You can read about the ancient ceremony, the Musselburgh Riding of the Marches, which takes place every 21 years, here.
We watched it yesterday (29th July) from two spots, from the Old Bridge, and then from outside Lidl at Fisherrow.
Archives
All posts for the month July, 2016
Mist on Ben Lui
On Wednesday we’d intended to cycle from Dalrigh up past Cononish, and then climb Ben Lui, but in the event the weather was poor, so we turned back at the end of the track. Ben Lui is too complicated and craggy a mountain for us to go up, unless the visibility is good.
There used to be lead mines in this area, and there is still gold in the Tyndrum area.
The next day the weather had improved, but there was still mist on the top of Ben Lui, so instead we climbed Beinn an Dòthaidh, just to the east of Bridge of Orchy.
From the top, there was a wonderful view over Rannoch Moor.
I’ve added the following titles to JournalTOCs, the free current awareness and alerting service for researchers, students and lecturers. JournalTOCs now contains details of the latest Tables of Contents of over 28,500 scholarly journals, including more than 11,000 Open Access journals, and is the largest freely available collection of scholarly journal Tables of Contents.
There is also an excellent, low-cost institutional version of JournalTOCs, called JournalTOCs Premium.
Development Engineering – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Diagnostics in Neuropsychiatry – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Endoscopia – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
eNeurologicalSci – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
European Journal of Management and Business Economics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
European Research on Management and Business Economics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Food and Waterborne Parasitology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Future Business Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Future Computing and Informatics Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Future Dental Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Future Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Gaceta Mexicana de Oncología – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Giornale Italiano di Endodonzia – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Gynecology and Minimally Invasive Therapy – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Health Professions Education – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
HeartRhythm Case Reports – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Hellenic Journal of Cardiology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Horticultural Plant Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
ICT Express- (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
IFAC-PapersOnLine – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Infection, Disease & Health – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Informatics in Medicine Unlocked – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Intellectual Economics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Comparative Jurisprudence – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Mycobacteriology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Pavement Research and Technology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Surgery Open – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of the Cardiovascular Academy – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Women’s Dermatology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Soil and Water Conservation Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
JACC : Basic to Translational Science – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Clinical and Translational Endocrinology Case Reports – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Current Ophthalmology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Financial Innovation in Banking –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Dermatology & Dermatologic Surgery – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Disease Cause and Control – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Innovation in Digital Ecosystems – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Ocean Engineering and Science – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Oncological Science – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Orthopaedics, Trauma and Rehabilitation – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Palaeogeography – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Science : Advanced Materials and Devices – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Sustainable Mining – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of the Egyptian Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Urban Management – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Vascular Surgery Cases – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
JPRAS Open – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Kidney International Reports – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Kidney Research and Clinical Practice – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
La Revue Gestion et Organisation – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Matter and Radiation at Extremes – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Medicina General y de Familia – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Mexican Law Review – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Modern Electronic Materials – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Nefrología (English Edition) – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Neurobiology of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
New Negatives in Plant Science – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
NFS Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Nuclear Energy and Technology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
NursingPlus Open – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
One Health – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Osteoporosis and Sarcopenia – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Pacific Science Review A : Natural Science and Engineering – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Papillomavirus Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
mSystems – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
mSphere – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Parasite Epidemiology and Control – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Pediatría – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Pediatric Hematology Oncology Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Perinatología y Reproducción Humana – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Porto Biomedical Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Procedia Manufacturing – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Radiology Case Reports – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Repertorio de Medicina y Cirugía – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Reproductive Biomedicine & Society Online – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Resource-Efficient Technologies – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Reviews in Physics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Chilena de Ortopedia y Traumatología – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista de Gastroenterología de México – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista de Gastroenterología de México (English Edition) – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista del Pie y Tobillo – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Española de Cirugía Oral y Maxilofacial (English Edition) – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Iberoamericana de Automática e Informática Industrial RIAI – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Iberoamericana de Cirugía de la Mano – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Médica del Hospital General de México – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Mexicana de Ortodoncia – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Mexicana de Urología – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Paulista de Pediatria (English Edition) – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Portuguesa de Estomatologia, Medicina Dentária e Cirugia Maxilofacial – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
RIBAGUA – Revista Iberoamericana del Agua – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Russian Journal of Economics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Singapore Dental Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Solid Earth Sciences – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Spanish Journal of Marketing – ESIC – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
SSM – Population Health – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
St. Petersburg Polytechnic University Journal : Physics and Mathematics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Sustainable Environment Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Taiwan Journal of Ophthalmology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Saudi Journal for Dental Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Translational Research in Anatomy – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Trauma Case Reports – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Turkish Journal of Emergency Medicine – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Multinational Corporation Strategy –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Labour & Law Issues – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Nuansa : Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu Sosial dan Keagamaan Islam – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
OKARA Jurnal Bahasa dan Sastra or Journal of Languages and Literature – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Tadris : Islamic Education Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
ISLAMUNA : Jurnal Studi Islam – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
New Jersey Studies : An Interdisciplinary Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Internasjonal Politikk – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Nordisk Østforum – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Nordic Journal of Literacy Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Nordisk tidsskrift for pedagogikk og kritikk – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Arctic Review on Law and Politics – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
The VAD Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Shafa Orthopedic Journal – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Academia & Negocios – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Jurnal Ilmiah Administrasi Publik – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Etikonomi : Jurnal Ekonomi – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Anuario Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Materials Science and Applied Chemistry – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Revista Cubana de Química – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Social Communication – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Safety of Technogenic Environment – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Zeitschrift für Pädagogik und Theologie –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
International Journal of Legal Discourse –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Strojnícky casopis – Journal of Mechanical Engineering – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Review of Artistic Education – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Recreational Mathematics Magazine – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
CLEaR – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
British Journal of American Legal Studies – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Pielegniarstwo XXI wieku / Nursing in the 21st Century – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Veterinary Research – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Folia Veterinaria – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Endocrine Regulations – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Ekonomia i Zarzadzanie – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Die Bodenkultur : Journal of Land Management, Food and Environment – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Croatian Journal of Fisheries – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Pleura and Peritoneum –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Pharmaceutical Technology in Hospital Pharmacy –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Mathematical Morphology – Theory and Applications – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Kairos. Journal of Philosophy & Science – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Innovative Surgical Sciences : The Rapid Journal of the German Society of Surgery – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Spiritual Care : Zeitschrift für Spiritualität in den Gesundheitsberufen –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Physical Sciences Reviews –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
npj Microgravity – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
npj Breast Cancer – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
npj Genomic Medicine – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
npj Science of Learning – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Südosteuropa : Journal of Politics and Society –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Physiotherapy and Health Activity – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Biomedical glasses – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Polish Political Science Review – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Open Agriculture – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Baltic Journal of Real Estate Economics and Construction Management – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Applied Research In Health And Social Sciences : Interface And Interaction – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Acta Scientifica Naturalis – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Annales Mathematicae Silesianae – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
The Federalist Debate – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Waves, Wavelets and Fractals – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Digital Culture & Society –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Linguistics Vanguard – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
World Political Science –
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai Sociologia – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Scientific Bulletin of the Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy, Sibiu, Romania – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Review of Economic and Business Studies – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Population Horizons – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Lithuanian Foreign Policy Review – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Language in Focus – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Journal of Acupuncture and Herbs – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Geoscience Records – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
European Journal of Ecology – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Documenta Haematologica – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Cultural Diversity in China – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Central European Journal of Public Policy – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
Acta Facultatis Educationis Physicae Universitatis Comenianae – (Open Access)
Latest Table of Contents via JournalTOCs
The second and final show we went to at the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival was the Average White Band (AWB), at the Festival Theatre last night.
AWB is an excellent band. Great vocals, fantastic saxophones and good, tight all-round sound. AWB was Lindsey’s choice – she’s long been a fan. The crowd enjoyed every minute, and many people were up and dancing.
In case you’re wondering about the title of this post, it refers to this video, by someone called Brad, who has a girlfriend called Jen who seems to have voted Leave (or “refeyendum out” as she terms it) in the recent EU Referendum mainly because she thought this would mean that she wouldn’t have to “watch the Euros next years ‘cos England won’t be in it.” Her other reasons involved something to do with eggs, and Disneyland. There’s even a hashtag for the video #refeyendum
IMHO, we should have no more referendums, or at least no more for a long, long time, because:
We can clearly see that referendums are divisive. In the recent past, we’ve seen old being set against young, region set against region, rich against poor, friends and families falling out, and divisions based on educational level. None of this is good or healthy or makes for a better life. I know several people who are no longer friends because of the referendums. After each recent referendum there has been some violence – not a large amount, but some – and beneath the surface is obviously massive frustration, on both sides, which has largely been triggered by the referendums and the fallouts from the votes. Referendums polarise opinion, in an unhealthy way. There have been public examples of racism once the results have been announced. Racists and extremists seem to have been encouraged by the referendums. In today’s day and age, and with all the things that are going on in the world, we should be trying to bring people together, rather than encouraging a more divisive society.
A fair number of people don’t seem to have a clue what they are voting for in referendums. If you accept that there will likely be some informed opinion on either side of a referendum issue, then to a great extent each cancels out the other, and what we’re left with are those with less clue, folk like Jen, etc, or those who make their minds up at the last moment, who can actually swing the vote either way. Remember that Jen’s vote counts just as much as your vote. There seems to have been a large number of people in the recent referendum who were undecided and then made their minds up at the last moment. This can’t be a healthy way to decide long term constitutional issues. In the most recent referendum, some people probably voted one way or the other because they liked, or didn’t like, Boris. During the Scottish Referendum, I listened to people say they would vote in a particular way because they had heard Andy Murray being described by some media commentator as British, rather than Scottish. These are not the sorts of things that should influence important and irreversible constitutional issues, yet they do. It would appear from the most recent referendum at least that a fair number of folk are pretty gullible, and believe obvious porkies such as that the £350 million a week that the UK supposedly paid to the EU could easily be transferred to the NHS. Realistically, you can’t possibly police what is said during referendums.
Connected to the last point is the fact that there would appear to be little or no ongoing responsibility for many of those involved in referendums. For example, look at Nigel Farage – disappeared over the horizon, and for him there’s no continuing responsibility. People like that (and it’s not restricted to Farage) can say what they want during referendum campaigns, whether it is accurate or not.
Referendums encourage and can almost certainly be influenced/decided by short-term anti-establishmentarianism. I don’t fully understand the reasons for what is largely a recent phenomenon. But we’ve seen that a number of people seem to have voted Leave not because they really wanted the UK to leave the EU, but because they wanted to register a vote against the current political establishment. In a lot of cases, I believe, people voted Leave because they didn’t like Cameron. This sort of thing can’t be a healthy way to decide important long-term constitutional issues. Referendums are a very imperfect way to decide important issues.
Young Scots aged 16 and 17 can vote in Scottish elections and referendums but they could not vote in the EU referendum because voters had to be at least 18. This is madness! Either you’re old enough to vote or you are not. It might actually have swung the recent EU referendum the other way, to Remain, if 16 year olds had had a vote throughout the |UK (because we are told that younger people were much more likely to vote Remain). If there’s a further Scottish referendum then 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland will be allowed to vote. If, somehow, there was also a different UK referendum on the same day, these people would not be allowed to vote in that one. Unlike in general elections, Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar were allowed to vote in the EU referendum. This confused situation is not a healthy way to decide constitutional issues, and once again, it highlights the imperfections of referendums.
The BBC is required to be impartial during referendums. This is as it should be. It means that if one side is reported as saying something on an issue, then the opposing side is given the opportunity to counter the argument. This is as it should be. But unlike general politics and at general elections, referendum arguments are diametrically opposed on one single question, and this seems to confuse a lot of people. Joe says something for some reasons, Josephine says the exact opposite for other reasons, (or vice versa) and the BBC reports both, as it must. Many voters seem to find this confusing. One result is that personalities can consequently become very important. There are no manifestos, as there are in general elections. None of this is healthy, IMHO.
The recent EU Referendum seems to have been decided largely by opinions on the current immigrant situation, rather than broader constitutional issues. Free trade and free movement of people were tied together. You can believe, or not believe in free trade. You can believe, or not believe, in the free movement of people (within the EU, for example). But the two don’t absolutely have to be connected. You can have free trade without free movement of people (though not, at the present time, within the EU). In the recent referendum many people voted the way they did because of concerns about immigration rather than for broader constitutional issues.
Referendums can cause constitutional turmoil and ongoing uncertainty which can last for many years. This isn’t healthy.
Imagine if there was another Scottish referendum, next year as has been suggested by Scotland’s First Minister. The result could be very similar to the last one. Or, the No majority could be a bit smaller, in which case, presumably, this would encourage the demand for yet another one. We’d then definitely get into a neverendum situation, with all the uncertainties that this would mean. Or, there might be a Yes majority. That Yes majority would almost certainly be narrow, which would mean that a very significant proportion of Scottish people would have their constitutional situation permanently changed against their wills. That would not be healthy. Remember, only 41.6% of the Scottish electorate voted Remain in the recent EU referendum, and a minority of the electorate would almost certainly decide the outcome, one way or another, in a future Scottish referendum. A minority of the electorate (but a majority of those who vote) could decide that Scotland should leave the UK. Of course, you could argue that the current situation means that a lot of Scottish people don’t have their first choice constitutional situation. But, say in the next, or next-but-one Scottish referendum, there was a narrow margin for leaving the rest of the UK, then there would be a very good logical case for having yet another referendum in a further few years to see whether opinion had changed again. Such ongoing uncertainties are not healthy.
The recent EU Referendum has been criticised because many people didn’t seem to realise what a Leave vote would actually mean. In the case of a second Scottish Referendum within the next few years, we would not actually know what we might be leaving, because it will take a considerable length of time to work out the details of Brexit and then see the results of the negotiations work themselves out. It would not be healthy to have a referendum before it was very clear what the ongoing situation was.
We should be very, very wary about anyone who asks for another referendum. Presumably, those who advocate a second Scottish referendum in the near future are prepared to create further divisions within the country, are prepared to take advantage of gullible people, are keen to cash in on what is almost certainly temporary anti-establishmentarianism, and so on.
I for one have had enough referendums!
Lindsey waiting to buy a CD from Jon Cleary, after the gig
After a meal with the Tall Thin One & wife last night, we went to see Jon Cleary and The Absolute Monster Gentlemen play a set in the Spiegeltent, St Andrew Square. This was part of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival. Very refreshing, foot-tapping blues-funk music from New Orleans. Here are some examples. Here’s Jon Cleary’s website.
I noticed these burnt out cars on some vacant land up behind the Fort Kinnaird retail park whilst out cycling today.
