RUTH Davidson wants to be First Minister ... fantasy?

Boris Johnson in early 2020 becomes the newly appointed Conservative leader and by default the new UK Prime Minister. He discontinues the post-Withdrawal Agreement trade discussions with the EU and declares that the UK will “go it alone”. In Scotland at the 2021 Holyrood election the Tories under Ruth Davidson, with the help of her Better Together chums Labour and the LibDems, achieve a majority in the Scottish Parliament. Ruth Davidson is anointed First Minister.

Westminster is bristling with excitement – at last a Unionist majority in Scotland, the impossible has happened! Straight away any future independence referendum is cast to the four winds.

The new Unionist First Minister goes immediately to Westminster to get her orders from PM Johnson. Without further discussion, legislation is introduced and passed at Holyrood to remove all SNP progressive policies in a clear attempt to bring Scotland in line with all UK NHS, social/welfare, education, taxation and trade policies. Gone are free tuition fees, baby boxes and free pensioner travel, and all areas mitigated by the SNP against Tory austerity are discarded.

New tax measures are introduced to bring Scotland back in line with the rest of the UK. The poorest are hit early, with the bedroom tax mitigation removed and free prescription charges cancelled (£9 in England). The new Scottish tax bands are changed and the variations in Scotland’s progressive tax system are ended. The low-paid pay more tax and higher earners pay less. Universal Credit adjustments introduced by the SNP including their new welfare programme are disbanded and the full Universal Credit system of the UK is implemented.

All capital infrastructure projects that are in the pipeline are cancelled and budget allocations returned to UK Treasury. Bigger investment in Trident is announced. The no-fracking decision in Scotland is reversed and contracts to do fracking are invited. Investment in renewables is suspended and there is talk about the reintroduction of nuclear energy.

Scotland’s EU citizens face stronger restrictions on their right to stay in Scotland. This is complemented by the UK’s new draconian immigration policies. Scotland faces immediate shortages of labour as a consequence of immigration restrictions. All the initiatives which made Scotland a more caring place to live suddenly disappear. The removal of further welfare support/personal care continue. The social democracy changes of the SNP in the last 10 years have withered on the vine.

Politically, further fundamental changes are taking place. Ruth Davidson the political chameleon takes her lead from London. She has behind-closed-doors meetings with the most right-wing Cabinet in the UK ever gathered together. It’s no secret that the dismantling of devolution in Scotland and Wales is to take place. A total standstill on further devolution in Scotland is announced. Direct rule from Westminster starts to bite. The future of the parliament in Holyrood is now part of the agenda in diminishing Scottish influence in politics. Scotland as a brand is being smothered by the Union Jack. In relation to communication changes the BBC centres itself firmly down south and the right-wing press is in the ascendency. All budget and money decisions increasingly rest with Westminster.

Scottish bank notes are finally removed and only Bank of England currency circulates. There is talk of Northern Britain and less and less of Scotland.

A clear policy is in place to ensure that the United Kingdom brand remains the focus in the world as it drives the agenda to return Great Britain to its “rightful place among the elite of the world yeh!”

The decision to dismantle the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly is made. In the Scottish Parliament a cursory vote to dissolve itself is passed into law. Ruth Davidson, in her second term as First Minister, has taken Scotland back to the early 20th century when Scotland and Scottishness was Harry Lauder, White Heather Club, knowing its place, and grateful for crumbs from the UK table.

Suddenly I woke up! Thank goodness it was dream. No, it was a nightmare! Or was it?

Dan Wood
Kirriemuir