‘Nasty little backwater’: Richard Dawkins lambasts England ahead of #IndyRef2 vote
Evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins branded England a “nasty little backwater” in a Twitter message to his followers concerning the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum.
The fervent atheist, who was born in Kenya but grew up in England, has previously stoked controversy online by sharing his thoughts on “stranger rape,”“mild pedophilia,” and religion.
Mild pedophilia is bad. Violent pedophilia is worse. If you think that's an endorsement of mild pedophilia, go away and learn how to think.
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) July 29, 2014
Mild pedophilia is bad. Violent pedophilia is worse. If you think that's an endorsement of mild pedophilia, go away and learn how to think.
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) July 29, 2014
If you're a young earth creationist you may be not stupid but just ignorant. Fortunately ignorance is curable. Try reading a science book.
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) May 25, 2015
Anglicanism isn't good, but Catholicism, Mormonism & Islam are all significantly worse. "Better" is not the same as "good".
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) June 4, 2015
With MSPs due to vote on a second independence referendum in Scotland’s Holyrood parliament on Tuesday, Dawkins backed people’s will to leave the union with England.
I opposed Scottish independence. But if I were Scottish today I’d want to leave the nasty little backwater that England is becoming.
— Richard Dawkins (@RichardDawkins) March 27, 2017
Dawkins comments struck a nerve among the Twitterati.
@RichardDawkins how would Scotland want to survive economically? Tourism and selling crops?
— Fadrul Hisham (@oshhisham) March 27, 2017
@RichardDawkins I'm anti-Brexit, but really, get a grip. Nothing solved by navel gazing. Scottish independence economically ruinous. Fact.
— Ross H (@Rossyjim) March 27, 2017
@RichardDawkins You are behaving like a religious zealot who is told their EU religion is a croc.
— BanTheBBC (@BanTheBBC) March 27, 2017
@RichardDawkins big fan of Richard for many years but this is unhinged - Unfollowed.
— Matt (@zybisko) March 27, 2017
@RichardDawkins really can't blame them. I might even move. Wales and NI to follow. The world has gone too damn weird of late
— Keith Maggioni (@KeithMaggioni) March 27, 2017
When Scotland held an independence referendum in September of 2014, the ‘No’ side won with over 55 percent of votes. With the terms of Brexit still unclear, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said the devolved government is laying the groundwork for a new referendum on independence “before it is too late to choose an alternative path.”
The parliamentary debate on whether Scotland should demand a second referendum, which was suspended last week due to the terrorist attack at Westminster, resumed on Tuesday afternoon.
Scotland voted overwhelmingly in favor of remaining in the EU on June 23 of last year, but Britain as a whole voted to leave the bloc.
In the Chamber from 2pm: Topical Qs from @ChristinaSNP & @murdo_fraser, a @scotgov debate & Members' Business about the #IncludEd campaign. pic.twitter.com/PLqOdcqb1y
— Scottish Parliament (@ScotParl) March 28, 2017
.@scotgov is not proposing #scotref now...but when the terms of Brexit clear and before it is too late to choose an alternative path. 1/4 https://t.co/ZR6LDtA8v8
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) March 16, 2017
