Scots politician George Galloway has been mocked for comparing going for a walk amid Storm Eunice to surviving the Blitz.
The controversial former MP invoked the spirit of Britons who faced Nazi Germany's air raids while saying he was not staying indoors because he had “work to do”.
He tweeted: "We’re out and about Eunice. Because we live in Britain. Because we have children to take to school, business to attend to, work to do. And because our parents faced the Blitz."
Millions of people have been urged to stay at home for the day, with Storm Eunice said to be one of the worst storms in a generation to hit the UK.
Schools, roads and businesses have shut, with major disruption to the travel network due to concerns over flying debris caused by gusts of up to 90mph because of Storm Eunice.
We’re out and about Eunice. Because we live in Britain. Because we have children to take to school, business to attend to, work to do. And because our parents faced the Blitz. #Backbone #StormEunice pic.twitter.com/CiKfPwaHxJ
— George Galloway (@georgegalloway) February 18, 2022
Homes have been left without power, while the Met Office issued two ultra rare “red” weather warnings – from 7am until midday along the coastline of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset as well as the south coast of Wales, and from 10am until 3pm over the East of England and London – due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge.
Galloway’s decision to brave the winds and war-time comparison did not go down well with his followers online, who replied with footage of the destruction caused by the storm.
Currently in Melbourn Cambs, pedestrian underneath, but you go out for your walk. pic.twitter.com/2Rw51xpEgH
— Emily Davidson (@mledav74) February 18, 2022
One said: “My parents hid in bomb shelters during the blitz when the air-raids warnings sounded - because they were sensible.
“George Galloway seems to believe that in WW2 people would hear the bombers coming and run out waving torches and dance around munitions factories.
Another said: “I suggest you take a look at some other photos this morning. Especially from Cornwall. People risk their lives saving idiots who think they are tougher than the power of the sea and the wind.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel