NEIL Oliver’s audio commentary should be removed from sightseeing buses in Scotland’s biggest city following his claims about Covid-19, a former MSP has argued.
Sandra White, who served Glasgow at the Scottish Parliament for more than 20 years, argued Oliver is “not a fit person” to be used to promote the city’s history given his role at GB News.
Oliver has provided onboard historical commentary for City Sightseeing Glasgow since 2012. Prior to the launch of the right-wing GB News channel, he was best known as a TV presenter focusing on Scotland’s history on programmes such as Vikings and Coast.
The broadcaster was also president of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) between 2017 and last year. Oliver stepped down amid a row over him expressing admiration for controversial historian David Starkey, but insisted his resignation was coming at the end of his three-year term as he’d intended.
READ MORE: Neil Oliver panned after saying he'd 'cheerfully risk catching Covid for freedom'
Oliver’s time at NTS was plagued by concerns from independence supporters, as he spoke openly of his support for Unionism and described the prospect of a second independence referendum as “cancerous”.
In recent months, Oliver has been at the front of UK-wide rows as a result of his claims about the pandemic and Fox-News-style GB News monologues. He has described giving children vaccinations as “nothing less than grotesque”, called politicians who support vaccine passports the “enemy of our civilisation” and shared posts telling followers to “ignore these pointless, harmful authoritarian Covid regulations”.
Oliver also described the lockdowns as the “biggest mistake in world history” and told viewers he would “cheerfully risk catching Covid” in the name of personal freedom.
Throughout the rows, Oliver has remained a key selling point for City Sightseeing in Glasgow – with his face appearing on the side of regular tour buses and a promotional message on the official People Make Glasgow page describing him as a “famous historian”.
“There’s a number of concerns,” said former Glasgow Kelvin MSP White. “One of the concerns is the way he speaks about Covid. These kinds of people should not be leading commentary on tours, absolutely not.
“It’s a real slap in the face, I think, for the people who have suffered a loss and have also been ill with Covid. If there is a contract, they should immediately relinquish it.”
White said she has previously complained about the use of Oliver on the tourist attractions given his language towards independence supporters. Some 53.9% of people in Glasgow voted Yes at the 2014 referendum.
“It’s the Yes city,” added White. “This is not a fit person to be giving commentary in the city of Glasgow.
“In fact, there’s lots of local historians who would do a better and more truthful job than Neil Oliver, regardless of their politics. They know Glasgow better than he does and they believe in Glasgow. It’s an absolute nonsense.”
Questions about Oliver featuring on the buses also came from outside the city. Otto English, author of Fake History, has been vocal about Oliver’s “delusional” pandemic commentary.
He commented: “Someone so divisive and political, who has demonstrated such a shaky grasp of the past and such a willingness to bend his romanticised view of it to his agenda, shouldn’t be trusted with play-doh cutlery, let alone Scottish history.”
Ruth Watson (above), founder of the Keep Scotland The Brand campaign, expressed concerns over Oliver being featured on public transport in particular. “His comments will have been a direct insult to the men and women who drive the Glasgow buses,” she argued.
“A recent report into the first waves of the pandemic showed bus drivers were three times more likely to die from coronavirus than many other workers.”
READ MORE: GB News Scottish misspelling sees Neil Oliver broadcasting from ... where?
A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: “We want a visit to one of our venues and the city to be as safe as possible for everyone and would encourage people to follow government advice on testing and vaccination.
“City Sightseeing tour buses are a familiar scene on Glasgow streets, although we have no input on the commentary they offer.
“We reflect any changes they make to their offer on the People Make Glasgow website.”
City Sightseeing, the firm’s Glasgow operator West Coast Motors Glasgow, and Oliver did not respond to requests for comment.
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