Random tweet that caught my eye...

Twitter is a hell of a place, exasperating and entertaining in equal measure. Others have tried to explain how parts of it work, but I can't get my head round some bits at all. You concoct and publish a delightfully witty yet informative tweet - someone replies to it - you then reply to that; but someone else has replied to the original tweet and you're replying to that in error. Then there are those so intent on getting their point across they write multiple tweets that are suppose to run into one and other, but users reply before they've finished and it turns into an incomprehensible mess. You can have two or three tweets maybe, but not entire essays. Twitter isn't a blogging site, any one who thinks it is can be ignored automatically.

That said, it is a useful environment for planting seeds and destroying myths, so long as you can do it within the character limit of course. And so it was with this tweet:

You never really know real names on twitter, so I don't know if Hugh is Hugh or if Hugh is even a he. I know three things, his avatar image sports an impressive 80's moustache, we follow each other and the contents of his tweet caused me to come out with the following dribblings. 

A lot of people think there wasn't anything like Twitter before Twitter - but there was. Let me show you...

 

The first image of a non-electronic tweet is the plaque commemorating the opening of the third bridge at Bonar, Gordon Campbell (MC PC DL) has been mentioned before. It was he who said the Scottish fishing industry was expendable during negotiations over EU Common Fisheries Policies. He was also against Scottish oil revenue being used to rejuvenate the Scottish economy and advocated 'exceptional measures' to force Shetland Isles Council to accept an oil terminal without any financial  benefit to the islands.

Gordon Campbell until his death in 2005 was also known as Baron Campbell of Croy. He was made a life peer after being kicked out of office in 1974.

The second unplugged tweet is the tablet on the Lilleshall Monument near the Shropshire village of the same name. That monument is to the memory of another character we've mentioned here: George Leveson Gower KG PC, First Duke of Sutherland and Second Marquess of Stafford. Responsible for clearances in the Sutherland area of the Scottish Highlands. Quite a short sentence there covering all manner of injustice, also containing the word 'clearances' which many still substitute with the term - ethnic cleansing. All of which is somewhat at odds with the inscription pictured.

So two tablets parted by 141 years but the message is the same, those who are prepared to do Scotland down can expect to be rewarded handsomely by the British Establishment - anything from some letters after your name to a life peerage is on offer for doing your duty. 

Its not even as if you can claim it was a long time ago. More recently the Poll Tax was put in place by Thatcher's government in 1989/1990, with only 10 Tory MP's out of 72  in Scotland. 

My new favourite image.

Malcolm Rifkind, under Thatcher, supported the imposition of the Poll tax...

"Rifkind supported the introduction of the community charge, or poll tax, which the Cabinet had approved shortly before his appointment. He also agreed with the decision proposed by his predecessor, George Younger, that the new tax should be introduced a year earlier in Scotland than in England because of the political necessity to end the domestic rates." (wiki)

After being given the boot in 1997, Rifkind tried again to regain his Scottish seat, to no avail - I know - my heart bleeds for him. In the meantime for his troubles, he was awarded a KCMG in recognition of his work in 'foreign & common wealth affairs'. In 2005 he returned to the Commons as MP for Kensington & Chelsea - as you can probably tell, a moderately safe Tory seat about as far as you can get from Scotland geographically, socially and politically.

The only reason Rifkind hasn't been ennobled (yet) is because he's still an MP.

Hopefully you begin to see the pattern, these 'tweets' from the past show they don't even try to hide it and in terms of examples; its the tip of the ice berg. The British Establishment Expects and if you deliver, the rewards are plain to see - there are monuments and civil engineering projects around the country standing testament to the fact. 

Going back to Hugh's most excellent modern tweet, can those extolling the 'virtues'of a no vote expect similar rewards if they are successful? If history is anything to go by, I'll bet my bucket of shite to your pound, its exactly what'll happen.