Love Thy Neighbor

I was rather surprised to hear that a Scottish buddy of mine wasn’t going to be cheering for England in this weekend’s World Cup match against Portugal.  So, in an effort to change his mind, I tried to convince him that the friction between the Scotts and the Brits is nothing more than a friendly rivalry between neighbors, much like Calgary and Edmonton.  My argument follows.  He has yet to reply, which I interpret to mean complete agreement.

Yeah, but I was cheering for Edmonton in the Stanley Cup finals, and I'm from Calgary!!!  That was in complete deference to the historical "Battle of Alberta"!
 
At some point one must put aside petty differences that have festered for years (ten's of years in Alberta, thousands in the UK), and have involved pain and suffering (bar brawls in Alberta, thousands tortured and slaughtered in the UK).  Yes, it's time to band together with your neighbors for a cause that rises above these trivial (hey, it happened to someone else) concerns.  It's the World Cup dammit!  Join with your English brethren.  Stand arm in arm, swilling warm ale, and cheer on your fellow islanders.  You can get back to hating each other in mid-July!