Labour’s new Leader in Scotland
talks about anti-Englishness in Scotland
The article
below caught my interest. This was not
only because it confesses to what I think is quite well known that there is a
deep vein of Anglophobia in Scotland. If
you are a patriotic Scot this is not entirely surprising, not because of
history in which the Scots have done rather well out of England, or because of
the Barnett Formula where they continue to do extremely well out of England,
but because of the over 800,000 English immigrants into Scotland of which such a
large proportion voted to remain within the UK that it swung the result of the
Scottish Independence Referendum in favour of the remain option. Whereas if it had been left to just ethnic
Scots to vote, Scotland would now be well on its way to being an independent
country because a majority of them voted for Independence.
Another
thing that is interesting about this Times article is it is clear that the
privately educated Mr Leonard thinks that it his job is to “stand up for the
interests of working people”, rather than for standing up for Scotland. He comments that he has got an overriding
objective to “win the battle of ideas with nationalism”.
So there
we have it, the new Leader of Labour in Scotland wants Scottish politics to
revert to old fashioned Unionist class war rather than nationalism.
It is
certainly going to be interesting to see how the attempt to get the Labour
Party in Scotland to be seen as focussing on Scottish working class interests! That is whilst Labour in Westminster is almost entirely
focussed on the obsessions of middle-class,
internationalist, multi-culturalist, Leftists.
This
attempt is being made at a time where elsewhere Labour is following in the
footsteps of almost all Western European social democrat parties in losing its
connections with their country’s working class, instead predominantly voting
for nationalist parties, such as the Front Nationale and the Austrian Freedom Party. Of course in Scotland Mr Leonard is up
against a so-called nationalist party, which in fact seems to prefer multi-culturalism,
diversity and is actually more EUish than Scottish!
Here is
the article:-
“My
Englishness is a barrier, confesses Labour’s Richard Leonard
The English-born leader of the Scottish Labour
Party says he accepts some Scots will not vote for him because he is from south
of the border.
Richard Leonard, who was elected Scottish Labour
leader last November, was born in Yorkshire but has lived in Scotland since
studying at the University of Stirling in the early 1980s.
Asked in an interview with The Times if he thought his
Englishness would be a barrier to people voting for him, Mr Leonard said:
“There is a small group of people for whom that will be an issue.”
The MSP, 56, said the reality of anti-Englishness
in Scotland became clear to him during the 2014 independence referendum. “I
wrote a blog on the case against an independent state and somebody put a
comment on it which was, ‘In truth you would not be welcome in an independent
Scotland’.
“And I thought that was really chilling
— not an overt attack in some senses, but on the other hand really quite a
dawn-knock-at-the-door. So there are those elements that exist and I am
conscious of that.” But Mr Leonard stressed these people were a small minority.
He said it was now “a sign of the stage Scotland has reached” that Scots “will
vote for an English Scottish Labour leader to be the next first minister of
Scotland”.
He denied he was at a disadvantage when
voters asked themselves who would best stand up for Scotland. “No, I don’t
think I am,” he said. “What people are looking for is someone who will stand up
for the interests of working people, predominantly.
“I accept there is an extent to which
Scottish politics has become about geography, but I think it should be more
about principle. I think we need to break out of this confinement that it’s
about where you’re from and ‘you’re not from around here’, which I think is
quite a corrosive part of our politics, and get back to ‘these are the ideas’.
“The overriding object I’ve got is to
win the battle of ideas with nationalism. Most people say to me it’s not where
you come from, it’s where you’re going to. It’s about your principles and what
you stand for rather than where you were born.”
Shortly after his election as leader Mr
Leonard was asked which team he supports when Scotland play England at football
or rugby. “If it’s England v Scotland, I do support England,” he replied.”
What do you think?
He's pictured here doing the Commie Clenched Fist:
ReplyDeletehttps://wikispooks.com/wiki/Richard_Leonard
I'd like to see his 23andme.
I thought there was an old saying/proverb along the lines of "Every Englishman has a Scottish grandmother". Given that England and Scotland are to all intents and purposes of the same genetic stock, in whose interests precisely is it to sow the seeds of discord?
DIVIDE ET IMPERA!
I haven't, nor a Welsh or Irish or even Cornish one.
DeleteNational identity [nationality]does not depend upon ancestry anymore than being British, whilst "national or ethnic origin" does! Too few are able to make this distinction.
DeleteI think I may have pressed the button too soon so am not sure if my comment got through, so apologise for any repitition. Mr Leonard may have chosen to go to Scotland, which voted Brexit, because the Labour Party in England is now facing an existential crisis over our leaving the EU. Anti-EU? Corbyn has now said that he wants us to stay in the customs union and single market - which means free movement of labour. But the workers of Doncaster have revolted. More of them voted Brexit than anywhere else in the country and for them "Brexit means Brexit" and they have told Corbyn so. After all, it is they who have been the unwilling victims of mass immigration since the War. On the BBC's Back in time for Tea was a 1970s clip of a gent saying that the govt had let all these people into England without the people's consent. Nobody has been able to say that since and escape unscathed. Labour is no longer ruled by the workers but by the Marxist graduates of the 60s and 70s who have never had a proper job.
ReplyDeleteFinally, the workers have realised that their party, international socialist/Marxist for the last 50 plus years, no longer serves their interests. A similar thing has happened in Germany where German workers have abandoned the SPD, their party for a 100 years, for the AFD. The workers are moving to the "far right" and ditching their party which has turned Marxist. Gerard Batten has realised this and invited Veterans against terrorism and the Football Lads Alliance to join UKIP. The counter-revolution as Italy showed is in full swing. So your day might be here shortly, Robin.
But UKIP is still barring members of the BNP, Britain First and the EDL. As regards them, the globalist elites are clamping down as they fear the backlash. The leaders of Britain First are going to jail and Tommy Robinson of the EDL has had his Twitter account closed. I wonder what sentences will be given to the jihadist who used his muslim school to train child terrorists or the Parsons Green bomber, an Iraqui asylum seeker, who had told the police he backed ISIS. Another false flag no doubt.
On that point, some of us are wondering who attempted murder in Salisbury. George Galloway said it would be daft for the Kremlin to do it 2 weeks before Putin's bid for re-election and 100 days before the World Cup. It could have been a Russian with a grudge. But it serves the psychopaths in charge of the West well as the last thing they want is for people from all over the world to go to Russia this summer and make friends with the friendly and hospitable Russian people and for peace to break out. As has happened for the last 200 years, the ordinary people are being manipulated to get them to fight for a greedy and power-hungry few bent on total world domination.
It is interesting that it is the "far right" that wants peace with Russia and others now. The 5 star movement wants an end to Russian sanctions and for us to get on together. This is, of course, because Russia is now conservative, Christian and nationalist, all things which the Left hates and tried to eradicate, as have their plutocratic pupeteers.
"Mr Leonard may have chosen to go to Scotland, which voted Brexit" - I do believe that Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU and that it was the majority in Wales and England that voted to leave the EU? Perhaps I am not reading your comment correctly but it reads to me incorrectly, apologies if I am incorrect.
DeleteMr Leonard appears to acknowledge that there is ant-English sentiment amongst what he sees as a "small minority" of Scots but this is hardly news. Given that he says he supports England in England-v-Scotland sporting events, he can hardly be described as anti-English himself. Indeed he fails the Tebbit-test in that regard!
ReplyDeleteClive,
W-s-M.
This is a test to see if opera-blogger will allow my comment to get to you! Has vapourised my comment twice already! Going to send now!
ReplyDeleteWent trough this time. I will try again with my comment later!
ReplyDeleteI would say of Mr Leonard what I have said on many [far more] occasions of Scots in England: he is a carpetbagger, albeit an English carpetbagger in Scotland.
ReplyDeleteRobin! "Are you intent on developing an English Victimhood register?"
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be lapping up the fact,that Richard Leonard confesses to anti-Englishness in Scotland.
Don't you think that both you and Richard Leonard are being a bit disingenuous,by referring to Scottish Nationalists as being overtly anti-English and having a deep vein of Anglophobia.
If the 800.000 English living in Scotland were genuine,self regarding Ethnic English, they would, in all probability,NOT have voted Unionist.
Sorry to say and as you mention in your article,they did vote Unionist, so as to remain in the UK.
If both you and Mr Leonard were truthful,you would admit to the real facts,that the English in Scotland,to include Richard Leonard are first and foremost British,English Loyalists.
Loyalists who's first and only allegiance is to the Crown and Realm, of which Scotland and England are a part.As English Loyalists,their allegiance is to Britain first,England last.
ANGLOPHOBIA!-?
It is about time this word was scrutinised at source,so that we may be able to fully understand the reasons and consequences of its usage.
According to a range of Dictionaries,the noun-'Anglophobia' means:-'A fear and HATRED of England and anything English' which obviously must include English people!-?
Most important to know however, and absolutely crucial to understanding its source usage,then and now,is that the word-term Anglophobia is an 'Americanism' dating back to 1785/95.
From my own research,there is every reason to believe that the word Anglophobia was brought into being as a reactionary term,invented by the Scots-Irish settlers escaping from the aftermath of the Jacobite Wars and Clearances,taking place in the newly established British-Irish Crown Realm.
The new found Britain was an aspiring expansionist Realm,that was led mostly by very ambitious English-Brits ,out to prove their allegiances in the most ruthless manner possible.Unsurprisingly, the consequences of their actions was to provoke hatred in their victims,which also included some of the poorer English.
This Americanism-'Anglophobia',was in later/recent years
was co-opted by Marxist wordsmiths.
Continues in following comment--
You omitted to disclose your Scottish national identity!
DeleteContinues from above comment--
ReplyDeleteThese Marxist wordsmiths,took the Greek Loanword add on-'Phobia' and its Americanism,Scots-Irish meaning that included 'Hatred and applied it Universally to ALL and every ethnicity that could benefit Victimhood wise,from the Hatred definition componant
As it stands,the phobia definition arising out of 'Anglophobia'is now part of the Marxist,Race Industry PC-Lexicon.Ironic or what?
Richard Leonard and his mention of"Standing up for the interests of working peoples" has got nothing to do with old fashioned class war.Rather instead, it has got everything to do with Unionism and the Union,as opposed to Nationalist alternatives.
Richard Leonard is about showing working class Scots,that their economic well being is better served by remaining in the Union ( Care of the English Taxpayers of course) rather than in an Independent Scotland.
As for the Labour Party.Whether in Scotland or in London they are Unionists and therefore fiercely anti Nationalist,whether Scottish or English.
Unlike Scottish Labour,Labour based in England/London does not have to try and sell Unionism to the English,simply because most English consider themselves British. English Nationalists the exception of course.
With their own supporters Unionists by default,English Labour has the added luxury of knowing that most right wing English are pro-Union pro-British.
Indeed,most,if not all right wing patriotic English consider Britain as a single Nation and are therefore 'British Nationalists'along with their other counter parts in Scotland,Wales and N. Ireland.
What these English-'British Nationalists'don't get is the provable fact,that the Britain they so passionately identify with,is the originator of Globalism.In fact they own the full Copyright!
Britain as the source and designer of most Globalist Policies to include 'Open Borders' Mass immigration and long term,highly dangerous "Diversity" is in addition Ultra-Extreme in its Anti-Nationalism and any speech that attempts 'even democratically' to sell it as an alternative.
Continues in the following comment--
My, you do go on . . and on . . and on . .and on . . . . . .
DeleteContinues from above comment--
ReplyDeleteBritish "Nationalists" are,therefore acting as living,active, literal Oxy-MORONS-,fighting for a supreme, still Imperial Globalising Entity called Britain.
Britain is the foremost destroyer of Nationalism,whether that Nationalism be internal or external to its Global Base in England-London and esp the City of London.
With the recent well publicised news of patriotic British Nationalists getting hammered by GB State Enforcers or their Ultra Violent Left Wing Foot Soldiers/Proxies. Surely the time has come for them to reconsider the British part of their patriotism.?
As for the English Democrats, I think the time has come to increase by intelligent,peaceful democratic methods,ways of curtailing this Globalist Monster called Britain, that is slowly devouring everything that was precious to us and for that matter,other Nationalists as well.
Without doubt we are on the eve of total destruction,as a once proud ancient Nation
We have nothing to lose but our own-once owned country!
If we don't push back NOW!!! we are finished.
Says Bill from Harold Hill.
How about a few deeds?
Delete