Jackson Carlaw needs to find something useful to do
I came across this tweet from an “angry and concerned” Jackson Carlaw, the former leader of the English Tories in Scotland:
The head teacher was responding to complaints from attendees, presumably parents, who were visibly upset at the display of the Butcher’s Apron with staff images. She’s only doing her job, mate.
For many Scots, including those in East Renfrewshire, the Butcher’s Apron is a symbol of Scotland’s forced colonisation by England. It is not “a symbol of our tradition, unity as a nation, and hope for so many.” That’s risible. Its display is, to use Carlaw’s words, “totally unacceptable and deeply offensive to people both locally and across Scotland.”
Carlaw then demands that East Renfrewshire Council issue an unconditional apology - for what and to whom, exactly?
By the way, here’s the composition of the Council:
Because local elections in England and Wales are conducted using the ‘first past the post’ voting system, the people don’t get the council they voted for.
It’s different in Scotland. Since 2007 Scotland has used the Single Transferrable Vote, a form of Proportional Representation. It reduces the chance of single party domination.
The Electoral Reform Society has made its views clear:
Jackson Carlaw owes his Parliament seat to Scotland’s PR voting system - he squeaked in on the party list.
He really needs to find something useful to do to justify his £74,507 salary. Composing outraged tweets about a primary school leavers event doesn’t cut it.
Here’s an idea. As the Chair of the Citizens Participation and Public Petitions Committee (CPPPC), why doesn’t he progress PE2135 to implement the ICCPR, giving Scots the right to Direct Democracy and hence the ability to get rid of clowns like him?
I think we know the answer to that.
He's another jobsworth BritNat hoping for a seat at the HOL's no doubt. He should apologise to Scotland for his disservice to the people.
Even with PR (?) the voting system for local elections in Scotland still means that several councils are controlled by parties that were not the choice of the people, in Edinburgh the Labcons and Tories (coalition) took control of the council in 2022 even though the SNP won the majority of seats.
The butchers apron is an ugly flag quite frankly, it's a mish mash, it's messy and reflects the English domination of the three nations they so cunningly colonised.
Given the dreadful racist events taking place in NI lately, I can see why the school would want to keep the English nationalism out of educational establishment. I bet the BritNats would love for the same violence to be imported into Scotland, watch out they just might enable that.
Jackson Carlaw is concerned that equating "the Union flag with sectarianism is totally unacceptable and deeply offensive". Jackson Carlaw should perhaps take up attendance at any Orange Walk - at his own risk, that is - where he will see as many Butcher's Aprons as sashes. That's about as sectarian as it gets.
Jackson Carlaw should be reminded that Great Britain/United Kingdom is a multi-jurisdiction state and, as such, the Butcher's Apron cannot either be a "symbol of our tradition" or represent our "unity as a nation" - as a composite entity the GB/UK has neither a single tradition nor is a unitary nation. (Scotland may well be a colony annexed by England in 1706-07 and rebranded but it remains a nation awaiting the restoration of its rightful status as a nation-state).
Jackson Carlaw should be made aware that the Butcher's Apron represents the worst of oppressive, colonialist, imperialism in countries that England as GB/UK has systematically ripped-off, defenestrated and exploited during the last 300 odd years. Just ask the Irish, the Indians and the Kenyans to understand what being offended by the flying of a flag that is held in lower esteem than the Jolly Rodger replete with skull and crossbones.
Finally, I don't use X. But, just for a laugh please feel free to post this on Jackson Carlaw's timeline.
I look forward to reports of Jackson Carlaw's turning blue with rage and bursting multiple facial blood vessels.
He'd fit in just fine then on one of those upcoming Orange Walks.