George Soros, the controversial billionaire, has once again stirred the pot of UK politics. His campaign group, Open Democracy, was a key backer of the “Break Up Britain” conference in Scotland, raising eyebrows and ire amongst UK political circles. The conference’s message was clear: challenge the status quo and promote the breakup of the United Kingdom.
A controversial foreign billionaire who was accused of ploughing money into Remainer groups has been accused of backing Humza Yousaf’s latest plot to get Scottish independence.
Among the items being discussed were “Can Europe be Complete Without Scotland?”; “The Rise of Sinn Féin and the Prospects for a United Ireland”; “Where the [pro-Scottish independence] Yes Campaign Goes From Here”; and “The SNP After Sturgeon, and Labour Under Starmer”.
The leftwing anti-Brexit OpenDemocracy organisation funded by Hungarian/ American billionaire George Soros was one of the main backers of a “Break Up of Britain?” conference in Edinburgh (Saturday, November 18).
Setting out its aims, the conference blurb stated: “The greatest danger to our democracy is the status quo. A once suffocating but stable British consensus has been replaced by an increasingly authoritarian state coordinating assaults on immigrants, the labour movement and the right to protest.
“Meanwhile, Scotland is trapped in an involuntary union, Wales strains for more autonomy, and Northern Ireland is held hostage.”
But the involvement of the Soros funded organisation has set off alarm bells amid concerns he could back SNP First Minister Humza Yousaf’s flagging attempts to get Scottish Independence.
With remaining in the UK ahead in the polls, Mr Yousaf has relaunched his party’s plan for independence and on Friday unveiled a white paper on Scotland joining the EU and having a separate currency.
UK Politicians Slam Soros: “Keep your nose out!”
Marco Longhi, Dudley North Conservative MP, voiced a strong opinion: Soros should stay out of British politics. Longhi emphasised the sanctity of the democratic process and the people’s will, suggesting Soros’s involvement is an unwarranted influence.
Lee Anderson, another Tory MP, and Richard Tice, leader of Reform UK, echoed these sentiments, expressing disdain for the event and its participants, accusing them of being anti-British.
Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib went further, denouncing the conference and its attendees for their apparent disdain for the UK, and accusing them of hypocrisy in their support for Scottish nationalism.
Soros’s Globalist Agenda: A Threat to National Sovereignty?
George Soros’s track record of funding liberal, left-leaning causes worldwide, including his opposition to conservative governments like Hungary’s, has led many to view his actions as an attempt to push a globalist agenda. His involvement in the UK politics, especially post-Brexit, has been particularly contentious.
Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib said: “The entire conference is abhorrent. The same people who tried to undermine the United Kingdom’s legitimate desire to leave the EU and be a sovereign independent country, now trying to break it up.
“The truth is these people loathe their own country. That is why they paint Brexiteers and unionists as far right nationalists. In doing so they seek to delegitimise us. Their hypocrisy in supporting Scottish nationalism is lost on them.”
He added: “It is these same people that proudly boasted the cost of Brexit would be Northern Ireland. Their attitude to the United Kingdom is contemptuous. There is an all out assault on our nation state. Our language, history, culture, economy and constitutional integrity are all under attack. It is an attack which our political class seems unable or unwilling to identify and resist.”
Mr Soros has attempted through his various foundations to impose what critics have described as “a globalist liberal left agenda”, similar to ones associated with the World Economic Forum and Tony Blair, by spending his billions on organisations like OpenDemocracy.
He gained infamy in the UK when he interfered after the EU referendum and tried to stop Brexit by backing the second referendum campaign.
Nigel Farage said at the time that if there had been a second referendum it would have been “a George Soros referendum”.
Soros, known for his anti-Brexit stance, is seen as a meddling foreign influence, with his involvement in the conference seen as a direct challenge to the UK’s democratic process. The conference, which included key political figures, discussed various topics, including Scotland’s role in Europe and the future of the SNP after Sturgeon.