ONLY a fool would sit on the deck of a sinking ship forlornly hoping that something will happen that will suddenly reverse the imminent demise of your vessel. Anyone with any sense will look around for an escape and then rush to the lifeboat. That time is fast approaching for Scotland. We have one lifeboat to escape from the disaster of Brexit – and that boat is called independence.
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It’s difficult to comment on the current Brexit fiasco as things seem to be moving so fast that another Tory could have resigned by the time I’ve finished typing this sentence – well except from David Mundell, no matter what he’s said in the past. He’ll be clinging on to his ministerial office as long as he possibly can, devoid of any principle whatsoever.
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The UK political establishment have made a right mess of Brexit. The lies of the Leave campaign, as well as the illegal election spending, was enough to sway a majority of voters in England (and Wales) and everyone else in the UK will suffer for that. There was never any chance of Boris Johnson’s claim that we could invest £350 million per week in the NHS once we left the EU. The Fraser of Allander Institute estimate that up to 80,000 jobs in Scotland could disappear as Scotland loses access to the European single market. Even the Tory government analysis has shown that Brexit will lead to an economic downturn – with a no-deal exit being the worst option.
The Prime Minister is busy trying to persuade anyone who will listen that her Brexit plan is workable, yet her party is now in an open civil war, with Brexiteers trying to outdo one another in their strident opposition to the EU. We will end up with one of these clowns running the UK – if that’s not an incentive to campaign harder for Scottish independence then I don’t know what is.
So where do we go now? The UK Government is in turmoil, Tory is fighting Tory – although crucially they still lead Labour in the polls – and Theresa May is still a more popular choice for PM than Jeremy Corbyn. The Tories will try to take out Theresa May and replace her with a new leader (and Prime Minister). They won’t be up for a General Election as they have too much to lose. They’ll try to change the captain of HMS Brexit, but they will only charge faster into the Brexit iceberg. Labour will push for a General Election but won’t win it. A People’s Vote on Brexit is unlikely to happen and even if it did there is no guarantee that voters in England would change their mind – no matter what the polls are saying. This would leave Scotland in exactly the same place – being dragged out of the EU because voters in England want to go.
However, if there is a General Election then it’s time for the SNP to put independence at the core of the manifesto. As I have said in many previous articles, the reason I and so many others support independence is because it would ensure we are never in this kind of situation again.
Fundamentally, I am sick and tired of Scotland’s future being dictated by governments we never voted for. I am tired of my country being treated like an irritation for demanding our vote is respected. I want to see a Scotland with enough confidence and self-respect to become truly accountable and independent.
How anyone can claim that this is a union of equals with a straight face is beyond me. We have been ignored and undermined at every opportunity. Independence is our lifeboat from Brexit and the economic disaster that accompanies it. Let’s gear up for chapping doors, talking to voters, holding street stalls and campaign coffee mornings – whatever we do now will lay the groundwork for our independence.
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Callum Baird, Editor of The National
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