A controversial foreign billionaire who was accused of ploughing money into Remainer groups appears to be backing Humza Yousaf’s latest plot to get Scottish independence.
American / Hungarian billionaire George Soros’ leftwing anti-Brexit Open Democracy organisation was one of the main backers of a “Break Up of Britain” conference in Edinburgh yesterday (Saturday November 18).
Setting out its aims, the conference blurb stated: “The greatest danger to our democracy is the status quo. A once suffocating but stable British consensus has been replaced by an increasingly authoritarian state coordinating assaults on immigrants, the labour movement and the right to protest.
“Meanwhile, Scotland is trapped in an involuntary union, Wales strains for more autonomy, and Northern Ireland is held hostage.”
The conference involved a number of politicians from the SNP, Marxist former Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Labour MP Clive Lewis.
But, most worryingly for critics, was the involvement of George Soros’ Open Democracy whose Adam Ramsay chaired an event with the globalist organisation livestreaming the whole conference as one of its major sponsors.
Mr Ramsay – who describes himself as a “posh, socialist, dyslexic journalist” Tweeted: “I’m really excited about our conference at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms tomorrow – “the Break up of Britain?”. @CarolineLucas, @mlothianmclean, @LeanneWood, @labourlewis and many more speaking – it’s nearly full.”
Later he noted that the average age of the conference was “on the high side” but pointed out that it was being held in honour of Scottish nationalist academic Tom Nairn, who died this year at 90.
Among the items being discussed were “Can Europe be Complete Without Scotland?”; “The Rise of Sinn Féin and the Prospects for a United Ireland”; “Where the [pro-Scottish independence] Yes Campaign Goes From Here”; and “The SNP After Sturgeon, and Labour Under Starmer”.
But the involvement of Soros’ organisation has set off alarm bells amid concerns he could back SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf’s flagging attempts to get Scottish Independence.
With remaining in the UK ahead in the polls, Mr Yousaf has relaunched his party’s plan for independence and on Friday unveiled a white paper on Scotland joining the EU and having a separate currency.
Dudley North Conservative MP Marco Longhi said: “I think [Soros] should keep his nose out of British politics.”
He went on: “The free will of the people is expressed at the ballot box and this is too easily and conveniently forgotten if not ignored.
“Soros and his money should not be involved in influencing or altering anything that has been agreed through our democratic process.”
Fellow Tory MP Lee Anderson noted: “Just looking at the guest list tells you all you need to know about this event.”
Reform UK leader Richard Tice said: “They hate Britain and British values. We will defeat them. They should go and enjoy living somewhere else.”
Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib said: “The entire conference is abhorrent. The same people who tried to undermine the United Kingdom’s legitimate desire to leave the EU and be a sovereign independent country, now trying to break it up.
“The truth is these people loathe their own country. That is why they paint Brexiteers and unionists as far right nationalists. In doing so they seek to delegitimise us.
“Their hypocrisy in supporting Scottish nationalism is lost on them.”
He added: “It is these same people that proudly boasted the cost of Brexit would be Northern Ireland. Their attitude to the United Kingdom is contemptuous.
“There is an all out assault on our nation state. Our language, history, culture, economy and constitutional integrity are all under attack.
“It is an attack which our political class seems unable or unwilling to identify and resist.
For my part, I will, for as long as I draw breath, fight for the integrity and betterment of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”
Mr Soros has attempted through his various foundations to impose a globalist liberal left agenda by spending his billions.
The billionaire has regularly clashed with his home country Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban because of his opposition to conservatism and nation states.
He has also funded political opponents of Donald Trump. But he gained infamy in the UK when he interfered after the EU referendum and tried to stop Brexit by backing the second referendum campaign.
Nigel Farage said at the time that if there had been a second referendum it would have been “a George Soros referendum”.
