COMMON decency surely demands Boris Johnson be given some sort of Scottish honour for services to independence. Very few can boast his long-standing commitment to the cause of rallying support. Every sighting of him north of the Border occasions a fresh frisson in the pro-indy polling.
We realise now that proclaiming himself Minister for the Union was just his little joke. Since then his custodianship of the ties which bind the nations of the UK has had all the ready finesse with which his career has long been associated. To call him a recruiting sergeant fails to recognise his true contribution. This chap is a veritable colonel-in-chief at attracting new indy voters.
And his pre-Christmas gift, offered up during the Zoom call to northern England Tory MP’s, is one which will keep on giving. Devolution? Pah! Nothing more or less than a “disaster” especially in Scotland. Tony Blair’s “worst idea”. (Quite the claim considering minor league initiatives like invading Iraq.)
READ MORE: Scottish independence: 'Union is dead', says former Tory media chief
Subsequent remarks on ensuring no further powers should be attached to the devolved administrations, allowed several felines to leap from the Tory bag. In a few ill-chosen sentences he put to bed, once and for all, the risible fiction that the Internal Market Bill had nothing whatsoever to do with grabbing power and emasculating Holyrood.
Boris’s head may or may not button up the back - I’ve never had the opportunity to check - but the Scottish electorate’s assuredly does not. We know, of course we do, that the Brexit endgame is being used as cover for dismantling devolved government and all its works.
It’s just that no Tory has ever actually fessed up to it, unless we count Andrew Bowie’s chest-beating tweets on the UK Gov being back in Scotland. He doesn’t mention when or why they left. Perhaps when they carelessly shed more than half their Westminster contingent last December.
No matter. Boris has come out loud and proud with the truth of it all. There is no more accomplished and flexible athlete when inserting a foot in the mouth. Practice makes perfect. Oh to be a fly on the wall when his latest bout of verbal diarrhoea was relayed to Scotland’s most famous football linesman. With Boris by my side, who needs enemies, Douglas Ross may just perhaps have mused.
In the hours following this most noisy of clangers, Conservative spokespeople were wheeled out at intervals with variations on “what he really meant was”. Tellingly, no spokesperson felt able to deny that he had actually uttered the fateful words. That’s one of the few joys of Zoom – it’s not like cocktail party chit chat which has the merit of deniability. What happens on Zoom doesn’t often stay on Zoom. And can be recorded.
You might imagine, at a juncture when the PM is still trying to sort out who leaked to whom over his lockdown timetable, he would be at pains to ensure no further hostages were handed to fortune. Then again, blurting out the unsayable is more or less his stock in trade.
Let us give thanks for that. When the first session of a truly independent Scottish Parliament is finally convened, let us ensure he has a reserved VIP seat. It’s the least we can do. He has done so much for us.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel