# Whither Scotland? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 2, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261 "2014-09-02T16:28:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 47
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/921 "2014-09-18T15:13:37Z")
Can you quote the section of that article you are referring to? ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/922 "2014-09-18T15:14:15Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I got 12 and I’m half-Scot. I guess I’ll go tell my Mum I have failed her miserably and will never again show my face at family gatherings. > > Then again, I’m not sure that “APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY SCOTTISH ISLANDS ARE THERE?” and “WHICH IS SCOTLAND’S MOTTO?” are really powerful questions regarding “the real Scotland”. For the record, I don’t know England, Britain or Sweden’s motto either, because it isn’t actually that important. I also couldn’t tell you approximately how many islands are in the Stockholm archipelago despite having lived in Stockholm for fifteen years. > > I also fucked up the “legislature” question as I didn’t recognise either of the words and so guessed. If I’d taken more than a split second I would have realised that it meant single house/two house. English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish mottos are imprinted around the rims of pound coins. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/923 "2014-09-18T15:22:18Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > Fair’s fair. > > Any non-Scot who scores better than 15 on this test earns the right to have their comments about Scottish Independence taken seriously. > > [http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/could-you-pass-a-scottish-citizenship-test--lJfaVbmL4l](http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/could-you-pass-a-scottish-citizenship-test--lJfaVbmL4l) Close. I got 14, and I’ve never been to Scotland. And between the 1980s when I was improbably Pakistan’s biggest Hearts supporter and the current independence issue, I haven’t given more than 15 minutes of thought to Scotland as a country. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/924 "2014-09-18T15:27:46Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I thought Vindolanda was in Canada! 😉 I thought it was a type of curry. Edit: Damn, beaten to that bad joke. Twice. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/925 "2014-09-18T15:29:50Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > I was recognising that you live here! Ah, I see, cheers 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/926 "2014-09-18T15:32:00Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > English, Welsh, Irish and Scottish mottos are imprinted around the rims of pound coins. Awesome. I live in Sweden. ETA: You honestly think people read what goes on around the coin and then compares it to the picture on it? Really? Have you met actual people? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/927 "2014-09-18T15:38:01Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I was improbably Pakistan’s biggest Hearts supporter You can’t just leave that dangling there man! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/928 "2014-09-18T15:42:44Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > Close. I got 14, and I’ve never been to Scotland. And between the 1980s when\*\* I was improbably Pakistan’s biggest Hearts supporter \*\*and the current independence issue, I haven’t given more than 15 minutes of thought to Scotland as a country. Have you much competition? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/929 "2014-09-18T15:58:10Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > Awesome. I live in Sweden. > > ETA: > You honestly think people read what goes on around the coin and then compares it to the picture on it? Really? Have you met actual people? A big deal was made about the mottos when they were introduced. Additionally it is on the crest on public buildings - saw it today on the news from the Scottish Parliament. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/930 "2014-09-18T16:01:33Z")
14 right. I must admit to some bemusement that knowing when the school year starts is an important factor of being a Scottish citizen. I also think a valid answer to “How many islands?” should have been “lots and lots”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/931 "2014-09-18T16:04:54Z")
> [@](#): > > A big deal was made about the mottos when they were introduced. It was? They’ve been printing _dieu et mon droit_ on English pound coins since they were first minted in '83. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/932 "2014-09-18T16:07:15Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > Guantanamo is held on a permanent lease agreed with the govern net of Cuba IIRC in the nineteenth century. And the current Cuban government doesn’t recognize it. I mean, Faslaine was set up in accordance with the law too. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/933 "2014-09-18T17:11:10Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > And the current Cuban government doesn’t recognize it. I mean, Faslaine was set up in accordance with the law too. The current Cuban government does not recognise it, but international law does. Conversely in the case of a break up of the UK, if rUK refused an order to withdraw its troops from Independent Scotland, international law would support Scottish sovereignty. Of course the rUK can always do a Russia on Crimea, but that is unthinkable. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/934 "2014-09-18T17:14:25Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It was? They’ve been printing _dieu et mon droit_ on English pound coins since they were first minted in '83. I am talking about the eighties. Before it went on the coinage, the various mottos chosen were less than well know; afterwards they became common pub quiz questions - part of popular culture. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/935 "2014-09-18T17:16:25Z")
Any news on the vote? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/936 "2014-09-18T17:22:25Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > The current Cuban government does not recognise it, but international law does. Citation needed. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/937 "2014-09-18T17:25:46Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Any news on the vote? High turnouts so far. UK media is a bit restricted about what can be reported when polls are open. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/938 "2014-09-18T17:26:34Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Any news on the vote? Voting continues. The polls close at 5 pm eastern (if I’ve got my time zones right) and final results are expected some eight hours later. > [@](#): > > CNN, like other broadcasters, is following rules that restrict reporting on details of campaigning until after the polls close. In the meantime, I think we’re arguing about whether unicorns exist. ---
**Author:** ![Pjen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Pjen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pjen)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/939 "2014-09-18T17:37:57Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Citation needed. Law on successor states. Cuba has not approached the International Court to rule on the 1903 Treaty. Basically it accepts the status quo as it knows that it has no chance of overturning a treaty signed in perpetuity. Possibly immoral but not currently decided to be illegal. Unless you have a cite to show the occupation is illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2014, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261/940 "2014-09-18T17:54:38Z")
> [@Pjen](#): > > Fair’s fair. > > Any non-Scot who scores better than 15 on this test earns the right to have their comments about Scottish Independence taken seriously. > > [http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/could-you-pass-a-scottish-citizenship-test--lJfaVbmL4l](http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/could-you-pass-a-scottish-citizenship-test--lJfaVbmL4l) I got an 11 with a lot of educated guessing and trust me: my views on this subject should not be taken too seriously. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whither-scotland/697261.md?page=48)