Left-wing firebrand George Galloway labelled Nicola Sturgeon as “Thatcher in a kilt” as his views on independence arrived on a Dunfermline stage on Monday night.
The Carnegie Hall was packed to hear him speak about his opposition to Scottish independence as part of his “Just Say Naw” tour.
Galloway may be Respect Party MP for Bradford West but his passion for his homeland remains undimmed.
Taking to the stage to the theme of ‘Part of the Union’, he was playing to the gallery for the first time as a two-piece with former Labour MP Brian Wilson.
He began by thanking the many SNP online supporters “Cybernats” he compared to wasps for their constant vitriol that provided him with material to open his show.
A woman living in Norway who loved haggis, eightsome reels and kilts were first in the firing line. However, it was Scottish nationalist politicians who suffered the sharpest end of his tongue, with accusations that they have deliberately moved the debate away from economic and financial issues.
Galloway said: “If the Bank of England issue the currency then it is the Bank of England who control the main economic aspects of Scottish life.”
He praised Fife’s political history as “one of the most highly politicised areas in the country who knew the benefits of sticking together to make things better for ordinary people.”
He appeared to be playing to a receptive audience, but it was his reference to Ms Sturgeon “Thatcher in a kilt if ever you saw one” that brought the first round of applause of the night.
But he wasn’t finished there, with stinging attacks on high-profile SNP backer Brian Souter and comparing the SNP to UKIP.
The 59-year-old remarked that Fife has the highest amount of people who haven’t made their mind up yet in Scotland, but as he opened up the floor to a question and answer session it appeared the majority were on his side.