Anti-English posters in Scottish stores
We read:
"High street retailer HMV has withdrawn "Anyone But England" World Cup posters and T-shirts from its Scottish stores following complaints they were racist.
HMV took the decision after Fife police visited a store in the Kirkcaldy constituency of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP) contacted police about the "insensitive and provocative" items which, their website claimed were "criminally irresponsible".
"During the last World Cup, a number of racist attacks were committed in Scotland against English people and anti-English racism remains a problem whether it's a World Cup year or not."
Source
The posters were of course racist and the Scots have loathed the English for nearly 1,000 years -- mainly because the English kept invading and killing them -- but the two sides have got on well enough for centuries now -- without any need for political correctness.
12 comments:
There's obviously no free speech in neither England nor Scotland.
What is "The Campaign for an English Parliament (CEP)"? I thought Scotland was already ruled by the brits?
How is that racist? Is there a race called English? Or are the English and Scots pretty much the same ethnic group?
Bobby confuses England with Britain. The English are no more British than the Scots or Welsh.
England, Britain, United Kingdom... I don't get it.
Bobby,
Great Britain is made up of:
1) England
2) Scotland
3) Wales
(Some include Northern Ireland)
It's sort of like the United States where certain States hate other States, especially when it comes to North and South.
England and Scotland have gotten along for a long time now but the shorts are evidence that some people simply can't give up past grievances and will indeed revert to violence to "redress" the past despite the simple fact that the people of today had nothing to do with it.
It is fools like those who cannot forgive the past who are always creating new wounds to keep old problems alive and it's happening all over the world not just in Scotland.
That said the shirts are also a sign of the rivalries of modern sports and therefore cannot always be taken seriously. The basic (and unsolvable) problem we have is determining which sentiment the person who buys and wears that merchandise is expressing.
Scotland and Wales have their own parliament but England does not
It is ruled by the UK parliament
Hence the call for an English parliament
Thanks for the explanation, bogsidebunny.
"It's sort of like the United States where certain States hate other States, especially when it comes to North and South."
---I suppose, although I can't imagine Alabama rooting against New York when it comes to world sports.
I do remember that when the country song "a southerner can survive" became "America can survive" after 9/11, I sort of resented it.
Back to the issue, it seems to me that Scotland is more like Hawaii, a territory that was occupied without the consent of its citizens.
Scotland was never permanently occupied by England, only for short periods, but in 1707 their was a voluntary untion of the two countries as the "United Kingdom", even though England was seen as the dominant partner. However, their populations soon merged into each other so what is purely English or purely Scottish is moot. (Ditto Wales, which did undergo a conquest by England in the middle-ages).
The Parliament in London (Westminster) is the UK/British parliament, but in the last few years both Scotland and Wales have got again their own regional parliaments. England however doesn't have a regional parliament for itself so that rather annoys many english people. (Northern Ieland also has a regional parliament.)
Anon 3:33 said;
"How is that racist? Is there a race called English?"
Anon, it's the same phony issue used here in the US when discussing tens-of-millions of illegal Mexicans. Mexican is a nationality, not a race. But it does serve to rile-up the mindless.
The bottom line here is, merchandisers will take advantage of, and yes, even incite, any feelings on either side. All for a quick buck. (or lb.)
The word "racist" is the new catch-all for anything that irritates or annoys. The word has become almost meaningless through overuse and misuse.
Almost like a "cry wolf", so we can never be sure when it might be true.
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