James Dornan MSP

Last night on Twitter James Dornan MSP informed his followers that he had received a rather troubling email.

The anonymous author could certainly not be accused of being overly nuanced.

Here is the flier in question.

 

I was interested to read on this Churchillian flier that the “plastic Irish” were referenced.

Mr Dornan is to be commended for highlighting this hate speech and it has been picked up by the SMSM.

However, he may wish to ponder the fact that one of his high profile SNP colleagues is also fond of deploying this racist slur.

I wrote about Ms Black MP in January when she publicly used the term “plastic Irishmen”.

What I also did at the time was to write a personal note to this member of the British parliament and enclose a copy of my book Minority Reporter.

I did not solicit a response until earlier this month when I wrote to Ms Black at her constituency office.

Her office manager replied the same day:

Dear Phil,

I can confirm Mhairi did receive the copy of your book and has taken it home with her to read. As she is currently in London I haven’t had a chance to ask her about the book.

Kind Regards

Perhaps Mr Dornan could contact Ms Black and show her the utility function of the term she thinks is fair game.

53 thoughts on “James Dornan MSP”

  1. In his twitter feed JD asked if any of his colleagues had recieved that racist missive. There were no affirmative responses. I posted there and asked if anyone else had received it. Still no response. Just James then?

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  2. My grand’da was born in carndonagh moved to govan as a young man had family & I’m proud to consider myself as scoth/Irish dissent. No shame in promoting your roots. Well done on your writings Phil more power to her elbow. HH

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  3. Bennys as they are dafties village idiots Benny was a character from crossroads many years ago who did not play with a full deck of cards just like the klan ftom ibrox hope that sorts that out for .

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    • And there I was thinking that you were referencing benzodiazepines,a drug that slows the heart rate and dulls the nerves,and in doing so lulls the user into a gullibillies state.

      I am of course joking,I know only too well of Benny,being of a certain age.
      That indeed may have been why the question was posed,the inquisitor being young.

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  4. Maurice Walsh (of The Quiet Man fame) explored the subject of the Irish identity when writing about an American visitor to Ireland in the 1920s – The fictional story was The Red Girl. O’Connor was the American’s name, but he denied he was Irish. Some interesting dialogue between himself and the folk around him.

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  5. Did you know that David King played a minor role as Parky in the dis-organised crime thriller, The Long Good Friday?

    Coincidence? Shirley Not!

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  6. It’s important to say that Mhaire Black is one of the best politicians in Scotland. She opposes illegal imperialist wars, Tory austerity, and yes, racism. She’s still a young woman who’s made silly mistakes on social media. That particular institution is awash with them. A lot of people don’t believe she was intending to be disrespectful towards the Irish. Give benefit of the doubt sometimes.

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  7. The Scottish edition of The Sun allowed comments on the story. Already a TRIFC fan posted he has carried out some of the acts and wants to know where he can claim his points. When the TRIFC fans use this at the cup match will Police Scotland or the SFA take any action? That’s rhetorical by the way.

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  8. eldiplomatico – It’s not all about the Glasgow football rivalry. I worked in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh 15 years ago and was showing a colleague photos of my visit to NYC for the St Patrick’s Day parade. Another female colleague, an Edinburgher with zero interest in the beautiful game, saw a photo of me holding a tricolour and remarked – That is sectarianism.

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    • I agree, it is not all about rivalry however, to say that it does not play a big part would be very naive. It remains a common catalyst. I was merely pointing out that in NEW YORK, diaspora is not confused or distorted by this, in the same way. Thankfully.

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  9. We have had bullets bombs and parcel , why oh is this latest shenanigan a surprise get over it decent people, these clowns are not worth bothering about, as for mhairi black she carrie water for these bigotted so called peepel.

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  10. On the one hand it is plastic Paddies and on the other we are told to go home.

    What about the plastic Jocks (Jokes) in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norn Irn?

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  11. When I lived in New York, my work colleagues were labelled Irish and Italian mostly, even though all were born and raised in the States. Ethnicity is openly acknowledged and accepted. Same in Australia, to a lesser extent. Only in Scotland does calling oneself Scots-Irish, let alone Irish, leave one open to accusations of displaying sectarianism and bigotry.

    Wha’s like us?

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    • Great, however New York does not have two football teams/clubs whose cultures dictate how people perceive themselves, and how their identity is displayed. Their being, is not only influenced by that rivalry, it also has a bearing on their offspring. An so on and so forth.

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    • That’s true, but not the same thing. NY (and whole of US) is a big melting pot of ethnicities and so they are more generally tolerant of one another NOW, but they weren’t always so. The Irish, initially, were not always welcomed when they came across to US. It’s a much different story in countries with one main social/ethnic group and then a second sizeable group moves in and tries to be accepted. It rarely happens without trouble so Scotland is not unique.

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  12. It shows that they are hurting when they have nothing better to do than step up their neanderthal intimdation tactics. I look forward to seeing whoever sent this behind bars, because it should be easy for the cyber crime unit to be able to find them by means of their MAC address which is unique to the actual device used and the IP address used to send it.. I noticed that the Sun and other gutter press have it on a lower key (practically invisible on Sun site) than they did when they were dishing out free advertising for a certain anti fenian march organised by the types that would send such communication. It will be interesting to see if police scotland escort these scumbags for their own safety while they dish out kickings as the did the ones who marched to ibrox.

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  13. I see the bennys are in total denial of the smash a fenion day tweet saying there is no proof of it and that MSP has form for lying about these things there’s just no hope for the bennys total denial just like the liquidation and death of their club no wonder king can pick their pockets .

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  14. I saw the twitter post by James Dorman last night and my first instinct was that this was some stupid teenager who had just learned how to photo-shop on his laptop. As has been pointed out, this is basically a copy of the similar flyer posted about Muslims down in England. A village is missing its’ idiot and I hope that the person who sent it out will get a chap on their door from the polis’.

    It does however reflect their general fear and angst at no longer being “ra peepul” and they don’t know how to deal with it! In that respect, the politicians, SMSM and football authorities all have to shoulder the blame for having abetted the attitude.

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  15. Let’s not blame the victims. There is an appalling silence on anti-Irish racism across the political divide in Scotland. People are right to equate it to Islamophobia. Hate speech is the medium, imperialism is the philosophy. It is a brave person who calls it out. Well said, Phil.

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  16. Today, I’ll mostly be singing “Abraham, Martin and John” by Dion in the style of Marvyn Gaye.

    “Has anybody here seen my old friend David?
    Can you tell me where he’s gone?
    He duped a lot of people, but it seems the good liar’s done.
    But I just looked around, and he was gone.”

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  17. I always thought the term plastic Irish was all about Celtic fans ( who were not in fact born in Ireland ) claiming to be Irish . Flying the tricolour and signing Irish republican songs. ( many having never even set foot in Ireland)
    I never once considered it a slur against true born Irish people.
    However it’s clear that in this instance that is not the case, and they should be doing all in their power to find this e-mailer and put him/her away asap.

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    • The “true-born” remark reveals your lack of understanding of the issue.
      Is Richard Gough a “true-born” Scot?
      Being second generation Irish (2GI) is a legitimate identity.
      Back to school for you…

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      • Sorry Phil, I used the term to emphasize the point that they are not in fact Irish and have no Irish connections. I had no intention of slurring second born as you call them. However anyone born to Irish parents, who was born in Scotland are Scottish, not second born Irish. Likewise with any born in another country. So I don’t understand where you get the phrase from.
        You , yourself born to Irish parents, born in Scotland are Scottish, and no changing the spelling of your name will change that fact.

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        • Two possible explanations for the foregoing:

          (1) You do not understand the issues.

          (2) You’re a racist with a hatred of the Irish.

          Reading Minority Reporter will help with (1).

          If it is (2) then you are not welcome here.

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          • Wrong on both counts Phil. My son is married to a lovely Irish girl and parents and her extended family are also very nice. We enjoy immensely meeting and going out with them when we get the chance to visit your wonderful country. ( not as good a Scotland mind 😉 )
            I understand the issues and for me you take this too literally. You maybe Scots/ Irish and if you wish to call that second generation that’s fine, however when a person is born in a country, THAT is their country of birth and nothing can change that.

            Ps if criticising is enough to get banned then it only shows how intolerant you are, and I had higher thoughts of you than that.

          • Therefore Richard Gough is Swedish?

            You’re probably not consciously racist, just lacking in the appropriate cognitive breadth to grasp the issue.
            I can’t be sure as you’re heroically anonymous and bravely concealed.
            One last time for the hard of thinking, country of birth is not the final decider on nationality.
            That is established in international law.
            I have the right to self-define my identity.
            It is recognised by my Republic and the UN.
            Given the history of Britain and Ireland when British people like you wish to impose an identity on Irish people racism must be in play as a possibility.

      • I can see the point Jim is making though, my step sister is third generation Irish Scots, my step mum second generation her mother was from the area round dunfanaghy in Donegal, a beautiful part of the world, my Neice is fourth generation and will proudly identify as Scots-Irish.

        My best friend at school however had no Irish blood whatsoever but had a room draped in tricolours and stuff relating to the provos from scarves to rebel song compilations, many the sort of historic songs about the IRA of the Easter uprising that no one other than die hard orcs takes issue with, but some were certainly glorifying the provos.

        He was romanticising a struggle that my genuine Irish family wished consigned to history because he had no friends or family who had been in the firing line.

        I don’t deny for a second that anti-Irish racism is still rife in scotland, however people like my school friend did no favours to tackling these problems.

        Thankfully he eventually grew out of it, but the actions of daft wee laddies can help perpetuate toxic stereotypes. And this isn’t a case of trying to victim blame because it was the genuine Irish diaspora who surffered the abuse while he thought it was all just a it of banter that he took part in at the football.

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        • That’s very nice of your Donegal family wishing to consign the struggle to history, I just wonder if they would be so willing to do so if they still lived in the occupied six counties of Ireland. The armed struggle certainly was not romantic in Derry, Belfast, Crossmaglen, Cappagh Newry etc. Bloody and brutal, and certainly in the firing line.

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  18. I email the First Minister for an explanation of the fascist sectarian march through he constituency with a police escort. Not even an acknowledgement.

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  19. I have not yet read the comments from other contributors but THIS IS SURLY a police matter…….

    Oh of course,silly me IT’S SCOTLAND ffs.

    Great work Phil,keep at please.HH?

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  20. It’s a shame Phil. Despite the good that Mhairi does (I am one of her many admirers), unfortunately, by loosely using this term, she has become associated with it and has unwittingly given these stupid and cowardly keyboard warriors another phrase for their hate fest. Is Scotland at large afraid of these nutters?

    I would hope that she has read your book, reflects on it and considers making her position clear by disassociating herself from that phrase. I believe that the comment on “plastic Irishmen” was ill considered at best.

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  21. I saw a similar leaflet targeting Muslims . What there people have done is used their I.T. skills to target a whole nuther ethic group without having to dig out a dictionary.
    You have to admit that it’s sheer brilliance!
    No doubt the penalty for such tomfoolery will equal that handed out to those who held up the banner during the anti-Irish, anti Catholic march on the day of the last Sevco V Celtic game. You must be proud that your book has had such a profound influence on popular thought, Phil.

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  22. As expected not a word on the subject by the state broadcaster either in the news or its website yet have plenty of airtime when it was Islam being targeted. No harm to them. But surely there is no difference or is there an agenda at the Bigot corporation.
    HH

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  23. The phrase ‘Blame the faithers’ is often used in jest but it perfectly describes the sentiment in this latest piece. Probably put together by a wee lonely boy on the jungle juice, trying to impress his similarly daft, immature wee pals.

    Brought up on bilious tales of better days for the proddy boys, biased and bigoted fables from the rightful peepul in Grand Brittania, where the fenians, catholics, generally less zealous brethren and other races, colours and creeds knew their place.

    Insular peepul scared of the new world and how the haters now mingle with their klan on a regular basis, God forbid the brethren breed lines are diluted in the process.

    Ignorance personified.

    My dad was brought up in the klan society but soon worked out as a young man that it excluded the people he loved.

    The real klan member can be spotted a mile off and should be avoided as they use their bogotry as a badge of honour. Anyone attracted to that may feel threatened or forced to or are generally uninformed or insecure. ‘The fenians are taking over’ it seems. Sad.!

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    • A very good analysis Jim. I cannot say that these types have impacted on my life. I am aware of them and can see them as you say a mile off. I Just don’t mix in those circles. Thankfully my daughter would not have the faintest idea what this was all about. She does have a chuckle at Orange walks however, and their Unionist Loyalist mantra. Lets be honest we all do. Scotland ‘s shame indeed.

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  24. Phil it is a sad reflection on our society that it has come to this. When simple minded bigots can get away with sending it.
    I notice that the Sender did not include their Address or Email on it. WHY would they leave such important information our. Could it be that they are just Fantasy Merchants who keep their head down while other idiots do their bidding.
    It also does not say very much about their own “religion”. If they “Actually” believe in God how can they Spew such vile nonsense and stupidity.
    I do not hate these Cretins as nobody of sound mind and minimal intelligence comes up with this crap. The sooner this clown is locked securely in a padded cell the better as he is a DANGER to Society.

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  25. I have to ask Phil. Why do you focus on Mhairi Black ? I can tell you that Alex Massie used the same term in writing about Irish Americans in National Review. Nobody got on his case about it.

    The University of Strathclyde found in their research ( Nil by Mouth) that the term was frequently used on both Rangers and Celtic fan forums.

    Is this a political thing for you ?

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  26. Russian bots spreading discord – Elisa is an Estonian network, 30% of Estonian population are (disgruntled) Russians. They quite enjoy being in an EU country though. Putin will unleash his army of football thugs at the WC to punish countries that have expelled diplomats. A new front opens.

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    • Was having the same thoughts about the upcoming World Cup.
      With 100 plus little Englanders arrested in Holland lets see how brave they are in Russia.
      The documentary a couple of months ago showing the Russian ultras actually training for the event was sobering and frightening.
      The various groups arrange venues for a fight then knock each other senseless.
      With Putin playing the Russia v the world card these guys will be even more wound up and we will see levels of violence never witnessed before at a World Cup.
      Smash A Fenian Day is no surprise. Having spent 7 years looking up at Celtic and with the likelihood of that natural order continuing it’s too much for many of them.
      They see everyone else as haters…… A no one likes us we don’t care view of the world only emphasises their paranoia.
      The cup semi final is their season. Another defeat will be too much to stomach.
      I hope the police are all over this and those with previous banning orders are sat in their local police station for the duration of the game.
      The last thing Scottish football needs is another Hampden riot.

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    • After having watched the England fans riot in Amsterdam I am of the firm belief that Scotland should refuse to participate in this years tournament in protest at the goings on by the Russians here in Britain.
      O ‘if only that could happen we could live for decades on being runners up,
      to England of course. They are even bigger fantasists than us.

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