CommonSpace columnist Ross Ahlfeld examines what recent scandals around racism and bigotry in the ranks of the Scottish Conservatives means for catholics
THERE is a common thread running through history, constantly repeating the same story: give catholics full civil rights and freedom of worship and they will be profoundly loyal to a secular state or a protestant monarch, or both.
For example, in the 18th century, the enlightened Frederick the Great built the fine cathedral of St Hedwig’s right in the centre of Berlin, while at the same time extending civil rights to all the catholic subjects of his realm. In doing so, Frederick secured the fidelity of Catholics to both Prussia and the house of Hohenzollern – a loyalty which persisted right up to the time of Bismarck and the Kulturkampf.
Equally, people in the Dutch province of Limburg in the predominately catholic South Netherlands remain among the strongest supporters of the modern House of Orange-Nassau. (Yeah, that House of Orange).
Read more – Tories silent on growing evidence of anti-Irish and anti-Catholic bigotry inside party
The same could be said of some catholic royalists in Commonwealth countries such as the State of Malta until 1974 as well as Gibraltar, and even in some of the catholic French-speaking regions of Canada and beyond.
None of this comes as any great revelation to the modern Scottish catholic community; anybody who has ever been in a traditional catholic sacristy will have observed a picture of the Queen proudly hanging on the wall alongside the Pope.
Even my much loved, Irish-born primary school teacher had a picture of the Queen and the Pope in pride of place above her blackboard in our classroom.
Yet despite all this history, it now seems that the Scottish Conservatives are running the risk of undoing this longstanding compromise with a series of high profile anti-catholic insults and slanders coming from a few of their newly elected councillors.
At the moment, it feels like not a week has passed without some or other Tory making an offensive remark about catholics.
Despite all this history, it now seems that the Scottish Conservatives are running the risk of undoing this longstanding compromise with a series of high profile anti-catholic insults and slanders.
The general tone of these misguided Tory tweets is the age old, prejudiced insinuation that catholicism equals republicanism, or in other words, catholics are not truly, fully British.
In my opinion, while the Tory party leadership cannot be held entirely accountable for these individuals, it has done too little to halt this growing climate of ‘othering’ catholics.
It could also be argued that the leadership may even have helped to encourage this growing climate by pandering to some of the more negative elements of loyalism.
To be perfectly honest, it doesn’t really bother me, I’d rather listen to Colours of Day on repeat for 48 hours than ever vote Tory. But, the Catholic Church is a broad church which includes political views of all kinds (and tastes in hymns).
Some Scottish catholics do happen to vote Tory (for various reasons) and have every right to do so (regardless of what the majority of catholics might think). It is those catholics, as well as catholics who favour a monarchy and the Queen, who feel especially hurt by such calumny.
The general tone of these misguided Tory tweets is the age old, prejudiced insinuation that catholicism equals republicanism, or in other words, catholics are not truly, fully British.
And so, if the Tories do indeed want to push catholic voters towards republicanism and nationalism then they are going the right way about it. More so, if the day ever arrives where the Conservative party has completely severed itself from the catholic community in Scotland then it will be down to its own failure to tackle some of its members’ lurch towards bigotry and sectarianism, not the catholic community.
As a side note, older people will be able to recall a much worse time when every catholic was suspected and even accused of being an IRA sympathiser. With this in mind, catholics of Irish ancestry (and everyone else) should be mindful, in the aftermath of Manchester, of their own past and oppose any violent backlash against the mainstream Scottish muslim community today.
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour has just launched its election manifesto, which, oddly, seems to include a commitment to the renewal of Trident. The manifesto appears to commit Scottish Labour to UK Labour’s position on renewal even though party members in Scotland passed a motion to scrap trident.
I’m guessing this vote has simply been ignored. Either that or the head office called and reversed any notions of autonomy for Labour in this country.
So, will Scottish Labour MPs elected to London now take the British Labour party position supporting the renewal of Trident? Or do they have to stick to Scottish Labour’s grassroots members’ position to scrap trident?
While the Tory party leadership cannot be held entirely accountable for these individuals, it has done too little to halt this growing climate of ‘othering’ catholics.
The whole thing is further confused by Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and MSP Jackie Baillie’s support for renewal despite the Scottish party being overwhelmingly against renewal as previously mentioned.
The issue is even further confused by UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn being strongly for the scrapping of Trident even though the British party officially backs renewal. Answers on a postcard?
Yet, the most disappointing aspect of Labour’s disjointed policy on nuclear weapons is the lack of seriousness about the whole thing. This idea of renewing Trident and then, once it’s operational, working towards multilateral disarmament is completely ridiculous.
Renewal is proliferation. Renewal is escalation. It is an open invite to North Korea and every other nation to (rightfully) escalate also. There is only unilateral disarmament or the path to a holocaust of a million souls with nothing else in between.
Nuclear proliferation is basically a high risk game of poker were the stakes are getting higher every year. Unless we disarm now, someone is eventually going to blink.
It could also be argued that the leadership may even have helped to encourage this growing climate by pandering to some of the more negative elements of loyalism.
These are, of course, just my own thoughts. Other catholics, christians and people of no faith may disagree, but it is worth pointing out that Scottish bishops’ recent statement on the upcoming General Election reiterates our commitment to a nuclear-free future.
They stated: “The use of any weapon that causes more than individual and proportionate harm to civilians is immoral and, thus, rejected by the church.”
The bishops’ statement also made reference to Brexit, noting: “There are millions of EU citizens living in the UK and millions of UK citizens living across the EU.
“Mindful of the uncertainty affecting them, candidates should commit to working towards delivering stability and security for them in future.”
Meanwhile, for us laity at parish level, the reality of having Polish families and friends facing the possibility of deportation in the near future is deeply worrying. Yet, that’s not to say that issues such as Brexit and Trident will cause the entire catholic community to simply fall into line and vote SNP.
If the Tories do indeed want to push catholic voters towards republicanism and nationalism then they are going the right way about it.
In reality, the wider faith community has the same complaints about Scottish Government cuts to education and hospitals as everyone else. It also still harbours concerns and suspicions about a strain of strong secularism which is hostile to faith schools, running through both the SNP and Corbyn’s Momentum-controlled Labour.
That’s why SNP Deputy First Minister John Swinney’s recent comments praising Scotland’s Catholic schools, applauding their “positive contribution” to Scottish society, came as a welcome response to SNP MP Tommy Sheppard’s call to end faith schools.
On the whole, there’s not much for the catholic community (or anyone else) to get excited about or feel positive about in this upcoming General Election or within the future of our politics in general.
Nonetheless, the Tories need to act now to change their direction of travel, regardless of whoever wins the election.
Picture courtesy of the Scottish Parliament
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