I can exclusively reveal that Gordon Brown will be supporting England in the World Cup. The Financial Secretary revealed this shocking news to an astonished Finance Bill Committee this evening. Are there no limits to this man's ability to curry favour with English Labour MPs?
Well, what choice has the git got seeing as there's no such effective entity as the Scottish International Football team.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the Finance Bill Committee will see through Brown's veiled toadyism...
Michael Gove said he supports England when Scotland isn't playing, it's not a uniquely Brownite position!
ReplyDeleteExcellent News.
ReplyDeleteNoone who is English will be impressed whilst many Scots will view him as a traitor.
Even Alex Salmond said he supports England when Scotland isn't playing, it's not that unusual a position...
ReplyDelete"Like most Scots say outright, and others only pretend otherwise, I support two teams in any competition, Scotland and whoever is playing England."
ReplyDeleteSo, generally speaking, you end up supporting whoever is playing England. Of course after any qualifying rounds have been played, say the first.
Isn't it about time that the Scottish who hold this opinion campaigned for a team that was, oh I don't know, a little more English in attitude and ability?
johnjo, as a Scot I can tell you that "most Scots" do not hold the stupid opinions attributed to them by fergusmac.
ReplyDeleteIt's really rather sad if you can only get sporting pleasure from seeing someone else lose, instead of celebrating the abilities of your own side.
Anonymous, I suspected that to be the case but I tend to only hear from people who hold the view stated by fergusmac. Personally I have always supported Scotland, or any other British team, when up against anyone other than England. However, in recent times I have been finding myself changing attitudes. It's not a nice position to be in and just goes to show how being exposed to entrenched and unreasonable anti-British attitudes can be catchy.
ReplyDeleteNope Anon - Fergusmac is right. I've lived in Scotland for over 4 years and married into a Scottish family - and I can confirm his comments are spot on from personal experience. ( One of the reasons I've come South again. )
ReplyDeletePS I'm not sure how popular Brown is north of the border. A dark view is held of those who head south for employment - especially now there's such opportunities for state sponsored debating in Edinburgh.
"man in a shed", I'm sorry you feel that way and had that experience, but I can tell you that all Scots or even most Scots don't feel that way. Sometimes it is done in a joking way without realising how insulting it is, something I only realised when I moved down south and the shoe was on the other boot. For my part I have always tried to challenge such ridiculous attitudes and do not think that being pro-English or pro-UK is incompatible with being pro-Scottish.
ReplyDeleteI have an interest in this as I had to quit my first job in England as I was constantly being told that "we're fed up of your Scottish accelt" and "go back to your own country", yet I know that 99.999% of all English people I have met are the nicest people around. Let's try not judge an entire country on the actions of a bunch of morons. I really hate this stupid Scotland v England thing and the way the Government has encouraged the Balkanisation of the UK through its botched devolution policies.
The point about "a dark view being held" of people who move down south for employment is just silly though - Brown is MP for Dunfermline, so I don't see how he has "moved down south", even if it were true that Scottish people held such attitudes, which, again, some morons might but the majority do not.
Im surprised Broon isn't calling the England team "Regions United".
ReplyDeleteAfter all, his favurite quote is "The nations and regions of Britain".
Sorry Gordon, wont wash, you have no mandate in England and you wont last long.
My DNA is less aggressive than Fergusmac's. If Scots are involved I will support them first (as in the recent Commonwealth Games were we did very well thank you). Where they aren't I will support any available Brit. This is a very common position.
ReplyDeleteIt used to be much less so because, prior to devolution, we believed, correctly, that all political decisions were taken 500 miles away in Central London, which was a constant niggle.
I would also take issue with Fergus' description of Dewar as "no nationalist". He may have been a pompous ass but he was a nationalist. He believed that the Union, with devolution, was in the best interests of the Scottish nation as well. The separatists of the SNP have no monopoly on patriotism.
Quick Poll around the office here in Aberdeen and ignoring the English reveals that People generally support anyone against the English apart from notable exception of Germany and perhaps Argentina. Even then support falls off after listenting to the usual John Motson etc commentary as to the greater glories of England (1966 and all that).
ReplyDeleteYou say, Broon's support will impress the English, well it doesn't. With friends like that we don't need enemies.
ReplyDeleteHe only uses the "E" word for football. I expect he goes home to vomit after using tha word, and dreads the world cup coming round. When it comes to the nation of England and implementing policies on us, he says "regions."
ReplyDeleteWell he can stick his fake support up his Scottish nether-regions and twizzle. Let's hope his own voters show him the red card at the next elections and vote for the SNP.
This is a strange collection of opinions.
ReplyDeleteWhen the conservatives said you were not british unless
you supported England when they played cricket (whatever that is).
Why did they not realise what an insult that was to other british
nationals. A similar idea comes up when England plays in the world cup.
First it is rediculous that one nation be expected to support another in in an international compitition and they are severly condemned if they dont.
Is england expected to support germany if it is the only european team in a compitition.
No. Is mexico expected to support america. Its nonsense. The complexities of why this is so
are endless and the failure of the english to understand why any scot may decline to choose england to support is jaw dropping. "England win olympic curling" said the
headlines on the official web site. Some english said they did not support scotland in
the curling when it was a "British" team. Many scots show how modern and free from prejudice
they are by supporting england when actually being free from prejudice would mean
they support any random team from all the world.Why is it considered a sin to decline to choose any particular team, that is fascinating. Many scots say they watch the game and
choose who to support by the workrate, fareplay, skill and so on, who deserves to win. Then they hear the arrogance and racism of the english commentators (ably lampooned by marty feldman) and
they are put off.Why cant they just play football instead of claiming to have invented it, and saying "every little boy dreams of playing for england",and so on.
Yes and apparently Gordon Brown is also having lessons in Morris Dancing !
ReplyDeleteGordon Brown has been in politics for too long and has lost touch with reality.
He will make a good Prime Minister >>>>>> in SCOTLAND
www.EngDem.org
I'm a Scot. How can you English trust Brown when he has sold his own Country down the river ?
ReplyDeleteAs far as supporting England. You simply don't support your biggest rivals.
I hope he looses his seat in Scotland for his comments about britishness and supporting England.