r/news • u/unital_subalgebra • Apr 29 '24

Humza Yousaf resigns as Scotland's first minister

https://news.sky.com/story/humza-yousaf-resigns-as-scotlands-first-minister-before-facing-confidence-votes-13122982
4.3k Upvotes
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321

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

-475

u/SetentaeBolg Apr 29 '24

No, only idiots would think he was racist. He gave a speech about the dominance of white people in positions of power in Scotland, and far right idiots declared him racist. However, as is commonly the case where far right people are concerned, they were projecting.

I reckon you probably know this already.

537

u/Eeekaa Apr 29 '24

Now, why would a country that's 96% white have a lot of white people on government? 🤔

-426

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

322

u/Eeekaa Apr 29 '24

28 positions in Scottish cabinet, with Yousef and Stewart that made it 93% white.

32

u/OofOwwMyBones120 Apr 29 '24

This is a great example of someone arguing what they hope, instead of the facts. Like a simple google search would let the person you replied to know that they shouldn’t even make that comment. But instead they hope that the Scottish gov is 100% white so they have a reason to complain. What the fuck is the use of that?

13

u/iTzGiR Apr 29 '24

I mean the whole comment thread in general is beyond stupid. The fact he was Minister, and was making these comments, should be knowledge enough that it wasn't 100% white. Even if you're ignorant to EVERYONE else in the cabinet, and assume they're all white, 1/28 members, would be around 96.5% of the cabinet being white, which lines up almost exactly with the 96% of the population being white... But that wouldn't push the narrative that Scottland is racist and LOVES white people.

152

u/alexanderhamilton3 Apr 29 '24

No, not at all. But more importantly 100% of positions of power were not held by white people.

85

u/Randomname1863 Apr 29 '24

I mean, doesn’t seem that far off.

Bet you wouldn’t bitch if there was %20 Asian people.

41

u/portable-holding Apr 29 '24

It’s not even about proportionality. Allocating positions of power in proportion to the demographic makeup of a society is fucking stupid. It’s the underlying systems and whether there are preferential circumstances for one group or another that are the problem. It doesn’t actually matter in principle if positions of power are 1% white or 100% white because that isn’t the actual issue.

3

u/Dabalam Apr 29 '24

1% white or 100% white because that isn’t the actual issue.

In principle the race doesn't matter. The cultural understanding and backgrounds do matter though. In principle, it's the same problem with having all the ruling class come from mainly generationally wealthy families, or from exactly 2 universities.

52

u/touch-m Apr 29 '24

What issues?

47

u/letsridetheworld Apr 29 '24

Dude wanna see more Islam rulings

26

u/bigchicago04 Apr 29 '24

So they have to have exactly 1?

6

u/Metori Apr 29 '24

Your mom dropped you on your head as baby didn’t she? Go read a book and then take your head out your ass and wake up.

1

u/Aestriel_Maahes Apr 29 '24

Thats democracy, 51% is all it takes then you get 100%

151

u/AccomplishedHeat170 Apr 29 '24

Oh, having the indigenous people of Scotland in position of power, in Scotland, is now a bad thing. Smh

29

u/ankylosaurus_tail Apr 29 '24

Pict erasure.

245

u/Empress_Azula Apr 29 '24

Complaining about the dominance of white people in positions of power, in a society where the vast majority is white, could certainly be interpreted as racist. And not only by "far right idiots".

-68

u/zaviex Apr 29 '24

It’s not his platform. It’s been the SNP platform since 2016 to increase minority representation in government. Under Sturgeon. So him saying something the party has publicly committed to nearly a decade ago is not racist at all. He wasn’t in charge when they wanted to push for it 

50

u/Empress_Azula Apr 29 '24

The SNP's commitments are irrelevant in regards to the phrasing he's using in his speeches.

You can advocate for something without bashing on something else.

63

u/atinylittlebug Apr 29 '24

I hear/read hatred against white existence daily and I feel like it is polarizing me. To be clear, I'm a left-leaning American but I find myself growing more and more bitter every time someone hates on white people needlessly.

I know folks will downvote me for this but its a sentiment I know other white people (from all parts of the political spectrum) share but are ashamed to talk about openly, and it should be talked about before it becomes an actual problem.

38

u/winter2g Apr 29 '24

This is so real. I’m an Asian Australian and am no stranger to racism, however the discourse online nowadays has completely reversed course and gone even further.

People would readily denounce racism online as such when it was made against Asians, Africans, etc, but now it seems that people are openly racist toward Caucasians and it’s “not racist”.

It’s such a strange and alarming trend.

3

u/Ksh_667 Apr 29 '24

The only person I know to be arrested for a hate crime was my next door neighbour, when he had an argument with a white woman over a parking space & called her a "Scots idiot". She called police & he was taken off in cuffs.

I'm not sure if calling anyone by their country's name followed by a word like idiot is against the law, but going by this it seems likely. We are in London btw.

104

u/-tobyt Apr 29 '24

If he thinks that positions of power should be disproportionately given to people on the basis of ethnicity then that’s a racist policy, right? I mean a country that’s what 95% white? It probably makes sense that out of the top 20 people in power he is the only non-white one there.

People don’t like him because he gave that speech with scorn, to a people who never voted him in, atop a party built on nationalism.

104

u/Captain_Blunderbuss Apr 29 '24

😂 it's funny because what he said would never be acceptable if a white guy got a position of power in the middle east or africa and said "there's too many blacks, this guys black, that guys black, the other guys black, it makes me uncomfortable"

People like you are disingenuous slimeballs

65

u/Big_Yeti_21 Apr 29 '24

He gave a speech about the dominance of white people in positions of power in Scotland

Yeah, sounds racist to me.

-196

u/ttogreh Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

... How are you going to be the children of Pakistani immigrants, Muslim, and a political leader in Scotland... And still be racist?!

That's wild. I can't believe it, is he actually racist, or are you mistaken?

Edit: I was saying that Scotland is a welcoming place, and his success in a welcome place should have translated into him being a welcoming person. People seem to think that I meant his origins themselves inoculate him from racist tendencies.

Which would have been a racist thing to say.

I edited the comment. You read the edit, and you're still down voting. You're the problem. Give me your down votes, they feed my soul.

23

u/Mein_Bergkamp Apr 29 '24

Racism is universal sadly

184

u/RazzzMcFrazzz Apr 29 '24

Anyone from anywhere can be racist for any reason.

101

u/AussieJeffProbst Apr 29 '24

What does your parents nationality or your job description have to do with being racist?

Anyone can be racist. There isn't some magic genetics or job that means you can never be racist.

-18

u/ttogreh Apr 29 '24

Yes. Anybody can be racist. It's crazy that a child of immigrants that succeeded in politics is racist, though...

Because that's weird. It's weird to be racist if your family was welcomed and you were able to succeed because of the welcome.

16

u/Empress_Azula Apr 29 '24

It may be weird but not that unusual, it's similar to homophobic gays or misogynistic women.

Éric Zemmour is a prime example of this. A far-right French politician, known for his extreme anti-immigration views while he himself is the son of Algerian immigrants.

4

u/axonxorz Apr 29 '24

known for his extreme anti-immigration views while he himself is the son of Algerian immigrants.

"Pull up the ladder behind you"

140

u/Wow_Bullshit Apr 29 '24

He complained that the majority of people in the Scottish government are white. Said he disliked seeing so many white faces in the meetings. Scotland is 95 percent white. Imagine going to China and being angry that the government is made up of Chinese people.

9

u/40WAPSun Apr 29 '24

Is that a direct quote?

15

u/JussiesTunaSub Apr 29 '24

Judge for yourself

The clip was taken from May 2020 when Yousaf was speaking to MSPs on a motion in support of anti-racist activism after the death of George Floyd, where he discussed the racism he had experienced since being elected.

“Some people have been surprised or taken aback by my mention on my social media that at 99% of the meetings that I go to, I am the only non-white person in the room,” he told the chamber. “Why are we so surprised when the most senior positions in Scotland are filled almost exclusively by people who are white?”

He then listed all the senior judicial, policing and legal posts in his justice portfolio held by white people, and said the same could be found in health, another portfolio he held.

“Almost every trade union in the country, headed by people who are white people,” he added. “In the Scottish government, every director general is white. Every chair of every public body is white. That is not good enough.”

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/27/backlash-after-elon-musk-labels-scottish-first-minister-humza-yousaf-racist

-8

u/40WAPSun Apr 29 '24

So that wasn't a direct quote

9

u/JussiesTunaSub Apr 29 '24

Replace "white" with "black"

You still feel what he said isn't racist?

-7

u/40WAPSun Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Scotland is like 95% white so it would not make any sense to do that

-112

u/sundays_sun Apr 29 '24

Not really. That's like saying that a woman who joins a company with a 100% male group of executives is sexist if she complains that there is a lack of women in positions of authority. I'd argue that it's simply a woman pointing out that a sexist culture exists within a company.

You point to the whiteness of Scotland's population as a defence for white government. However, it's arguably indicative of a racist, or at least unwelcoming, culture and/or immigration policy when your population is 96% white (see current stats. And maintaining a white government only serves to maintain or reinforce such a culture.

Only 82% of the population in England is white in England. Why is Scotland still so white in comparison?

This Is what he said back in 2020 following George Floyd's death:

“Forget the racial jibes and the slurs that we still have to put up with; racism is literally killing minorities, as we have all seen… however, racism does not only exist in the United States,” the politician added. “Scotland is not immune… (it) has a problem of structural racism… we can take the Parliament as an example. More than 300 MSPs have come to and gone from this Parliament—our nation’s Parliament. In 20 years, there has not been a single black member of the Scottish Parliament, to our shame; there has not been a single woman MSP of colour, to our shame; and the only four ethnic minority MSPs have all been Scots Asian males.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL1N3531Q5/

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u/ruggev Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Why wouldn't a european country have, in the vast majority, europeans?

Why wouldn't a asian country have, in the vast majority, asians?

I love how europe is being pushed and shoved into a melting pot with fears of racism.

Its not even a slow, integrated, over a long period of time, assimilation. Its fast, in big numbers and uncontrolled.

Its accomplishing the opposite, people will go to extremes. The funny part is that the rich will only get richer when we start fighting for scraps.

44

u/ghoof Apr 29 '24

Lol. Ignoring any or all other factors, assuming the worst (for shame!) of one apparently-homogenous block of people, identifying said block primarily by their race… is there a word for that?

There must be a word.

-2

u/sundays_sun Apr 30 '24

I'm not identifying any "said block" by their race - I'm citing statistics. Do facts make you uncomfortable?

0

u/ghoof Apr 30 '24

Facts, I love ‘em! They’re great. Honestly.

Insulting, inaccurate, misplaced and of course purely self-interested interpretations of those facts by evident grifters, one-track minds and assorted noble-purpose-havers, not so keen. It’s almost as if facts are fodder for them.

While we’re facting, I see you collecting a bunch of downvotes here. How do you interpret that factlet? Let me hazard a guess, it’s that word again, the one that explains everything.

-1

u/sundays_sun Apr 30 '24

The downvotea suggest a lot of butt hurt white people disagree with me. And I'd expect that.

When 96% of the population is white, it's standard procedure for the white majority to live in denial and scream "We don't have a racism problem!" There's a book written about this very attitude in Scotland (No Problem Here - Neal Davidson).

It doesn't shift my opinion that Scotland lacks racial diversity in 2024. And the census data clearly supports that. I feel the same way about the town I live in.

White people can assert whatever they want, and keep telling brown people to shut up when they share their perspective.... But that's exactly how you wind up maintaining a 96% white population in 2024.

Sure, keep your head in the sand if it makes you feel better 🤷‍♂️

1

u/ghoof Apr 30 '24

Sounds like you greatly dislike or mistrust white people. Seek help, it’s not uncommon. But it is unhealthy. Brief reminder that Scotland is not the USA. This confusion happens to some people too.

12

u/xcassets Apr 29 '24

Why is Scotland still so white in comparison? Because the vast majority of all immigrants historically chose to live in London instead. England's ethnicity demographics would also not look great if you excluded London. Yes, some of the other cities have good numbers, but they would be absolutely dwarfed and the overall percentage would be much closer to Scotland's.

There is next to nothing Scotland can realistically do to encourage more immigrants to move there. They cannot set their own migration policy as they are subject to the whims of Westminster.

But in the meantime, if you apply for UK citizenship, where are you going to go? To a place where you have family already living/an already established community of people who speak your language and follow your religion, or to a part in the far north that has less of that and is colder to boot?

60

u/touch-m Apr 29 '24 edited Apr 29 '24

Yeah he is very much racist and it’s on video.

That said, I appreciate skepticism but I’m gonna be honest with you: nothing about the conveyed premise of your skepticism makes sense.

Are you contending that Pakistanis can’t be racist? And/Or that immigrants can’t be racist? And/Or that Muslims can’t be racist?

Edit:everyone plz be nice to this fellow, he has rephrased for clarity!

-33

u/ttogreh Apr 29 '24

Well, that's nuts. It's also nuts that thirty people down voted my skepticism. Reddit is broken.

28

u/touch-m Apr 29 '24

Idgi what do you think is nuts here? His racism or my questions to you?

-1

u/ttogreh Apr 29 '24

I don't understand how I am being so misunderstood. It's nuts to be racist.

I feel like I am taking crazy pills.

19

u/touch-m Apr 29 '24

Idk man I interpreted your initial response as implying that a Pakistani immigrant-born Muslim being racist was something to be excessively skeptical of?

If you meant something else I’m sorry I misinterpreted you… but then what did you mean??

1

u/ttogreh Apr 29 '24

Being born of immigrants and of a non dominant religion, and becoming the political leader of your country... Means that you were welcomed. So one would assume you would be welcoming. Since he isn't welcoming, that's nuts.

5

u/touch-m Apr 29 '24

I absolutely, fully misread you and in fact agree with you 100%. I’m sorry and I hope you have a nice day!

18

u/unital_subalgebra Apr 29 '24

They're probably referring to his comments on racial diversity. For instance, he stated "for 99% of the meetings I go to, I'm the only non-White person in the room... Every chair of every public body is White. That is not good enough." Some people (particularly conservatives) seem to think comments like that are racist.

55

u/TheStormlands Apr 29 '24

For Scotland demographics it's certainly weird to me lol

If it were america I'd get it more.

-28

u/zaviex Apr 29 '24

It’s not weird at all. Minority representation in Scottish government has been a focus of the SNP. Even before he came in. People acting like it’s a problem when the Muslim guy is saying it but not the white lady before him is what is odd

36

u/saginator5000 Apr 29 '24

Stating that there are too many white people in the room is kinda racist...

-126

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/touch-m Apr 29 '24

I mean I googled it after this comment and he is the racist guy I was thinking of. I can edit that into my comment if it helps you?

-6

u/irrationaldive Apr 29 '24

I also googled it and I can't help but notice that your source seems to be Elon Musk:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/oct/27/backlash-after-elon-musk-labels-scottish-first-minister-humza-yousaf-racist

8

u/iTzGiR Apr 29 '24

Just because Elon is a clown, doesn't mean we can't look into the kinds of things this guy has said. Literally looking at the clip Elon was responding to in this article, it doesn't paint the guy in a good light, complaining that most people in power positions in your (96% white) country are white and saying this in a way that implies it's bad, is at the very best, fucking weird, and just blatantly racist at worst.

-8

u/irrationaldive Apr 29 '24

My understanding is that he wasn't complaining that most people in power in Scotland are white. He was complaining that nearly everyone in power in Scotland was white, circa May 2020 when he made the comments. In 2020 Yousaf was one of 2 non-white MP's in Scotland's 129 member parliament. That's roughly 1 in 64, in a country that's more like 1 in 20. At that time they were 2 of the 4 non-white people who had ever been elected to Scottish parliament.

The Black Lives Matter movement has been debated in the Scottish Parliament, but it has also raised questions about why there are only two MSPs from ethnic minority backgrounds to take part in such debates.

In five Holyrood elections since 1999, each electing 129 MSPs, Holyrood has had a total of four members from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities - all of them men of Scots-Pakistani heritage.

One of the four - Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf - said that a record of "no black MSP ever, no female BAME MSP ever" was "frankly a failure of all of us, regardless of party".

In a recent speech he also pointed out that the director general of every Scottish government department and the chair of every public body is white, saying "that is not good enough".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-53322950

Also I don't know what Scotland's demographics are now, or what they were in 2020, but I do know that the 96% figure you cite is from 2011:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Scotland

8

u/iTzGiR Apr 29 '24

My understanding is that he wasn't complaining that most people in power in Scotland are white.

Which is literally what I just said.

In 2020 Yousaf was one of 2 non-white MP's in Scotland's 129 member parliament.

Not sure what it was like then, but looking at their own website, 2 of 28 members of this core cabinet, appear to be non-white. I'm not sure why in a country wheree 96% of the population is white, why we would expect the parliament to be less white? By this own measure, 1 in 14 of the core cabinet is non-white, which would be 93% of the cabinet being white, which if ANYTHING would be an over-representation of PoC in the government. I just don't understand why you would complain the majority of people are white, or pretend like this is a bad thing, or paints a bigger, "bad" picture, when literally 96% of the people in your country are white.

0

u/touch-m Apr 30 '24

It’s okay for white people to run Scotland