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Spectator
3 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Nigel Farage and George Galloway share a common problem
A more gracious person would refrain from saying, 'I told you so', but I'm not a gracious person. So, as George Galloway announces his backing for another Scottish independence referendum, allow me to say – nay, crow – I told you so. Galloway, leader of the Workers party, says he and his party 'support the right of the Scots to self-determination' and that 'the time for another referendum is close'. He adds: 'Speaking personally, I can no longer support the British state as presently constituted.' If you're familiar with politics north of the border, you might be wondering if this is the same George Galloway who travelled Scotland in 2014 on his Just Say Naw tour, urging an anti-independence vote in that year's referendum. It is indeed the man who said: 'It sickens me that the country of my birth is threatened by such obsolescent dogma. Flags and borders do not matter a jot.' Galloway hasn't stopped being a Unionist; he never was one It is also the man who was the face (though not the leader) of All for Unity, which rocked up on the scene ahead of the 2021 Holyrood elections and declared itself the anti-independence alliance that would unite the pro-Union parties. This was news to the pro-Union parties and they responded with the political equivalent of 'new fone, who dis?' All for Unity more than earned the disregard it received. It was essentially a Twitter account doing a bad impersonation of a political party, but what it lacked in electoral strategy it made up for in digital noisemaking. Its social media outriders took a particular dislike to me, which is shocking because I'm lovely. All I'd done was repeatedly point out in The Spectator that they were a hopeless shower of political halfwits. Some people can be very sensitive. I didn't just argue that All for Unity risked splitting the anti-independence vote, I pointed out that it wasn't all that anti-independence. For one, its tactical voting guide endorsed a Labour MSP who had called on Boris Johnson to hand powers over referendums to Holyrood. For another, its lead candidate on the South of Scotland list was George Galloway. Just a few years earlier, he had said it would be a 'democratic monstrosity' if Westminster refused Holyrood another referendum. A few years before that, he had explained why he wasn't joining the official No campaign in the Scottish referendum: 'because it's a Unionist campaign, because it flies the Union Jack. I hate the Union Jack.' Galloway hasn't stopped being a Unionist; he never was one. Galloway has gone from opposing independence in 2014, to asserting Scotland's right to indyref2 in 2017, to campaigning against indyref2 in 2021, to reverting to support for indyref2 in 2025. He's pivoted more times than Mikhail Baryshnikov. And here's where I get to gloat. Total vindication: unlocked. This is one of the paradoxes of populism. Voters will often say, 'At least you know where you stand with him', when the him in question routinely adopts stances and ditches them again without any intervening search of the soul. 'Every politician does that,' you might protest. 'My point exactly,' I would reply. Populists claim politicians are all the same, then set about proving it. This unreliability is a hallmark not only of leftist populism but of its right-wing counterpart. Reform is an obvious example. Is Nigel Farage's party left or right, authoritarian or libertarian, interventionist or market-driven? Is it pro- or anti-economic migration, for or against multiculturalism, all-in or sceptical on devolution? The answer is that it holds all of these positions, switching out one for another as expediency (or the leader's whims) demands. Populism is very useful if you aim to disrupt the status quo but its lack of ideological or intellectual moorings leaves it vulnerable to mainstream capture. When voters become anxious about political turmoil, they can turn to the reassuring and the familiar, and populists have no option but to follow them. If disruption is all you aim for, populism is all you require, but if you want to replace the established order with a new one, you also need a philosophy that is held sincerely, fiercely and with constancy. Reform has no such philosophy and is too fragile a coalition of conflicting interests and incoherent instincts to acquire one between now and the next election. As such, the party can only be reactive, loudly opposing everything Labour does and reminding the Tories of everything they failed to do. Farage need only point to the parlous state of Britain to dramatise the ill effects of Labour and Tory governance. That might be enough to win a general election but it is not a strategy for implementing the kind of transformation (political, cultural, institutional) that national revival demands. Reform gives voters an opportunity to chuck a spanner in the gears but offers no prospect of new machinery. Nigel Farage, like George Galloway, is a populist and populism is all you'll ever get from him. Trust me: I told you so before.
The National
3 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Using an election as plebiscite referendum is just not going to fly
Most of us, I bet. But fun as it is to see those who only a few short years ago were proclaiming themselves to be 'All4Unity' – and now failing to find much unity among themselves – Galloway endorsing the right of voters in Scotland to choose to be independent is no longer the political showstopper that it could have been a couple of decades ago. Far more predictable was Labour minister Douglas Alexander popping up on BBC Scotland at the weekend and refusing – despite being asked three times – to say how Scotland can voluntarily leave the Union should they wish. READ MORE: Palestine Action activist rejects Home Secretary's Glasgow protest claim It's the question which is guaranteed to leave any Unionist spokesperson spinning towards the ground belching puffs of acrid smoke in their wake, because there's really no good answer they can give. Which of course is all the more reason to keep asking it. The fact is that most Scots, pro-independence or not, accept without question our right to self-determination. Implying or even stating that no such right exists, or dodging the question as Alexander tried to do, only serves to get right up people's noses. While it's not a strategy for independence, it's nevertheless a useful way to put some people on the spot and get the people of Scotland in general talking about the rights and wrongs of the matter. And let's face it, the more people who accept our right to choose independence and who start to consider that the question deserves to be put again, the more likely it is to happen. Short of a 'black swan' event which turns people so decisively against the Union that any vote becomes redundant, independence will probably only happen through a standalone referendum to begin a legal process of becoming independent. And even in the unlikely event of that black swan flying overhead, you'd still likely want a referendum to ratify and legitimise the outcome. So, having said that, let's recognise that using an election as a plebiscite referendum is just not going to fly. Not now. Probably not ever. I'm always puzzled how so many who argue that we absolutely must take this route can argue with 100% certainty that any UK government will say no to another referendum on independence, yet can still believe the same UK government would just roll over and say yes to actual independence in the face of a positive election result. The truth is this – in the unlikely event of being able to win 50% of the vote in a multi-party election, the best anyone in the UK Government will ever do is congratulate us on our result. It will only have effect in their eyes if we fall short, when in a twist on that classic Edinburgh expression, it will be a case of 'you'll have had your referendum'. And independence then really will be off the agenda for another generation. (Image: Supplied) What should matter more to independence supporters than what Westminster thinks is what the Scottish people think. And by that, I mean what people in Scotland really think, rather than what we might wish they thought instead. If anyone spends any time talking to voters in Scotland just now about what is important to them, they would find that even independence supporters are still overwhelmingly going to be voting first and foremost for a government, no matter what anyone else might want them to do. In the present circumstances, if the SNP were to try to use the next Scottish Parliament election as a proxy referendum, then you can probably say hello to a thumping Unionist majority at Holyrood. That's not because there's a thumping majority or anything like it out there for the Union, because there isn't. Rather, it'll be because most people – even independence supporters – will rightly conclude that there are lots of other pressing issues also needing decided. By standing on a platform not of 'independence, nothing less' but instead 'independence and nothing else', Scotland's main pro-independence party would be showing that it was no longer capable of being both pro-independence and being a government at the same time. And good luck getting Scotland to independence without having a pro-independence Scottish Government taking decisions in Scotland. There are a couple of reasons why Alex Salmond embraced the idea of a pre-legislative referendum as part of his moves to professionalise the SNP that he led. (Image: JASON REDMOND) Firstly, it was to help decouple independence supporters from their (then) loyalty to the Labour Party. But also, it was to allow people who wanted SNP representation to vote for the party, knowing that if it came to it, independence could be only decided later on in a separate vote for that purpose. While it was that first group who helped take Scotland so close in 2014, it was the second group of 'soft' SNP supporters who were instrumental in the 2011 SNP landslide which made that referendum possible at all. It was a shrewd move from a man who knew exactly what he was doing when he did it. And it was informed by the hard data that had come in from SNP canvassers all over the country, which had started to show that support for independence was not always the same as support for the SNP and vice versa. So by all means let a thousand flowers bloom in our strategic thinking. But let us always be realistic, grounded in reality and looking outwards to those we still need to persuade, rather than trying to set a political course based solely on what might make us feel good personally.
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Scottish council denies teacher 'compared Union flag to Nazi swastika'
East Renfrewshire Council issued the denial following a row over a letter to parents which suggested the Union flag could be seen as 'potentially offensive or sectarian messaging'. It came after a Union flag featuring staff faces was reported to have 'caused some upset'. The primary school – which The National decided not to name due to recent sectarian violence targeting another school in the area – was then the focus of anger from Scottish Tory politicians over the incident, leading the council to apologise. READ MORE: Former Unionist party leader backs Scottish independence referendum On Tuesday, the Scottish Conservatives shared a further letter from East Renfrewshire Council's education manager, Tracy Morton, in which she suggested that the Union flag had been compared to the Nazi swastika. Morton wrote: 'East Renfrewshire Council is proud to fly the Union Flag, a symbol of our national identity. It is understandable that parental feelings will run high when the use of the flag in a celebratory context by pupils, has been regarded as divisive, offensive and potentially sectarian. 'It is also completely understandable that the decisions taken by staff at the P7 Prom have caused upset ... For this I would like to apologise on behalf of the department and East Renfrewshire Council.' She went on: 'In addition, I recognised that the actions of the headteacher the following day have inadvertently served to compound the original upset caused … In trying to place the response of the teacher's behaviour into a context her symbolism was misjudged. 'We are clear that it was not appropriate to have associated the incident that took place on Wednesday evening with the connotations of the Nazi swastika.' Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay (Image: BBC) The Tories used the letter to attack the SNP. Russell Findlay's party wrote on social media: 'Telling children that the Union flag is somehow equivalent to the Nazi swastika is twisted nonsense and utterly inexcusable. 'This is what happens when the SNP's toxic nationalism infects schools and councils.' However, East Renfrewshire Council then issued a statement saying that no such comparison had been drawn. A spokesperson said: 'The council and the headteacher have apologised for any offence and upset that has been caused to pupils, parents and carers and the wider community. 'In seeking to explain the complexities of imagery with the children, we accept that mistakes were made and the example used was misjudged. 'At no point was the Union Flag compared to the Nazi swastika. 'We expect and support our schools to foster an ethos of respect for diverse perspectives and national identity. 'All educational establishments in East Renfrewshire should be spaces that are focused on learning, unity, and pride in a diverse British society.'
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Albie Amankona 'sacked by GB News for calling Suella Braverman a racist'
Albie Amankona was dropped by the broadcaster last year and is now taking it to an employment tribunal, alleging that he was subject to racial discrimination and unfair dismissal. He formerly presented GB News's The Saturday Five programme and left after calling the former home secretary 'a racist and a thoroughly bigoted woman'. READ MORE: Former Unionist party leader backs Scottish independence referendum GB News apologised for his comments at the time, saying they had 'crossed a line between robust debate and causing unnecessary offence'. Amankona is now crowdfunding a legal campaign against the broadcaster, The Telegraph reports, and is getting support from Jolyon Maugham's (below) Good Law Project. He said: 'I regret that it has come to this, I have tried very hard to resolve matters privately and in good faith. Like so many fair-minded Britons I believe in free speech, fairness, the rule of law and I know right from wrong. GB News claims to stand for these values. 'My experience tells a different story. They must be held accountable, not only for cancelling me, but for seemingly treating non-white employees differently from white employees, and for abandoning the very values we Britons hold dear.' READ MORE: Scottish Labour MPs set to rebel on UK welfare reform – see the full list The Good Law Project said: 'GB News likes to brand itself as a champion of free speech and journalistic independence. But when one of its own presenters dared to call out racism and intolerance, the response was swift and severe: he was dropped instantly. 'It's a familiar pattern – when free speech aligns with their agenda, they celebrate it. But the moment it challenges their narrative, the mask slips.' A GB News spokesperson said: 'Mr Amankona's claim is misconceived, without merit and being robustly defended. As the claim is ongoing we do not propose to comment further.'
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Ex-Unionist party leader backs Scottish independence referendum
The ex-Labour MP, who formerly led the now-defunct Unionist All for Unity party, has said he now supports the "right of Scots to self-determination" having been opposed to it his entire political life. In 2021, he pledged to "tackle the scourge of separatism" when All for Unity launched their Scottish Parliament election manifesto. But in a surprise post on social media on Monday, he appeared to have completely changed his tune, adding that Prime Minister Keir Starmer was "pitiful" and that Britain had become a "cesspit". He posted on Twitter/X: "We support the right of the Scots to self-determination. Eleven years after they last did so, we believe the time for another referendum is close. READ MORE: Yvette Cooper: Palestine Action to be proscribed as terrorist organisation "Given the collapsing authority of the British state the pitiful prime minister Starmer the moral decline of British society the result cannot easily be predicted. Britain has become a cesspit." Following the collapse of All for Unity, Galloway has been leading the Workers Party of Britain since founding it in 2019. Originally from Dundee, he made a surprise return to politics when he won the Rochdale by-election following the death of Labour's Tony Lloyd, but he subsequently lost the seat at the General Election. He had dedicated his win in Rochdale to Palestine. In his victory speech he said: 'Keir Starmer: this is for Gaza." Last year, when he called a press conference to mark his return to Parliament, he said he was not 'going to fight against the SNP in here', saying his involvement in Scottish politics was over. He said while he was 'not a supporter of the SNP' he thought the party had been 'outstanding on the Gaza question, at least by comparison with the two big parties of the state'.
