Neil Oliver quietly dropped from Glasgow tour buses
Oliver provided English language commentary for tourists on board the City Sightseeing Glasgow buses, which featured a picture of his face on the side of the vehicles.
Four years after calls were made to remove Oliver from the City Sightseeing services, it seems that he has finally been dropped.
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The firm's website no longer contains any information regarding his English-language narration, and eagle-eyed Glaswegians noticed his portrait is not featured on the buses anymore.
Though the same sentence has been removed from the City Sightseeing information page, Visit Scotland's website still says "our English recorded commentary is provided by renowned historian Neil Oliver", suggesting that this removal has been done quietly.
City Sightseeing Glasgow were urged to drop Oliver, who has narrated the service since 2012, following his comments on GB News regarding pandemic-era lockdowns and vaccines, and his remarks on a potential second independence referendum.
Most recently, the GB News presenter has been criticised for indulging in conspiracy theories on his YouTube channel and had a video blocked by the platform over his use of anti-Semitic language.
He left his previous role as president for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) amid a row over his expression of admiration for David Starkey, though he claimed the decision to step down was due to the end of his three-year contract.
He faced backlash during his time with NTS for his support of the Union and describing a second independence referendum as 'cancerous'.
Oliver was blasted by former Glasgow Kelvin MSP Sandra White for his Covid jibes, calling lockdowns the 'biggest mistake in world history' and saying he'd happily risk catching the virus.
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White previously told The National that Oliver should 'absolutely not' be allowed to lead commentary on the tours and called for an end to any potential contract the firm had with him.
Given his fierce pro-Union stance, his authority to narrate historic tours of Glasgow was also called into question, considering that Glasgow voted Yes to the 2014 referendum.
West Coast Motors, the firm who operate the City Sightseeing Glasgow buses, have been approached for comment.
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The National
2 hours ago
- The National
The UK's definition of controversial is way off balance
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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Our beautiful seaside town was slammed as a rundown DUMP in viral TikTok video – but here's what it's REALLY like
See photos of Folkestone at its finest taken during The Sun's visit below SEA IT FOR YOURSELF SEA IT FOR YOURSELF Our beautiful seaside town was slammed as a rundown DUMP in viral TikTok video – but here's what it's REALLY like Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) UNIMPRESSED locals in a popular seaside town have hit back after it was labelled a "dump" in a viral TikTok video. The post, shared by Olivia Rose, includes unflattering clips of Folkestone, Kent - going on to amass a staggering 500,000 views and 24,000 likes. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 15 Shop owner Kory Redmond, who escaped city life for the quieter seaside town Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Locals like Phillip Jordan don't agree with the TikTok video Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Folkestone was recently crowned Best Place to Live in South East England Credit: Stuart Brock Clips were taken on a dull day with the sarcastic caption: 'Come to Folkestone for the bank hol they said.' The footage, from May, showed boarded up shops and less appealing parts of the town, including the Grand Burstin Hotel and dilapidated former Debenhams building in Sandgate Road. It comes after Folkestone was last year crowned Best Place to Live in South East England by the Sunday Times. Many of the almost 500 comments on Olivia's post disagree with her bashing of the town, with one saying: "Folkestone's actually a really lovely place." Another said: "Why did you go to all the horrible parts instead of the nice parts?" One person added: "Who told you to come to Folkestone for the bank holiday though realistically." However, others supported Olivia, writing: "People keep trying to romanticise Folkestone and it's literally a s***hole." Another described it as "b******s". The Sun decided to pay a visit to see what locals and visitors really think. Rebecca Greenway, 29, is among the disgruntled residents that disagree with the video. Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med' She said: 'They have just picked the bad areas to nitpick. You judge a book by its cover. 'It is their first impression but when you get to know Folkestone you can fall in love with it when you find all the niche little places and meet the people.' Rebecca manages the Folkestone branch of Flo's Pie & Mash, a popular spot among locals. Flo's has been in Folkestone for two years, but Rebecca has lived in the area since she was eight years old, and it is now where she is raising a family of her own. She said: 'I love Folkestone. I like the community feel of it. 'Everything is so locally based and everyone gets on as a community - I really enjoy it.' They have just picked the bad areas to nitpick. You judge a book by its cover. It is their first impression but when you get to know Folkestone you can fall in love with it when you find all the niche little places and meet the people. Rebecca Greenway Rebecca also insists that it isn't just locals who love the area but visitors also sing its praises. She added: 'I just had a customer in who has come from Ramsgate and never been to Folkestone before and he was like 'I love it'.' In reference to the controversial TikTok post, she concluded: 'They just pick the areas and just show the bad and not the good. 'When you come at the right time it is brilliant.' Local residents Melissa and Leon Reed share Rebecca's disapproval of this latest dig. Melissa, 29, has lived in Folkestone her whole life and said: 'I 100% disagree with the TikTok.' Along with her husband Leon, 24, and Tiana thir French Bulldog, the majority of Melissa's extended family also live in the area. She added: 'Nearly all my family live here, my dad is a fisherman on one of the boats down there. 'We have a little bit of everything here - sandy beaches, pebble beaches, lots of new bars. 'It's gotten so much better in recent years.' 15 Sam Brown, of Sandy's Fish and Chips, which attracts a lot of tourists in the summer Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Pals Kelsey and Karla with baby Romeo and their dogs on a stroll Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Rebecca Greenway of Flo's Pie & Mash shop has been serving Folkestone locals and tourists for the last two years Credit: Stuart Brock Other locals seem to share this belief, with one voicing: 'When you look out to sea, you think we are on the edge of England. It couldn't be a more amazing site.' Another also added: 'There are lots of things to do with the kids. They love it here.' Owner of Captain's Table cafe, Yasar Dalkilic, has lived in Folkestone for over 20 years. In response to the damning TikTok he said: 'I really strongly disagree. Back in the day it was not a very nice place to live. 'But now, I almost feel like I'm on holiday here in the summer. Everywhere has got good places and bad places - everywhere. 'The people who made the TikTok need to come and see it for themselves with their own eyes.' He added: 'The best thing about Folkestone is the fact that it is a seaside town. 15 Nearly all of Leon and Melissa Reed's family live in Folkestone and love it Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Folkestone residents have been left unimpressed after a viral TikTok called their home a "dump" Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Melissa's dad works as a fisherman in the seaside town Credit: Stuart Brock 'There's sandy beaches and it is nice and close to London.' Down the road from Mr Dalkilic's cafe is Sandy's Fish and Chip shop. A member of Sandy's staff, Sam, 27, said: "Everywhere has got good places and bad places but it depends on what you make of it. "The town is quite run down now but obviously a lot of town centres are not getting the attention they deserve and need at the moment. "But this a really nice little harbour." Local shopowners also urge people to ignore the TikTok video and come see Folkestone for themselves. Kory Redmond, owner of South East Emporium, and mother to toddler, Darwin, moved from London two years ago for a slower pace of life. She said: 'I wish we had moved sooner. 15 The owner of The Captain's Table strongly disagrees with the TikTok Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Folkestone high street is home to lots of big name brands and independent shops Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Local shopowners praised the community feel Credit: Stuart Brock 'There is a big community, people actually say 'hi' and 'good morning' to you here.' Alex, who owns the shop next door, recently launched a new beachwear business called Laes with his partner Claire. He added: 'I have lived locally for a long long time so I have seen it change a lot, and I'd say in the past ten years it has really been on an upwards trajectory. Come visit!' Adrian Harrison owns a family camera business which has been in Folkestone since 1920. In response to the video, he said: 'I wouldn't say it's a dump, I'd say newcomers rather like Folkestone. It's a nice place, there are far worse.' But one local doesn't share the views of fellow residents, as she told The Sun: 'I don't think Folkestone has a lot to offer. Look at the state of the hotel. 'The new skate park is an eyesore.' Has your town been unfairly criticised on social media? Email 15 The seaside town is located in Kent Credit: Stuart Brock 15 Alex has recently started trading in the area, with his partner Claire Credit: Stuart Brock
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Kneecap lead foul-mouthed Kier Starmer chant before 'riot' speech at Glastonbury
'Just to clarify, I don't want anybody to start a riot" Kneecap have completed an expletive filled Glastonbury performance that included repeated chants of 'F*** Keir Starmer ' and 'free Palestine' throughout their set. The group have faced a barrage of criticism in recent weeks over their stance in support of Palestine and were unlikely to lay down to pressure as they took to the West Holt's stage for a charged performance despite multiple efforts to ban them. They opened with a montage of their critics, before moving on to Better Way To Live. But they didn't take long to lay into their critics including the Prime Minister who had said it was 'not appropriate' to allow Kneecap to play the festival. Mo Chara, along with bandmates Naoise Ó Caireallain (Móglaí Bap), and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí), made their feelings known early on, with Móglaí Bap telling the crowd: 'The Prime Minister of your country, not mine, didn't want us to play. F*** you, Starmer.' The crowd chanted the insult throughout the set. They later added: 'Are there any English people here? We f***ing love the English people. It's the English government we don't like. We are not far away from a Celtic republic.' Festival bosses had earlier closed access to the stage amid crowd crush fears as people in their tens of thousands arrived to catch the controversial Irish language rap group. The rap trio took to the West Holts stage at 4pm on Saturday, just over a week after one of their members appeared in court on terror charges. At a show in O2 Forum Kentish Town last year, Mo Chara is alleged to have waved a Hezbollah flag. Today, to cheers and a sea of Palestinian flags, Mo Chara, wearing a keffiyeh, said: 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man.' After several songs, the frontman Móglaí Bap said: 'On August 20 Mo Chara is back in court for a trumped-up terrorism charge. Trust me it's not the first time that there has been a miscarriage of justice against an Irish person by the British justice system.' He added: 'So if anyone is available on August 20 to support Mo Chara, let's start a riot.' He later added: 'Just to clarify, I don't want anybody to start a riot.' During the set, the band said: 'I don't know if everybody here is following the Glastonbury app but we've had a notification that they've had to close the West Holt's stage because there's too many F**ian b*****s here.' The group also made reference to the BBC's decision not to livestream their performance, with O hAnnaidh, 27, telling fans: 'I don't want anybody to start a riot, just love and support and more importantly support for Palestine because that is what it is all about. 'This situation can cause stress for us but the stress we are feeling in minimal compared to the stress the people of Palestine are feeling. 'The Irish suffered 800 years of Colonialism at the hands of the British state, but the Irish, we were never f***ing bombed from the skies with nowhere to go.' The political theme continued from the band who told the crowd: 'This situation can be quite f***ing stressful for us indeed but the stress we're feeling is minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are going through every f***ing day. 'We're from West Belfast, a place still under British occupation and Derry… so we understand colonialism. 'We understand how important it is for solidarity internationally. 'The Irish suffered 800 years of colonialism at the hands of the British state but we were never bombed from the f***ing skies with nowhere to go. The Palestinians have nowhere to f***ing go, literally. 'Not only are they being bombed from the f***ing skies. They're now being starved to death… I don't have to lecture you people. We're all watching it… Israel are war criminals. It's a genocide.' Looking out at a sea of Palestinian flags, the band members laughed as they told the fans: 'The BBC editor is going to have some job. 'Sometimes you feel helpless. Sometimes you feel you're not doing enough and that's probably true sometimes but the difference it makes to people in policy when they see this many people from the other side of the world screaming, free Palestine.' There were more boos from the crowd when they were asked if anybody was "going to see Rod Stewart tomorrow". The 80-year old rocker has caused a stir after speaking out in support of Reform and saying that people should give Nigel Farage a chance. 'Have I missed something?' Kneecap asked. 'I mean the man's older than Israel. Rod, the Prod.' Kneecap's show culminated with the band leading chants of 'free Palestine' and 'f*** Keir Starmer' as they rammed home their point. 'No riots, just love and support and more importantly support for Palestine because that is what it's all about.' Last month, the Irish rap group was axed from the line up of Glasgow music festival TRNSMT amid safety fears. The trio are no longer set to play Glasgow Green on Friday, July 11 due to concerns over the safety of the event. Police Scotland had previously said the performance at Glasgow Green in July would require "a significant policing operation".
