Japanese soldiers found 60 years after war ended
Discussion
srebbe64 said:
These blokes have just discovered that the war's over, a mere 60 years after everyone else!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4585287.stm
No surrender, Jap style I guess.
These guys held out til the 60s and 70s....
Here
w00dy said:
It's not? How the hell do we keep the English oot?!!!
scotland's full of the english, aintcha bin 'ome in a woile moite?
And England is full of Scottish "white settlers".
The Scottish economy only survives because it is heavily subsidised by the English taxpayer, Wales and Northern Ireland are the same.
The Scottish parliament, Scottish indepenence and the SNP are all bad jokes.
We should be one big happy country. It is a shame we lost the southern bit of Ireland but the Anglo Irish abstained from the referendum and it was won by the slimmest of majorities. Leading to a debilitating civil war and 50 years in the economic wilderness until the EU came along and dug them out. Even today the infrastructure is pretty third world.
srebbe64 said:
These blokes have just discovered that the war's over, a mere 60 years after everyone else!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4585287.stm
Having been to the Phillipines and Indonesea a few times and out into the Pacific islands I can understand this. The war was fought over a staggering area, 10 seconds with a globe will tell you that. There are just thousands and thousands of islands and when you try to walk round them you are confronted with tropical rainforest which is just so dense. These days you could fly over with infra red sensors but it is difficult to tell the difference between a pig and a human this way. Anyone with a bit of training could choose not to be found for ever.
bruciebabie said:
The Scottish economy only survives because it is heavily subsidised by the English taxpayer
Broadly agree with what you're saying mate, but check out the amount of oil revenue we get from the North Sea. Technically Scottish waters so I believe the jocks are well up on that score.
srebbe64 said:
That's easy. A quick look at the weather, and who the hell would want to go there! I'm currently sitting in my garden, 25 degrees, blue sky, glass of red wine. Meanwhile, there is a depression over Scotlanbd and Northern Ireland - causing "drizzle".
Yes but they have mountains and scenery. The South is beautiful (after all I live here and love it) but its not like the Highlands...
There's a place for both. For me - its live in the South and Holiday in the Highlands!
los angeles said:
The Scottish economy only survives because it is heavily subsidised by the English taxpayer.
You need to add, Nessie really exists, to that myth if we are to keep tourist numbers up, Bruciebabie. (Any relation to King Brucie?)
Economists have long ago disproven the SNP propaganda about North Sea oil being able to balance the books. Scotland is a kept woman to English handouts. Proven economic fact. And Scotland is depopulating at some speed as all the talent gets out. There is little inwards investment and many former inward investment projects are closing leading to hightening unemployment. English subsidies will have to go up even further to finance this.
bruciebabie said:
And England is full of Scottish "white settlers".
The Scottish economy only survives because it is heavily subsidised by the English taxpayer, Wales and Northern Ireland are the same.
The Scottish parliament, Scottish indepenence and the SNP are all bad jokes.
We should be one big happy country.
No we
shouldn't. INDEPDENDENCE FOR THE SOUTH EAST!
I live here. I work here. I want the Government I voted for HERE to govern me HERE spending the taxes they raise from me HERE HERE.
Don: Welshman who loves Wales but CHOSE to move to the South East of England, marry a local girl and views England as his "adopted" country.
los angeles said:
Who wants a reluctant partner who is high maintenance?
No one does. In fact it makes us angry.
I love the Highlands, and North Wales - my old homeland. BUT these areas have to stand on their own two feet with the assets they have (which are great...). They're more than capable of it if left to it unhindered. Independent Government for Wales and Scotland seems like a GREAT idea to me - they'll choose the best policies for their specific needs - instead of bullshit made up by Westminster.
But they should be making their policies based on their own tax raising powers. Spend what you make, boys, not other people's money...fair enough I feel.
If I lived in Wales again I'd want it no other way.
Living in the South East I want MY local Government to spend my money...If I was offered a chance at independence for the South East I'd grab it with both hands...
los angeles said:
Ach, don't vex yersel, Don. Bruciebabie is jist stung by rejection, the response of all colonialists when the indigenous population refuse to show gratitude for being treated as savages needing education and Christianity.
Bruciebabe manages to post stuff that annoys virtually everyone at some point or another (me included). Whether or not that is bad or good I am still making up my mind. 
As an ex-pat you may not see things from a local perspective LA. I can assure you - many Southern voters (and simply those based in England) are feeling jolly weed off at the mo'.
For example: Did you know that England actually voted the Conservatives in? (ref: Telegraph statistical analysis - Google for it). It was votes outside of England that (rightly since we are the UK) selected the overall condition of parliament. But still - if independence was offered as one of such a mind, living in an area of such a mind one might feel more than a little betrayed by democracy at this point...and want such independence if it was actually on offer...
los angeles said:
We tried to; we asked and argued for full tax raising powers, but our masters in London vetoed the request! Collecting our own taxes would be too much running our own country. Power devolved is power retained.
Agreed. And a good thing. Why shouldn't Wales and Scotland have seperate representation in Europe? They should. And have total independence - seperate tax raising powers and spending powers. Why not? We're a United KINGDOM - not a United Democrary...me I'm happy to bow to the same king and argue the points of how my tax gets spent locally...
Don said:
We tried to; we asked and argued for full tax raising powers, but our masters in London vetoed the request! Collecting our own taxes would be too much running our own country. Power devolved is power retained.
Agreed. And a good thing. Why shouldn't Wales and Scotland have seperate representation in Europe? They should. And have total independence - seperate tax raising powers and spending powers. Why not? We're a United KINGDOM - not a United Democrary...me I'm happy to bow to the same king and argue the points of how my tax gets spent locally...
A balance between economics and nationalism. If Scotland gained full independence and tax raising powers, I suspect that the huge socialist bias in Scottish politics would lead to large tax rises, and I think, with great regret, I'd be off. Back for the holidays, maybe...
los angeles said:
Agreed, Don. We seem to do okay for over seven hundred years. Wanting full independence has nothing to do with disloyalty, it has everything to do with being on equal terms. For centuries clan chiefs were considered bare-arsed savages by their English counterparts, yet the chiefs were educated in French universities - St Andrews was the first university to be founded in Britain - and learning Latin, while the English were still lobbing canonballs at the Spanish. We were trading with them, thus the red pantiles on many a Scottish croft ... and brown-eyed, sallow skinned native on the west coast!
Small is beautiful. I'm all for it. Last time I was in newcastle they wanted independence there too.
But following the example of the Scottish parliament - building and elected members - they rejected an independent assembly in a referendum, by some margin.
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