SNP candidate in Glasgow East is anti English

John Mason is the SNP candidate in the Glasgow East by-election, and Mr Eugenides flags up a telling episode from his political career.

Two years ago England were playing in the football World Cup. Sadly, Scotland were not.

And the following report appeared on the 24dash.com site:

A Scottish school was condemned today for flying too many England flags in a World Cup display.

Hillhead High in Glasgow was "unwise" to use a large majority of England flags in a corridor decoration, according to senior Scottish National Party councillor John Mason.

The SNP's group leader on Glasgow City Council spoke out after receiving a complaint from a pupil at the school who was apparently upset at the "excessive" number of St George crosses.

Mr Mason took the step of writing to the headteacher, arguing he should balance up the display and also accusing him of making a political statement.

The councillor said: "I received a complaint from someone at the school who had objected to the number of England flags.

"From what I understand it was almost exclusively England, and I think it was ill advised to attach the World Cup to England in that way.

Mr Mason is free to support whom he wants, though it is hard to imagine an English politician being this petty about Scottish flags. But he should be careful, because the same report goes on to say:

Mr Mason's comments come after a series of incidents that have highlighted anti-English sentiment north of the border.

There have been several attacks in Scotland during the World Cup tournament on fans wearing England tops, including a seven-year-old boy who was punched in the head.

Incidentally, Ross Finnie, one of the candidates for the leadership of the Scottish Lib Dems, got into trouble a few years ago for describing Digby Jones, then the director general of the CBI, as an "English prat".

Surely "prat" would have done?