IF you cast your minds back to May and the Holyrood election, you may remember a fringe party of hyper Unionists called, ironically enough, All for Unity.
The party failed to win a single seat or achieve much at all, and its posterboy George Galloway soon jumped ship to lose elections in England instead.
Nevertheless, they haven’t gone away. Except the party’s become more of an official Twitter troll (with a blue tick and everything) than a serious political outfit in recent months.
Clutching at straws of relevance, the party has seen fit to attack SNP president Michael Russell, apparently for the crime of supporting Scottish independence despite having been born in England.
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Following in the wake of Emma Raducanu’s stunning US Open victory, which superlatives wouldn’t do justice, All for Unity (A4U) climbed into the gutter.
The party, yes the actual political party that wanted people to vote for it, wrote on Twitter: “Hi @Feorlean [Michael Russell’s account].
“Can I be the first to congratulate you after your fellow Bromley resident @EmmaRaducanu won the US Open Tennis Championship tonight? You must be so proud.”
They topped the contribution off with a Union flag, of course.
Russell was born in Bromley, an area of south east London, which is where Raducanu now lives. Russell now lives in Argyll, which suggests that whoever runs the A4U account doesn’t know what “resident” means.
Let's have a big hand for Bromley's favourite son, Mike Russell. https://t.co/sDrb89RtC5
— David Griffiths (@Erudite4Unity) September 11, 2021
The party’s tweet was widely derided, but celebrated by former A4U Holyrood candidate David Griffiths, who shared it adding: “Let's have a big hand for Bromley's favourite son, Mike Russell.”
Quite what response the party was expecting to provoke by trying to use someone's birthplace as an attack is unclear.
Asked why they’d mentioned Bromley at all, A4U wrote: “Both Emma and Mike grew up in Bromley. Mike was born there, bless him.”
READ MORE: We English-born Scots are sick of being used as Unionists' pawns
Russell did not, in fact, grow up in Bromley. He grew up in Troon. Don’t expect A4U to have a grasp of facts though.
Responding to the party’s attack, the former constitution secretary wrote: “Delighted to congratulate such a star and by no means ashamed of where I was born or my parentage - nor I am sure is she.
“But worried about anyone who thought this was an appropriate or even sane response to such outstanding achievement ...”
Delighted to congratulate such a star and by no means ashamed of where I was born or my parentage - nor I am sure is she. But worried about anyone who thought this was an appropriate or even sane response to such outstanding achievement .. https://t.co/62fRJ0nkeY
— Michael Russell (@Feorlean) September 11, 2021
Doubling down on their nonsense, and the making it doubly clear that they don’t know what “resident” means, A4U responded: “I'm not with you, Mike.
“I've congratulated you on your fellow Bromley resident's historic achievement. Where's the inappropriateness or lack of sanity in my post?
“I'm similarly unsure why you mentioned your parentage? Is everything OK, Mike? You sound confused and unhappy.”
Russell likely won’t lower himself to reply to that one, so we’ll leave it there too, and let A4U fade back out of all our memories.
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