A LABOUR councillor has been criticised online for claiming the UK was a “partnership of equals” from the beginning in a BBC documentary.
Renfrewshire elected member Jamie McGuire made an appearance in Union with David Olusoga – a four-part history documentary looking at how the UK came to be and how it has evolved through time.
In the first episode, Olusoga tells viewers about the Company of Scotland – also known as the Scottish Darien Company – which was an overseas trading firm created in 1695 that ultimately failed as thousands succumbed to hunger and disease during expeditions.
The first expedition was launched in 1698 and aimed to establish a colony in Darien – on the Isthmus of Panama – which could be used a trading point between Europe and the Far East. The idea eventually came to fruition centuries later in the form of the Panama Canal.
McGuire was one of a group of people with different political viewpoints who shared their views on the UK throughout the programme.
In his assessment of this particular piece of history – which came just over a decade before the Union was formed - McGuire said the Darien scheme showed Scotland couldn’t go it alone before adding: “This was a partnership of equals from the start.”
It was great to be featured in the new BBC documentary “The Union” to give my views on Scotland's relationship within the United Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/iAFMTsO8Cf
— Cllr Jamie McGuire (@JamieMcGuire__) October 25, 2023
After sharing the clip online, the Renfrew North and Braehead representative has received dozens of comments ripping into his analysis.
Luke Smith, of Young Scots for Independence, shared the clip and said: “A colonial folly from the 1690s does not make a particularly credible argument for the modern Union.”
David Birkett, convener of the Peterhead branch of the SNP, added: “The cognitive dissonance on show is astounding.
“The Darien scheme was politically sabotaged ... and by whom? Does he even know?
"The success of the Panama Canal should show him what a great idea it was. But no, he'd rather talk down his own country.”
Others said he was “embarrassingly ignorant” and branded his claims “insulting”.
