I must admit I have always liked Neil Oliver. The enthusiasm and passion he exudes when talking about the history of the British Isles is infectious. He has become widely known as the presenter of BBC television’s series ‘A History of Scotland’ and ‘Coast’.
With his trademark long hair and soft Scottish accent, he makes for easy watching. He has worked as an archaeologist, journalist and lifeguard. He lives in Sterling with his wife and three children.
Over the past few months, he has been appearing on GB News giving his views on topics as diverse as the Covid vaccinations, the SNP, the Build Back Better mantra and why “until the day I die I will consider myself to be British”.
He was criticised by Scots academics after suggesting Black Lives Matter activists are anarchists and communists who want to “bring down British society” during a BBC interview. The Coast presenter also expressed concerns over the removal and vandalism of statues with links to slavery and colonialism across the UK.
Since protesters toppled the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol last year, a number of UK monuments have been identified by activists who want to see them removed – and several statues have been vandalised with graffiti.
Also last year the Robert the Bruce statue at Bannockburn – a site operated by the National Trust for Scotland, which Oliver is the president of – was spray painted with graffiti calling the historic figure a racist, despite him having no links to slavery. Scotland was not involved in the trade until centuries after his death.
Oliver was quoted as saying those concerned with statues of slave traders should be more worried about “slaves who are alive today”.
“If we’re already making token gestures like taking down Fawlty Towers and Gone With The Wind then I do worry and wonder and I am equally anxious about the genuine motivation – is this about addressing racism and the existence of slavery in our world community, or is it simply an attempt by anarchists, communists, to eat into the built fabric of Britain and thereby to bring down British society.”
Neil Oliver
We haven’t heard the last of Neil Oliver or his down-to-earth common sense. The video above was uploaded on January 8th 2022 and has been viewed over 500,000 times up to press.
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