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{{Short description|Scottish epithet}}
The term '''Wee Free''' was an [[epithet]] commonly used to distinguish two [[Scottish Presbyterian]] Churches after the union of 1900: [[Free Church of Scotland (since 1900)|The Free Kirk]] and The [[United Free Church of Scotland|United Free Kirk]]. Since the United Free were approximately 25 times larger, but hard to distinguish without some knowledge of Scottish history and theology, the rhyming Scottish [[diminutive]] became used as an epithet of the post 1900 Free Kirk. The epithet Wee Free was also applied to a small group in the 1918 [[Liberal Party (UK)|Liberal]] Party who on principle did not want to go into coalition with the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] Party. The [[Independent Liberal Party (UK, 1918)|Wee Free Liberals]] either did not get, or refused, [[Coalition Coupon|the coupon]] signed by [[David Lloyd George]] of the Liberals and [[Bonar Law]] of the Conservatives.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Beaverbrook |first1=Lord |title=The Decline and Fall of Lloyd George |date=1963 |publisher=Duell, Sloan and Pearce |location=New York |page=14 |edition=first |url=https://archive.org/stream/declineandfallof006894mbp#page/n23/mode/2up/search/wee |access-date=30 December 2017}}</ref> The ''Wee Free'' in modern usage is used, usually in a pejorative way, of any small group who because of their, arguably obscure, religious principles choose to remain outside or separate from a larger body. A Wee Free attitude might show as a preference for being part of a smaller but ideologically sound group rather than a larger compromised one.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Maguire |first1=Patrick |title=Vince Cable's "exotic spresm" moment disguises bigger questions for the Liberal Democrats |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/09/vince-cable-s-exotic-spresm-moment-disguises-bigger-questions-liberal-democrats |access-date=18 September 2018 |agency=New Statesman |date=18 September 2018}}</ref>
== Origin ==
In 1900 the Free Church
== Background ==
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== Politics ==
[[
== Modern
Denominations other than the Free Church are also regularly called Wee Frees in the press. For example, the epithet has been used about the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland|Free Presbyterians]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Munro |first1=Alasdair |title=Scottish independence: Self rule would be a 'provocation of God' say Wee Frees |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-self-rule-would-be-a-provocation-of-god-say-wee-frees-1-2363261 |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Scotsman |date=19 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Janice |title=Bible-basher Beat Children With Leather Belt |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bible-basher-beat-children-with-leather-belt-959564 |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Daily Record |date=1 July 2012}}</ref> and even the [[United Free Church of Scotland|United Free]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duke |first1=Barry |title='Wee Frees' minister wins lottery but his church won't see a penny of the dosh |url=http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/11/11/%E2%80%98wee-frees%E2%80%99-minister-wins-lottery-but-his-church-wont-see-a-penny-of-the-cash/ |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Free Thinker |date=11 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Obituary – Craigie Aitchison |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/6860258/Craigie-Aitchison.html |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=21 December 2009}}</ref>
▲Denominations other than the Free Church are also regularly called Wee Frees in the press. For example the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland|Free Presbyterians]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Munro |first1=Alasdair |title=Scottish independence: Self rule would be a 'provocation of God' say Wee Frees |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scottish-independence-self-rule-would-be-a-provocation-of-god-say-wee-frees-1-2363261 |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Scotsman |date=19 June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Burns |first1=Janice |title=Bible-basher Beat Children With Leather Belt |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/bible-basher-beat-children-with-leather-belt-959564 |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Daily Record |date=1 July 2012}}</ref> and even the [[United Free Church of Scotland|United Free]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Duke |first1=Barry |title='Wee Frees' minister wins lottery but his church won't see a penny of the dosh |url=http://freethinker.co.uk/2010/11/11/%E2%80%98wee-frees%E2%80%99-minister-wins-lottery-but-his-church-wont-see-a-penny-of-the-cash/ |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Free Thinker |date=11 November 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Obituary – Craigie Aitchison |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/6860258/Craigie-Aitchison.html |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=21 December 2009}}</ref> (the very body the name was supposed to distinguish from) are called by the epithet. The Free Church has publicly tried to distance itself from the name calling it a "derogatory and offensive slur".<ref>{{cite web |title=Media enquiries |url=https://freechurch.org/contact/media-enquiries |publisher=Free Church of Scotland |access-date=23 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Free Church in plea over nickname "Wee Frees" |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-21545940 |access-date=22 February 2013 |work=[[BBC News]] |date=22 February 2013}}</ref> However some people inside<ref>{{cite news |title=Such a messy schism |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12215222.Such_a_messy_schism/ |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Herald |date=1 February 2000}}</ref> the denomination and outside<ref>{{cite news |title=Spendidly Pointless Second City Debate |url=https://www.ft.com/content/6f4d18a6-7f3f-11e2-89ed-00144feabdc0 |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Financial Times}}</ref> don't mind, even if it causes some to cringe. [[David Robertson (minister)|David Robertson]], a Free Church minister, uses a version of it in his blog<ref>{{cite web |last1=Robertson |first1=David |title=The Wee Flea |url=https://theweeflea.com/ |access-date=29 April 2017}}</ref> after being called a flea by a well known atheist.
== The Wee Wee Frees ==
[[File:Churches of Scotland timeline.svg|thumb|500px|Timeline showing the evolution of the churches of Scotland from 1560 including pejorative epithets]]
There is no group specifically known as the Wee Wee Frees. Groups coming out of the Free Church include the [[Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland|Free Presbyterian Church]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Evans |first1=Andrew |title=Sabbath on Skye |url=http://digitalnomad.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/20/sabbath-on-skye/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130923031128/http://digitalnomad.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/20/sabbath-on-skye/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 23, 2013 |website=Digital Nomad 20 September 2013 |date=20 September 2013 |publisher=National Geographic |access-date=29 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Peterkin |first1=Tom |title=Spinster's £1m to Wee Wee Frees |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1416287/Spinsters-1m-to-Wee-Wee-Frees.html |access-date=29 April 2017 |publisher=The Telegraph |date=16 December 2002}}</ref> in 1893 from which the [[Associated Presbyterian Churches]] split in 1989. [[Free Church Continuing|The Free Church (Continuing)]] sometimes is labelled with the derogatory ''Wee Wee Free'' or even ''Wee Wee Wee Free'' term.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cramb |first1=Auslan |title=The 'sinners' set sail for the Hebrides |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3651571/The-sinners-set-sail-for-the-Hebrides.html |access-date=18 September 2018 |agency=The Telegraph |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |date=13 April 2006}}</ref>
== In literature ==
[[Terry Pratchett]]'s [[Wee Free Men]] is an epithet for his [[Nac Mac Feegle]] who appear in some of his [[Discworld]] novels. He denied they are [[caricatures]] of Scots or churchmen, saying, "The Nac Mac Feegle are not Scottish. There is no Scotland on Discworld. They may, in subtle ways, suggest some aspects of the Scottish character as filtered through the media, but that's because of quantum."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Breebaart |first1=Leo |last2=Kew |first2=Mike |title=The Wee Free Men Annotations |url=https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/the-wee-free-men.html |website=APF |publisher=The L-space web |access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref>
== See also ==
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[[Category:Epithets]]
[[Category:Ethnic and religious slurs]]
[[Category:Political
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