A white male as mediocre (to quote Kate Forbes) as Yousaf would have been consigned to the backbenches a long time ago. His success in the leadership campaign is not due to how multi-culti we are. He is the preferred candidate of the Nicola faction. They put their weight behind him because they know he will do what he is told. As well as mediocre, he is also charisma-free, so he is going nowhere without the backing of the Nicola faction. They will ditch him as soon as the time is right for a Nicola comeback.
In the US we were given a mediocrity no one ever heard of for two presidential terms because any criticism of him was denounced as “racist”. If he had stayed merely mediocre, we might have gotten through it, but the evil creatures running him were bent on “fundamentally changing the United States of America” and the entire world sees our ongoing destruction unfolding in real time.
It was the same with Liz Truss. She was supported by Boris Johnston. He had lost the trust of the majority of MPs but he still had a strong following amongst the electorate and thus her initial success…
.
In the US we were given a mediocrity no one ever heard of for two presidential terms because any criticism of him was denounced as “racist”. If he had stayed merely mediocre, we might have gotten through it, but the evil creatures running him were bent on “fundamentally changing the United States of America” and the entire world sees our ongoing destruction unfolding in real time.
It was the same with Liz Truss. She was supported by Boris Johnston. He had lost the trust of the majority of MPs but he still had a strong following amongst the electorate and thus her initial success…
.
Peter Kwasi-Modo
1 year ago
A white male as mediocre (to quote Kate Forbes) as Yousaf would have been consigned to the backbenches a long time ago. His success in the leadership campaign is not due to how multi-culti we are. He is the preferred candidate of the Nicola faction. They put their weight behind him because they know he will do what he is told. As well as mediocre, he is also charisma-free, so he is going nowhere without the backing of the Nicola faction. They will ditch him as soon as the time is right for a Nicola comeback.
Last edited 1 year ago by Peter Kwasi-Modo
Gerald Arcuri
1 year ago
Bravo, U.K. Lots of virtue-signaling here. And, just to prove that’s what it is, you refer to Yousaf as a “person of color”. What a gaffe. That’s the only way progressives can think of ethnicity. To clarify: with the rare exceptions of the albino genetic trait, all human beings have melanin in their epidermis: some more, some less. We are ALL persons of color. So, drawing arbitrary lines on this in order to group people into handy categories is… marginally racist. Oooo. Now that’s not a progressive virtue, is it? Want to really be able to tout your inclusiveness? Try following the advice of Martin Luther King, Jr. and drop all the color language. Become truly color blind in word and deed. Then you might have something to be proud about.
The U.K. Is blessed with the multi-ethnic variety it has that seemingly ( though not always ) work together in part because they don’t have professional race hustlers and grievance mongers like the U.S. does. This is an epiphenomenon of U.S. culture that has nothing to do with whether our people are more racist than Brits. Bit the British find comfort in the canard that “America is a racist country.” Poppycock.
Precisely, old habits die hard, and opinions cannot change that quickly.
I have just been reading old family diaries of the days of Empire:-
“The still of evening punctuated only by the hiss of tonic being poured into the gin, and the staccato crack of the Overseers whip on naked black buttocks, and the subsequent yelp, as the sun sets, and the insects gather to feast”
O happy days indeed. We shall not see their like again.
I would question your assertion that the UK does not have its own cohort of grievance mongers, whatever their particular grievance. Perhaps not quite as bad as the US, but that’s not saying much.
So why is Yousaf so bothered that all the main ministerial and managerial posts in Scotland are occupied by “whites”? Racism isn’t dictated by melanin but by what it represents.
Precisely, old habits die hard, and opinions cannot change that quickly.
I have just been reading old family diaries of the days of Empire:-
“The still of evening punctuated only by the hiss of tonic being poured into the gin, and the staccato crack of the Overseers whip on naked black buttocks, and the subsequent yelp, as the sun sets, and the insects gather to feast”
O happy days indeed. We shall not see their like again.
I would question your assertion that the UK does not have its own cohort of grievance mongers, whatever their particular grievance. Perhaps not quite as bad as the US, but that’s not saying much.
So why is Yousaf so bothered that all the main ministerial and managerial posts in Scotland are occupied by “whites”? Racism isn’t dictated by melanin but by what it represents.
Gerald Arcuri
1 year ago
Bravo, U.K. Lots of virtue-signaling here. And, just to prove that’s what it is, you refer to Yousaf as a “person of color”. What a gaffe. That’s the only way progressives can think of ethnicity. To clarify: with the rare exceptions of the albino genetic trait, all human beings have melanin in their epidermis: some more, some less. We are ALL persons of color. So, drawing arbitrary lines on this in order to group people into handy categories is… marginally racist. Oooo. Now that’s not a progressive virtue, is it? Want to really be able to tout your inclusiveness? Try following the advice of Martin Luther King, Jr. and drop all the color language. Become truly color blind in word and deed. Then you might have something to be proud about.
The U.K. Is blessed with the multi-ethnic variety it has that seemingly ( though not always ) work together in part because they don’t have professional race hustlers and grievance mongers like the U.S. does. This is an epiphenomenon of U.S. culture that has nothing to do with whether our people are more racist than Brits. Bit the British find comfort in the canard that “America is a racist country.” Poppycock.
Hugh Bryant
1 year ago
It may be ‘good news for the union’ but it’s very bad news for anyone who cares about maintaining our hard won individual freedoms.
Yes, agreed. In June 2021 it was reported in the press that Yousaf was introducing a law that meant people could be arrested for criticising Islam (but not Christianity) in their own homes, on the basis that this constituted a hate crime – or was it blasphemy? Can we expect further moves in this direction from Yousaf?
Yes, agreed. In June 2021 it was reported in the press that Yousaf was introducing a law that meant people could be arrested for criticising Islam (but not Christianity) in their own homes, on the basis that this constituted a hate crime – or was it blasphemy? Can we expect further moves in this direction from Yousaf?
Hugh Bryant
1 year ago
It may be ‘good news for the union’ but it’s very bad news for anyone who cares about maintaining our hard won individual freedoms.
Susan Grabston
1 year ago
Presumably it will be a short tenure given his recycling of the GRA? Very odd political instincts.
Susan Grabston
1 year ago
Presumably it will be a short tenure given his recycling of the GRA? Very odd political instincts.
Mike Michaels
1 year ago
Your first paragraph describes what may be called the honeymoon period. The long, unhappy, perhaps sometimes abusive, marriage awaits us all.
Mike Michaels
1 year ago
Your first paragraph describes what may be called the honeymoon period. The long, unhappy, perhaps sometimes abusive, marriage awaits us all.
Lesley van Reenen
1 year ago
So much to say already covered by others. What stood out for me is what was said by Obama – I didn’t realise the extent to which he played the lazy, tired race card. Trump is not alone in being divisive.
Lesley van Reenen
1 year ago
So much to say already covered by others. What stood out for me is what was said by Obama – I didn’t realise the extent to which he played the lazy, tired race card. Trump is not alone in being divisive.
Arkadian X
1 year ago
You mean that Yousaf is a “practising” Muslim, don’t you?
Sorry, I didn’t mean criticize the spelling (now corrected), I was thinking about the use of the word itself.
Is he a “practising” Muslim or a practising Muslim
Orthography aside, I assume that by ‘practising’ muslim you mean ‘believing’ muslim. I am forced to wonder whether a believing muslim from a Pakistani cultural background is likely to be a genuine subscriber to the ‘woke’ agendas of the SNP (in particular the commitment to gay marriage which he has already sidestepped) and if so whether he is likely to be a trustworthy supporter of core British values, woke or not.
Given his stated intention to break up the UK, I would be surprised if he has any interest in core British values. It is indeed difficult to see how someone of such a religious persuasion can at the same time be devout and a supporter of gay marriage (where he was conspicuously absent for the vote). At least Forbes was honest enough to say that despite her beliefs, she accepted the democratic decision.
Given that he has declared that his religious beliefs will not influence his politics, I would say that he should be classed as a “lapsed Muslim” — surely the only type of Muslim who could possibly have any real interest in “core British values”.
Given his stated intention to break up the UK, I would be surprised if he has any interest in core British values. It is indeed difficult to see how someone of such a religious persuasion can at the same time be devout and a supporter of gay marriage (where he was conspicuously absent for the vote). At least Forbes was honest enough to say that despite her beliefs, she accepted the democratic decision.
Given that he has declared that his religious beliefs will not influence his politics, I would say that he should be classed as a “lapsed Muslim” — surely the only type of Muslim who could possibly have any real interest in “core British values”.
Orthography aside, I assume that by ‘practising’ muslim you mean ‘believing’ muslim. I am forced to wonder whether a believing muslim from a Pakistani cultural background is likely to be a genuine subscriber to the ‘woke’ agendas of the SNP (in particular the commitment to gay marriage which he has already sidestepped) and if so whether he is likely to be a trustworthy supporter of core British values, woke or not.
Sorry, I didn’t mean criticize the spelling (now corrected), I was thinking about the use of the word itself.
Is he a “practising” Muslim or a practising Muslim
You mean that Yousaf is a “practising” Muslim, don’t you?
Last edited 1 year ago by Arkadian X
AC Harper
1 year ago
I was going to write some excoriating comments about Humza Yousaf, the SNP, racism, and Scottish independence… and then
Even more marvellous than this, however, is how little anybody seems to care.
…about any of it.
AC Harper
1 year ago
I was going to write some excoriating comments about Humza Yousaf, the SNP, racism, and Scottish independence… and then
Even more marvellous than this, however, is how little anybody seems to care.
…about any of it.
Glyn R
1 year ago
The worst racists are those who see racism everywhere except within their own ‘community’ of course.
Last edited 1 year ago by Glyn R
Glyn R
1 year ago
The worst racists are those who see racism everywhere except within their own ‘community’ of course.
Last edited 1 year ago by Glyn R
Richard Abbot
1 year ago
Yousaf is disastrous news full stop. There is no point looking for a silver lining when he is there, right now, with his hands on the levers of power. He will accelerate his program of division and destruction, and his baleful influence won’t stop at the border either. This is a nothing short of a catastrophe.
Richard Abbot
1 year ago
Yousaf is disastrous news full stop. There is no point looking for a silver lining when he is there, right now, with his hands on the levers of power. He will accelerate his program of division and destruction, and his baleful influence won’t stop at the border either. This is a nothing short of a catastrophe.
Dougie Undersub
1 year ago
Starmer is a Corbynite wolf in a centrist sheep’s clothing. Today’s ban on Corbyn standing as a Labour candidate is just theatre designed to help him get elected.
Dougie Undersub
1 year ago
Starmer is a Corbynite wolf in a centrist sheep’s clothing. Today’s ban on Corbyn standing as a Labour candidate is just theatre designed to help him get elected.
j watson
1 year ago
Nice succinct summation. Love the ‘…heavy liberal consensus which anchors the country throughout all its various storms’. And thank goodness for it. I’m sure most UnHerd regulars will concur.
No great fan of the SNP, but v much welcome Yousaf’s election.
I think Starmer is a horribly slimy politician personally, no more trustworthy than Boris but just less brazen about it. If him and Sunak (and Truss and Johnson before them) are the best Britain has to offer as politicians then the country is sorely lacking in leadership
I’ve some doubts about Starmer too, but I fear you may run out of invective for someone truly malign and toxic if you see likes of Starmer and Sunak as exceptionally untrustworthy. Politics is tough business they get a heap of manure poured on them from somewhere everyday. Now that goes with the territory but holding together broad coalitions, which is what all Parties are, not easy.
I’ve some doubts about Starmer too, but I fear you may run out of invective for someone truly malign and toxic if you see likes of Starmer and Sunak as exceptionally untrustworthy. Politics is tough business they get a heap of manure poured on them from somewhere everyday. Now that goes with the territory but holding together broad coalitions, which is what all Parties are, not easy.
I think Starmer is a horribly slimy politician personally, no more trustworthy than Boris but just less brazen about it. If him and Sunak (and Truss and Johnson before them) are the best Britain has to offer as politicians then the country is sorely lacking in leadership
I welcome it because he appears to be the least popular out of the three amongst the wider Scottish electorate
j watson
1 year ago
Nice succinct summation. Love the ‘…heavy liberal consensus which anchors the country throughout all its various storms’. And thank goodness for it. I’m sure most UnHerd regulars will concur.
No great fan of the SNP, but v much welcome Yousaf’s election.
A white male as mediocre (to quote Kate Forbes) as Yousaf would have been consigned to the backbenches a long time ago. His success in the leadership campaign is not due to how multi-culti we are. He is the preferred candidate of the Nicola faction. They put their weight behind him because they know he will do what he is told. As well as mediocre, he is also charisma-free, so he is going nowhere without the backing of the Nicola faction. They will ditch him as soon as the time is right for a Nicola comeback.
In the US we were given a mediocrity no one ever heard of for two presidential terms because any criticism of him was denounced as “racist”. If he had stayed merely mediocre, we might have gotten through it, but the evil creatures running him were bent on “fundamentally changing the United States of America” and the entire world sees our ongoing destruction unfolding in real time.
It was the same with Liz Truss. She was supported by Boris Johnston. He had lost the trust of the majority of MPs but he still had a strong following amongst the electorate and thus her initial success…
.
In the US we were given a mediocrity no one ever heard of for two presidential terms because any criticism of him was denounced as “racist”. If he had stayed merely mediocre, we might have gotten through it, but the evil creatures running him were bent on “fundamentally changing the United States of America” and the entire world sees our ongoing destruction unfolding in real time.
It was the same with Liz Truss. She was supported by Boris Johnston. He had lost the trust of the majority of MPs but he still had a strong following amongst the electorate and thus her initial success…
.
A white male as mediocre (to quote Kate Forbes) as Yousaf would have been consigned to the backbenches a long time ago. His success in the leadership campaign is not due to how multi-culti we are. He is the preferred candidate of the Nicola faction. They put their weight behind him because they know he will do what he is told. As well as mediocre, he is also charisma-free, so he is going nowhere without the backing of the Nicola faction. They will ditch him as soon as the time is right for a Nicola comeback.
Bravo, U.K. Lots of virtue-signaling here. And, just to prove that’s what it is, you refer to Yousaf as a “person of color”. What a gaffe. That’s the only way progressives can think of ethnicity. To clarify: with the rare exceptions of the albino genetic trait, all human beings have melanin in their epidermis: some more, some less. We are ALL persons of color. So, drawing arbitrary lines on this in order to group people into handy categories is… marginally racist. Oooo. Now that’s not a progressive virtue, is it? Want to really be able to tout your inclusiveness? Try following the advice of Martin Luther King, Jr. and drop all the color language. Become truly color blind in word and deed. Then you might have something to be proud about.
The U.K. Is blessed with the multi-ethnic variety it has that seemingly ( though not always ) work together in part because they don’t have professional race hustlers and grievance mongers like the U.S. does. This is an epiphenomenon of U.S. culture that has nothing to do with whether our people are more racist than Brits. Bit the British find comfort in the canard that “America is a racist country.” Poppycock.
Precisely, old habits die hard, and opinions cannot change that quickly.
I have just been reading old family diaries of the days of Empire:-
“The still of evening punctuated only by the hiss of tonic being poured into the gin, and the staccato crack of the Overseers whip on naked black buttocks, and the subsequent yelp, as the sun sets, and the insects gather to feast”
O happy days indeed. We shall not see their like again.
At least Glaswegian women can now get stoned without having to buy any weed?
At least Glaswegian women can now get stoned without having to buy any weed?
You mean person of colour? Why are you yanks so averse to the letter U?
I would question your assertion that the UK does not have its own cohort of grievance mongers, whatever their particular grievance. Perhaps not quite as bad as the US, but that’s not saying much.
So why is Yousaf so bothered that all the main ministerial and managerial posts in Scotland are occupied by “whites”? Racism isn’t dictated by melanin but by what it represents.
Precisely, old habits die hard, and opinions cannot change that quickly.
I have just been reading old family diaries of the days of Empire:-
“The still of evening punctuated only by the hiss of tonic being poured into the gin, and the staccato crack of the Overseers whip on naked black buttocks, and the subsequent yelp, as the sun sets, and the insects gather to feast”
O happy days indeed. We shall not see their like again.
You mean person of colour? Why are you yanks so averse to the letter U?
I would question your assertion that the UK does not have its own cohort of grievance mongers, whatever their particular grievance. Perhaps not quite as bad as the US, but that’s not saying much.
So why is Yousaf so bothered that all the main ministerial and managerial posts in Scotland are occupied by “whites”? Racism isn’t dictated by melanin but by what it represents.
Bravo, U.K. Lots of virtue-signaling here. And, just to prove that’s what it is, you refer to Yousaf as a “person of color”. What a gaffe. That’s the only way progressives can think of ethnicity. To clarify: with the rare exceptions of the albino genetic trait, all human beings have melanin in their epidermis: some more, some less. We are ALL persons of color. So, drawing arbitrary lines on this in order to group people into handy categories is… marginally racist. Oooo. Now that’s not a progressive virtue, is it? Want to really be able to tout your inclusiveness? Try following the advice of Martin Luther King, Jr. and drop all the color language. Become truly color blind in word and deed. Then you might have something to be proud about.
The U.K. Is blessed with the multi-ethnic variety it has that seemingly ( though not always ) work together in part because they don’t have professional race hustlers and grievance mongers like the U.S. does. This is an epiphenomenon of U.S. culture that has nothing to do with whether our people are more racist than Brits. Bit the British find comfort in the canard that “America is a racist country.” Poppycock.
It may be ‘good news for the union’ but it’s very bad news for anyone who cares about maintaining our hard won individual freedoms.
Yes, agreed. In June 2021 it was reported in the press that Yousaf was introducing a law that meant people could be arrested for criticising Islam (but not Christianity) in their own homes, on the basis that this constituted a hate crime – or was it blasphemy? Can we expect further moves in this direction from Yousaf?
Yes, agreed. In June 2021 it was reported in the press that Yousaf was introducing a law that meant people could be arrested for criticising Islam (but not Christianity) in their own homes, on the basis that this constituted a hate crime – or was it blasphemy? Can we expect further moves in this direction from Yousaf?
It may be ‘good news for the union’ but it’s very bad news for anyone who cares about maintaining our hard won individual freedoms.
Presumably it will be a short tenure given his recycling of the GRA? Very odd political instincts.
Presumably it will be a short tenure given his recycling of the GRA? Very odd political instincts.
Your first paragraph describes what may be called the honeymoon period. The long, unhappy, perhaps sometimes abusive, marriage awaits us all.
Your first paragraph describes what may be called the honeymoon period. The long, unhappy, perhaps sometimes abusive, marriage awaits us all.
So much to say already covered by others. What stood out for me is what was said by Obama – I didn’t realise the extent to which he played the lazy, tired race card. Trump is not alone in being divisive.
So much to say already covered by others. What stood out for me is what was said by Obama – I didn’t realise the extent to which he played the lazy, tired race card. Trump is not alone in being divisive.
You mean that Yousaf is a “practising” Muslim, don’t you?
No, not in British English.
They’re both still practising? I’d have thought they’d have got the hang of it by now!
Don’t you mean English English?
Sorry, I didn’t mean criticize the spelling (now corrected), I was thinking about the use of the word itself.
Is he a “practising” Muslim or a practising Muslim
Orthography aside, I assume that by ‘practising’ muslim you mean ‘believing’ muslim. I am forced to wonder whether a believing muslim from a Pakistani cultural background is likely to be a genuine subscriber to the ‘woke’ agendas of the SNP (in particular the commitment to gay marriage which he has already sidestepped) and if so whether he is likely to be a trustworthy supporter of core British values, woke or not.
Given his stated intention to break up the UK, I would be surprised if he has any interest in core British values. It is indeed difficult to see how someone of such a religious persuasion can at the same time be devout and a supporter of gay marriage (where he was conspicuously absent for the vote). At least Forbes was honest enough to say that despite her beliefs, she accepted the democratic decision.
Given that he has declared that his religious beliefs will not influence his politics, I would say that he should be classed as a “lapsed Muslim” — surely the only type of Muslim who could possibly have any real interest in “core British values”.
Not lapsed, but opportunistic.
Not lapsed, but opportunistic.
Given his stated intention to break up the UK, I would be surprised if he has any interest in core British values. It is indeed difficult to see how someone of such a religious persuasion can at the same time be devout and a supporter of gay marriage (where he was conspicuously absent for the vote). At least Forbes was honest enough to say that despite her beliefs, she accepted the democratic decision.
Given that he has declared that his religious beliefs will not influence his politics, I would say that he should be classed as a “lapsed Muslim” — surely the only type of Muslim who could possibly have any real interest in “core British values”.
a member of the McCaliphate clan… Tartan hijabs, and a pint with a nice head in it at the aluak bar of The Severed Arms?
A quite marvellous example of truly fearless satire — clever, succinct, and extremely funny, though perhaps not to all tastes.
My humble thanks… See you at the bring and buy a wife sale at The Presbyterian Church cali fete…
My humble thanks… See you at the bring and buy a wife sale at The Presbyterian Church cali fete…
A quite marvellous example of truly fearless satire — clever, succinct, and extremely funny, though perhaps not to all tastes.
Orthography aside, I assume that by ‘practising’ muslim you mean ‘believing’ muslim. I am forced to wonder whether a believing muslim from a Pakistani cultural background is likely to be a genuine subscriber to the ‘woke’ agendas of the SNP (in particular the commitment to gay marriage which he has already sidestepped) and if so whether he is likely to be a trustworthy supporter of core British values, woke or not.
a member of the McCaliphate clan… Tartan hijabs, and a pint with a nice head in it at the aluak bar of The Severed Arms?
They’re both still practising? I’d have thought they’d have got the hang of it by now!
Don’t you mean English English?
Sorry, I didn’t mean criticize the spelling (now corrected), I was thinking about the use of the word itself.
Is he a “practising” Muslim or a practising Muslim
No, not in British English.
You mean that Yousaf is a “practising” Muslim, don’t you?
I was going to write some excoriating comments about Humza Yousaf, the SNP, racism, and Scottish independence… and then
…about any of it.
I was going to write some excoriating comments about Humza Yousaf, the SNP, racism, and Scottish independence… and then
…about any of it.
The worst racists are those who see racism everywhere except within their own ‘community’ of course.
The worst racists are those who see racism everywhere except within their own ‘community’ of course.
Yousaf is disastrous news full stop. There is no point looking for a silver lining when he is there, right now, with his hands on the levers of power. He will accelerate his program of division and destruction, and his baleful influence won’t stop at the border either. This is a nothing short of a catastrophe.
Yousaf is disastrous news full stop. There is no point looking for a silver lining when he is there, right now, with his hands on the levers of power. He will accelerate his program of division and destruction, and his baleful influence won’t stop at the border either. This is a nothing short of a catastrophe.
Starmer is a Corbynite wolf in a centrist sheep’s clothing. Today’s ban on Corbyn standing as a Labour candidate is just theatre designed to help him get elected.
Starmer is a Corbynite wolf in a centrist sheep’s clothing. Today’s ban on Corbyn standing as a Labour candidate is just theatre designed to help him get elected.
Nice succinct summation. Love the ‘…heavy liberal consensus which anchors the country throughout all its various storms’. And thank goodness for it. I’m sure most UnHerd regulars will concur.
No great fan of the SNP, but v much welcome Yousaf’s election.
I welcome it because he appears to be the least popular out of the three amongst the wider Scottish electorate
Yes the electoral advantage that may provide to Starmer not lost on me either
I think Starmer is a horribly slimy politician personally, no more trustworthy than Boris but just less brazen about it. If him and Sunak (and Truss and Johnson before them) are the best Britain has to offer as politicians then the country is sorely lacking in leadership
I’ve some doubts about Starmer too, but I fear you may run out of invective for someone truly malign and toxic if you see likes of Starmer and Sunak as exceptionally untrustworthy. Politics is tough business they get a heap of manure poured on them from somewhere everyday. Now that goes with the territory but holding together broad coalitions, which is what all Parties are, not easy.
I’ve some doubts about Starmer too, but I fear you may run out of invective for someone truly malign and toxic if you see likes of Starmer and Sunak as exceptionally untrustworthy. Politics is tough business they get a heap of manure poured on them from somewhere everyday. Now that goes with the territory but holding together broad coalitions, which is what all Parties are, not easy.
I think Starmer is a horribly slimy politician personally, no more trustworthy than Boris but just less brazen about it. If him and Sunak (and Truss and Johnson before them) are the best Britain has to offer as politicians then the country is sorely lacking in leadership
Yes the electoral advantage that may provide to Starmer not lost on me either
I welcome it because he appears to be the least popular out of the three amongst the wider Scottish electorate
Nice succinct summation. Love the ‘…heavy liberal consensus which anchors the country throughout all its various storms’. And thank goodness for it. I’m sure most UnHerd regulars will concur.
No great fan of the SNP, but v much welcome Yousaf’s election.