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Aye SC, Mrs Oliver seemed a strange sort. No amusing anecdotes about her, apart from witnessing the late Ronald Robinson (Wright) climbing out of the window during her class after he told her he was ‘going home’and she’d stood barring the door.
Was Ronnie Robinson the guy who played in a band with Ray Trusty and Billy Munro etc?
If so he was in my class for Physics with the late teacher Douglas Bilyard (or Willie Three Feet as he was commonly known) Mr Bilyard committed suicide a few years ago but I never really found out the details as I haven’t spoken to his nephews, who lived opposite us in the 70’s, for quite a few years now.
Ronnie used to hang about with William Tulloch (Till) back in the early eighties and I hadn’t seen him since then.
My brother in law is seven years older than me and he recalls the day in Mr Abernethy’s swimming class where "Bert" fell out with one of the 4th year hard boys who had forgotten his trunks. The upshot was the powerfully built lad picking Bert up and hanging him by his jersey from a coat peg, leaving him with his legs flailing in an attempt to escape. I’d have paid good money to have seen that one.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
Aye, that was him SC. Sadly Ronnie died in similar circumstances to Bilyard.
Anyway, I better stop before we bore everyone with Wick High School stories.
If you don’t mind I’ll just move in to break up the old boys reunion…
Discussion regarding the Scottish Independence question at Perth today with both Sam Morshead and Peter Scudamore being interviewed on Racing UK.
Sam is normally pretty bullish about opportunities but, having apparently had discussions with the Yes campaign about the financing racing post independence he was not happy about a reply along the lines of "it will be alright". He expressed serious concerns about Scottish racecourses ability to operate at the same level that they are currently.
Peter Scudamore is concerned that the Russell training establishment would not be able to operate at the same level post-independence.
Nick Alexander (local NTF rep) has made some thoughts public in his blog, and is a No voter, but avoided being drawn into the discussion on television.
Interviewer Gordon Brown (the racing one!) was then taken to task by a "Yes supporter" about apparent bias in the broadcast, resulting in a mildly heated discussion which went on for a fair while and gained a bit of an audience. A handful of us had a chat with Broonie about the subject. I said I’m still pretty much in the Dinnae Ken camp wavering between Yes and No and, as an Englishman living in Scotland for 8 years, just a bit uncomfortable with the whole matter. A telling comment came from a guy from Northern England who said that people had to remember that this is "an all time commitment and not something you can change in a few years if you don’t like it". I know a few in the Yes camp who would get uppity about that sort of comment, but often wisdom can come from those looking on.
I just wonder if the telling time might be those hours and minutes leading up to voting when it dawns on voters that this is for keeps. But for the noo I’m still Dinnae Ken!
Rob
If you don’t mind I’ll just move in to break up the old boys reunion…
Discussion regarding the Scottish Independence question at Perth today with both Sam Morshead and Peter Scudamore being interviewed on Racing UK.
Sam is normally pretty bullish about opportunities but, having apparently had discussions with the Yes campaign about the financing racing post independence he was not happy about a reply along the lines of "it will be alright". He expressed serious concerns about Scottish racecourses ability to operate at the same level that they are currently.
Peter Scudamore is concerned that the Russell training establishment would not be able to operate at the same level post-independence.
Nick Alexander (local NTF rep) has made some thoughts public in his blog, and is a No voter, but avoided being drawn into the discussion on television.
Interviewer Gordon Brown (the racing one!) was then taken to task by a "Yes supporter" about apparent bias in the broadcast, resulting in a mildly heated discussion which went on for a fair while and gained a bit of an audience. A handful of us had a chat with Broonie about the subject. I said I’m still pretty much in the Dinnae Ken camp wavering between Yes and No and, as an Englishman living in Scotland for 8 years, just a bit uncomfortable with the whole matter. A telling comment came from a guy from Northern England who said that people had to remember that this is "an all time commitment and not something you can change in a few years if you don’t like it". I know a few in the Yes camp who would get uppity about that sort of comment, but often wisdom can come from those looking on.
I just wonder if the telling time might be those hours and minutes leading up to voting when it dawns on voters that this is for keeps. But for the noo I’m still Dinnae Ken!
Rob
Sorry for cluttering up the thread.
Thanks for the good crack. Time for me to move on. Be lucky.
It seems to me that 3.15 on Betfair holds plenty appeal, given what the polls are saying and that there is no ‘form’ to go on here. At worst it’s level pegging. There’s no reason to suppose that the 18% who are undecided will mostly fall the way of the NOs.
Am I missing something (from a passion-free, politics-free viewpoint, going on figures alone)?
Supposition because, as you say, there’s no form to go on and the behaviour of the electorate is unlikely to mirror that of a ‘typical’ election come voting day; but if we do choose to apply that dodgy form to this plebiscite then ‘undecideds’ do tend to vote for the status quo when they have the pencil and ballot paper in their hand. Late-stage indecision means they have not been influenced by a barrage of rhetoric from either side and are essentially ambivalent: hence continuation with what they already have and know is the most comfortable action… IMO
I’d also take these latest polls showing a marked swing to YES with a pinch of salt: remember the huge poll-swing to the Liberals at the last election, with forecasts of 100+ seats (1.3 on Betfair at one point if memory serves) which didn’t transpire
This is a huge decision the Scots electorate are being asked to make, with no going back and more importantly an equally huge degree of uncertainty over what independence will actually mean in the medium-to-long term for them and their country, other than the obvious ‘Scotland is an independent country’
The British (in its current sense
) are conservative (small c) by nature and dislike uncertainty and the unknown so I expect a swing back to NO during the last few days of campaigning, and particularly on the daySo if I were to bet ‘like a man’ at present I’d rather lump on ~1.4 NO (2/5, 71%) than ~3.25 YES (9/4, 31%)
Is NO really only a 70% chance
There was an excellent letter to a local paper a few weeks ago stating that the No campaign would win due to the amount "aye beens" voting. These are the people who will vote no not because they want Scotland to stay in the UK but because "it’s aye been that way". In other words they don’t like change. These are the people who complain when the presenter on their favourite TV show changes or a new postie starts.
The latest opinion polls are making things more exciting but I agree that come the day fear will override hope and ambition and the Nos will win the day.
If you don’t mind I’ll just move in to break up the old boys reunion…
Discussion regarding the Scottish Independence question at Perth today with both Sam Morshead and Peter Scudamore being interviewed on Racing UK.
Sam is normally pretty bullish about opportunities but, having apparently had discussions with the Yes campaign about the financing racing post independence he was not happy about a reply along the lines of "it will be alright". He expressed serious concerns about Scottish racecourses ability to operate at the same level that they are currently.
Peter Scudamore is concerned that the Russell training establishment would not be able to operate at the same level post-independence.
Nick Alexander (local NTF rep) has made some thoughts public in his blog, and is a No voter, but avoided being drawn into the discussion on television.
Interviewer Gordon Brown (the racing one!) was then taken to task by a "Yes supporter" about apparent bias in the broadcast, resulting in a mildly heated discussion which went on for a fair while and gained a bit of an audience. A handful of us had a chat with Broonie about the subject. I said I’m still pretty much in the Dinnae Ken camp wavering between Yes and No and, as an Englishman living in Scotland for 8 years, just a bit uncomfortable with the whole matter. A telling comment came from a guy from Northern England who said that people had to remember that this is "an all time commitment and not something you can change in a few years if you don’t like it". I know a few in the Yes camp who would get uppity about that sort of comment, but often wisdom can come from those looking on.
I just wonder if the telling time might be those hours and minutes leading up to voting when it dawns on voters that this is for keeps. But for the noo I’m still Dinnae Ken!
Rob
One of the biggest problems with this debate is that too many people appear to be basing their decision on their selfish needs. Whichever way the e vote goes this will have ramifications for generations to come and that’s what people need to think about.
And as much as I love my racing my vote will be decided by much more important considerations than the effect of independence on Scottish racing.
Indeed Patriot, but this is a Racing forum so perhaps just the place to discuss the more prosaic ramifications of Scottish Independence
Perthshire, like Pembrokeshire in Wales has always struck me as a ‘Little England’ anyway and therefore a NO stronghold I expect; though expats do sometimes become vehement adopted-country nationalists. Mebyon Kernow in Cornwall seems to comprise, in the main, of retired advertising executives from the Home Counties
Drone,
If that’s what the stats say about the undecideds, then I’ll hold off.
Moving back to a subjective viewpoint, the NOs seem all over the place. Their clarion call throughout has been threat-based, and now it’s suddenly a cacophony of panicky promises. Their credibility – as strategists, at the very least, in the most important debate in the history of the modern UK – is badly damaged.
I thought it a mistake from the outset for Osborne to be saying – you can’t use the pound. Who enjoys being threatened? Most cultures would react badly to such treatment and Scots can dig their heels in a fair bit deeper than others when faced with something like this, especially from a Tory bigwig.
But possibly the most significant factor in recent days has been Salmond’s repeated emphasis that we are not voting for the SNP. The prospect of a traditionally Labour country being able to bring a Labour government to power for generations to come will be very appealing to many.
And it’ll be a Labour government shorn of the sins and delusions of Blair (and hopefully, Brown). Ironically, Salmond’s implicit admission – ‘My job here is done’, might see the end of the SNP after a Yes vote, leaving the field to Labour for the foreseeable future.
As a very proud scot the thought of independence excites me greatly especially as we have had govts we didn’t vote for for most of my life. The problem is the uncertainty of what will happen plus the total lack of concrete plans by the yes side and an intense dislike of soapy salmond. I agree with most people on here that the morningside nature of most middle class scots will prevail and the staus quo will be maintained. Pictures of a worried queen will scare the life out of the over 65s in Scotland. As for racing in an independent Scotland as in most things during the referendum the truth is nobody has a clue what will happen an we will have to suck it and see if it happens.
Wii be interesting if it is a ‘Yes’ vote just to see if Scotland will keep the pound and have a place in the European Union which is threatened by this government will be taken away. Also whether it will cost us (England) as much to keep them as it does now
If "Yes" then I think nothing much will change in an independent Scotland including Horse Racing Survation poll has just put NO in a 6pt lead excluding undecideds.
Like Drone, I’m also of the belief that the majority of ‘don’t knows’ are likely to either not vote or vote NO. Surely one is not so ambivalent about a YES vote, which has more dynamism and novelty than an as-we-were NO vote?
There could also be a touch of the ‘shy Tory’ vote here. This was the phenomenon from the 1992 General Election when peole wouldn’t admit to pollsters that they were voting Conservative, but did just that in the privacy of the poll booth. I remember one pollster cursing the British public for such a deception!
In this case, the
sturm und drang
is coming more from the YES campaign which may give the idea that they are in the ascendency.
There’s potential for this to be a surprisingly comfortable NO victory. I would prefer this – or a YES win of any sort – otherwise I can see an unfortunately divisive situation rumbling on for years. Ultimately, I feel Scottish Independence is inevitable but that can may be kicked down the road for many a year.
Market has reacted with Betfair now 1.32 NO, 4.0 YES.
Mike
Betlarge wrote
There could also be a touch of the ‘shy Tory’ vote here. This was the phenomenon from the 1992 General Election when peole wouldn’t admit to pollsters that they were voting Conservative, but did just that in the privacy of the poll booth. I remember one pollster cursing the British public for such a deception!
I felt I`d finally arrived when telling everyone I was backing Kinnock, especially after the exultant Sheffield rally
especially after the exultant Sheffield rally
"Well are you ALRIGHT???!"
*total silence*
"Well are you ALRIGHT???!"
*total silence*
Great stuff!
Mike
Kinnick’s performance at Sheffield was one of the most flesh-creepingly embarrassing episodes it has been my (un)privilege to watch
Some would say the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire was the perfect spot though it reminded me of a Nuremburg Rally
Ignoring commission, Betfair were overbroke for a short while this morning with 1.25 NO and 5.1 YES
) are conservative (small c) by nature and dislike uncertainty and the unknown so I expect a swing back to NO during the last few days of campaigning, and particularly on the day
If "Yes" then I think nothing much will change in an independent Scotland including Horse Racing 
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