We Irish are a diaspora nation.
President-Elect Joe Biden gets that because he’s part of it.
Indeed, he let Nick Bryant, the BBC’s New York correspondent, know that and he did it with a smile.
That quip seemed to irk some Brits.
The Brits think that they have a “special relationship” with the USA.
Here the mighty Bonnie Greer tells a British audience the truth about the situation.
Now the new guy in the Oval Office has “Celtic” as his Secret Service Call Sign.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris has chosen “Pioneer” as hers.
She is the first woman and the first person of colour to hold that office.
Sadly, not everyone on this island welcomed that ceiling smashing moment.
I wasn’t surprised that Donald Trump has such a large following among Northern Ireland Unionists.
Both play to a fascist underclass and deal in a blood and soil nativist narrative.
Indeed, Trump, a second-generation Scot, would find many who share his Herrenvolk worldview in Fair Caledonia.
Moreover, that racist ideology has a long history there.
However, it was the Irish Catholic community rather than people of colour who were the targets for Billy Fullerton’s good ol boys.
It is not a stretch to connect the racists of America to those of Scotland.
Fullerton wrote to the Ku Klux Klan in the USA to seek permission to establish a branch in Glasgow.
This was duly approved.
Hence I feel fully authorised to refer to the “Ibrox klanbase”.
Of course, the election of the President of the United States is a matter of global importance, and it will undoubtedly have implications for the Brexit negotiations.
Boris and Donald are big mates.
Consequently, the negotiating team in Brussels were wise to hold off to see who would be in the White House in January.
The idea that Call Sign “Celtic” will allow a land border on the island of his ancestors is deluded.
A century before the Brexit referendum and Trump’s election the Proclamation of the Irish Republic referred to “her exiled children in America and by gallant allies in Europe”.
That combination is once again in play apropos the post-Brexit trade talks between Britain and the USA.
Joe Biden’s County Mayo kin arrived in America at the time of An Gorta Mór.
He was born in a country where his Irish ethnicity is embraced and celebrated.
Sadly, not all of the Irish diaspora are so fortunate in where we first saw the light of day.
My friend and colleague Angela Haggerty remarked in Twitter that the situation in Fair Caledonia was hugely different.
In the dozen years that this site has been in existence, I have often observed how Scotland had abnormalized itself apropos the Irish diaspora.
However, this state of affairs seems to be invisible to many in that part of Britain.
In 2011 I gave a talk at the ChangeIn Scotland conference in Ullapool.
The title was “Being Second Generation Irish in modern Scotland. An existential challenge”.
Since I gave that lecture, I have not observed anything that would lead me to change the central thesis that I presented in Ullapool.
If anything, the situation has become worse.
It is still consequence-free for anyone in public life to causally denigrate the Irish community in Scotland.
They’re punching down, and they know that there will be no comeback.
Moreover, it is a dog whistle to the type of racist demographic that Trump energised in order to get to the White House in 2016.
Not a good look…
Your humble correspondent has tried to reach out in the spirit of educating the misinformed.
If Scotland is ready to take its place among the family of nations, then it should become comfortable with one day having their own Joe Biden.
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Phil you do know that Kamala Harris is a direct descendant of a slave plantation owner
Interesting that the House of Lords voted down mad Boris’s International Treaty breaking bill by around a 3:1 ratio.
People (nb not The People!) need to stop giving the Scottish Government and other establishment bodies a free pass on this issue and simply save all denigration for the Klan that polite society feels comfortable over.
A recent report showed that the Irish diaspora in Scotland was disproportionately affected by Covid-19 but the Scottish Government have done nothing to address this and have actively “rubber eared” campaign groups who wished to engage on this critical issue.
As well as it being laughable to suggest they would do the same with any other minority, the same ministers are happy to engage with “heroic” statue defenders, who had violently attacked a refugee support march.
This isn’t on the Klan, its on the Scottish Government and they’ve failed, failed utterly.
Enjoying today’s discussion. I started a very good online read on the anti Irish campaign recently which I would recommend. It is a D. Phil thesis by a David Ritchie entitled “They Do Not Become Good Scotsmen” A Political history of the anti-Irish campaign in Scotland 1919-1939. It was awarded by the University of Edinburgh in 2013. Tom Devine was a supervisor. It can be found on the University theses site.
I fully understand the main thrust of the piece…which is to highlight Scotland’s unacceptable attitude, past and present, to the Irish who live here…but for anyone to suggest that Scots Catholics were ( are ) not also included in this…well, they need educated.
I was born in the 40’s…and started looking for work in the late 50’s…This was an era where your typical application form included the school you attended…and if a Catholic reference was there…well good luck with that.
There were several large well known employers who, quite openly, wouldn’t employ Catholics irrespective of their “nationality” Add to that your ” no chance ” memberships of Golf Clubs/ Bowling Clubs/ etc…and hopefully you’ll see where I’m coming from.
The bowling club one is still rife. There are five bowling clubs I can think of right off the top of my head in my home area and I don’t know of a single Catholic member in any of them.
Maybe we’re just shite at bowling.
Then again we’ve never played so we’ll never know.
Nice one Charger….I’ve so many stories about this ….Suffice to say…they can shove their wee bigoted Bowling Clubs….Up their arse.
Biden is an American he’s not Irish.
The USA is negotiating a trade agreement with the UK.
Ireland is being used by the USA as a piggy in the middle. Leverage, nothing more.
Which way the trade agreement goes is worth billions per year. Trillions over decades. That’s the whole Irish tune out of Pelosi and Biden.
The UK has no plans to seal off NI from Ireland, it’s an entirely false speculation regardless and hence all noise. If anything, it’s the EU who wishes there to be a border. The EU has stated it.
Watch how it develops into a USA-UK partnership against the EU.
I await with baited breath on that one. The UK is NOT worth m ore to the U.S. economy than the rest of Europe put together.
Plus you need to factor in the complete disliking Biden has for Boris on a personal level.
Dunno why he feels that way. What with Boris being such an honest, trustworthy man of the highest integrity.
Northern Ireland is costing the UK Treasury £10bn every year in losses holding onto it makes no Financial sense whatsoever.
Put it this way …If it was handed back today in 21 years the total cost of Trident replacement would be paid for and in the following 9 years a further £90bn could be put to one side to replace that System.
The UK Government is fully aware of the fact the Voting demographics are shifting toward a pro Republican shift,they are also acutely aware of the Financial impact of handing it back could have on an already struggling Economy.
The stars are aligning above the plough you might say.
Biden IS the new president; get used to it.
I too noticed Biden’s barb to the BBC. He’s made ie ultra clear that there will be no trade deal if UK tries to scupper the Belfast Agreement. PERIOD
UK Tories have never had to deal with such pro Irish pressure from both EU and USA. Its wonderful watching them squirm under even mild questions from the media.
Johnson is toast. Gone shortly.
Orange Lodge membership numbers in Scotland are a fraction of what they were 50 years ago. Education IS working, but we’re talking here about something that will take generations to reverse. The members of the Orange Order who still exist are frankly as thick as shite. Not surprisingly, these are the most difficult people to educate and these are the people who pass it to their eqully not very bright children.
In the interest of balance though I find members of the Knights of Columba and Ancient Order of Hibernians just as intellectually challenged.
Oh do tell what the (I presume you mean) Knights of St Columba and Ancient Order of Hibernians do that so affronts you?
Is it their obnoxious insistence of marching pass Protestant places of worship singing and shouting abuse?
Growing up in Scotland I never knew anyone who was a member of KSC or AOH and virtually nothing about their activities but I knew plenty Orangemen and their activities of vilification and worse.
They don’t particularly do anything that offends me. I never at any point said they did. I’ve just never met one who came across as a towering intellect. ANYONE, of any persuasion, who feels the need to dress up in a wee tin soldier uniform and go marching up and down the street making fools of themselves has a wee lacking in the thinking processes in my opinion.
An opinion I have the right to both hold and express. As does anyone who wishes to hold and express a differing opinion.
So zero evidence then.
You do have a right to your opinion, no matter how intellectually challenged it is.
I find the O O repulsive to this day. Can’t shake the memory of walking innocently down my home town street as a ten year old with my two best r*ngers supporting friends at the time to be told by a humongous grown man ‘Dinnae let me see you wearing that tap again’ They are the shame of this country of ours. I have no issue with proud Protestants supporting their club and practising their religion, it’s the aforementioned O O that need shouted out. Not our RC schools (pathitic argument). Let them have their commemorative walk. But why not make it one day on the 12th and how’s about in somber silence for those that lost their lives in conflict? As per the Armistice the other day. Not holding my breath there.
Phil, keep it up. We’ll get there.
George Galloway…
His rope a dope with the State Senate a new one in 2005 was a masterclass in Pugilism of not only punching up but also knocking out the school bully.
https://youtu.be/_dD48d-yjxc
Joe Biden will only become the President-Elect if and when the Electoral College elects him as such.
Given that Trump’s lawsuits are only just beginning, it is a bit premature to be hailing him as such.
Doesn’t anybody remember Al Gore: “the man who used to be the next Preseident of the United States?”
Whether Joe Biden is 2nd generation Irish or has the secret service code name Celtic is irrelevant to me , he should be judged on his actions . He voted for the Iraq war knowing full well that there were no WMDs so is as guilty as Blair , he also stood behind Obama as 100 000 bombs were dropped on 8 different countries during his Vice Presidency . I will be glad to see the back of Trump but I won’t be cheer leading the next despot on just because of his DNA. I will watch what he does re Israel for a start
All true.
Sadly, you missed the entire point of the piece.
I didn’t miss it I just didn’t comment on it because you had already done so and I didn’t and don’t disagree that the anti Irish brigade needs to be challenged . I was merely pointing out the aspects of Biden that we don’t need. Scotland doesn’t need its own Joe Biden , Scotland needs to be held to account for not dealing with its own racial issues. ( a job you do rather well)
“Scotland’s own Joe Biden” was a reference to a scenario where a senior politician in Scotland who could say confidently “I’m Irish” and for it to be celebrated.
Of course, it was not a reference to Biden’s politics.
That will never happen because Scottish Catholics regard themselves as Scottish not Irish. Their grandfathers, great grandfathers, etc.. were already here (From 1800s) and fought in the first and second world wars in Scottish regiments.
Perhaps a second gen Scot with an Irish parent like Biden might regard themself as Irish but surely not fourth or fifth generation?
This is where PMG doesn’t get it. The vast majority of catholic Scots of Irish ancestry do not and will never identify as Irish like him. PMG is in a tiny minority of people. Most have never set foot in Ireland. However, if you only socialize with such a group, then your perception becomes skewed.
Ireland was known as Scota Major by the late Romans. The Irish people known as the Scoti or Scots. It was Pope Leo X (1513–1521) who decreed that the use of the name Scotia be confined to referring to land that is now Scotland. Hence giving Scotland its name and finding against Ireland who petitioned for the term. Scotland had previously been called Caledonia by Romans.
So Irish Scots is a bit of a misnomer as the Irish were the original Scots.
Joe Biden may call himself Irish but he is an American with Irish ancestry. If he was Irish he could not have stood for the Presidency.
I think you may have touched on this before Phil but wasn’t there a real case of Racism shown towards the Black community in the US around the time of the 30’s when Gand culture was rampant in Cities like Chicago and Boston?
I think Social Circumstances can and will inflame hidden or deep rooted bigotry and hatred in any Society where there is a multicultural setting for it to grow.
These Islands that we reside in have always had a mixture of differences be that Socially or genetically.
It is these deep rooted feelings that the extreme Political Powers,Gangsters or Revolutionaries tend to play on when hoping to achieve their aims.
Even if Europe was entirely Protestant or Catholic those deep rooted feeling would simply focus on another target like Islam,Judaism,Fascism or Communism as we have seen in the last two Centuries.
I think as humans we are fundamentally flawed in that way.
It probably goes back to the hunter gatherer times where clans evolved into small tribes in order to survive.
I’m not justifying any of it but perhaps just trying to highlight just how messed up the human psyche actually is.
One mans martyr is another mans terrorist after all.
He did get Osama bin laden with Obama and hunt down Al Queda for 9/11 which is meritorious. Surely you applaud that?
He’s also reversing Trump’s position on NATO and funding it properly again.
They actually ran out of bombs in Syria. And wouldn’t you think that Joe of the Diaspora would have sympathy for his fellowmen and women given the inhuman treatment his ancestors endured? Yet he has said he will veto a health care for all (US citizens) and this at a time of pandemic, and when millions of Americans having lost their jobs, have also lost their health care. Might I suggest you tune in to The Jimmy Dore Show on Youtube. He tells lit like it is —-to both the Left and the Right. And you want to hear him on Harris, who refers to herself as ‘The Top Cop ‘ having incarcerated so meany ‘people of colour’ in California.
Phil, no disrespect, but what if Trump produces evidence about, dodgy postal ballot’s, like the one’s that @bbclaurak got caught bragging about, in last December’s UK GE, she bragged on the now ‘pulled’ episode of BBC ‘politics live’ that she, and @DominicRaab, have ‘discovered’ that the Lab’party share of postal vote’s was dire, all of this three day’s before UK GE had taken place! Lab’party lost for a variety of reason’s, dodgy postal ballot’s being one of them.
God bless you’re grand old work, Phil. 👏💚👏🍀👏🙏✌
The bigotry originally based on religion is entrenched in Scotland, even though most of the bigots and racists don’t even pay lip-service to their erstwhile religion. The anti-Irish racism is the oldest expression of Scottish racism and given that it’s institutionalised in several organisations, including the infamous football club, it will still be here for generations to come. I regard myself as an Irish-Scot by nationality, a product of the Famine diaspora, but I entertain no illusions about the attitudes in Scottish society and culture towards Ireland and the Irish.
The infamous Church and Nation Committee report of 1923 makes it quite clear (on page 2) that their concerns were not about Scottish Catholics but those of the “Irish race”.
It was always about ethnicity.
If you think about the term “Irish American” and what that evokes and compare it with “Irish-Scot” which is almost never used.
It is true that the Church of Scotland’s documents did target Irish specifically in a very racist fashion.
I attended a Tom Devine lecture once, where he told of an incident at a protestant congress event – I think in 1930s Berlin – where Scottish representatives stated “the Irish problem in Scotland is the same as the Jewish problem in Germany”.
However the reformation was the root of all this, and a major reason the irish came to be hated in the first place was because of their Catholicism and fierce attachment to it. (What a shame that in the 21st century, MTV and the Mainstream Media effortlessly achieve what Oliver Cromwell and others like him could not). I don’t think the Irish were hated half as much (lol) before the reformation.
The reason the Presbyterians turned their guns on the Irish – as opposed to Scots Catholics – was that there were few of the later in the central belt for a long time and they were not as “obvious” in society as their Irish brethren (who have different names and accents etc). But the Irish suddenly arrived as a large glut, inflaming all the usual immigration negativity about folk “taking our jobs” etc – and this, on top of all the “the Pope has cloven hooves” stuff they were drip fed at the Kirk
Ultimately both racism and religious prejudice as obviously wrong and the two factors should not be seen to be in competition. Both need to be recognised as to make it chiefly about racism ignores the experience of non-Irish Catholics who suffered the same discrimination, alienation or abuse as did Irish Catholics.
As for Biden, I do not think he is home and dry yet. And given it is the US Electoral College and States whom declare the winners of US elections – and not the media – I think the media has behaved despicably by long-since awarding the contest to Biden. And not because he “has it in the bag” (far from it, at the time of writing) but clearly to lead opinion and pressure officials. This is every bit as much as a scandal as the Scottish media’s standards concerning the tribute club that plays at Mordor.
Remember, Al Gore was the president-elect for 30 days in 2000. My own feeling on this is that it will rumble into 2021 and Trump will retain office after some intervention from the Supreme Court (as in 2000).
I think he will only leave the White House if he concedes the election and that will not happen. I think the lack of popular outrage over his stance – despite the efforts of the media – is telling. It seems there are things about the election which need investigation.
For one thing, how Biden allegedly managed to get a record number of votes (beating even Obama) while the Democrats failed to seize a single state house from the Republicans , is very strange. Votes for both things were on the same ballot. As if they ticked for Biden and left the rest blank.
Personally, I think Trump has a very good record as President – domestically and internationally -and would prefer him to remain for a long list of reasons. Even if people dislike his personality, they must respect his record on employment and international peace etc.
I included that entire report as an appendix at the back of Minority Reporter.
It really is worth reading as a historical document.
I also noted that the Church of Scotland had apologised for their conduct.
At the start of the new millennium, they made a full and unequivocal apology for their eugenicist ways back in the 1920 & 30s.
Indeed, in the 1950s they were still referring to the Irish in Scotland as ” an alien race”.
I remember being very shocked / dismayed to first learn of those documents. Sadly the record of Britain & British organisations concerning Ireland and the Irish often has that effect.
Yes the Church of Scotland did apologise for that and of course that must be accepted and everyone move on together to a better society.
I think that knowledge of the documents should be much wider so as to help understand modern anti-Catholicism / anti-Irish sentiment. It should be taught to the youth.
I say this because, if you asked 100 Scots why these social issues exist, many would point to Catholic schools but I would wager none would talk of those Church of Scotland documents. Probably none of the people would have even heard of them.
I think there could be an ongoing role for the Church of Scotland here, in terms of promoting that awareness and as a voice of modern Presbyterianism to condemn acts of prejudice.
Given the Scots originally came from Ireland, the notion of them calling the Irish “an alien race” is surely the last word in absurdity.
Your second paragraph, 1930s Berlin, Protestant Congress event, Scottish delegation likening the Irish in Scotland to Jews in Germany was invariably the SNP.
The SNP Leadership were in bed with the Nazis in the 1930s. This is very well documented and photographed. They were the only Scots going over to Berlin regularly at that time.
People of Nicola Sturgeon’s parents generation, SNP supporters, activists, would cry in their beer right up through the 1990s that it would have been better if the Germans had won the war because they thought us Scots were the master race and Aryans. It was the English who fought them (Germans) and dragged us into it. Hatred of the English sneaking in there with hatred of the Irish but love of the Nazis.
Nice photo of Aryan blond bombshell Ms Black btw.
Fantasist.
It not uncommon for a person to split their vote ie democratic president and republican congress this would be especially true with trump as president
Biden has clearly won the presidency based on the norms of USA Presidential elections, nothing to do with media acclimation.
You are correct that there’s no popular outrage over Trump’s stance but that’s because the job’s been done to get rid of him and people are singing and dancing in the streets.
The outrage against him was before the election and led to increases in voting to get rid of him.
There was also a massive effort to ensure the millions of voters, mainly poor and minority, who had been purged from the rolls were restored.
This was critical in states where Trump had prevailed previously such as Georgia but thanks to the heroic efforts of people like Stacey Abrams that didn’t happen this time.
Oh and there’s 2 run-off Senate races there in January and with further efforts to prevent voter suppression then hopefully favourable results can happen there to.
Trump and his acolytes, like yourself, have provided no credible evidence of voter irregularities and any attempted court actions have been laughingly tossed out of court as completely without merit.
Take off the tin foil and educate yourself, as the evidence is out there and I’d start here https://www.gregpalast.com/
I disagree about Biden. It is the Electoral College and State Officials who declare who has won the Presidential election. The media only report what is declared by others.
However in this instance it was the media declared Biden the winner. The articles, which many took as gospel truth, were in fact caveated in smaller text as “projections”. I believe the media did this to lead opinion and pressure officials.
No-one else has said anything yet, not least because all the votes are not in (and there will be many investigations and re-counts).
North Carolina has just this evening been called for Trump, and it looks like Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have the votes to remain Speaker of the House.
If you follow the low level data – i.e. not the mainstream media – you will find that there is quite a wealth of issues being totted up for the courts. Several postal and elections workers, across several states, have made statements regarding irregularities or malpractice (such as later votes being backdated). Perhaps most serious is the performance of the Dominion Voting System.
An electronic system used in 26 States. it has been found to have been flipping red votes to blue. I am aware of at least one County result (in MI) which Trump went from losing to winning after he got his votes back. The other Dominion results will have to be audited.
Nancy Pelosi’s former chief of staff is the chief exec at the company Dominion, and Senator Dianne Feinstein’s husband owns 60% of the company. Dominion has previously donated tens of thousand’s of dollars to the Clinton foundation. I am sure all this will be incidental though.
Of course, Americans love litigation, drama and bullsh*t so we will take all of this with a pinch of salt and see how it develops. However, I think you would be very mistaken to think all the court actions have been and gone already.
I did laugh at the thought of being an “acolyte”. I like Trump because (i) he didn’t start any new wars (which the threadbare British Army would likely have been drawn into), (ii) he has done well with international diplomacy, getting some muslim states to recognise Israel, (iii) he has done well with the economy, lowest unemployment for 50 yrs, best ever growth figures, most americans better off after his term in office, (iv) he was the first ever President to address the “march for life” which the media usually hides from the public, (v) I like his supreme court picks, (vi) he is a friend to the UK, especially important at this Brexit juncture. If that makes me an “acolyte” so be it.
Biden might indeed win, but good luck getting anything done Joe.
I’m sure the Irish had the same concerns when all those King James Scottish Protestants turned up in Ireland during the plantation? Don’t you think?
Ah but sure it’s ok for dem fellas to be xenophobic bigots so’in it is!
Pots calling kettles black.
Unless you have carried out genealogy and proven yourself as famine diaspora, then you statistically probably are not. You have been misled.
Most Irish innScotland arrived well after the famine, two generations later, around CELTIC being established 1888, or in 1890’s. They came looking for jobs in the steel industry and railway building and construction industries. A cash wage packet in the hand weekly was a rarity in rural Ireland.
All Ireland was United Kingdom at the time (Even during the famine). They were all British citizens and not immigrants. No more immigrants than English arriving in Scotland. The ferries crossing was no more dangerous than today not arduous.
You are descended from British citizens not Irish republic citizens. Your ancestry have always been British which is probably surprising for you.
Biden’s ancestry through his mother is Irish Republic.
“first person of colour” I know us celts are a bit pasty white but last time I looked I was a person of colour too.
Remember poor old Alan Hansen being retired for calling people coloured
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/16301357
The world really is a confusing place
“Person of colour” is an acceptable term.
Try and keep up.
Actually it’s not an acceptable term to many black people. Many black people find the term deeply offensive.
This is a thoughtful exploration of the term.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fonRCuLLdn4
I believe some high heidyin in the English footballing establishment was forced to resign today over his use of the word “coloured”, I’m not sure of the context. I just caught the tail end of something on the radio.
https://www.diversityinc.com/is-people-of-color-offensive/
“People of color” is a respectful-sounding phrase, it’s in common use, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used the phrase “citizens of color” in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech.
Hi Phil, looks like I’ve opened up a can of worms.
I’m personally offended by it because I am a person of colour. Unlike a Scottish referee, I am not transparent.
I wasn’t actually aware of this myself until someone brought it up at a racial and ethnic diversity course I attended several years ago. For that reason I’ve avoided using the word
ActorJames McAvoy apologized profusely on tv a couple years ago for saying ‘people of Colour’ instead of ‘Blacks’. It was the most grovelling, humiliating, humbling back track I have even seen on tv.
Are you saying he was wrong to do so?
What was ok for MLK 70 years ago clearly isn’t ok for modern Blacks in the USA. That’s fine and correct. We don’t live in the past and modern lives shouldn’t be limited by long dead folks who had their time and don’t live in modern society.
I have explained my use of the term James and have done so politely and carefully.
However, you’re now trolling.
That doesn’t end well here.
I’m of the opinion that anti-Irish sentiment in Scotland is not as widespread these days as it was around 30-40 years ago, as a Scottish Independence supporter I find that most fellow Independence supporters look at the Irish Republic as an inspirational example of how a small European State can have influence and be successful in the world. There is the usual Ibrox demographic some of whom are racists and bigots but these people are a reasonably small part of the overall population in Scotland. I agree that the establishment in Scotland are very slow in condemning this anti-Irish element in Scottish society and I include in this criticism the present Scottish government.
As for Ms Black she should be big enough to apologise for her ill judged remarks viz plastic paddies, I wonder how she would feel if an equivalent insulting remark had been made regarding the Gay or Transgender members of the Scottish population.
One of the reasons that I sent her a copy of Minority Reporter is that in the book I deployed the LGBT analogy.
In that 2GI people often hid their Irish heritage because of the hostility of the host community.
I hoped that she would see the validity of the anti-Irish racism/homophobia analogy.
Sadly, despite a lengthy correspondence with her office manager, there was no response from the Honourable Member of the British Parliament.
All of this happened quietly and off the radar until I realised that I was not going to get an answer.
I wanted a quiet non-confrontational conversation to explain the situation to her.
Sadly, I was similarly stonewalled by Nicola Sturgeon’s office on the matter.
I think that is telling.
One other thing Michael.
Despite what you say about the admiration of the 26 County state it is the Irish in Scotland who are the focus of my journalism.
The strapline of Minority Reporter is “Modern Scotland’s bad attitude towards her own Irish”.
Ms Black was not aiming her racist jobe at people here in Ireland.
No, she was punching down in Scotland.
Very disappointing From the offices of both Ms Black and Nicola Sturgeon, although I do try to be more positive of modern Scotland’s attitude to the Scots of Irish descent, it is undeniable that there is still in Scotland a lack of recognition and respect shown to this ethnic group.
This site is searchable Michael and the entire story has been published, including emails etc.
I cannot imagine that such a story would be possible for any other ethnic group in modern Scotland.
That, in itself, is very telling.
I’ve written on here several times about how I first heard the term “Plastic Paddys” used by an old long dead uncle in Donegal the best part of 50 Years ago. I don’t intend to go over old ground. The fact that the elected people in question didn’t give you the curtesy of a reply shows, at best, a shocking lack of manners.
I sent Ms Black a copy of ” Minority Reporter” together with a personal note to her constituency office.
The tone of the message was friendly and open.
Her office manager confirmed that she had received the book and had taken it home to read it.
The assurance was that MB would respond in time.
Remember this was private reaching out no GOTCHA journalism.
I was very clear that I wanted to help her understand the situation of the Irish community in Scotland.
After months many months of stonewalling, I submitted some formal questions to her office.
Nothing after that…
Then I put similar questions to Sturgeon office.
More stonewalling.
Only then did I go public on the issue.
The entire timeline of the correspondence has been published on this site.
I suspect that the Irish in Scotland are the only ethnic group to get this sort of brush off from an elected representative.
Appalling!
Ooft. I’ll bet she stood half way up the street when she got someone to open that letter, postmarked. “The Republic or Eire”.
You’re spot on here Phil. I read an assessment of Biden by sacked ambassador, now Lord, Darroch who highlights, in his closing comments, the great fear facing all the home nations and our Irish neighbours, that Johnson is unhinged enough to breach the Good Friday agreement and will fail to reach a Brexit deal which will minimise catastrophic disruption to trade. Here in Scotland, it would be good to see racism, particularly anti-Irish racism, being called out, by the First Minister but I suspect trying to win over the ‘abominable no-men’ of the 2014 independence referendum to the independence cause means there is a soft touch approach being taken to fascist sentiment linked to ..ahem… sporting traditions.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/09/joe-biden-britain-washington
Spot on Phil 👏. The poor legion lost a fortune this year because of COVID 19 , not everyone got their poppy to remember gentry like the red coats , the Black and Tans oh and the dignified ones hiding in the shipyards
Love the sentiment,for now though,it is but a pipe dream.
Years of enabling will take years to reverse,if ever,indeed,as you said there’s a case for it actually being worse now,with no real sign of stopping or even slowing
Thanks for your slant on it Phil🇮🇪