This weekend’s Scottish Mail On Sunday carries a column from UK Cabinet Office minister Damian Green which, if anyone was still in any doubt, rings just about every warning bell imaginable in terms of the Tories’ plan to use Brexit to cripple devolution both in principle and in practice.
It’s tucked away on page 27 and doesn’t appear on the Mail’s website, but you can read the whole thing by clicking the pic above. And below, we’ve pulled out the key sentences that should have the blood of devolution-loving No voters running cold.
We struggled to summon up much more than a weary sigh about a story in a couple of the minor papers today (the Herald and Express), about a micro-scuffle at Saturday’s pro-indy rally in Glasgow. The most interesting thing about it appeared to be that the Express had written its article several hours before the event took place.
Three years ago today, Scotland bottled it. Almost uniquely in world history, its people turned down the chance to take control of their own affairs forever without a drop of blood being shed. They did so on the back of a package of vague promises, not least one of “extensive new powers”, almost all of which have subsequently been broken.
The Secretary of State for Scotland has chosen the anniversary of the referendum to let it be known that on top of that, the most fundamental building block of devolution – the premise that any power not explicitly reserved to Westminster in the Scotland Act 1998 would belong to Holyrood – will now be torn up, in the light of the exit from the EU that Scots were promised a No vote would protect them from.
The Daily Record have continued to run Kezia Dugdale’s weekly column despite her resignation as Scottish Labour branch office manager (North British division), and this week we were interested to note her assessment of the devolution years, which could be summarised neatly as “Labour devolution good, SNP devolution bad”.
We raised an especially quizzical eyebrow at the claim that the 1999-2007 Labour/Lib Dem administrations had apparently ended homelessness. So we thought we’d do that thing we do when Kezia Dugdale claims something.
This was Scottish Tory uberdunce Jamie Greene a few weeks ago, bitterly attacking the SNP for spending £22,000 on consulting the public over a policy on which the party won a landslide victory in the 2016 Holyrood election.
You might think that a government pursuing the manifesto policies it was elected on was a pretty legitimate thing to do, especially when it was asking voters for their views in order to shape that policy. Perhaps Greene was confused because the Tories have been acting as if they, not the SNP, won the election. But that raises another question.
A story from the Financial Times this week revealed the UK government’s latest act of sabotage against the Scottish renewable energy industry. It’s just one more in a long line stretching back to just after the independence referendum, when a string of “Better Together” promises were broken almost the minute the No vote was secured.
It was a particularly weak argument in the first place – if there’s a market in the rUK for Scottish energy, it’ll be there whether Scotland is independent or not. But it unravelled faster than most as soon as it had done its job.
20 years ago today, Scotland voted to have a Parliament for the first time in almost three centuries, by an overwhelming margin (although with modest enthusiasm – less than 10% more people actually voted for devolution than voted for independence in 2014, at 1.78m and 1.62m respectively).
Just 20 months after the vote the Parliament came into being, and Scotland’s media has been complaining about how useless it is ever since.
Today’s newspapers commemorate the anniversary by unleashing the full pontificating weight of the punditariat – most of whom have been opining wearily on Holyrood’s failings for the entire period – to bleat with their customary single voice about what a disappointment it’s all been.
The weird thing is that after all that time, none of them can actually explain why.
Bilbo on The Slowest Dawning: “It’s possible that a good part of the remaining 40% SNP members are young activists who only care about maintaining…” Aug 28, 23:45
Young Lochinvar on The Slowest Dawning: “EPX I suspect that will be when SNP leader in waiting Jenny (the) Gilruth/ Dugdale composite takes the reins; once…” Aug 28, 23:15
Ex President Xiden on The Slowest Dawning: “Swinney, the family undertaker about to bury the SNP.” Aug 28, 22:18
Captain Caveman on The Slowest Dawning: “Well, certainly, none of the things that I mentioned remotely apply to you, Fatso, so I guess the joke’s on…” Aug 28, 22:14
James on The Slowest Dawning: ““….anything resembling “being a Tory”, on the other hand, was deeply shunned – hard work, enterprise, trying to get on…” Aug 28, 22:00
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on The Slowest Dawning: “Posted this on previous thread. Perhaps worth reposting here. Rewards time spent giving it a listen. LAWYERING WITHOUT LAW (1…” Aug 28, 21:59
James Che on Spot The Problem: “The thing about recorded history, is you don’t get to pick and choose only the bits you like, It is…” Aug 28, 21:43
Captain Caveman on The Slowest Dawning: “” How did we ever allow ourselves to elect a dictatorship of wee dicks?” Simples. You embraced left wing “progressive”…” Aug 28, 21:17
GM on The Slowest Dawning: “Hopefully long gone by then Spartan. I see that contemptuous individual Von Der Leyen wants to make use of the…” Aug 28, 21:10
Red on The Slowest Dawning: “ChatGPT, has Alex Kerr (SNP Member of the Scottish Parliament) ever had a real job? === Prior to entering elected…” Aug 28, 20:34
Nicky T Naquetti on The Slowest Dawning: “Jesus Fucking H. Christ – that absolute STATE of that dysgenic little weasely hipster in front of that rainbow bus..…” Aug 28, 19:44
factchecker on The Slowest Dawning: ““And turned it was no by the tried and tested strategy of blavkmail, bribery with all any any assistance needed…” Aug 28, 19:24
Terry on The Slowest Dawning: “I have seen this on another Indy site. It’s excellent.” Aug 28, 19:19
Rev. Stuart Campbell on The Slowest Dawning: “That IS peculiar.” Aug 28, 18:59
Mark Beggan on The Slowest Dawning: “Brilliantly put Rev. It’s the Woke Jihad.” Aug 28, 18:42
Captain Caveman on Spot The Problem: “Well, I’m sure we’re all devastated, Fatso. (“LOL” – definitely at you pal).” Aug 28, 18:35
100%Yes on The Slowest Dawning: “Just in at The National, “SNP Westminster leader U-turns after opening door to indyref deal with Nigel Farage” I have…” Aug 28, 18:17
Karen on The Slowest Dawning: “What jumped out at me was “15. [Making the case] … over time, well ahead of any future referendum campaign”.…” Aug 28, 18:16
100%Yes on The Slowest Dawning: “The National doesn’t make good reading for people wanting Independence or the SNP membership. It states “SNP members’ fury as…” Aug 28, 18:14
James on The Slowest Dawning: “Or just don’t bother. Would suit most.” Aug 28, 18:13
100%Yes on The Slowest Dawning: “Certain people actually believe ATLS is the party you should now vote for, NAW they ain’t. They have been actively…” Aug 28, 18:09
James on Spot The Problem: “LOL. [at you, not with you].” Aug 28, 18:09
viscount ennui on The Slowest Dawning: “SNP supporters v Christians “So do you actually believe that an angel impregnated Mary to produce JC?” “Well, obviously no.…” Aug 28, 18:03
100%Yes on The Slowest Dawning: “The National doesn’t make good reading for people wanting Independence or the SNP membership. It states “SNP members’ fury as…” Aug 28, 18:00
Spartan 117 on The Slowest Dawning: “Worse than that, Honest John and his cronies want to offshore and outsource democracy to the undemocratic EU and turn…” Aug 28, 17:53
agentx on The Slowest Dawning: “I’ll wait for James Che’s in depth analysis and Alf’s quotes before passing judgement!” Aug 28, 17:46
