Irvine Welsh thinks the man is a fascist; Brian Cox says he is a monster; Gordon Brown thinks he will destroy democracy. But among those many famous Scottish voices fulminating about Donald Trump, spare a thought for someone you have probably never heard of: MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton.
As voting closed in America on Tuesday night, the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats was enthusiastically changing his X handle to “Alex Cole-Hamala”, reminding us that last month he had taken leave from the Scottish Parliament to campaign in Pennsylvania on Harris’s behalf. By Wednesday morning, he was forlornly telling The Scotsman that though his heroine “came really close”, “a dark new chapter in American history” was now beginning. “I am proud to have been among the Democrats fighting for Pennsylvania” he continued. “I am sorry it was not enough”.
Overweening delusions of grandeur and an inability to count aside, you could be forgiven for thinking that Cole-Hamilton’s negative reaction to Trump’s victory represented a fairly typical Scottish take. It sometimes seems as if being anti-Trump is the only thing holding an otherwise fractiously divided citizenry together — an antipathy apparently crossing class boundaries, sectarian rivalries, men versus women, Nats versus yoons.
According to her obituaries this week, one of the things for which the late Glaswegian comedian Janey Godley was best loved for was holding a sign saying “Trump is a cunt” while standing outside the then presidential candidate’s Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire. Yesterday, by way of tribute, The Guardian marshalled a series of outraged vox pops from dog walkers on Turnberry beach, primly noting that the only person they found who was pleased Trump won had “relatives in the United States”.
Indeed, such is the Caledonian reputation for hating the man that it seems some pro-Harris Americans are now investigating Scottish citizenship in the wake of his triumph. On Wednesday The National reported that Google had seen a surge in US-based web searches for “how to move to Scotland”, presumably emanating from disgruntled Democrat voters. Though no longer in government coalition himself, Green MSP Patrick Harvie was quoted as responding magisterially that “We believe in a Scotland that is open and welcome to all, a country that removes barriers rather than building walls… we are working to build a fairer, greener and more welcoming society that is the opposite of Trump’s destructive and hateful vision.”
In fact, though, conditions on the ground might not be as favourable as Harvie assumes. While Americans went to the polls, some fascinating alternative findings were simultaneously emerging from data collector Norstat. These indicated that, contrary to the standard narrative, Trump’s approval ratings are higher in Scotland than anywhere else in Western Europe. A quarter of Scottish respondents wanted him to win over Harris, as compared with 16% in the UK as a whole, 15% in Germany, and 14% in France. When you consider that both of the latter have a surging Right-wing electoral presence — and that Scotland doesn’t, at least on paper — the substantial difference in numbers look even more intriguing. Equally, according to the polling company, Scotland had the second lowest preference for Harris of all the countries surveyed, standing at 56%.
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SubscribeThis makes it two brilliant articles in one day!
Trump’s triumph seems to have unleashed some fabulous wordage, and if that’s symptomatic of a return to high-spirited discourse, freed from the bounds of woke snobbery, it’s a triumph for us all.
The wonder is how woke managed to take over Scotland. I always thought them a sensible people. Perhaps lethargy and compliant institutions and media took hold.
I blame Mel Gibson for Braveheart – re-started the whole nonsensical rubbish.
The woke exist in a bubble and preach to their own choir in that bubble. Scots are too wise to pay much heed to these empty vessels. You only imagine the “woke” have taken over because of how loud they are. People mistake the tolerance and openness of Scots for “wokeness” but in fact its older than that – in the day we called it the “enlightenment”.
“….a po-faced modern religion with a west coast American accent, even lighter on laughs than Calvinism, with influence in nearly every Scottish public institution and most especially at the top.”
Marvellous stuff, Kathleen, truly marvellous. No wonder I look forward to your articles landing on a Friday morning.
Wokism -as a religion- is a lineal descendent of New England Puritanism, shorn of Jesus but with all the moral hauteur and intolerance intact, leaving them deaf even to facts and bereft of a sense of humor.
It’s a shame that Dr. Stock, a Scot herself, falls into such stereotypical framing of her fellow countrymen and so fails to recognise the terrible burden of woke oppression that smothers open and legitimate political debate in Scotland. We are much further down the road to tyranny here than in neighbouring England and have the Hate Speech legislation and the captured institutions to prove it. As the majority of voters in the USA have done, Scots can recognise bull when they see it- as yet though, they have no path out of it. Donald Trump and his extraordinary team offer at least a glimpse of hope.
Isn’t that the very point she’s making?
Did you read the same piece as I did?
Good article, though I’d seriously hesitate before describing the late and unlamented Godley as a comedian.
Unless you are spelling it b.i.g.o.t.e.d California University No-name Twit.
“the members only club…with the daft c–ts inside”. Thank you for the best ever one-line description of the woke cult!
Oh that closing line is f*****g hilarious. Thank you so much.
To tell truth, I have little respect for Scots. Insanity in the form of trans-crazy seems to be the thing prefer. If they liked Donald Trump, I would be worried that maybe I was making a wrong choice. You can tell a man’s goodness by the enemies he makes. The enmity of the Scots tells me all I need to know! 😉
Slightly ironic then, that the name Ross has largely Scottish origins…
A Highland vs Lowland sort of thing perhaps?
Och aye.
That only exits due to English Imperialism and on the principle of divide and rule
Which in most Nations formerly of The Empire has resulted in many wars and conflicts
You make a mess as you governed and bloody well made sure a even bigger mess when you were forced to depart before you would have to ran away with your tail between your legs
A lot of this woke rubbish is concentrated in Scotland’s overgrown higher education establishments (which have increasingly fewer Scots as a proportion of students or employees) and its bloated public sector. Step outside of that and nobody give’s a monkey’s.
A great article, as always, from Dr. Stock. Remember Trump’s election slogan “Drill, Drill, Drill”? The Scottish National Party, the Greens and the Labour Party are all hell-bent on destroying the Scottish oil industry, so Trump’s slogan resonates here.
To set up the “surprise” that Trump is popular in Scotland, the article quotes a rather unrepresentative bunch of Scots. Irvine Welsh and Brian Cox live in London and the USA. Alex Cole-Hamilton (who he?). Patrick Harvie’s Scottish Greens got 3.8% of the general election vote. Last but not least, Gordon Brown, the man who, Canute-like, said he had abolished “boom and bust”. To give Brown his credit, he certainly managed to abolish boom.
Oh Brown definitely created a boom. It was funded by excessive debt which we’re all still paying off, but it was a boom and it should not be forgotten because of the massive harm it caused the country.
To give Canute his credit he was attempting to demonstrate that he did not have god like powers and therefore would not be able to hold the tide back. Not sure where that puts Gordie
Don’t forget Janey Godley. She died too late and hopefully we won’t see her like again
A truly marvellous article. It’s a keeper for me which I will return to regularly. Thank you.
A quarter of Scottish respondents wanted him to win over Harris
This is hardly a warm embrace. Scots have become ultra progressive the past decade. I pity them for that won’t end well.
You know not of what you speak
My bet is that a lot of Americans are becoming annoyed at the level of collusion between European government officials and the democrat party. Apparently the infamous false charges against Trump and his supporters regarding Russia had British and Australian involvement. Now we see British and Scottish government officials openly bragging about helping democrats. Pleasectell me how that is possibly considered the actions of allies?
Alas, even after the Declaration of Independence, Britain has never reallly respected American sovereignty. Maybe on the surface, but not in reality. And vice versa. I guess now it is a 5 Eyes thing. We are busy being in each other’s business as well as spying on other countries. Which is why Oz is also involved.
But one would think that a foreign official campaigning on American soil for an American candidate would be against the law, as it is so blatant an interference. Of course Britain and Scotland are not the only violators.
It is beyond amusing how the people who accused the Russians of surreptitiously helping Trump were mute on Brits and Scots openly working for Team Harris. That should help the ‘special relationship.’ Nothing quite like mentally ill people as a president’s alleged partners. Most telling are the early citations of individuals who 1) keep using words they don’t understand and 2) still do not understand how Trump came to pass.
My first wife hailed from The Isle of
Lewis and her father was born and
Raised in the same crofting village as Donald’s mother
Now here is something completely missing from this fine article and the comments
None of you can possibly even begin to understand of what I say next .Unless you have very close connections and lived expierence of life in The Isle of Lewis far less
Even a basic understanding of devout Presbyterian even more so
Of Free Presbyterian values
( Just as MSM had no comprehension whatsoever of that very fine Lass Kate Forbes who stood for leadership of the SNP when N.Sturgeon resigned as First Minister of The Scottish Government )
Well if you cared to enquire of the fine decent folks of Tong and it’s environs where Trumps mother hails from
As to their Thoughts regards D.Trump
You will be met with a cold stoney silence and the more you Quiz then
They shall turn their backs upon you and politely walk away
You all now wondering what this means
This is what it means Donald is wrong , bad and evil
And Particularly Free Presbyterian folks who have imbued in them NEVER EVER engage with such
Should you disagree then Only do so if you have lived in Lewis for many a year
Otherwise do as The Free Presbyterian does KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT
Dang. Remind me not to visit Lewis.
Don’t be put off; it’s a great place to visit and you can even get a pint on a Sunday now. I have family who hail from there, including some who still live there. Some people dislike Trump intensely while others are all for him. Admittedly, none of my relatives are from the same village as Trump’s mother, but you will find a mix of opinions on all subjects, the same as anywhere.
Along with all the Free Presbyterian miserablism, there is also a strong tradition of irreverence and poking fun at authority. There’s a great BBC Alba documentary called An Bothan, all about the illegal drinking dens of Ness that flourished in the decades when the district was dry. Well worth seeking out when it pops up on the iPlayer.
Yes indeed, Lewis, Harris, Scapa, Berneray….all wonderful places to visit. Harris in particular is breathtakingly spectacular.
Ah but the Sea is wide and you can’t swim that far
Neither wings do you have to Fly
Oh Boatman come ferry you over
Ah but I’ll say no more as I’ve had a drink and Seldom sober
Oh come all ye Ferrymen and lower me down
A relevant correction … the island you refer to is named Lewis and Harris.
True, but the island is almost bisected by large sea lochs and the two parts retain their own identity. Individuals will tell you that they are from Lewis OR Harris. I have picked up on the inhabitants of Harris being the butt of jokes, in a similar way to how the English regard the Welsh.
Have a go at convincing a Na
Heardach ( Hearach ) or a Leodhadach of that
The boundary line between Lewis and Harris is formed by Two Sea Lochs ten Km apart
Loch Resort in the West and Loch Seaforth in the East however almost connecting those lochs is a Sruth Brag No Abhainn ( Burn )
Historically such has and today
Fresh water courses form Boundaries in Scotland and as such No One can own Fresh Water
This also explains why Scotland suffers far less from the severe problems as England does regards water supply and sewage disposal
Who are served by Private Water Companies
Superb! What a brilliant final sentence!
Another banger from Kathleen. Apart from its other merits it illustrates the comedic effect of a well placed but sparingly used c-word. The spirit of Ian Dury lives on! Bravo!
If Trump can deliver the coup de grace to wokery, he will be doing the world a great service.
I recently spent two weeks in Edinburgh and did not meet or talk to one person that was a Trump Supporter. All spouted the MSM line.
You mean they wear all sensible well adjusted people.
But isn’t Edinburgh lovely!
*were*
(Guffaw)
This is the kind of stupidity that I expect from Trumpbots. You won’t find many Trump cult members in Scotland. Statistically speaking, trending toward zero.
Brilliant! Well done Kathleen.
Kathleen. Absolutely brilliant. Whether you think Trump is Gallus, a “heid the ba’” or even a bawbag he has disrupted the grim calculus where woke commissars impose their puerile student Union dogma on the rest of us. Of course Adam Brysons cocked out ski pants and twirly umbrella dealt them a body blow. Not everyone in Scotland hates The Don as much as our puerile commentariat would wish.
Another superb article from Kathleen Stock. Aside from the content itself, with which I agree, more than any other writer she reminds me why I am in love with the English language, especially in the hands of a master crafts(wo)man.
A lot of fuss about not very big differences. Twice as many Scots preferred Harris as Trump. Part of the larger European pattern. Might make more sense to explain that strange circumstance.
Perhaps it has to do with the role of government. The Scottish and other Europeans are keen on having government provide services & play an outsized role in their lives. Whereas, clearly ‘woke’ exists in the USA, but there’s been traditionally a rather large contingent of ‘small government’ Americans. They basically want to be left alone; they’d like regulations reduced and government to get out of education, dictating how to raise their children. Recent surveys also show that immigrants from fascist or communist countries aren’t too keen on ‘big government’ either. The ‘revolutionary spirit’ continues to exist.
GB and EU countries in general prefer Harris, and Democrats in general, as US presidents because they tend to be weaker, more pliable and eager to please the EU leaders. Allowing EU countries to shirk their 2% Nato obligation for years, with little to no protest, is just one example. It took Trump putting pressure on them, and the Ukraine war as well, to bring the number of countries in compliance to a somewhat better level. Needless to say, EU leaders were not happy about that.They also see the Dems as generally more in line with their traditional left-leaning politics, of course.
The USA patently needs a law enabling it to lock up foreigners who interfere in its democratic processes.
Particularly when they come from the country which in 1783 agreed to stay out of the United States’ domestic political affairs.
Donald Trump is the first American President whose mother, was born in Great Britain since Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924), President 1913-21. Wilson’s mother was born Jesse Janet Woodrow, naming her son after her family surname. To quote wikipedia’s page on Wilson’s early life, “Wilson’s maternal grandfather, Reverend Thomas Woodrow, migrated from Paisley, Scotland to Carlisle, England, before moving to Chillicothe, Ohio in the late 1830s.[3] Joseph met Jessie while she was attending a girl’s academy in Steubenville, and the two married on June 7, 1849.” His mother was born in Carlisle, in the North of England, and arrived in the USA as a child, growing up in Ohio.
Hopefully DJT will ask Starmer for reparitions – or else! After all i don’t think there’s any doubt who organised the clearances. Or the assault on the strikers in Glasgow 1919, or stealing the oil wealth from 1970s to today, or diverted literally tons of lab made china white around central Scotland in the 1980s – sadly this junkies Christmas didn’t stay on the M8 corridor and its mark remains today in almost every town in the country and a fair few in Northern England too.