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A Dougie Cooper picture.
Even before the student riots of 1968 miltant Orcadians were called to unite against, errr, something. This is looking along New Scapa Road to the Back Road, from the foot of Pipersquoy. The slogan is on the wall of Gus's Shop at the entrance to the Balfour Hospital.
Picture added on 23 June 2006
Was this to do with the ongoing roadworks in New Scapa Road - the ones that had been ongoing for about a year and the residents totally fed up with it? I thought that this was later than 1967 but maybe not?
Added by marion mcleod on 23 June 2006
Orcadians Unite? Something to do with the Uranium protests maybe? 1967 seems a long, long time ago now. Someone may have a better memory than I about 1967?
Added by marion mcleod on 24 June 2006
I remember the roadworks you mention, marion: there was a sign near the foot of pipersquoy that said 'temporary road works', that in the fullness of time had added to it ' ...for the last year', but i'm sure that was early to mid '80s.
Added by Steven Heddle on 24 June 2006
Was this when Willie Ross, Labour Secretary of State for Scotland, got an extremely frosty reception on a visit to Orkney because of plans to lump Orkney in with the Highlands for certain purposes? Not that I would remember, only arriving at Junction Road in a carry-cot that October.
Added by Paul Sutherland on 26 June 2006
>something to do with the uranium protests maybe?<
that was "keep orkney active - not radioactive" as posted at the entrance of Stromness until the late 1980s.
is it possible that it was the slogan for the snp campain for the 1970(?) elections based on what was later called in literature the "stormay case" - orcadians protesting against the huge increase of land prices from the end of the 1950s to the end of the 1960s for which snp and others blamed incommers from the south - and subsequently had their success in 1970 ?
by the way: i've never found that place "stormay/orkney" that appears in dozends of political and sociological studies about the new scottish nationalism in the 20th century.
that was "keep orkney active - not radioactive" as posted at the entrance of Stromness until the late 1980s.
is it possible that it was the slogan for the snp campain for the 1970(?) elections based on what was later called in literature the "stormay case" - orcadians protesting against the huge increase of land prices from the end of the 1950s to the end of the 1960s for which snp and others blamed incommers from the south - and subsequently had their success in 1970 ?
by the way: i've never found that place "stormay/orkney" that appears in dozends of political and sociological studies about the new scottish nationalism in the 20th century.
Added by Wolfgang Schlick on 03 July 2006
The slogan was part of the "Back to Denmark" campaign.
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Added by Mike Rendall on 02 June 2014
Kirkwall
