In 1780, Robert Burns wrote a clever, though sad little poem "Lines Written on a Banknote" where he bemoans the fact that for lack of a banknote, he has lost his girlfriend, he can't afford to drink, and he may have to leave Scotland forever.
I hope he, (and you) will forgive me if I imagine what he would write this morning, if he were alive today.....
More Lines Written on a Banknote
Oh banknote, if ye only knew
The battle that's been waged for you
The fights which ha'e on this occasion
Almost tore apart a nation
But mornin's here, oot comes the sun
The fight is o'er, the votin' done
And banknote, tho' sae scarce an' small
You have a lesson for us all
First of all you ye are the token
O' promise, that must ne'er be broken
Sae may each promise made today
Be aye fulfilled, noo, come what may
And banknote ye can surely claim
Tho' both your sides are no the same
Whenever these two sides unite
You've got more strength to face each fight
And for you, one last thing I long
May ye aye be guid and strong!
Showing posts with label Scottish Referendum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Scottish Referendum. Show all posts
Friday, 19 September 2014
Thursday, 18 September 2014
The Scottish Referendum Part 2
Today is the big day! - the day when the votes are cast for Scotland, staying with the United Kingdom, or breaking away for ever - so tomorrow, as I live in England, I may suddenly find that I'm an alien! On the positive side, that would probably be a source of pleasure for my Grandson, Dylan, who would almost certainly be more impressed, if his grandfather was an alien.
Of course, if Scotland does vote "yes", would it be safe for me to return to the country, of my birth Or am I likely to be seen in Scotland as as a heretic. Would the fact that I've produced poetry(?) like "Tae a Curry", "Tae a Password" and "Tae a Meerkat", be seen as a travesty of the great poet's name, rather than the act of a Burns fan with a modicum of humour.
Even worse, would the fact that I've dared to create new modern, music for some of Burns' lesser well known songs and poems, be seen as the final nail in the coffin - resulting in a warrant for my arrest as soon as I attempted to cross the border into Scotland. Would I finish up in prison along with the haggis smugglers, caught red handed - by the way, I must admit that my post about merchandising should have at least recognised the fact, that no-one, in the history of Scotland, has ever made such a huge single-minded contribution to the sales of any product, as Robert Burns has to promote the haggis, with "Tae a Haggis"
Just imagine, if he had actually created "Tae a Curry" and that became the dish served up at every Burns Supper - the impact on Scottish butchers could have been immense, not to mention the impact on the Scottish economy.
On such small decisions does the destiny of nations sometimes revolve
Of course, if Scotland does vote "yes", would it be safe for me to return to the country, of my birth Or am I likely to be seen in Scotland as as a heretic. Would the fact that I've produced poetry(?) like "Tae a Curry", "Tae a Password" and "Tae a Meerkat", be seen as a travesty of the great poet's name, rather than the act of a Burns fan with a modicum of humour.
Even worse, would the fact that I've dared to create new modern, music for some of Burns' lesser well known songs and poems, be seen as the final nail in the coffin - resulting in a warrant for my arrest as soon as I attempted to cross the border into Scotland. Would I finish up in prison along with the haggis smugglers, caught red handed - by the way, I must admit that my post about merchandising should have at least recognised the fact, that no-one, in the history of Scotland, has ever made such a huge single-minded contribution to the sales of any product, as Robert Burns has to promote the haggis, with "Tae a Haggis"
Just imagine, if he had actually created "Tae a Curry" and that became the dish served up at every Burns Supper - the impact on Scottish butchers could have been immense, not to mention the impact on the Scottish economy.
On such small decisions does the destiny of nations sometimes revolve
Sunday, 14 September 2014
The Scottish Referendum
Well here we are again - I expect that you're full of admiration for the poetic brilliance of "Tae a Curry" and have been quoting it non-stop for the past twenty four hours!
Anyway, rather than go straight to "Tae a Meerkat", I just thought I should talk about the Scottish Referendum. It has always been stated that the two greatest Scottish poets, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott would be at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to nationalism - with Burns calling for freedom and Scott defending the union. However, I'm not so sure, and I'll tell you why.
A number of years I was on a business outing to the Middlesex Rugby Sevens at Twickenham, and since there was quite a big number of us, we decided to have a sweepstake determined by the winning team. We drew out the names of all the teams, and based on the law of averages I drew an English team (I think there was only one Scottish team) Anyway, to cut a long story short, the final was to be determined between the Scottish team and the English team I had drawn out for the sweepstake.
What a quandary! My heart said that I should support the Scottish team, but my head said otherwise. So, I cheered on my English team - they won and I won the sweepstake. It was definitely a case of pocket over passion!
Now, if Burns were alive today, he would probably face the same quandary. He might be a passionate nationalist - but he would also, as a farmer, be receiving large amounts of money in subsidies from the EEC. If Scotland goes independent and therefore leaves the EEC, he probably would lose these subsidies.
What a quandary - however, as a true Scot, I'm inclined to believe that the financial case would be more compelling than the excitement of breaking away from the rest of Britain. I think he would probably vote no - to stay together. But what do you think?
Anyway, rather than go straight to "Tae a Meerkat", I just thought I should talk about the Scottish Referendum. It has always been stated that the two greatest Scottish poets, Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott would be at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to nationalism - with Burns calling for freedom and Scott defending the union. However, I'm not so sure, and I'll tell you why.
A number of years I was on a business outing to the Middlesex Rugby Sevens at Twickenham, and since there was quite a big number of us, we decided to have a sweepstake determined by the winning team. We drew out the names of all the teams, and based on the law of averages I drew an English team (I think there was only one Scottish team) Anyway, to cut a long story short, the final was to be determined between the Scottish team and the English team I had drawn out for the sweepstake.
What a quandary! My heart said that I should support the Scottish team, but my head said otherwise. So, I cheered on my English team - they won and I won the sweepstake. It was definitely a case of pocket over passion!
Now, if Burns were alive today, he would probably face the same quandary. He might be a passionate nationalist - but he would also, as a farmer, be receiving large amounts of money in subsidies from the EEC. If Scotland goes independent and therefore leaves the EEC, he probably would lose these subsidies.
What a quandary - however, as a true Scot, I'm inclined to believe that the financial case would be more compelling than the excitement of breaking away from the rest of Britain. I think he would probably vote no - to stay together. But what do you think?
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