Apologies. Firstly, for the tardiness of this post but, also, for the consequences of that fact. You see, my subject matter – and tone – was to be benign. In fact, the heading on my notes was Little Things, covering my observations of people and what we can learn about the character of strangers just from one action; one behavioural trait. Not now! It seems the heat is on, once more …
IndyRef2. Give me strength. I cannot believe we’re here again. Well, in fact, I can; we, all, can and that’s the most frustrating, the most irritating point of all. So predictable. They took a gamble in 2014 – as did David Cameron – on the premise that it was to be a ‘once in a generation’ vote. They lost. They lied and here we are. Eight years later, Scotland is still spiralling under the grip of Sturgeon and her mafia as she proves, once more, that her one and only agenda is – and always has been – independence, regardless! Of course, she argues that Brexit moved the goal posts as, in isolation, 62% of Scots voted to remain and therein lies the rub. Granted, the majority may have wished to remain in the European Union but that is no prerequisite for dissolving our Union.
Then, there is Scotland’s performance during Covid. Well, in the eyes of the gullible, the unquestioning sheep, it seemed exemplary – of course. Not for them to suggest Ms Sturgeon’s daily appearance at the podium in her obligatory white stilettos was nothing more than a party political broadcast. As she continually ‘erred on the side of caution’, she was, actually, playing a very clever game as she watched and waited to see what Boris was going to do. Favourable? She would follow suit – just being diligent. Unfavourable? Well, she did the opposite. Boris was her benchmark; her fall guy and she, merely, took the acclaim from her grateful followers gripped by fear. Win. Win They were never going to question where the money came from, the funding necessary to support Scotland through the crisis of Covid-19. No interest. Unfortunately for Ms Sturgeon, the rest of us were …
By the 2nd June, 2020, Westminster had already sent £10billion north of the border to help Scotland deal with Covid, prompting an article by Murdo Fraser – Conservative MSP since 2001 – in The Scotsman entitled, ‘Coronavirus would have caused catastrophe for independent Scotland’. That was just the beginning, however, as Scotland, repeatedly, held out the cup for more. By December 2021, it was reported that the SNP Government was to receive a further £220million of emergency UK money, in addition to the £220million announced shortly before, taking the total allocation to £440 million! Ignore these figures, though. Irrelevant. Scotland – aka Ms Sturgeon – wants independence; to allay the inner bitterness and hatred which has driven her since she first clapped eyes on Margaret Thatcher. In her own words, ‘Thatcher was the motivation for my entire political career. I hated everything she stood for.’ Always good to be motivated by hatred rather than the desire for good.
Finally, there’s Boris. Undeniably, his recent misdemeanours haven’t helped! A gift to the ‘white stiletto’ – or so she thinks. Thus, her grievance-driven supporters are encouraged to revel in Westminster’s own goals as she fans the flames of loathing for Boris and his ‘Eton Mess’. He’s a liar, after all … Oh, hang on, smacks a little of pot calling kettle black! Let’s rewind to March 2020 and the First Minister’s unforgettable appearance before the Committee during the Alex Salmond Inquiry. I watched it from start to finish as she positively squirmed in her seat. Clearly rattled, she utilised ever combination of words in the book to avoid any solid answer which might prove incriminating, ‘I have no recollection’ being a particular favourite. Who believed her? Apparently, James Hamilton QC, tasked with the final judgement as to whether Ms Sturgeon broke the Ministerial Code. The same James Hamilton QC who has been an Independent Adviser to the Scottish Government since 2013. Cosy. The words ‘conflict of interest’ never crossed my mind …
‘First Minister unveils study which argues that Scotland’s huge public spending deficit is irrelevant’. Simon Johnson’s article in Tuesday’s Telegraph. We’ve seen it all before. The stuff of playgrounds. Metaphorically, Ms Sturgeon is nothing short of a tantrum-throwing two-year-old stamping her foot in demand for something she wants just because and, actually, the ‘just because’ is indicative of her entire proposal.
Earlier this week, she unveiled the first paper in a series of studies under the collective title, Building a New Scotland. Said paper cited a range of small countries which, it was argued, were wealthier and fairer than the UK on a range of measures and thus it naturally followed that Scotland should be independent. That simple. Seriously? The fact that she hand-picked the likes of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Austria while ignoring those poorer such as Portugal and Greece – and, moreover, utilised figures for the UK, as a whole, in comparison, rather than Scotland, in isolation – is, at once, risible. Ironically, many of the areas criticised fall under the significant powers of Ms Sturgeon’s devolved Government, such as – of course – the UK’s income inequality and poverty levels in comparison to other countries. Beggars the question why she is unable to do something about it herself considering her extensive tax and benefit powers? Hang on, that would constitute effort, work and money and, besides, she doesn’t really care. She just wants to secure her place in history by breaking up the United Kingdom, for goodness sake. Can she make it any clearer?!
‘An independent Scotland would face an eye-watering £180 BILLION debt on day one after Scexit, a leading political expert has warned’, says the quote taken from an article by Douglas Dickie in the Scottish Daily Express of February 19th. Bang goes any hope of being welcomed by the European Union, then. Let’s just keep that quiet … Nothing independent about re-joining the EU, anyway. Oh, sorry, irrelevant. Just as long as Scotland escapes the clutches of the entitled Tories!
Building a New Scotland, just because. The missing two words! Once again, all these studies which are to be produced – as the first has proven – are a waste of time. The stuff of fantasy. Not one ounce of credence nor any attempt to ‘do the maths’. One can paint a picture in one’s mind but, without a canvas, paint or brushes, that picture must remain a pipe dream. So it is that Ms Sturgeon, repeatedly, makes no attempt to detail how Scotland could survive on its own. Conveniently, she just omits that part, as ever. Currency? Central bank? There is little chance of holding on to the Pound Sterling, to which Westminster is opposed, nor of the Bank of England remaining a joint central bank. UK ministers have made it clear their wish to distance their bank – and wider UK economy – from the fiscal and policy decisions of any independent Scottish Government. Wise move.
In Ms Sturgeon’s fantasy, there is a hard border between Scotland and England. Let’s face it, though, nothing will curtail the stampede of the intelligent and sane departing their homeland in a bid to avoid bearing witness to its inevitable, horrendous demise. A demise at the hands of an embittered dictator whose benchmark in everything – and for all – is the lowest common denominator. God help us!
In the echo of a nightmare, however, reality prevails and Ms Sturgeon is merely squandering our millions, once again, in her futile bid. Twenty million to be precise. For Westminster has the veto, refusing to entertain another ‘once in a generation’ referendum at this time – and with credible justification. It is not a case of the best of three and there is nothing she can do about it! Yes, she will incite division, aggression and violence as before but, in the end, the lesson learned will be just because just isn’t enough …
Let me leave you with the words of Drew Hendry, SNP International Trade Spokesperson at Westminster, who recently told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the following:
‘We’ve just seen the Eurostat report that points out that Scotland is the most educated country in Europe.’
There has to be an exclamation mark at the end of that statement but, for the life of me, I can’t find it! Seems it’s not enough that I must cringe at the sight of all SNP Ministers in the House of Commons – the unspoken dress code of which is beyond them – for clearly, the malady of delusion is of far greater significance.
‘If you’re saying that there is no legitimate, democratic, constitutional route for Scotland to choose independence, where does that leave us?’
Nicola Sturgeon
Eternally grateful!
This is Trish, signing off.
