Scottish Tories branded “Scotland’s UKIP” after spate of candidates with reactionary views
A SCOTTISH CONSERVATIVE candidate for the forthcoming local elections is a prominent member in his local Orange Lodge, CommonSpace can reveal.
Richard ‘Ricky’ Nelson of Carluke, who is standing for the Scottish Conservatives in South Lanarkshire, openly posts pictures celebrating his association with the Protestant fraternal organisation, accused by many of fuelling anti-Irish Catholic sentiment in Scotland over decades.
Pictures feature a cake in the shape of an Orange sash, the uniform of the organisation, as well as re-posts from the Grand Orange Lodge of Scotland, the official umbrella organisation for the Orange order in Scotland.
His facebook feed also carries posts from the official Scottish Conservatives page and other election materials.
An online poll Nelson supported to allow an Orange Lodge event to go ahead
Responding to the revelations, an SNP spokesperson said: “The Tories are having serious problems with their candidates for May’s elections – having already had to suspend three people for racist and anti-Islamic rants on social media, being forced to apologise for others sharing Britain First posts, and not to mention nominating the former UKIP Scotland chairman a candidate in Stirling.
“The Tories are increasingly becoming Scotland’s UKIP,” the spokesperson added.
A cake made for the Scottish Conservative candidate standing in South Lanarkshire
The candidate is only the latest to embarrass the Tories in Scotland in recent days. The Conservatives today suspended Ken MacBrayne, a candidate standing, Benbecula and North Uist, for using offensive language about First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
MacBrayne, who will still appear on the local election list for the party said: “It would please me no end if someone stuck a golf ball in Nicola Sturgeon’s mouth, tape it up and stick a bag over her head.”
He also asked: “Why can’t someone stick a cattle prod up her nether region?”
CommonSpace contacted both Nelson and the Scottish Conservatives for comment, but neither had responded by time of publication.
Pictures: Facebook
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