BROUGHT to you by the people who claim to be standing up against divisive nationalism, there are reports that the 10 Downing Street Union unit formed to fight Scottish independence has asked the vaccine taskforce about branding the new coronavirus vaccine with Union flags.

This will supposedly make us rebellious Scots come over all British nationalist – sorry “patriotic” and give up on notions of Scottish independence. There are rumours that the units of the Union unit are looking at clinical trials in order to find ways of improving the efficacy of a vaccine against Scottish independence – by having it delivered by airdrop from a squadron of Spitfires while the Dambusters music is blasted from loudspeakers. Reportedly Number 10 Downing Street wants to call the vaccination program British jabs for British workers.

Other Number 10 advisers believe that branding the vaccine with a Union flag will help to boost public confidence in the vaccine, because apparently the public looks to a British Government, which has presided over the highest death toll in Europe and the greatest economic damage, and is reassured.

The only efficient way the Conservatives have responded to the pandemic is by using it as an opportunity to enrich themselves and their pals. Is there a vaccine against cronyism? Is there a vaccine against employing a Spanish middleman for £21million? The only surprise here is that Matt Hancock hasn’t already had a WhatsApp chat with his neighbour and arranged to have the vials pre-printed for a fee.

READ MORE: Downing Street 'wants Covid-19 vaccine branded with Union flag'

It’s a perfect illustration of the narrow-minded hypocritical Brextremist nationalists who govern us from Westminster. About 60,000 people have died in the UK. But they still want to brag and shout about their exceptionalism? This comes after that same government has voted to slash foreign aid. It sums up Brexit Britain. Never knowingly missing an opportunity for a show of nationalism or flag-waving meanness.

If we must have a flag on this Oxford vaccine, it should be noted that two out of five lead scientists on the research team which developed it, Dr Adrian Hill and Prof Teresa Lambe, are Irish – so if there’s any flag to be displayed on the vials containing the vaccine, it really ought to be the Irish one.

Although since others in the research team came from other European countries and AstraZeneca is partly a Swedish company, perhaps the vaccine really ought to be branded in a way that reflects collaboration and co-operation between European nations. If only there was a flag that symbolised that. Perhaps a blue one with a ring of gold stars?

The staunch mob on social media who go on about how much they hate nationalism from behind their Union-flag-themed Twitter accounts, who are the target audience for this kind of British nationalist – sorry, patriotic – zoomery will have no problem since they are so staunchly opposed to making nationalist points and are always complaining about the evils of nationalism down the lodge.

People from all over the world have worked on the vaccine. It takes a special level of crassness to politicise it for British nationalism – sorry, “non-divisive patriotism” – in a pathetic attempt to fend off Scottish independence.

IT’S all a very long way from the promises of devo max and the nearest thing possible to federalism we heard in 2014.

Last week we had Prime Malingerer Johnson declare devolution to be a disaster, and this week Jacob Rees-Mogg pipes up from the 18th century to tell us that the Government should undo the “foolish constitutional tinkering” of the Labour Party which created the devolved parliaments. The Tories have devolution in their sights.

Scotland has a vaccine against the lies and deceit of the Conservatives. It just takes one inoculation of independence and we are protected against them for good. It’s either that or sit back helplessly as Johnson and the Tories asset strip Scottish public services for the benefit of their cronies and remove our ability to protect Scotland from their greed and avarice. Independence is the vaccine that we need to ensure the survival of decency and humanity in Scottish public life.

The National is supporting Paul Kavanagh through his recovery by commissioning extra articles and offering free advertising for his rehab crowdfunder in the paper. We wish Paul all the best – the independence movement can’t do without him.