This serves me right for reading the Grauniad online when I should be working

[tree_and_leaf]

Sigh. Dear Stuart Jeffries: even if Scotland does achieve independence, that caravan site just north of Berwick will not become the most northern point on the British mainland, because that's a geographical term and not a political one, ok?† And a place in Ireland is never going to be the most northerly point in Britain, for related reasons. (Quite apart from the fact that, as my astute flisties point out, Donegal is in Eire, which hasn't belonged to Britain for some time).

Also, I really shouldn't read 'Comment is Free' postings on religion, because it's full of self-congratulatory atheists who think that all religious people are fascists, and that the Church of England is a reactionary cult aiming to impose sharia law on Britain, which is unlikely for many reasons, including the great difficulty in getting the C of E to agree on anything other than that going to church is a nice thing to do. Anyone who admits to being religious and suggests that, actually, they don't want to take over the world and that quite a lot of British socialism came out of a religious background gets accused of being a 'dung-breathed fundamentalist' who thinks that Marx was a Catholic.*

† Unless the SNP have updated their manifesto to include "Digging a Really Big Ditch, like in 'Asterix and the Great Divide'", but I somehow doubt it.

* This is, of course, nonsense. He was Lutheran (though hardly believing).

ETA: edited for my own poor geopolitical skils *headdesk* *strowes head with ashes*

Comments

[eagles-rock.livejournal.com]

And a place in Donegal, Republic of Ireland, will not be the most northern point in a 'UK sans Scotland' entity. Nor the UK as it stands, nor the British Isles, as you say.

I must admit though, the 'Duke of Milton Keynes' made me laugh. Unlike most of Cif, which is just weep-inducing argument fodder; surely there must be a competition to see what bilge gets most replies?

Duke of Milton Keynes is, admittedly, funny.

[tree_and_leaf]

Very true.

Stuart Jeffries is funny as a TV reviewer, but he doesn't seem to know very much about anything else.

surely there must be a competition to see what bilge gets most replies?

It's the only explanation; I imagine some sort of prizegiving at the Grauniad Christmas party, possibly with special bonus prizes for threads that get the most number of comments modded.

I think the thing that most astonished me was the way that, when Maureen Lipman used to write a (rather fluffy, but mostly amusing) column, you could garantee that, whatever the subject of the article, within five posts the debate would have turned into an argument about Israel; or mostly a series of denouncements of Israel. I don't really like the Israeli government, and I have little patience with the argument that criticising Israel makes you anti-semitic - but that sort of behaviour does make you wonder.

[eagles-rock.livejournal.com]

Israel - so much more than just a football team. As if that wasn't enough. Couldn't agree with you more.

The bile is so strong, the hatred so complete, the anonymity so empowering.

[tree_and_leaf]

Yes, it's quite frightening how some people behave when they know there are no consequences. The one thing to be said in CiF's favour is that it makes even the wankiest bits of LJ look polite, rational and well-brought up.

I've just remembered that I actually have an icon showing Maureen Lipman, namely this one (so this is practically a GIC).