A TORY apparatchik is facing questions after a meeting with a fringe ultra-Unionist group.
Naveed Asghar, who is the deputy chair of the Glasgow Conservative and Unionist Association and a parliamentary staffer, met with Mark Devlin and other members of The Majority at the House for an Art Lover earlier this month.
It is not known what was discussed during the meeting but Asghar, sharing a photo of the rendezvous on Twitter on February 9, said: “ Great to catch up with the team [at The Majority]!
Great to catch up with the team @themajorityscot !
— Naveed Asghar (@naveedasghar) February 9, 2023
Some robust discussions on national politics. Was a pleasure to be invited to speak. pic.twitter.com/P1t6H0uD18
“Some robust discussions on national politics. Was a pleasure to be invited to speak.”
Neither Asghar nor the Scottish Conservatives responded to a request for comment.
But the Scottish Greens suggested it was indicative of a reactionary turn within the Tory party since Brexit.
READ MORE: The Majority's 'expert columnist' vanishes from internet after credentials questioned
A party spokesperson said: “Since the Brexit vote we have seen the emergence of an even more extreme, reactionary and anti-democratic Tory party.
"They have flip-flopped and floundered while delivering terrible economic damage and fuelling the most divisive culture wars to distract from their many failings.
"In 2021 the people of Scotland elected the largest ever majority of pro-independence MSPs.
"It is time for the Scottish Tories and their newfound friends to respect the result, let the people of have their say and see what the majority of Scotland really thinks."
SNP MSP Rona Mackay said: said: “While this alliance might have previously alarmed some Scottish Tories, it is no longer a surprise.
"Under Douglas Ross’s reign the Tories have embarked on a scorched earth policy by aligning with hardline unionists to deny democracy to Scottish voters.
“Scotland has rejected the Tories at every election since the 1950s and boasting about a tie-up with fringe groups such as this is a clear indication of how desperate they are. It won’t work.
"Scotland will have the opportunity to choose a better future free of Westminster control and to be rid of the Tories for good by becoming a happier, fairer and wealthier independent country.”
The Majority are best known for their “Resign Sturgeon” billboard campaign.
They have previously accused pro-UK journalists such as Alex Massie of “appeasement” towards the independence movement for failing to endorse their ultra-Unionist agenda and have advocated for the UK to ban the possibility of Scotland exiting the Union altogether.
In a blog post last year, the group’s founder Mark Devlin called on the UK Government to take an even firmer stance against independence by calling for ministers to completely refuse to engage on the question of Scotland’s future.
He wrote: “No more talk of setting conditions based on random percentages and no more indulgence of separatist narratives like the length of a generation or weasel words like ‘now is not the right time’ or ‘perhaps after the pandemic’ that imply there’s still a chance.
READ MORE: World's top music stars reject invite to play at King Charles's coronation
"No more appeasement. The answer should always be not simply ‘No’, but ‘That’s impossible, we don’t give up on our country’.”
And in another, Devlin took aim at pro-UK columnists at The Times branding its Scottish opinion writers the “Appeasement Division”.
He wrote: “As Brexit fades, Massie’s columns have tended to be more pro-UK, but there’s always that underlying current of ‘If only…’. In July last year he wrote that Sturgeon’s SNP had been engaged in ‘good governance’, that the pandemic ‘has seen her at her finest’, and most tellingly of all, ‘A better nationalism would be larger than this’.
“What is this ‘better nationalism’? These sentiments are mirrored by The Times Separatist-in-Chief, Kenny Farquharson, who, after writing a whole article about how Scottish nationalism is founded on ‘othering’ of the English, says that he would ‘love to be proved wrong’ about it.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel