How long has Scotland been British?
A look across over 2,000 years of history referencing archaeology, etymology, place names and historical records to address this question...

National identities are, by their nature, often politicised but in an era where some claim they are #ScottishNotBritish there is a case for a historical examination...

It's natural with Sturgeon's milestone this week to think back on the past decade in Scotland.

I've been looking back at my own archive of memes & visualisations from over the years- and it's a sorry tale of a region gripped by stagnation and waste.

Short thread...🧵 August 2014. Just after the first debate between Darling and Salmond (- Just before the panicked YES campaign weaponised the fully devolved NHS.)

Look at the options & issues: How far we've failed to come any closer to clarity on currency!

Again the SNP wooing remainers to indy by claiming that it means Scotland in the EU...

I understand if you are tempted! but Scots deserve to make informed decisions & you. are. being. misinformed.

Don't take my word for it: Just go check everything in this thread yourself. Knowledge is power. How well do you understand the process by which countries apply, and what hurdles there are, before they may gain membership?

If nothing else, just understanding this process will help you spot so much bullshit and misinformation!

Just a couple of thoughts on #EFTA

1) if Scotland did become independent I would want it to be in the EU, I just a) don't think that's feasible and b) it doesn't offset damage of leaving UK Many times when I point out the process and problems of EU membership, and someone realised they can't wish away issues (like keeping the pound and closing Chapter 17) they just dismiss it with "we'll just join EFTA in the meantime"

@LADYRAMPANT you claim "of course Scotland could be in the EU" and to have a master's in EU law; I'm hoping you can clarify some points? Nicola Sturgeon claims we can keep the pound ( pegged or Sterlingised) and join the EU.
How could we close chapter 17 of the Acquis on Monetary Policy without Governance of Monetary policies such as quantitative easing and interest rates?

Hi @MairiMcAllan got your leaflet and I have some questions...

1. You show an EU flag; can you confirm or deny that the SNP have a feasibility study into how long it would take an independent Scotland to join, and it makes a direct comparison to Montenegro (19 years) 2. You say "once the pandemic is behind us... ...from Boris Johnson"

So logically - if, by the time the pandemic is fully gone, Boris is no longer PM, then you will withdraw the threat of a referendum?

This is a lengthy, but very worthwhile article. It's as relevant to the UK including Scotland as well as the USA.
You can listen to it as well. I recommend it.

theatlantic.com/magazine/archi… I found two bits it talks about in social media *very* interesting; on different models and algorithms.

One model delays posts by 24 hours. You get a chance to remove or correct things before they go public. It slows discourse.

@MhairiHunter I'd argue lying about there being EU legal advice in 2014, then using our money to cover up the lie, then surpressing the committee findings was controversial. @MhairiHunter Selecting a small subset of years of figures to base the whitepaper"s hopelessly optimistic economic model on; that was controversial.

IMPORTANT ALERT; There's a dodgy Survation Poll interpretation on the way.

It will show the rise in support the SNP desperately need.

It will probably come on a bad news day for Nicola.

Here is what to be aware of.
Please share. If you follow @themajorityscot you may have seen their recent article "6 ways Nationalists manipulate polls"
Number 3 is 'leading questions'

themajority.scot/2021/02/11/six…

Amidst domestic Scandals, @theSNP will try in May to woo Scottish remain voters to lend them a pro-EU vote.

But what do you actually know about the SNPs history with Europe?

Let's have a look... 1975: @theSNP campaigned against the UK entering Europe.

With another vote of no confidence it's clear John Swinney has serious questions to answer.

Here are 10 to start with @JohnSwinney

#vonc

10 Questions for Kate about Scotland's economy. @KateForbesMSP

Here's my take on if Scotland is a 'one party state' I think what is being referred to represents a genuine concern about a number real issues. It's not about the seats in Holyrood, where the SNP have a nominal minority, it's about the blurring of lines between party, civil-state, nation and Government.

@AuthorMonika No; we have been British here long before we were Scottish. British comes from 'Pritani' which is what the people here called themselves and the whole island before the Romans invaded. @AuthorMonika When the Romans were here they Latinised this to Britannia, but also, for example, the Vindolanda tablets found at Hadrian's wall record the locals north of the wall as 'Britunculi' ' the little britons'

Scotland, you are under attack. From #misinformation and rewriting of History - and not just on the school curriculum.

This is an important thread, because it's one example but it's the tip of the #propaganda iceberg.

Please share to show this. Fact- the 2007 SNP minority government relied on a supply and confidence coalition with the @ScotTories to pass their budgets.

Go and look at the news.
It happened.
They've both taken criticism for it.
It was covered in several places.

A thread for Scots who want to be in the EU, and are considering independence as a path. What it boils down to is this; @theSNP are cowards, who don't trust Scottish Voters to make informed decisions, or rather; they know if you were informed it would expose their lies. Brexit is their justification for independence. An independent Scotland's potential for EU membership is critical to their electoral claims.

Knowing if, how and when it might be possible is absolutely in the public interest. In your interest, OUR interests as europhile Scots

The SNP are not a pro-EU party.

They were fully prepared to take us out of the EU with a yes vote in 2014. The SNP are not a pro-EU party.

They didn't even bother to get legal advice on our EU membership before publishing the whitepaper.

@MhairiHunter Why not? Where to begin!

For a start every SNP politician, every opening of parliaments, wears a white rose to honour their founding faither Hugh MacDiarmid, author of 'plea for a Scottish Fascism' @MhairiHunter Then there are the cover-ups about the EU. The party is, and has done, everything it can to keep the truth from Scots about if, how and when we could meet the Copenhagen Criteria.

Super poll? Super pollocks more like!
The 64% they got for the headline was stretching it a bit!

First thoughts on the findings; Was there nobody under 22 questioned?! 100% of their respondents recorded how they voted in 2014.

Either their sample isn't representative, with no first time voters, or it's piss-poor survey question design.

The one message I would take to pro-EU Scots who are considering supporting independence on the basis we would be in the EU is...

**I DON'T WANT YOU TO TRUST ME**

Thread. Please share. I DON'T WANT YOU TO TRUST ME.

I want you to question, challenge and double-check for yourself everything in this research;

populistsplaybook.com/blog-2/the-cop…

Long Read: The Copenhagen Concealment.

If you are interested in the potential of a iScot in the EU, you'l find this an informative and, I hope, a useful resource. I can promise if you read it, you will be better informed than most UK politicians!

populistsplaybook.com/blog-2/the-cop… This detailed study looks at the positions, paths, promises and problems & links to primary sources from the ScotGovt, Holyrood committees, The European Commission, EU publications & law, as well as secondary sources like quotes from politicians & media.