7 May 2013

Ian Smart, My Brother



My brother Ian Smart is not a racist. He is worse than that. 

A racist is normally someone with a grievance, who out of ignorance, and fuelled by urban and media myths, wrongly blames ethic minorities who have absolutely nothing to do with whatever their problem might be. My brother Ian has few problems, is rather well healed, well educated and mixes amongst the very highest echelons of the Scottish establishment. So when he asserts that there will be some sort of pogrom against the Polish and Pakistani communities (and presumably others) in a post independence Scotland, he is not doing this out of ignorance or prejudice, but out of political calculation. The calculation that if he asserts it loudly and often enough Scotland's ethnic communities and others can be scared into voting No.

This is called playing the race card. It is one of the most dangerous things an individual can do in any context, and of course normally done by politicians of the far right. But for a Labour blogger to do it in Scotland, where there is a hard worked for  and commendable cross-party and cross-society consensus against racial prejudice, and inject it into the highly charge debate on independence is despicable.

No better that Enoch Powell in 1968: Allow fair non racial immigration into the UK and there will be “rivers of blood” he predicted, with no evidence and no basis in reality as events have proven. Vote for Independence in 2014 and my brother predicts something similar for Scotland.

And what has been the reaction of the Scottish Labour establishment to the gratuitous playing of the race card by one of their own? At best silence, and in the case of old chum Jack McConnell supportive. Because sadly, Ian, the leading Labour blogger in Scotland and a regular TV pundit on this basis, is an outrider for more than a few of them.

Apologise and retire. All the advice I can offer.

And Ted Heath sacked Enoch Powell, Johan and co please note.


A Postscript: This is my first blog post here for near on a year, My last one below is on a similar theme. A response to George Galloway playing the Green Card in a near identical context. Same time warped and unsupported bullshit from a washed out "lefty" And hear that silence from the Laborites on both occasions.



12 comments:

Peter A Bell Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Well said. I'd like to think it won't be another year before we hear from you again.

Nick Durie Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Thank you for saying this.

Stevie Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

"""And hear that silence from the Laborites on both occasions."""

Indeed -- it's ugly.

Well said and yes, a yea is too long.

Unknown Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Very well said, we all have embarrassing relatives, don't we?

I am a supporter and promoter of Scottish independence and love the fact that we have such a spread of people from all around the world who benefit us by setting up their home in Scotland. In Scotland, we have always valued those that come from far off shores to make their home here. It's in our blood and the same is true of the Scots when they visit other countries.

People like people that like people and the Scots are famed for liking people of all nationalities.

What is a Scot? Apart from the diaspora, a Scot is someone who lives in Scotland and has a vested interest in its success, and I include those who arrived at 3:30pm yesterday afternoon in that definition.

Kindest regards,

David Milligan - a very Sovereign Scot

PS - Don't leave it so long next time before you write another one.

Whirling Tam Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Well said Alan. It is surely a sign of the Labour Party in Scotland's fear and desperation that they are are on the way out with their lack of genuine ideas, having aligned themselves to the losers of Better Together.
We can pick our friends but not our family. I'd expect your dear brother to change his tune entirely round about September 2014, along with many other of his chums.

logicsrock Wednesday, May 08, 2013  
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stevie Ax Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Well said, it is time the Scottish Labour party showed a bit of backbone and clamped down on this kind of behavior, there is no justification for comments like this from Ian Smart or anyone else.

I note that Labour for Indy is rapidly growing in strength, maybe time for the Scottish Labour party leadership to take a good long hard look at itself.

Keith from Leith Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Well said, Alan. You get used to the daily scare stories about post-independence Scotland, but this is dangerous, pernicious, and as you rightly emphasise - calculated

David McCann Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Well said Alan. As Robert Cunningham- Grahsm said
'The enemies of Scottish Nationalism are not the English, for they were ever a great and generous folk, quick to respond when justice calls. Our real enemies are among us, born without imagination’
How very true.

logicsrock Wednesday, May 08, 2013  

Well said, Alan

I note you have a photo of Bill Spiers on your page. Oh that there was leadership of that principle, integrity and calibre available to Scottish Labour now. I'm not a Labour man myself, but I had a great deal of respect for him and can't imagine the current leadership engendering such respect from folk of all parties and none.

Unknown Thursday, May 09, 2013  

respect for posting that comment.

Cllr Terry Kelly Friday, May 10, 2013  

There are perfectly good reasons for Labour people not responding to you Alan. You are a piece of work right enough.

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