Scots don't get the feel good factor after the Olympics

[Seagull over Canaryland]

Interesting to hear the phone in on 5Live this morning. Several Scots talking down the feel good factor, claiming it was an 'English' Olympics. Many more Scots shouting them down saying how London 2012 has strengthened their feeling for the 'Union'.

OK, the games were largely based in London and a only handful of footie matches were held in Wales and Scotland, but were hardly 'English'. Stand up Andy Murray, Chris Hoy etc.

One Scot pointed out 'they' would have come something like 10th in the Olympic medal table and suggested that Scotland should enter its own Olympics team in 2016! Obviously suits the nationalist agenda North of the border. Was good to hear a Scots caller then point out that even Murray and Hoy might struggle given that their training facilities and coaches are based in England....

Will be interesting to see how the Commonwealth Games go in Glasgow 2014. Could be a big political football.

 

[SK1NT]

Miserable and Bitter... Let them f**k off on their own...

The Olympics were such a joyeous amazing spectacle it is so frustrating that people are still trying to bring it down. The world has been raving about our Olympics...

 

[Titanic]

The nats were very worried about the 'Team GB' bandwagon... so it is not surprising to hear them trying to piss on the parade now.

To be honest, I could quite happily do without them.... I haven't heard a single good argument from an English perspective for fighting to keep the union.

 

[Woodchip]

That's what happens when you drink too much special brew. It muddles your brain.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Whatever next, an independant Yorkshire? Didn't they do as well for medals as Scotland?

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Given that a huge amount of Scots don't support the Union, it's easy to see (or at least so it seems to me) why they might be disillusioned with an event where all you can see left, right and centre are British flags waving enthusiastically, whilst Scottish success (and I agree about the English training facilities comment) is celebrated primarily as British success.

 

[Titanic]

Given that a huge amount of Scots don't support the Union..

about 1 in 3 at the last poll, I think.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

about 1 in 3 at the last poll, I think.

That's a huge amount of people. I never said "majority".

 

[Pinkie Brown]

Miserable and Bitter... Let them f**k off on their own...

The Olympics were such a joyous amazing spectacle it is so frustrating that people are still trying to bring it down. The world has been raving about our Olympics...

Spot on. Not all Scots in fairness, but a sizable minority have a chip on their shoulder when it concerns anything south of the border. Not helped by Alex Salmond stirring the pot with his sectarian agenda. Funny how we never heard a peep from him when The Westminster Government was bailing out The Royal Bank of Scotland a few years back....

The first event they were entrusted with at the games, they nearly caused a diplomatic incident by hoisting the wrong Korean Flag at Hamden Park.

It will be interesting to see how the Commonwealth games pan out up there in a couple of years. Will any of the funding be coming from the English or Welsh Taxpayers directly or indirectly?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The nats were very worried about the 'Team GB' bandwagon... so it is not surprising to hear them trying to piss on the parade now.

To be honest, I could quite happily do without them.... I haven't heard a single good argument from an English perspective for fighting to keep the union.

We could stop subsidising their prescriptions and university fees which would be an economic benefit to us.

 

[Titanic]

That's a huge amount of people. I never said "majority".

Indeed. If reflected in the whole Scottish registered electorate... it would be about 1.3m people.

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

It struck me just how overwhelming the support was from the crowds when Murray and Hoy won their Golds, I didn't notice many punters stop cheering because it suddenly occurred to them 'Oh no, they're Scots so I won't cheer them'. It was Team GB so if you don't like it, do something else.... while the rest of us are backing 'our' team.

I wonder what the reaction would be from Scottish crowds if say Bradley Wiggins or Jessica Ennis won their event for Team GB if the Olympics had been held in Scotland? I'd like to think they would celebrate just as wildly as the rest of us.....but would they? - and what about when the anthems are played at the medal ceremonies?

 

[ATFC Seagull]

It struck me just how overwhelming the support was from the crowds when Murray and Hoy won their Golds, I didn't notice many punters stop cheering because it suddenly occurred to them 'Oh no, they're Scots so I won't cheer them'. It was Team GB so if you don't like it, do something else.... while the rest of us are backing 'our' team.

I wonder what the reaction would be from Scottish crowds if say Bradley Wiggins or Jessica Ennis won their event for Team GB if the Olympics had been held in Scotland? I'd like to think they would celebrate just as wildly as the rest of us.....but would they? - and what about when the anthems are played at the medal ceremonies?

I don't think the point is about English athletes vs Scottish athletes. It's about wanting to be part of the whole GB thing.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

, it's easy to see why they might be disillusioned with an event where all you can see left, right and centre are British flags waving enthusiastically, whilst Scottish success is celebrated primarily as British success.

Only if their view of the television was partially obscured by the massive chip on their shoulder.

'whilst Scottish success is celebrated as British' - what a load of shit. There was NO 'Scottish success' any more than there was 'English success' or 'Welsh success'. It was a GB team.

If Hoy and co had won medals, and people had been waving a cross of St.George, I could see their point. But nobody was.

 

[Mackenzie]

That's not the view of people I've been talking to in Wales, there is a real sense of pride about the Olympics and GB.

The Scots are a miserable lot, but to be fair its usually NUTTERS who ring up a radio station!

 

[Sussex on Leith]

I'm not sure that the people who choose to (and are selected to) appear on phone-ins are all that representative of the country as a whole.

My own impression, in Edinburgh at least, is that responses have been similar to those in England, i.e. a mixture of excitement and scepticism beforehand, which was overtaken by genuine excitement from the opening ceremony onwards. I was in a pub in Musselburgh when Ennis won her gold and the place went noisily mental.

It's inevitable that the relevance of the Olympics decreases to some degree with distance - it's bound to make a bigger difference to people in Stratford than in Dundee (or in Wigan or Sunderland, for that matter). And some people will continue to feel that their taxes have basically paid for new facilities a big party in London, with minimal knock-on benefit for them. I don't entirely buy that argument, given the importance of London to the wider UK economy, but I can understand why some people feel that way.

Of course, those who are pushing the case for independence will look for opportunities to advance that case, and the Olympics was always going to be one such opportunity. Fair enough. But on the whole, Scotland has been caught up in Olympic fever along with everywhere else.

All that said, I can vouch for the fact that very few Scots seem to be interested in who Brighton's new striker is going to be. I've raised the subject enthusiastically with loads of people, but they just yawn and change the subject. Strange.

 

[ATFC Seagull]

Only if their view of the television was partially obscured by the massive chip on their shoulder.

'whilst Scottish success is celebrated as British' - what a load of shit. There was NO 'Scottish success' any more than there was 'English success' or 'Welsh success'. It was a GB team.

If Hoy and co had won medals, and people had been waving a cross of St.George, I could see their point. But nobody was.

I think you need to re-read what I wrote. I never said anything was celebrated as English success. But if you don't believe in the existence of Britain (or of your country's part in it), then you're hardly going to be jumping for joy at the site of "Team GB" medals with flags waving and anthems playing, even if it is your countrymen winning them.

 

[Brovion]

Given that a huge amount of Scots don't support the Union, it's easy to see (or at least so it seems to me) why they might be disillusioned with an event where all you can see left, right and centre are British flags waving enthusiastically, whilst Scottish success (and I agree about the English training facilities comment) is celebrated primarily as British success.

Well yes, it was the British team. English and Welsh (and Yorkshire!) success was celebrated in the same manner.

However I take your point. I don't support the EU and I would hate it if our success was seen as 'European' success. Fortunately no one has done that yet!

 

[fly high]

the Beijing Olympics really got up the SNPs nose, they couldn't stand Scotland going mad with joy at every GB medal, this Olympics would have been even more painful for them which is why for the last 4 years they have been banging on about having their own team & even asked the IOC if they could have one at London. Think you'll find that the ones who would be bothered to call a phone-in programme are the ones with the biggest chip. (What do you call a well balanced Scotsman? Some one with a chip on both shoulders.).

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Whatever next, an independant Yorkshire? Didn't they do as well for medals as Scotland?

I think before the last Commonwealth Games Cornwall wanted to field its own team.