However, a lawyer from Kelso in the Borders, who saw the comment on television news programmes, expressed concern that Mr Salmond’s jibe appeared to be an attack on the English. Colin Shaughnessy wrote to Lothian and Borders Police to complain that it appeared to be “an attack on people readily identifiable to me as English, solely on grounds of race”.
One might argue that such silliness demeans political discourse and one might be right. But racist? Really? I’ve had a buffoon make just such an accusation over at mine today about an obviously facetious comment regarding the Irish. Maybe the police will be calling. My usual response to the cry of racist these days is to dismiss the person calling it as a fool – for more often than not, there is no racial connotation to the offending comment. However, in the case of Colin Shaughnessy, the police must surely feel obliged to respond. After all, is not Wee Eck guilty of an offence under section 5 of the public order act? This was the point Shaugnessy was trying to make, apparently. However, apparently not:
After registering the complaint on Saturday he had a 20–minute telephone conversation with a police sergeant who told him the matter would not be reported to prosecutors.
One rule for them and one for us, eh? Maybe, just maybe, when politicians feel the full force of the absurdities of such law, they might think twice about making them. But, then, I suspect that is too much of an ask.
I’d also point out that as an Englishman, I do not find the charge of Lord Snooty’s being levelled at our current inept government as racist, nor offensive. I’d say it’s fairly accurate and fair comment.
I’m a racist. The race I detest is the political elite of non-comps and gravy train bloodsuckers.
A complicating factor for would-be class warriors north of the border is the fact that the Scottish aristocracy have an accent remarkably similar to their English counterparts.
Unfortunately, to an untrained ear, there is little to distinguish these upper-crust tones from normal Standard English; the easiest, thing therefore, is to lump everyone with an English-sounding accent together in one easy-to-hate package.
(If you don’t believe me, try checking into an urban Scots A&E unit with an English voice and see how you are treated.)
“One rule for them and one for us, eh? Maybe, just maybe, when politicians feel the full force of the absurdities of such law, they might think twice about making them. But, then, I suspect that is too much of an ask.”
Well, yes, since as your example proves, they don’t feel the full force. Shaunessy should insist on the matter going forward – after all, don’t the police often whinge that they have ‘no choice’ in these matters and their hands are tied..?
My experience is that cries of ‘racist’, ‘sexist’ and the like are mostly to shut off debate when the person is losing on facts.
I know the son of a friend of my age @ University in Edinburgh … he is very careful to denote himself as “Welsh” (which he is) to avoid thug attacks & hate speech & bigotry from the SNP nutters.
One rule for them, another for us.