Sunday, June 06, 2010

Thoughts on Devolution

(NB: If you're reading this on Facebook, you can read this post in full on my blog) At the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh there are various literary quotations on the wall, some of which have a relevance to Devolved Government here in the UK. One is:

"...When we had a king, and a chancellor, and parliament-men o' our ain, we could aye peeble them wi' stanes when they werena gude bairns - But naebody's nails can reach the length o' Lunnon..."
- Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) Mrs Howden in Heart of Midlothian

Which got me thinking, if you could choose a text for the wall at Stormont, to make a pithy comment about Devolution in Northern Ireland, what would it be? I know for a few readers of this blog it might be a verse or two from "A Cannae Thole Ye" by GF Savage Armstrong! Here's another contender:

"...A saw naebody that A kenned till A got tae Bilfast. Waens, dear, it's a big toon that!... Whun A got oot at the station-hoose , an' saw the crowds o' fowk rinnin' this road an' the tither road, A got that scaured for feer o' loasin' mysel' that A had a noshin' o' lyin' doon ahint the station-hoose till the train wud be reddy tae birl back hame again..."
- WG Lyttle (1844-1896), Robin's Readings

Suggestions by placing a comment below, or by emailing me, would be very welcome!

...

UPDATE: an emailer who wants to remain anonymous sent me this from Robert Burns, and has asked for it to be added here as his suggestion for Stormont -
"We're bought and sold for English gold - Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!"

3 comments:

Charlie Reynolds said...

Its gran tae see mair o oor ain oul tunge in print. Keep hir lit, Mark

Lee said...

"For never but by British hands
Maun British wrangs be righted!"

Unknown said...

The last shall be first
and the first shall be last
and may God in his mercy
be kind to Belfast