Scottish Independence

[garbon]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/sep/17/bjork-support-scottish-yes-vote-declare-independence-post

Björk shows support for Scottish yes vote with Declare Independence post
Icelandic pioneer posts the lyrics to 2008 track onto her Facebook ahead of the forthcoming referendum

Bowie, Boyle, Bragg, Belle and Sebastian; music's most revered names have all voiced their views on the forthcoming referendum in Scotland. Perhaps one of the boldest figures in culture has waited until the last day of campaigning to contribute her argument to the debate, with Björk using her lyrics to Declare Independence as her own very unique input.

With some not-so veiled adaptations at the start, the singer posted the following lyrics onto her Facebook account:

s c o t l a n d !

s c o t l a n d !

s c o t l a n d !

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

start your own currency!

make your own stamp

protect your language

declare independence

don't let them do that to you

declare independence

don't let them do that to you

make your own flag!

raise your flag!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

damn colonists

ignore their patronizing

tear off their blindfolds

open their eyes

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

with a flag and a trumpet

go to the top of your highest mountain!

raise your flag!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

declare independence!

don't let them do that to you!

raise the flag!

It's not the first time Björk has applied her militaristic song to pressing global causes. The political motivation behind Declare Independence was originally applied to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, with the Michel Gondry directed video for the song showing Björk in clothing bearing their flags, and throughout live performances of the song, her dedication of the 2008 track has caused controversy in places such as Shanghai and Tokyo.

Bjork is not the only Icelandic artist to share their opinion on the forthcoming referendum either - Sigur Ros showed their support of the National Collective at a recent Glasgow gig.

[Viking]

björk is batshit

[derspiess]

björk is batshit

Many geniuses are.

[Martinus]

I like an artist who, through subtle and multi-layered poetry, full of alternative interpretations expresses the ambiguity of complex issues.

[Martinus]

björkIcelanders isare batshit

FYPFY

[Viking]

björkIcelanders isare batshit

FYPFY

if icelanders are batshit, then certainly she is batshit too

[Martinus]

No need to get worked into a lather over that kind of cheese.

You, sir, win the Internets.

[Martim Silva]

Fair enough. 

Do you agree that your friends are a little silly?

They're not my friends, they're people interviewed by our local media.

It is odd they let foreign residents vote on this

It seems to be an ideological thing, according to this Harvard Lecturer:

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2014/9/16/harvard-scotland-independence/

The sense that this vote is about the political and economic future of a state, not the apotheosis of a people, is reflected in the voting rules, too: Everyone aged sixteen or older living in Scotland may vote, regardless of national or ethnic identity, while Scottish-born or Scottish-identified people living elsewhere may not vote.

An independent Scotland has the potential to reimagine what a new nation's priorities should be. It will inevitably be an example for other regions of Europe considering a similar move, such as Catalonia in Spain. Independent Scotland could set a precedent for the 21st century, whereby new states come into existence on the basis not only of historical traditional but also through the desire for a new social contract. This is a profound shift in focus, from the nation as the expression of personal identity to the nation as the structure for a better community.

If this is right, it would seem that they want to make the purpose of modern states to be the running of economic issues for a group of people that happens to live in a certain patch of land.

As in, if you go live for a year or two in the Czech Republic, you stop having anything to do with Poland and can't vote on Polish issues. If a 16-year-old Chinese comes to Warsaw to finish highschool, he has full rights to vote on major issues in Poland [namely which money goes where, as those as the only issues worth considering], as he will be part of 'the community', while you are not.

[Martinus]

If this is right, it would seem that they want to make the purpose of modern states to be the running of economic issues for a group of people that happens to live in a certain patch of land.

As in, if you go live for a year or two in the Czech Republic, you stop having anything to do with Poland and can't vote on Polish issues. If a 16-year-old Chinese comes to Warsaw to finish highschool, he has full rights to vote on major issues in Poland [namely which money goes where, as those as the only issues worth considering], as he will be part of 'the community', while you are not.

I like this. I always thought that Polish citizens who for generations have lived abroad (Poland has probably the second most generous "right of return" laws after Israel) should not be allowed to vote in Polish elections (especially as they tend to vote en bloc for the most right wing parties).

[Duque de Bragança]

If this is right, it would seem that they want to make the purpose of modern states to be the running of economic issues for a group of people that happens to live in a certain patch of land.

As in, if you go live for a year or two in the Czech Republic, you stop having anything to do with Poland and can't vote on Polish issues. If a 16-year-old Chinese comes to Warsaw to finish highschool, he has full rights to vote on major issues in Poland [namely which money goes where, as those as the only issues worth considering], as he will be part of 'the community', while you are not.

Well, Martim that's not exactly unknown in Portugal, is it? No Portuguese abroad could vote in the recent referenda and they had to wait quite a while to vote for the President. A former prime minister (Socrates) even tried to curtail the vote of Portuguese abroad on legislative elections by stating there was a "syndicate" rigging the votes since the PS got little votes usually.

[mongers]

Tomorrow they vote, we may be have a result at around start of rush hour Friday morning, so the UK may know its fate in 36 hours. 

[mongers]

FYI, how the vote and result will precede:

(Reuters) - Scots vote on whether to declare independence from the United Kingdom in a referendum on Thursday. Following are details on how and when the results are due.


THE VOTE

The ballot paper will ask: "Should Scotland be an independent country?" Voters will be asked to put a cross in either a Yes or No box.

Polling stations open at 0600 GMT and close at 2100 GMT.

Nearly 800,000 people registered for postal votes, which must arrive by 2100 GMT on Thursday.


EXIT POLLS

Reuters knows of no exit polls planned for after polling stations close at 2100 GMT.

The latest aggregate poll of opinion polls puts the anti-independence camp on 51 percent, the secessionists on 49.


RESULTS

The result will only be formally announced when all the results from 32 local counts are in. The chief counting officer will announce each local result as it comes in.

However, either side only needs 50 percent plus one vote of the total turnout so the result should be clear before every ballot paper has been counted.

Results are likely to start coming through from around 0100 GMT on Sept 19. However, Scotland's biggest cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen may not report results until after 0400 GMT.

A national result will be known "around breakfast time" on Friday, according to a media release prepared by the counting office.
.....

Full article here:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/17/us-scotland-independence-results-factbox-idUSKBN0HC1OM20140917

[mongers]

Can Gordon Brown, a deeply flawed politician, save the Union for us and save David Cameron's career to boot?

[OttoVonBismarck]

As an American one thing I find interesting is how spectacularly weak the Union is. It feels there is very little real attachment to it, and I get the sense that if "No" wins it is most likely out of various forms of self interest and not any real allegiance to the United Kingdom as a country. Arguably (well, I think indisputably) Scotland is better off in the Union because they actually have outsize power and receive outsize money relate to their size, and as this incident shows the powers that be in London are willing to bend a lot to keep them in the fold--if Scotland was its own independent country the British PM would have reason to compromise on areas that made sense for the UK to compromise on--which would actually be dramatically fewer than they are now, since right now London/England compromise on a lot with the Scots in ways that are nonsensical.

In America I don't think there's been a moment of serious secessionism since the ACW, and I think if you held an election in the most pro-secession State today it'd win less than 5% of the vote in that State.

[mongers]

As an American one thing I find interesting is how spectacularly weak the Union is. It feels there is very little real attachment to it, and I get the sense that if "No" wins it is most likely out of various forms of self interest and not any real allegiance to the United Kingdom as a country. Arguably (well, I think indisputably) Scotland is better off in the Union because they actually have outsize power and receive outsize money relate to their size, and as this incident shows the powers that be in London are willing to bend a lot to keep them in the fold--if Scotland was its own independent country the British PM would have reason to compromise on areas that made sense for the UK to compromise on--which would actually be dramatically fewer than they are now, since right now London/England compromise on a lot with the Scots in ways that are nonsensical.

In America I don't think there's been a moment of serious secessionism since the ACW, and I think if you held an election in the most pro-secession State today it'd win less than 5% of the vote in that State.

I can appreciate your view point and yes in some senses the Union can be seen as weak, but I'd argue the counterpart to that is the identify and history of being British, a Brit if you will, is very strong.

Just because a minority of adult people in Scotland vote tomorrow to 'end' the union, doesn't have any real impact on Britishness and those of us who are a 'true Brits'.