There was outrage in the massed ranks of fox-hunting Tories, retired Colonels and right-wing loonies when it was announced that the Kings Own Cannon Fodder might be disbanded.

"This Scottish regiment has been sending young Scottish ill-educated working class men to their deaths since 1763" thundered Major General Henry ("Mildred") Farquhar-Smythes. "Bloody best form of bloody birth control this nation ever invented. No bloody wonder all those bloody yobbos are hanging around on street corners. In my day we'd have them sent off to war to be shot by Johnny Foreigner. End of problem. Country's going to the bloody dogs".

The Major General called for a campaign to save the regiment and appealed to all bloody thirsty warmongers to join his call to arms.

And to to some extent "Mildred" has a point. During WWI, Scots volunteered for the British army at the highest rate of all the Commonwealth countries. And they sustained the third highest death rate of all nationalities in the war. The mortality rate for Scottish soldiers was almost 10 times higher than that of U.S.

Won't get fooled again .... mmmm

Russia lost 6 million, they were number one. Scotland was number three. Another UK nation did not come between Scotland and Russia.

FirstFoot suggests that ......... If the Scots are no longer providing cannon fodder for the British army, then at least we've learned something since 1918.

But apparently we need the political imagination to solve the eternal "bloody yobbos are hanging around on street corners" conundrum that is such a huge concern to our politicians.

Still, can't complain.... We've got the accumulated wisdom of Shagga and his mates.

A wee research project for Shagga (and others) might uncover the fact that Aristotle complained about youths hanging aimlessly around street corners .... and he was born in 384 BC …….

Still, it keeps the natives diverted, and if that doesn't do it, then there's always a war, and if that doesn't do it, then there's always a terrorist threat ... need tanks round Heathrow anyone?

Cynical, us .... never.