Davidson looking for Troubles
I WAS horrified to hear Ruth Davidson trying to gain votes on the back of Northern Ireland.
Referring to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting Sinn Fein figures in the distant past, she tweeted that “simply seeking peace is offensive to anyone who has worn the uniform”.
Veterans who have “worn the uniform” a lot longer than Davidson objected vocally.
Joe Glenton, a former soldier turned writer and journalist, asked: “How does Ruth Davidson MSP view Northern Ireland vets who meet ex-IRA? Gutter jingoism is cheap. Peace takes courage.“
Reconciliation with those who have harmed you and your loved ones is certainly courageous, it is also painful.
Years ago, when working as a feature writer for the Record, I visited Northern Ireland on assignment.
It was during the Tory government of John Major, when the peace process was under way (It wasn’t just Corbyn who spoke to the IRA, the Tories did as well).
There was at that time talk of a mass release of paramilitary prisoners.
I interviewed one grandmother in east Belfast who had lost her daughter in an IRA bombing.
I asked how she felt about the man who did it being set free.
She took a deep breath and said if that was the price of a permanent peace, then she would accept it.
I was full of admiration for that woman.
How sickening that a pipsqueak opportunist like Davidson is seeking to undermine such sacrifices for her own political gain.
Look at the context of her comment.
High-profile Tories in Scotland have been exposed in the media for racist and sectarian comments, including derogatory name-calling of Catholics.
Back in the 50s, some Scots were asked, “What school did you go to?” when they went for a job interview.
The Tories in those days gathered votes by exploiting that seam of prejudice.
Most Scots are glad we have moved on to modernity and tolerance.
Davidson’s comments about Northern Ireland turn the clock back.