Latest news with #Unionist
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Holyrood's ‘Speaker' accused of anti-Unionist bias after throwing out Tories' former leader
The Scottish Parliament's presiding officer has been accused of 'blatant bias' against opponents of independence after she ejected a former leader of the Scottish Tories from the Holyrood chamber. Alison Johnstone ordered Douglas Ross to leave the chamber during First Minister's Questions on Thursday, and banned him for the rest of the day. Speaking outside the chamber, Mr Ross said 'many people' were questioning if the presiding officer, a former MSP for the pro-independence Scottish Greens, was 'truly neutral' following a series of clashes with Tory members. He accused Ms Johnstone of 'taking very different approaches to nationalist politicians who step out of line compared to Unionist politicians who step out of line'. The Scottish Tories also claimed Ms Johnstone had 'shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others' and demanded talks to deal with the alleged 'bias'. The Scottish Parliament said the presiding officer, whose job is equivalent to that of the Speaker at Westminster, had taken action against Mr Ross as he was a repeat offender and because of his 'persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament'. But Tory insiders alleged Ms Johnstone had reprimanded other Conservatives for conduct that she permitted among MSPs from other parties. This included barracking political opponents from their seats in the chamber. They highlighted how she repeatedly chastised Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, during First Minister's Questions on May 1 for failing to treat John Swinney with 'courtesy and respect'. However, she failed to give the First Minister a reprimand when he accused his Conservative opponent of 'barefaced dishonesty.' Ms Johnstone became a Green MSP for the Lothians region in 2011, but gave up her party affiliation when she was elected presiding officer after the 2021 Holyrood election. During Thursday's First Minister's Questions, Mr Ross could be heard shouting 'deflection' at Mr Swinney as he responded to questions from Mr Findlay about the Scottish Government's net zero targets. Ms Johnstone stopped proceedings and said: 'Mr Ross, you have persistently refused to abide by our standing orders. I ask you to leave the chamber; you are excluded for the rest of the day.' Her decision to immediately expel Mr Ross appeared to surprise him and other MSPs as she had previously dealt with those who shouted from their seats by issuing a warning. After he failed to move, she ordered him out a second time and he left. Ms Johnstone also warned two other Tory MSPs, Douglas Lumsden and Stephen Kerr, about 'shouting from your seat' during the session. Mr Ross said: 'I think Alison Johnstone has to seriously consider her neutral role because at the moment from the outside many people are questioning if she is truly neutral. After what she has just done, I struggled to accept that she has been neutral for all members. 'I think we have got to look at her actions against Conservatives in general, and how she has responded to comments from SNP ministers. For example, the First Minister is apparently allowed to call the Conservatives 'a disgusting party' with no sanction.' A Scottish Tory spokesman said: 'The presiding officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the presiding officer should not show blatant bias.' Mr Kerr said: 'The presiding officer should be a stout defender of the rights of MSPs to hold ministers to account. Instead, we have one who appears more concerned with shielding ministers from scrutiny than standing up for the Parliament.' But a Scottish Parliament spokesman said: 'The presiding officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the chamber. Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the member was asked to leave the chamber. ' Holyrood insiders said Ms Johnstone had warned Mr Ross about his conduct on April 3 and twice on April 22, when she asked him to 'refrain from shouting from your seat' and challenged him over whether he wanted to leave the chamber. They added that she issued a further warning on May 8. Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader, said: 'Anyone watching First Minister's Questions will know that for weeks and week Douglas Ross has been provoking the presiding officer in the hope that he would get thrown out, in a cynical bid for relevance. 'The presiding officer was quite right to eject him and my party has full confidence in her impartiality.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Daily Record
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Holyrood Presiding Officer 'blatantly biased' against Unionist politicians, claim Tories
Alison Johnstone showed the red card to former SFA match official Douglas Ross during FMQs today. The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament has been branded "blatantly biased" against Unionist politicians after she booted Douglas Ross out from FMQs today. The former Scottish Conservatives leader was ordered to leave Holyrood's debating chamber after he heckled John Swinney when the First Minister was responding to a question. Johnstone told the Tory: 'I would ask you to leave this chamber and you are excluded for the rest of the day.' Her actions resulted in the Scottish Tories accusing the Presiding Officer of 'blatant bias' against them. A party spokesperson said: 'The Presiding Officer has shown a consistent pattern to favour certain parties at the expense of others. 'We will be seeking discussions to reiterate that the Presiding Officer should not show blatant bias.' Ross said Johnstone should now 'seriously consider her neutral role'. He told reporters he represented many farmers who were left frustrated by the First Minister ducking questions. 'This is an issue that is extremely important to those individuals who are in that sector and their families and their communities, therefore they deserve to hear those answers,' he said. 'But for a member to be expelled from the chamber with no warning at all, I think may be unprecedented.' He added: "There have been concerns outwith this building about how [Johnstone] treats Conservative MSPs compared to government ministers, Green MSPs for example,' he said. 'And since this happened at lunch time, I've had senior members from other parties saying that Alison Johnstone risks losing support within the chamber for her actions.' The former Tory leader said Holyrood was 'not a library'. He continued: "There is going to be some discussion from the benches around the respective party spokespeople. That is what people watch politics for. "Now, sometimes to goes beyond the pale and action has to be taken, but I don't recall ever seeing a presiding officer take no action to try to minimise that behaviour or to warn any members before excluding them. "She reached straight for that option today, which for me raises serious concerns about it. And the speed at which she did it made me almost think it was premeditated. It didn't matter what I did today, I wonder if she was just going to go straight for that.' Ross argued the environment in the Holyrood chamber is already 'far too sterile' and Ms Johnstone had been having a 'controlling effect' on the chamber in recent weeks and months. 'You've got to look at Alison Johnstone formerly being a Green Party member, saying that she would leave her party allegiances at the door, but taking very different approaches to nationalist politicians who step out of line, compared to unionist politicians who step out of line,' he said. A Scottish Parliament spokesman said: "The Presiding Officer has warned Mr Ross on repeated occasions recently about his behaviour in the Chamber. "Due to his persistent refusal to respect the rules of Parliament, the Member was asked to leave the Chamber. This suspension is for the remainder of the day."
Canada Standard
a day ago
- Sport
- Canada Standard
Hockey night in Belfast: How Canada's sport could be bridging longtime sectarian divides
In its simplest form, the protracted tensions in Northern Ireland have at their foundation two separate sectarian identities deeply divided over how, and by whom, they are governed - Protestant/Unionist populations wishing to maintain British rule and Catholic/Nationalists desiring a united Ireland. The 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement brought an end to armed hostilities that devastated cities and towns through years of urban guerilla conflict. Yet divisions remain sewn into the everyday lives and patterns of the Northern Irish people - 90 per cent of students attend segregated schools and there are few friendships spanning the sectarian divide. One setting sits identifiably apart from these entrenched divisions: the ice hockey arena. Now in their 25th season, the Belfast Giants, Ireland's only professional hockey team, impressively draws an average of 6,480 spectators to their games. They've also built a large and enthusiastic fan base known as the "Teal Army." As a spectator sport with limited opportunity to play the game competitively and no significant history on either side of the conflict, the hockey arena has emerged as something of a neutral ground where fans from different backgrounds come together side-by-side. The arena is a place where symbols of division, so common across Northern Ireland via flags, murals and graffiti, are not allowed. The lack of a historical association with one side of the conflict, the fact that the sport is played predominantly by men from outside Northern Ireland - mostly from North America and Scandinavia - and a name and logo rooted in the shared regional lore of mythical giant Finn McCool has allowed the team to forge its own path post-peace agreement. In 2015, after years of planning, the Belfast Giants hosted the inaugural Friendship Four hockey tournament. Held over the American Thanksgiving weekend, the tournament has since become an annual event that sees four Division I hockey teams from American universities come to Belfast for a two-day experience that includes intercultural exchange, educational visits to local schools and a hockey tournament. Since the tournament began, it has hosted teams from the New England and Boston areas as a means of fostering stronger ties between the sister cities of Belfast and Boston. In 2024, the Friendship Four tournament notably included a school with a long association with Ireland, the University of Notre Dame. As a prominent American Catholic university with a team name - the Fighting Irish - that is directly connected to the island's divisive history, the team's inclusion in the Friendship Four had the potential to tarnish the neutrality of the event. As a researcher who has engaged significantly with supporters of the Belfast Giants, and as an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, this tournament drew me to Belfast. Before the 2024 tournament in November, the Notre Dame Hockey account posted guidelines on X for their supporters in Belfast, including an image of what to wear, and what not to wear, around the city. It noted: "Just a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town." The post was deleted a few hours later, and an apology was issued acknowledging the tournament was meant to build bridges, not stoke division. Nonetheless, the original post drew significant attention and criticism. Belfast media and British news outlets picked up the story about the Notre Dame post. Many of the comments on social media about the story were situated in ethno-sectarian views or pointed fingers of blame. The outrage that greeted the Notre Dame X post demonstrates the tension and complexity of identity and symbols in Northern Ireland. But it thankfully wasn't replicated in the Belfast hockey arena because the groundwork of social capital among hockey fans in the city has been built over the last 25 years. On Nov. 29, 2024, the Notre Dame team took to the ice to play against Harvard without any extra fanfare. The afternoon game was filled with school groups carrying homemade signs and cheering for the teams whose players had visited their schools earlier in the week with overt hopes of seeing themselves on the jumbotrons. The game could have been in Saskatoon given the lack of any sectarian tensions. In an age of rising polarization and lack of human connection, the hockey arena in Belfast is worthy of attention. Hallmarks of post-conflict reconstruction include the development of a shared understanding of the truth about past events and directly engaging with contested acts and issues. Neither effort has been particularly well-executed in Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, as people wait for a more fulsome peace in the region, they have managed to live peacefully side by side in places like the Belfast hockey arena. As peace and conflict research continues its attempts to understand how those in conflict-affected communities navigate their everyday lives, the importance of non-traditional, non-partisan activities that can bridge divides should not be overlooked.
Canada Standard
2 days ago
- Sport
- Canada Standard
Hockey night in Belfast? How Canada's sport could be bridging longtime sectarian divides
In its simplest form, the protracted tensions in Northern Ireland have at their foundation two separate sectarian identities deeply divided over how, and by whom, they are governed - Protestant/Unionist populations wishing to maintain British rule and Catholic/Nationalists desiring a united Ireland. The 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement brought an end to armed hostilities that devastated cities and towns through years of urban guerilla conflict. Yet divisions remain sewn into the everyday lives and patterns of the Northern Irish people - 90 per cent of students attend segregated schools and there are few friendships spanning the sectarian divide. One setting sits identifiably apart from these entrenched divisions: the ice hockey arena. Now in their 25th season, the Belfast Giants, Ireland's only professional hockey team, impressively draws an average of 6,480 spectators to their games. They've also built a large and enthusiastic fan base known as the "Teal Army." As a spectator sport with limited opportunity to play the game competitively and no significant history on either side of the conflict, the hockey arena has emerged as something of a neutral ground where fans from different backgrounds come together side-by-side. The arena is a place where symbols of division, so common across Northern Ireland via flags, murals and graffiti, are not allowed. The lack of a historical association with one side of the conflict, the fact that the sport is played predominantly by men from outside Northern Ireland - mostly from North America and Scandinavia - and a name and logo rooted in the shared regional lore of mythical giant Finn McCool has allowed the team to forge its own path post-peace agreement. In 2015, after years of planning, the Belfast Giants hosted the inaugural Friendship Four hockey tournament. Held over the American Thanksgiving weekend, the tournament has since become an annual event that sees four Division I hockey teams from American universities come to Belfast for a two-day experience that includes intercultural exchange, educational visits to local schools and a hockey tournament. Since the tournament began, it has hosted teams from the New England and Boston areas as a means of fostering stronger ties between the sister cities of Belfast and Boston. In 2024, the Friendship Four tournament notably included a school with a long association with Ireland, the University of Notre Dame. As a prominent American Catholic university with a team name - the Fighting Irish - that is directly connected to the island's divisive history, the team's inclusion in the Friendship Four had the potential to tarnish the neutrality of the event. As a researcher who has engaged significantly with supporters of the Belfast Giants, and as an alumnus of the University of Notre Dame, this tournament drew me to Belfast. Before the 2024 tournament in November, the Notre Dame Hockey account posted guidelines on X for their supporters in Belfast, including an image of what to wear, and what not to wear, around the city. It noted: "Just a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town." The post was deleted a few hours later, and an apology was issued acknowledging the tournament was meant to build bridges, not stoke division. Nonetheless, the original post drew significant attention and criticism. Belfast media and British news outlets picked up the story about the Notre Dame post. Many of the comments on social media about the story were situated in ethno-sectarian views or pointed fingers of blame. The outrage that greeted the Notre Dame X post demonstrates the tension and complexity of identity and symbols in Northern Ireland. But it thankfully wasn't replicated in the Belfast hockey arena because the groundwork of social capital among hockey fans in the city has been built over the last 25 years. On Nov. 29, 2024, the Notre Dame team took to the ice to play against Harvard without any extra fanfare. The afternoon game was filled with school groups carrying homemade signs and cheering for the teams whose players had visited their schools earlier in the week with overt hopes of seeing themselves on the jumbotrons. The game could have been in Saskatoon given the lack of any sectarian tensions. In an age of rising polarization and lack of human connection, the hockey arena in Belfast is worthy of attention. Hallmarks of post-conflict reconstruction include the development of a shared understanding of the truth about past events and directly engaging with contested acts and issues. Neither effort has been particularly well-executed in Northern Ireland. Nonetheless, as people wait for a more fulsome peace in the region, they have managed to live peacefully side by side in places like the Belfast hockey arena. As peace and conflict research continues its attempts to understand how those in conflict-affected communities navigate their everyday lives, the importance of non-traditional, non-partisan activities that can bridge divides should not be overlooked.
The National
3 days ago
- Business
- The National
I do not share Kenny MacAskill's optimism about Ferguson yard
The shipyard in question is of course Fergusons of Port Glasgow, which is currently trying to complete the ferry Glen Rosa. Kenny suggests that yet another change of management is the solution to the long-term problems of the yard and the return of Jim McColl is perhaps called for. I do not know if Mr McColl has been consulted on this matter but it would be a brave (some might say foolish) move if he were to accept this considerable challenge. READ MORE: Ardrossan Harbour deal 'far from complete', campaigners claim My late father and two uncles worked in another Clyde shipyard, now long gone, in the 1960s and I feel some sympathy for the Port Glasgow workforce – but none for CalMac, CMAL, the various well-rewarded management teams who have come and gone and the politicians who have presided over this national embarrassment. Kenny is to be praised for his optimistic hope that the yard will find other work in the future but it is all too easy for future clients to take into account the events of the past few years. If Kenny's next-door neighbour commissioned a builder to build an extension to his home on the basis of a cost of, for example, £50,000 and a timescale of a year, would he commission the same builder to build a similar extension to his own home if the neighbour's costs had risen to £250,000 and the extension was still not complete after nearly nine years? Work began on the Glen Rosa in June 2016. It is a real shame that Scotland's local authorities, health boards and housing associations do not have the same free and unlimited access to the Scottish Government's bank accounts that is enjoyed by Fergusons. The almost £500,000,000 splashed out (pun very much intended) on two medium-sized ferries could have had a major impact on our NHS waiting lists, relieving the long-term pain and suffering of thousands of our fellow citizens. Perhaps some of the money could have been used to provide decent social housing for some of the 33,916 households and 10,360 children currently homeless in our land. READ MORE: ScotRail must stop using my voice for AI announcements, voiceover artist demands Much, I assume, to the discomfort and embarrassment of our government, it now appears that the Glen Rosa will not carry a single passenger before the May 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. Assorted Unionist politicians will make the most of this situation – and who can blame them. The cost to complete the Glen Rosa is now apparently, at the very least, another £35,000,000 with no real guarantee that this will be enough to complete all the work required. In late November 2022, Audit Scotland announced that it was unable to account for £128.25 million in public money spent by Fergusons on the ferries. Furthermore, it was unable to trace how a £30m Scottish Government loan to Ferguson was spent. For a comparison, the RMS Titanic's construction cost was £1,500,000, which is around £180,000,000 in today's money. It only took around three years to build. It weighed in at around 50,000 tonnes. The Glen Rosa weighs only around 3000 tonnes – about 16 times smaller. These and many other factors will be taken into account when we come to place our marks on the two Scottish Parliament ballot papers in under a year's time. Taken together with the SNP's absence of a clear path to independence, the outcome is far from certain. Sandra West Dundee
