It seems ageism is the last acceptable form of bigotry.
While it’s a protected characteristic and accorded the same legal status as others like race, disability, or sex, there are still too many unchallenged barbs aimed at those of a certain vintage, often by folk who haven’t achieved a tenth of the accomplishments of those they insult.
The latest culprit to fire a cheap shot is Patrick Harvie.
His vulgar dismissal of SNP MSP Fergus Ewing as “representing a generation that simply hasn’t moved on and come to terms with the reality of what the climate emergency requires” was a low blow.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry said: “Ageism is unattractive and a bit odd coming from someone who is 50.”
And the charity Age Scotland said the remarks were “ill-considered and patronising and fundamentally undermined older people’s participation in society, making them feel less valued and can lead to greater isolation and loneliness”.
‘Sweeping generalisation’
Harvie isn’t just green in his politics.
His attack on Fergus Ewing shows he’s also green when it comes to understanding the life experience of his elders, whom he misguidedly represents as some homogenous mass.
His sweeping generalisation is contemptible from an elected representative whose party many mature citizens will have voted for, only to be insulted by his ignorant dismissal of them.
Funnily enough, I was helping to save the environment before motormouths like Patrick Harvie were born.
I was delivering milk 5am to 8.30am, Monday to Friday, while still in fifth year at school.
My whippet-like 15-year-old frame was racing up and down the stairs of Provost Road and Dens Road tenements, delivering pints of milk in recyclable glass bottles and all distributed from the back of the most common electric vehicle of the last century – the environmentally-friendly milk float.
And unlike the cheap disposable mountains of clothes today’s youngsters enjoy, I like many others had only a couple of changes of clobber in my wardrobe supplemented by hand me downs from cousins.
Until my mum and dad moved to the newly-built Bucklemaker Court multi in the Hilltown when I was 16, our tenement flat in Kirkton had no central heating, double glazing, washing machine, dishwasher or electric shower.
So the environmentally friendly footprint of many folk around Fergus Ewing’s era was, like Harvie’s footwear, clown-shoe size.
‘Smug self-enlightened modernists’
One problem with politicians like Harvie and many of his ilk is that they’ve never done what I’d call a proper job.
I was brought up among folk, many of whom had little materially, who worked in socially useful trades and occupations.
They weren’t vastly overpaid, unlike the Green co-leader who hippers a hefty Holyrood wedge of £99,516 a year.
At 50 he’s only 15 years younger than the subject of his ageist diatribe but he’ll find that the years fairly fly by.
Before he knows it he’ll be defending himself from ‘young’ whippersnappers who think he’s yesterday’s man and not progressive enough in bowing before the same smug self-enlightened modernists of which he is one today.
Harvie is happy to attack those of a certain vintage, who cast a sceptical eye over some of his policies which threaten to return us to prehistoric living standards without affordable heat, light, or food.
His brand of politics is divisive and dangerous and sadly reflective of much of what is bringing Holyrood into disrepute.
Unable to persuade people of his policies through force of argument and mature discussion, he berates and insults those expressing any doubt or dubiety over his unshakeable certainties.
It’s time he grew up.
‘Growing threat must be tackled’
The tale of Kerry Falconer, whose Staffordshire Bull Terrier was hit and killed by a speeding off-road biker on the dighty path near Douglas, is a salutary tale of what happens when those in power tie the hands of the police in tackling anti-social behaviour.
Recently out running and mountain biking in Camperdown and Templeton Woods I’ve had to look very lively as speeding off-road motorbikes roared within inches of me.
The police are hamstrung in their efforts to deal with them because of the fear of someone getting hurt, so those putting us at risk on these machines are free to cause havoc safe in the knowledge they’re unlikely to be pursued.
In London the Met have tackled moped crime using new lightweight and speedy motorbikes which allow specialist officers to get through narrow alleys and spaces to pursue offenders.
Dundee isn’t London and we don’t have moped and bike phone snatches and robberies like they do but the dangers posed by off road bikes are growing as Kerry’s tragic tale shows.
The willpower needs to be shown to tackle this growing threat.
If the offenders are hurt in the process, that’s their tough luck.
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