caltonjock

 

 

 

Douglas Gordon Ross:

He was born in Aberdeen in 1983 and educated at Forres Academy and the Scottish Agricultural College.

His early years were spent on a dairy farm near Forres where his father worked as a cattleman.

On completing his secondary education he completed a 4-year course at Agriculture College returning to dairy farming to continue his career as a dairyman.

He maintains links with influential people of like mind, within the farming and forestry communities in the North East of Scotland.

He is a professional football referee, officiating in the Scottish Premiership and international soccer tournaments earning up to £40,000 a year as a self-employed specialist assistant football referee.

He was widely criticized for missing a House of Commons debate on Universal Credit in October 2017, due to his commitments in Europe as a football referee after which he was forced to undertake not to accept soccer commissions during the working week whilst the UK Parliament was sitting.

His earnings from politics and soccer calculated to be around £130,000  P/A.

 

 

Racism

There were angry scenes at the Scottish parliament,  as a row over unbridled racism in the Conservative Party unfolded.

The row was centred on two Stirling Tory Councillors and Tory MP Douglas Ross.

Robert Davies: Posted several tweets with black and white photographs of a group of black people next to a cargo plane. His comments included “keep your loincloths with you at all times. Spears go in the overhead locker”.

Alastair Majury: Made public comments comparing Scottish nationalists to Nazis, attacking benefit claimants, and saying the SNP was too busy talking about gay marriage.

Both politicians were suspended from the Tory Party in Scotland but silently reinstated after only 3 months

Compounding the issue Douglas Ross stepped up and lambasted Scottish gypsy’s, stating he would “like to see much tougher enforcement against Gypsy travellers who are Scotlands oldest ethnic minority being in the country for over 400 years”.

The Scottish Football Association launched a disciplinary investigation into his remarks, following which he received a warning about bringing professional football into disrepute and told to clean up his act.

But Ross couldn’t let the matter rest and saying that the gypsy problems in the North East of Scotland needed to be more openly discussed.

This sparked comment from Lynne Tammi of Open Democracy which is added below.

 

 

 

 

28 Aug 2017: The new Tory MP for Moray has long sought to crush one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in his constituency.

If you were prime minister for the day, without any repercussions, what would you do?” In reply, Ross said: “I would like to see tougher enforcement against gypsy travellers”.

The lexicon of ‘solution groups’ is not new. As history demonstrates, ‘solutionists’ have always been amongst us, always in search of problem groups to scapegoat or further a ‘party’ agenda – as Hitler did.

Europe’s Roma and Sinti people (Gypsies) were targeted by the Nazis for total destruction.

Upward of 200,000 Roma and Sinti were murdered or died as a result of starvation or disease.

Many more were imprisoned, used as forced labour or subject to forced sterilization and medical experimentation.

In June 1936, a Central Office to ‘Combat the Gypsy Nuisance’ opened in Munich and later that year, Berlin police were given the authority to conduct raids against Gypsies so that they would not mar the image of the city as the host of the summer Olympic Games.

Douglas Ross’ interview with Good Morning Scotland did little to redeem his statement.

Whilst apologizing “for saying that would be a number one priority as prime minister” he went on to state that [roadside encampments] are a “blight on our community” and current laws and protections make it difficult to get “get rid of them”.

We must assume then that calling for tougher enforcement against Gypsy/Travellers was not a ‘slip of the tongue’ response during a quick-fire question and answer session but rather was a topic at the forefront of his mind.

If further evidence is required, a quick internet search reveals that Gypsy/Travellers have long been in Douglas Ross’ sightline.

During his time as an elected representative of the Moray Council, he consistently argued against planning applications for public and private sites.

In response to Council proposals for a public site, he stated: “The local communities have rallied against the councils’ proposals and this is an excellent result for them, but I believe the money spent on the consultation could have been saved as neither site was ever suitable as a travellers halting site.”

A year later, responding to the outcomes of a planning application for a private site by a local Gypsy/Traveller family, he again pointed to the unsuitability of a chosen location, saying “This has been a long battle but I’m glad at the end of the day the Scottish Government Reporter has confirmed this is an inappropriate location for a travellers’ site”.

Six years down the line, and now an MSP for Highlands and Islands, he would appear to be calling for the cleansing of Gypsy/Travellers from the region he represents, saying, “My biggest concern is that, if we keep providing more and more facilities at unauthorized sites, it’s just going to encourage more to set up when we should be doing what we can to discourage them because they are a blight on communities.”

But it may well be that he is fully cognizant with the depressing Scottish Government and Census statistics which demonstrate that Gypsy/Travellers experience much poorer health outcomes than other communities.

Are more likely than the general population to have limiting long-term health problems or disabilities and that young Gypsy/Travellers have amongst the lowest attainment rates in Scottish education.

Indeed, it may well be that rather than reinforcing dangerous myths and stereotypes he is in fact attempting to create a platform whereby a strategy can be developed to ensure that Scotland’s oldest ethnic minority community can access core services such as health and education with greater ease than a life of constant ‘shifting’ provides for and have a place to ‘call home’ reflective of their culture and traditions.

What I am certain of though is that he is wrong to state, “no-one is willing to discuss this important issue”.

I am happy to oblige. In terms of Gypsy/Travellers in Moray: if not here, then where? (lynne-tammi – opendemocracy)

 

 

 

Ross and the EU Referendum

Moray voted to remain in the European Union, albeit narrowly. The turnout was lower than is usual for the area.

The “leave” campaign focussed their efforts on broadcasting a message that the European Fisheries policy would no longer be applicable to Scotland and all fish in Scottish waters would once more be landed at the ports of North East Scotland. A return to days of riches guaranteed.

Voters in Buckie, Lossiemouth, Burghead, Hopeman, and Cullen succumbed to the lies of the Leave campaign and strongly backed leaving the union.

But the residents of Findhorn turned out in strength and voted in favour of “Remain”, overturning the other majority

Describing himself as a “reluctant Remainer” he said his agricultural background had led him to disapprove of the “red tape” imposed by Brussels, stating:

“I didn’t campaign in the EU referendum at all. I was a lot less motivated to persuade people to back “Remain” than for Scotland to stay part of the UK.  I wasn’t convinced by the arguments to “Leave” at that time, but I’m a democrat as well and I respect the view of the UK people.  While I think there will be challenges to leaving the EU, I also think there are opportunities”.

He said:

“I wasn’t convinced by the arguments to Leave, but I’m a democrat as well and I respect the view of the UK people.”

He professes to be a democrat and as such he intends to respect the view of the UK people. Note the play on words.

But he is a Scottish MP representing the voters of the Moray constituency. His binding loyalty should be to those who returned him to Westminster.

 

 

 

Political Career

He was first elected to Moray council in 2007, representing the Fochabers-Lhanbryde ward, and became part of the Tory-led coalition council.

He resigned from the council administration in December 2009, but continued as a Councillor.

In 2012 he was re-elected to the Moray council and again became part of the ruling administration group, but was ‘ousted’ from it in 2014, following an acrimonious debate about school closures.

He was unsuccessful when he stood as the Conservative candidate in the Moray constituency in the 2010 and 2015 General Elections.

He was also unsuccessful in his bid for election to the Scottish parliament in 2011 and 2016.

But his connections ensured he would be added to the Tory “List” and he was selected to be a Tory MSP for the Highlands and Islands in May 2016.

In his short time at Holyrood he was appointed Shadow Minister for Justice and was criticized for being absent from parliamentary duties, skipping a crunch vote and a meeting of the Justice Committee because of his soccer commitments.

He stood again in the 2017 UK general election for the seat of Moray and was elected to office.

He resigned his List MSP post under a year after being been appointed.

“Made it Ma!! Top of the world”

 

 

 

Ross – The Local Councillor – Moray Council -Same-Sex Marriage

Fochabers/Lhanbryde councillor Sean Morton delivered a statement to the full Council calling on the local authority to show its support for the decision taken at Holyrood earlier this week that made Scotland the 17th world nation to make same-sex marriage legal.

The openly gay Councillor added that he could only have dreamed that one day he would live in a society that allowed loving couples to marry regardless of their sex. He also expressed his thanks to Richard Lochhead for supporting the bill.

Councillor Douglas Ross voiced a different view, saying:

“While it is right and proper that we recognize the momentous achievement, we also recognize that there were hundreds of thousands of people in Moray and Scotland who opposed this.”

Sour grapes methinks!!!

 

 

 

2014: Ross Sacked By Moray Council

Ross was barred from the ruling administration group and removed from his role as chairman of the council’s police and fire and rescue services committee and planning committee.

The convener said the decision to remove Ross from the administration group resulted from the fact that he had:

“actively canvassed against the administration’s ambitions and had shown no wish to be aligned with the general direction that the administration group had taken”.

In his letter, the convener added:

“I regret that this course of action has become necessary, however, the group can see no way forward until we have made it clear that the views he  holds publicly are not those of the administration.”

His dismissal came shortly after the defeat of plans to reorganize the school estate.

He was also a member of the previous council administration following the election in 2007 but resigned two years later citing disagreements with their decisions and expressing a desire to be able to speak freely on matters.

 

 

 

His short time as an MSP

May 2016: He was named shadow cabinet secretary for justice in the Ruth Davidson’s shadow cabinet and vowed to fight against centralization.

Fine, if he intended to fight against the ever-increasing Westminster devolution but he was happy with that. Its the SNP he was after.

He said:

“At the election, we were returned as the main opposition party on a pledge to hold the SNP government to account and I’m looking forward to getting involved in all the areas included in this significant brief.”

 

 

 

 

Ross – In the Commons

Many of his contributions comprise the usual Tory banal rhetoric attacking the record of the SNP in Scotland oft referring to devolved matters which have no agenda for discussion in the House of Commons.

Where his contributions were relevant the content was tainted by his right-wing views and grandstanding, exposing his desire to impress his Lords and masters of the Tory party.

He is a member of the “Armed Forces (Flexible Working) Bill Committee” which has met and debated issues on a number of occasions.

Ross has yet to speak in any debate.

Reading of debate contributions is highly recommended since it provides information relevant to the perilous state of HM forces under the Tory government.

Carilion PLC (since gone bust) gets more than a mention being severely criticized for the appalling state of military accommodation and married quarters throughout the UK.

Recruitment and retention are well below target and many experienced servicemen are departing the military having had enough of cuts to weapons replacement programmes and endless deployment to combat missions and “showcase” exercises without adequate rest. The military is in

He consistently votes against more EU integration

He consistently votes against any future referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU

He consistently votes against a right to remain for EU nationals already in living in the UK

He consistently votes against UK continued membership of the EU

He consistently votes against transferring any more powers to the Scottish Parliament.

 

 

 

His Financial supporters (mainly dark money)

Name of donor: Alasdair Laing: Address: private. Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000

Name of donor: Scottish Unionist Association Trust. Address: Glasgow G52. Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £7,500. Donor status: Tory party, friendly society.

This is the Tory “Dark Money” fund that provides financial support to all Tory candidates.

But the source of the funding is unknown despite numerous formal requests from the Electoral Commission.

A useless toothless organization set-up to protect the state, not the electorate.

Name of donor: Stalbury Trustees. Address: London W1J. Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £10,000.

Donor status: Tory Party Political Company.

Another “Dark Money organization, reputedly run from a piggery in East Anglia.

Name of donor: John Martin. Address: private. Amount of donation or nature and value if donation in kind: £5,000.

More detail here:

(https://theferret.scot/tory-dark-money-trust-address-trustees/)

 

 

 

 

Visits to Israel and the Occupied West Bank

Donor: Conservative Friends of Israel Ltd.  London SW1P.

The estimate of the probable value (or amount of any donation): Travel and accommodation with a value of £2,000.

Destination of the visit. Israel and the West Bank. Dates of visit: 31 July – 5 August 2016. Purpose of the visit. A fact-finding mission for Scottish Conservative MSP’s.

Their week-long visit to the West Bank breached UN rules forbidding visits by politicians to the illegally occupied West Bank.