WHILE Unionist media has been keen to present increased support for independence as a sort of blip the Union will just bounce back from, news organisations around the world have put a bit more effort in to see the bigger picture.
CNN, the US-based broadcaster, explored growing support for self-determination as the Prime Minister landed in Orkney praising his “fantastically strong institution”.
Recent polls put support for independence at 54% and show Nicola Sturgeon’s approval rating about 99% ahead of Boris Johnson’s.
In Mick Krever’s report for today’s CNN, he writes: “Though Scotland has suffered badly from Covid-19, Sturgeon's popularity has surged, largely as she has steered a more cautious approach out of the pandemic than her English counterparts. Support for Sturgeon's ultimate political goal, Scottish independence from England, is also on the up.
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“Johnson's personal ratings, meanwhile, have taken a hit, as the messaging around reopening south of the Scottish Border has been more haphazard. His visit to Scotland was an attempt to regain some political capital north of Hadrian's Wall.”
The reporter focuses on England and Scotland’s approaches to the Covid-19 pandemic as something prompting boosted support for the First Minister and the idea of independence.
.@TommySheppard: "Those who wish to see Scotland become an independent country welcome as many trips as possible by Boris Johnson to Scotland, because every time he sets foot in Scotland, support for independence increases." pic.twitter.com/GUBDmCDnvH
— Mick Krever (@mickbk) July 24, 2020
He writes that Johnson has built his career around the character of the “klutzy everyman” – suggesting this is not an ideal persona for a global pandemic. He references Johnson’s boast that he shook hands with coronavirus patients, and his confusing “stay alert” changes back in May.
The article goes on to discuss the Tory Government’s “shambolic” decision-making process on the list of countries which people can travel from without quarantining on arrival in the UK. Then there was England’s drawn-out discussion on whether masks should be made mandatory, which saw Cabinet members insist they would not just hours before they were.
Krever goes on: “To an outsider (and in fact to many Brits), the division of power in the UK can be confusing.” He explains the basics of devolution to the US readership.
Polling expert Mark Diffley then speaks to the journalist, saying now is “the most significant time where devolution has been the most obvious to the ordinary citizens”.
Krever also looks at recent interviews from expert John Curtice, who has said this week that polling "would suggest that support for independence is higher than it has been for actually a really, really long time".
"By visiting Scotland, Johnson hoped to underline the benefits to Scots of the 300-year-old union with England - he was keen to point out that it was the Treasury in London that saved thousands of Scottish jobs with its generous furlough scheme, for example," the journalist writes.
He added: "But Conservative prime ministers have historically enjoyed little support in Scotland, and Sturgeon joked on Twitter that Johnson's visit didn't do her any harm."
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CNN then carries out vox-pops with Scots who say the UK Government seems “too choppy”, and that Sturgeon has “done the right thing in trying to keep the politics out of it”.
The journalist also talks to Tommy Sheppard, who tells him indyre2 is just a “matter of time”, and Linda Bauld who further explains the differences in approach between Scotland and England when it comes to the pandemic.
It concludes with a quote from the SNP MP, who says more Scots see the differences north and south of the Border now. He tells Krever: "[Scots are] aware of that in the way they never were before. And they are perhaps open to the possibility of what an independent Scotland could do if it had the political power to act."
As well as the print article, CNN produced a filmed version of the story too which can be watched on the website.
The CNN story is yet another in a series of global media brands highlighting growing support for Scottish independence recently.
We’ll see if the media closer to home takes a keen interest in the matter – but we won’t hold our breath.
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