Nine firemen in Glasgow are facing disciplinary action for refusing to hand out leaflets at a gay pride march.A correspondent writes:

Things in Scotland are going from bad to worse politically – – and I think it’s because of emigration. Any Scot who has any ambition and wants to get ahead in the world will at least consider emigration and most have gotten up and left. The Government in Edinburgh has been trying, unsuccessfully according to the FT to persuade some members of the Scottish Diaspora to relocate to Scotland. With no apparent takers. Even Sean Connery remains an ex-pat. The “rugged individuals” * who tend to be more conservative emigrate, leaving the collectivists behind and their political parties are racing each other to the bottom. This is not good for Scotland in the short run, but when the oil runs out and everything collapses completely (the Scottish National Health is leading the way), the generation after may look back to Scotland’s past for some clues as to how their parents and grandparents went so wrong. Or Prince Alwaleed (majority owner of Euro-Disney) may buy the whole country and turn it into Scot-Land, the world’s largest theme park. Showing off the quaint natives living in abject poverty, etc.

A new poll finds that 20 percent of British citizens are considering emigrating, citing high taxes and high crime as the primary reasons. No question which nation will benefit most as a result. Another reason for the US to thank Tony Blair?