The closure of the UK Parliament for the summer holidays this week marked the end of my first political “year” with the SNP Group at Westminster, albeit a truncated one under unusual circumstances. Having served in Holyrood much is similar and familiar, even if anachronistic in style and reeking of snobbery. Staff are remarkably helpful and individual members can be exceedingly pleasant.
But this isn’t our Parliament and we’re most certainly not amongst friends.
Last month the Tory government published its white paper on EU migration post-Brexit. As a result, I spent my day arguing positively for immigration on social media, sharing fact-based articles showing that EU migration has had a very positive impact on the UK’s economy in the last decade.
However, one of my tweets was particularly popular, in which I specifically mentioned my personal experience with Scottish attitudes towards immigration.
Twitter is meant to be short and fleeting, leaving little room for telling long, nuanced stories. But the story behind this tweet is one I find worth telling, and I think it reflects incredibly well on the fact that there’s a bright, open future ahead of Scotland. I hope you find what follows to be worthwhile.
This article originally appeared on Allan’s blog. Reproduced with permission.
Dear Richard Leonard,
You can accept this letter as my formal resignation from membership of the Labour Party. And you may not like to hear that you are the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Last month saw the first meeting between the UK Brexit delegation and the EU’s, and by many accounts it fell far short of the UK’s expectations. David Davis spent months drumming up the “strong and stable” approach which would see both the divorce deal and the subsequent post-Brexit trade deal negotiated simultaneously. He was told by everyone that this wouldn’t happen, but simply brushed off the warnings. When push came to shove, he finally accepted that he’d have to negotiate the divorce deal first.
This is just the latest in a long string of failures and ineptitudes over the course of the UK’s handling of the whole farcical process and it got me thinking. If Scotland had voted Yes in 2014, what would it have looked like if the Scottish Government had handled that vote the way the UK has managed Brexit?
The complete series so far. If you’ve got a story like this to tell, or you know anyone who does, Phantom Power want to hear from you – drop them a line.
Big Jock on The shifting sands of memory: “The deid Queen called herself QE2. It was on the coinage. Yes I know she was QE1 officially in Scotland.…” May 22, 01:00
Geri on The shifting sands of memory: “Not necessarily. Kosovo manages just fine. There are many countries who have ongoing disputes. It’s countries that recognise other countries,…” May 22, 00:53
Geri on The shifting sands of memory: “It was meaningless because it wasn’t written down legally anywhere that they’d actually enact the result – just that they’d…” May 22, 00:36
Geri on The shifting sands of memory: ““no matter what some nit picking academics poring over 3 centuries old dead parchments might argue.” Wait a minute there,…” May 22, 00:26
robertkknight on The shifting sands of memory: “Scotland was effectively acquired, through hostile takeover, by England, who had threaten to cut off Scotland’s international trade through naval…” May 21, 23:38
Mia on The shifting sands of memory: “” the laws that were not compatible with the Treaty fell into desuetude” Sorry, Lorn but on this, I have…” May 21, 22:34
Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: “My reading is that it’s the settled view of many that because the majority of Scottish residents returned the wrong…” May 21, 21:50
Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““he believes that there was and is a Treaty of Union” No shit, Sherlock! That puts him in the overwhelming…” May 21, 21:38
Aidan on The shifting sands of memory: “The Union with England Act was passed by the Scottish Parliament prior to the amalgamation into the Parliament of Great…” May 21, 21:25
Andy Wiltshire on The shifting sands of memory: “Is it the settled view of most people on here that the independence referendum of 2014 was meaningless? And moreover…” May 21, 21:24
Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “Ian: you kind of have to provide evidence that you ARE a colony, not just being treated as one. It…” May 21, 21:23
McDuff on The shifting sands of memory: “The western world is consumed with righting wrongs of the past so surely that must include Scotland. The Scottish people…” May 21, 21:16
Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “PhilM: I don’t think Stephen Kerr is being mendacious; I think he believes that there was and is a Treaty…” May 21, 21:06
Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “Actually, no, it’s not, Dec. The Treaty was real and very much based in legality. The Scots have never really…” May 21, 20:53
Lorn on The shifting sands of memory: “Mia: the laws that were not compatible with the Treaty fell into desuetude – which means that they were no…” May 21, 20:51
Hatey McHateface on Some Attention For James: “Uh oh, Barbie’s been allowed back into the community. Is it me suggesting we get vets to run the euthanasia…” May 21, 20:33
Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““We will have to use every ounce of ingenuity and courage to free ourselves” Sure, but you’ve missed the third…” May 21, 20:21
Mia on The shifting sands of memory: “@Geri They made several attempts at a union, but all monarchs failed until Anne. She seemed to have achieved what…” May 21, 20:21
Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: ““I wonder how the BBC will report the liberation of the Scots” Do you really? I’m thinking most grounded people…” May 21, 20:06
Hatey McHateface on The shifting sands of memory: “If you use AI to write it, you can use AI to summarise it. “We wus robbed” about covers it.” May 21, 19:50
JB on The shifting sands of memory: “Lorm @6:23pm As to “surrendering the fishing industry” on Monday, so far that is only a political agreement to surrender…” May 21, 19:48
Geri on The shifting sands of memory: “It’s my understanding there was no union or parliament of ‘Great Britain’ because it never happened. It was a wish…” May 21, 19:37
Northcode on The shifting sands of memory: “Mia, your comments are often a mammoth read but it’s always worth making that little extra effort to read them.…” May 21, 19:28
Geri on Some Attention For James: “You’d think by now the penny would drop at your end by now.. “Scotgov” is a colonial outpost, ya cretin.…” May 21, 19:23
Mia on The shifting sands of memory: ““A basic piece of research would dispel this immediately, the Union with England Act 1707 Article XXVV passed by the…” May 21, 19:18
Aidan on The shifting sands of memory: “A basic piece of research would dispel this immediately, the Union with England Act 1707 Article XXVV passed by the…” May 21, 19:02
Mia on The shifting sands of memory: ““the ToU is a fraud” There is indeed something rather iffy about the Treaty of Union and the way the…” May 21, 18:46