Douglas Murray recently described Scotland as ‘a banana republic without the bananas’. How true. On the other hand, there is no shortage in the supply of the delusional and the destructive who push for a politically independent Scotland in the face of the reality that Scotland risks economic ruin and political isolation.
Run by a nationalist socialist party, the SNP, the Scottish people have been exposed for years to lies and distortion about almost every aspect of the potential for a future independent from the rest of the United Kingdom. And the sense of entitlement among the ruling classes in Scotland is breathtaking. Asked about the Barnett Formula—the gravy train that runs from the South East of England to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—the SNP glibly reckon that it should continue to be paid after independence. What about currency? The pound will do nicely, and they even wish to lay claim to the Royal Family. Presumably, the concept of a President Salmond or President Sturgeon is too much, even for the nationalists.
Then there is Europe to which the SNP claim allegiance and concomitant disgust at the Brexit vote. Well, thanks to Brexit which has allowed us to negotiate trade agreements independently, the Scottish whisky industry has just received a multi-million-pound bonus with the lifting of tariffs on sales to the USA. This will reduce the price of a bottle of whisky by approximately £10 and increase sales significantly. And how is the COVID-19 vaccination programme going in Scotland? Not as well as in England, thanks to the incompetence of the Scottish government, but a lot better than France or Germany which, last time I checked, were in Europe.
Mention whisky, Scotland’s great industry and one of the UK’s great export, and the eyes of the SNP light up in a kind of ‘gotcha’ way. Whisky, along with oil will save the day and be the basis of a strong Scottish economy, but it won’t. Diageo owns most of the Scottish whisky industry and is based in London. The oil is not as plentiful as it used to be and becoming increasingly hard to access and concerns about the climate are driving people to more sustainable forms of energy.
The ongoing and undignified spectacle of the SNP ripping itself apart over the squabble between its present and former leaders should give heart to the unionist cause. With Alex Salmond’s finger on the destruct button and Nicola Sturgeon’s on the self-preservation button, surely people can see the blatant self-interest that motivates both these Scottish demagogues. If Sturgeon survives the inquiry into her behaviour then the question is, surely, ‘can the SNP survive?’ If she falls then the SNP will surely suffer a major setback and become distracted by an internal power struggle, while the Scottish people may decide it is time to turn their backs on a one-party state.
For those of a unionist persuasion, there cannot have been a better time to press the advantage offered by present circumstances. The UK government should make more of every anomaly in the SNP’s case. They should point to the rusting ferries underfunded by the Scottish government, the SNP’s attempts to limit free speech, and the present infighting which demonstrates just how unfit for power they really are. That said, it is hard to see where the alternative source of sensible politics lies in Scotland. The Scottish Conservatives have their own leadership issues. The new Labour leader Anas Sarwar sounds promising, but these are early days. One thing is sure, if the collapse of the SNP leaves a vacuum, then the space needs to be filled by democrats and not dictators.
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