Farage’s Glasgow Dog Whistle
Reform UK’s attack on the children of Glasgow may at first seem an oddity, a bizarre lurch even for them. But, in fact, it has direct continuity with some of their most extreme views, many of which are travelling across the Atlantic from the decaying MAGA regime in America.
Nigel Farage has been slated for a “repulsive” and “deeply racist” attack on Glasgow schoolchildren as part of his Scottish campaign after he claimed those who don’t principally speak English are “culture smashing” the city.
The Reform leader, beleaguered with a slew of accusations about his racist youth tweeted: “Nearly 1 in 3 schoolchildren in Glasgow do not speak English as their first language. This is not diversity. This is culture smashing. Reform UK will make this a big issue in our campaign.” His colleague, the ex-Tory Lee Anderson followed up saying: “And 1 in 3 SNP MPs don’t have a basic grasp of common sense. It’s time for Reform UK to rescue our Scottish cousins. Roll on next May.”
The response and condemnation was swift. The SNP councillor for Glasgow’s Southside Mhairi Hunter responded saying: “I am horrified and appalled by Reform choosing to make children the target of their vile politics. What on earth is wrong with them? Schools must never become a political battlefield. I am confident the vast majority of Glaswegians feel the same way.”
Responding to Nigel Farage’s claim that Glasgow’s multilingual pupils are “not diversity” and instead represent the “cultural smashing” of the city, Robina Qureshi, from Positive Action in Housing, responded saying:
“No child should be used as a political punching bag. Farage’s attack on Glasgow’s multilingual pupils is a coded attack on the children of people of colour and of refugee or immigrant backgrounds. It is harmful and it is dangerous.
“Speaking more than one language is a huge advantage. Targeting migrant children, in a climate where racist abuse is already a daily reality for many, is another deliberate dog whistle and a disgrace.”
The comments are no-doubt a coded racist dog-whistle, but the attack on children isn’t an anomaly. Only this week Richard Tice used his platform to attack autistic children claiming that the “Sight of children wearing ear defenders in school is insane.”
This attack on autistic children is nothing knew. It’s well-worn ground for the Trump administration’s cabinet of loons, with RFK Jnr leading the pack, declaring more and more outrageous ‘cures’ for autism and more and more ridiculous ’causes’ too.
The need from both sides of the far-right on either side of the pond is an obsession with the singularity. Anything that deviates from their puritanical view of the normal is a threat. What is required, demanded, is a mono culture, anything outwith that is to be othered and persecuted.
No doubt Farage and Co know exactly what political communities within Glasgow they are appealing to, but I think this a tactical mistake. Not only is Glasgow an inter-generational multicultural city, but it is one which prides itself as having a civic culture of generosity. Ironically, given its religious divisions, Glasgow is united as a city of migration. This is being perceived as an attack on children and schools. This is a bad mistake from Reform that exposes the fact they have no base here nor any real understanding of Scottish culture.
It’s worth remembering that 1,400 pupils attend one of the five GME schools in Glasgow – the highest number in Scotland, and many have Gaelic as their first language. This is another aspect of Glasgow, and Scotland’s rich linguistic and cultural mix, of which I’m sure Farage and Co are completely ignorant.
I don’t speak English as my first language either. I’m Welsh.
Farage conveniently forgets Glasgow’s Gaelic speakers and Gaelic medium schools. Gaelic was around in Scotland long before English ever was. I think maybe he shot himself in the foot there. Farage has German nationality. Perhaps he should be sent homeward to think again.
In Spain, VOX, equivalent of Reform, is also making suppression of regional languages a crusade. Just think Franco, does the UK really want this? It’s not racism, it’s much more scary.
Agree with almost everything else, but very few of the kids in Gaelic schools have it as a “first” language. In fact, they learn it, just as kids who’ve come here from overseas learn English. And parents send them there because multilingualism is a benefit.
That’s true Helen, but it does point to the complexity of Glasgow and Scotland’s linguistic and cultural mix
Excellent commentary and analysis, per usual.
A good piece, first time I have seen this website. The line about MAGA types only tolerating those in their own mould is well observed. On C4 news a rep from a city with a long standing Somali community told how the ICE people were rounding up anyone with dark skin and holding them for considerable time even after correct papers were produced for checking. He said he felt that Trumps government was basically out to intimidate any communities that did not likely vote for him. He could have said anyone who did not own a large pickup truck and habitually wear a red baseball cap and it would have amounted to the same thing. I’m not Scottish and neither for or against the union but God forbid if Farage and his one trick pony party are elected I believe that the Scots will regret not leaving the union.
Usual nonsense from Farage and his loons , but pretty despicable all the same Glasgow is a proud and culturally diverse city , it may have it’s issues but he has made a gross error of judgment here
Farage is being enabled by other politicians timidity to call him out when he is promoting racist tropes and ideas. Contrast the response of Tory Leaders today with Edward Heath in 1968 when he unequivocally condemned Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech. Powell had a lot of support among public at the time but Heath’s condemnation finished him as a serious politician and help set the tone of a more tolerant public debate around race and immigration. Contrast Heath (& Wilson’s) robust response to today’s Tory & (to a lesser extent) Labour politicians who tend to follow where Farage is going rather than confronting him. Make no mistake Farage is the present day iteration of Powell (and Mosley if he is given opportunity).
The other significant difference between today and 1960’s is the media. The few billionaires who own the press and social media may well share Farage’s view and at very least see him as a useful asset to help them entrench their power. In addition broadcast media, which is supposed to be independent and informative, promote the Farage narrative as they still often follow lead of newspapers and like the conflict and headlines that Farage gives rather than undertaking a proper analysis of issues.
‘culture smashing’ is actually a good description of the influence England has had on Scotland, and the Scots language, since the Union – especially since the advent of TV and radio.
Once upon a time, there was a little boy who lived with his parents in West Sussex, England. English was not the first language at school but it was decided for him that in an effort to integrate in the local community, he should speak only his first language with his Dad and only English with his Mum. (Obviously, both parents were themselves bilingual).
Entry into the local Church of England primary school initially was not easy – no allowances were made for the 5 year old in his mother tongue and everything was conducted in English. Unfortunately for the authorities concerned, it soon appeared that the home regime of bilingualism was working: his level of English soon outstripped that of his classmates the native speakers of English, in probably the most English part of England.
This could not be tolerated. So a scheme of work was presented. The young lad was placed in a classroom to himself and presented with a picture of a yacht sailing into a red sunset. The orders were to copy the picture – failure to do so was to render it as homework and submit the copy the following day. This continued for some months.
Meanwhile, the monoglot native children were given extra classes in their mother tongue in order to ‘catch up’ with the immigrant child. The parents of the latter, being foreigners did not wish to rock the boat, so no complaints were made.
I am no psychologist in analysing how this experience may have ‘scarred’ that little boy. I do know he went on to have a professional career utilising his mother tongue, English and French as a teacher and translator in all three. He had also acquired graduate knowledge in English Law so was familiar with the semantics and sophistry involved in that pursuit. He also acquired a Masters in Celtic – teaching his mother tongue in France and Poland for 6 years.
How does our story end? I don’t know as I can’t predict the future.
What I do know is that 5 year-old monoglot, who had Special Needs before the term was invented, was me.
Slight typo – para.2.
What I meant to say was that neither did he speak English nor was his first language when he first entered the school.
Suppress the language, suppress the culture. Suppress the culture and its much easier to sell the lie of a homogeneous UK, which as we well know, is just WASP England. Personally, I had my fill of that guff in school in the 60’s and 70’s and have no intention of swallowing tgat clowns imaginary tales of some kind of glorious past waiting to be reclaimed once we send all the brown people off to Bongo-Bongo land, or whatever he calls it these days.
And his bloody kids speak German.
His name is actually Farridge. Serious flip flopper. Back in 2012 someone called him out when he was celebrating the fact that the runner Farah won multiple golds for team GB, if it was up to Farridge, he would never have let Farah or his family in.
The more mistakes Deform UK make the better. They must be stopped fro. Growing in Scotland and anywhere else. Let’s unite to defeat them.
Jim I agree entirely with your argument but I worry about Tories and Labour who both appear to have a visceral hatred of SNP which is greater than dislike of Reform.
Tories in Scotland rarely attack Reform directly for their racism but their approach seems to be a vote for Reform will let SNP in. This is the approach of a weak leader whose party is losing voters to Reform and who doesn’t have the confidence to stand up to them. It also shows that Reform attitudes were always prevalent in a section of Tory supporters.
Labour to date appear to be more hesitant than SNP in standing up to Reform in Scotland. This is partly due to mixed messages coming from UK Labour leadership and opportunism as seen in Hamilton by election where they let SNP attack Reform while they were happy to sneek through the middle to win by election. Hopefully there has been a realisation of Reform threat to Labour and UK and that a change of tactics to taking on Reform directly nationally will be mirrored in Scotland.
I hope I am not being overly pessimistic when I wonder whether Tories and Labour and a significant section of their supporters are less concerned about a Reform government in Westminster and Holyrood than they are about Scotland becoming an independent country.