scotland when there aren't enough Scots to support it?

We may be getting to a point where countries will be competing aggressively for fertile immigrants. "Come to Scotland we'll give you more goodies"

[hattend]

BTTT

[alarm rider]

Scots have lost because they no longer believe in God. The Brits disarmed the Scots at every opportunity, then disarmed themselves. The welfare state is God, and real men and strong women are few.

Sad to say but they have contributed to their own demise. A once proud and strong people are now just a bunch of wimps with their hands out. Enjoy your history Scotsmen, because that is all you have left.

[hershey]

This is exactly why that mullah demands that Scottish Catholic school be changed to an Islamic school. Muslims breeding in Scotland like rabbits.

[xp38]

The Toyota Highlander is forever? Maybe 10 years or so with good maintenance...

[Tax-chick]

I wish I was one half the snide bastard that Steyn is.

Oh, I've seen you approach 40%, on a really good day ...