Mhari Black - in a class of her own

I went to school in Paisley and lived there for years. I wrote a similar letter to the FT after reading Paxo’s nauseating rubbish about Black growing up amidst ‘post-industrial deprivation’. He would never have fawned over any other politician. I know she’s young, but she’s drawing the same wages (and expenses) as the rest, so deserves the same level of scrutiny – particularly in respect to her claims with regard to her background.

John-Paul Marney, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

I’m beginning to wonder if the Scots psyche actually enjoys the situation of servitude and submissive loyalty to the “Chieftain”. The sense of National victimhood is all pervasive and the blame culture is rampant, predominant and successfully exploited by the Chieftain elite and their cronies with hardly a murmur of discontent.

It would seem that any Scots politician, by wrapping himself in Nationalist ideology, can enjoy electoral success whether or not their leadership is beneficial to their serfs or not. If we had had a Tory government in Holyrood for the last 8 years instead of an SNP one and had we been looking at the state Scotland as it is in now, there would have been howls of anguish, revulsion and insurrection!

Yet not a bit of it. It looks like your average jock is prepared to go belly up and take a hammering if the Chieftain says so.

Iain Richmond, Dundee, Scotland, UK

Regarding your article “Why is Mhairi Black pretending to be working class,” do you have any evidence that what she said was untrue?  Do you have something to prove she was not, as she says,  “A chip shop fryer”? Just because her father was a teacher and she has a degree doesn’t mean she never worked in a chip shop. It doesn’t mean that she hasn’t achieved something phenomenal.  Whether or not you agree with the politics of the SNP, personal attacks on their MPs are unpleasant.

Angela Kay, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

She mentioned it, presumably, because that was her job at the time she became a candidate. Of course many had these sorts of jobs when her age. What is remarkable is that she went from chip shop worker straight to MP. Surely you must admit this is unusual and remarkable. And as was her point, this jump is indicative of Scotland’s transformation.

Aimee Cullyvan, Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK

Mhairi Black is from a hard working but thoroughly working class background. Similar to my own. Emerging from the 60s we did buy a house. It was clean and nicely furnished. By the 80s we started to have things like dish washers. But we are still eating the food we buy each week purchased with the money we make each week. Just because she didn’t arrive at Westminster cold and hungry doesn’t make her less working class. Iain Martin confuses working class with underclass. SNP policies are geared towards bringing in from the cold, those unemployed people living in poverty and without hope in the current economic and political situation.

Thomas Moore, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

I congratulate Iain Martin for his ability, displayed so ably in his  article on Mhairi Black (17/10/15), to turn any circumstance into an excuse to discuss a favourite topic. It’s a fine technique for deployment at tedious dinner parties, and for publication in CapX.

Indeed, as he is so happy to tell us, Martin is a serial botherer of Black and those who he feels fête her. His letter to the Financial Times about Black pulls a similar trick, making much fuss about a claim that she lives in a housing scheme, a claim which in fact was never made.

I was fortunate enough to be present for Black’s speech to the SNP conference in Aberdeen. I hasten to add that I am not a party member. The projection by much of the media of Scottish nationalists as drooling Morlocks with an unthinking appreciation of their leaders means I feel I have to make this clear. I attend in my capacity as a journalist.

Black was not “pretending to be working class” when she said she was a “chip-shop fryer”. As the words from the speech make absolutely clear, Black was commenting on the short space of time between her working in a chip shop and her entering the House of Commons.

Her father’s business ownership makes her identifiably middle class, but neither her father’s business (unless it is very substantial), nor her university education would have traditionally made her a very realistic candidate for being a member of the UK parliament.

Douglas Alexander, the man Black defeated to represent Paisley, like most politicians has spent much of his life building and nurturing a political career. It is worthy of mention therefore that in the aftermath of the referendum several people who have not spent their lives in this way, among them Chris Law, Philippa Whitford, George Kerevan and Tommy Sheppard, have won seats. This is undoubtedly because of the Independence referendum, which brought these people, Black included, to politics.

The conservative movement’s petty obsession with characterising people who disagree with its worldview as charlatans may be a baneful one. But Martin’s is a ready response to a country which is increasingly turning its back on the political right.

David Jamieson , Glasgow, Scotland, UK     |    @David_Jamieson7

Just because your parents have made something of themselves despite being brought up in working class families and have managed to earn enough to buy themselves a nice home doesn’t change the fact they are from working class backgrounds with working class perspectives.   Marie Black may have had a more privileged upbringing than her parents.  That’s not uncommon.   The fact that Marie Black doesn’t consider herself a better class as a consequence of her upbringing but prefers to acknowledge, raise awareness, speak out and fight for the injustices that affect poorer families is surely to her credit, rather than adopting a snobbish pretentious middle class attitude, in denial of her working class roots.

Ann Robinson, Stirling, Scotland, UK

J.K.'s home truths

J.K. Rowling and her heroic attack on the wicked cybernats. Are you prepared to guarantee that anyone providing an opinion on Mr Massie’s piece won’t be subjected to the level of abuse to which he resorts when faced with any criticism? Vile abuse may be distasteful. Accepting money for doing it, and calling it a profession, is despicable.

Scott Dander, London, UK

I have never read so much rubbish in my life.  I personally condemn on-line abuse.  However this author seems to want you to believe it’s a one way street and the only people guilty of wrongful practices are independence supporters. In fact if you look closely at the issue you will find that it is unionists who are the most abusive and in fact several have been charged and convicted of offences.  This man lives in a self constructed ivory tower using isolated incidents to try and blacken the name of those who actually believe in Scotland and who are not happy with our “region” status promoted by the likes of himself.

Colin Laing , Portree, Scotland, UK

What is infuriating about the ‘Reverend’ Stuart Campbell and his ridiculous Wings over Scotland is that he lives in Bath, Yes Bath, the epitome of Englisness. He’s also unemployed, lives with six rats apparently and has absolutely no right to claim to speak for those of us who live, work and struggle in Scotland with a failing NHS, education system (I’m a teacher), an inefficient police force and a sense of bitterness that pervades everything up here now. A nation divided is what the SNP wanted and that’s what they’ve got.

David Elgin , Moray, Scotland, UK

I agree with the sentiments against cyber-abuse. The so called cybernats spewing bile at what they see are unionists do the independence cause no good at all. But we have to have some balance here. Investigations into online abuse during the referendum found that you were more likely to suffer online abuse if you were on the Yes side. Death threats were issued to Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Jim Sillars. We saw quite clearly but scarcely reported the ‘Celebrations’ of union supporters in George Square on the 19 Sept 2014. Part of the problem is the completely biased reporting of the mainstream media. It leaves many on the nationalist side feeling absolute frustration. That said there is absolutely no excuse for any online abuse by either side in this continuing debate. Perhaps a little more reporting of the vile supporters for the Union in Britain First, BNP and the Orange Order wouldn’t go amiss. The BBC has been caught red handed by one side of this debate for its completely biased reporting on the referendum. STV in contrast managed to steer a middle line and demonstrated the best aspects of journalism when dealing with controversial issues. Rounding on one side of the debate isn’t journalism whether it’s online or not.

Ian Downie, Ayr, Scotland, UK

I feel it is very pertinent that the SNP talk about nationalists as there is a very relevant quote made by Charles De Gaulle, “patriotism is when the love of your own people comes first, nationalism is when hate for people other than your own comes first”. I voted No, but I am a patriot and I voted that way purely based on my patriotic duty to ensure my country is not ruined by a party with one goal, regardless of the consequences.

Craig Scott , Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK