A BBC Debate Night audience member has summed up exactly what is wrong with the Scottish Tories' election campaign – and you won't be remotely surprised at his comment.
The man told the show Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross talks more about independence than any other politician.
He said: "I've actually heard Douglas Ross talk more about independence than anyone else in Scottish politics. Every piece of Tory literature that's come through my door has focused on independence – I have no idea what their policies are apart from stopping the SNP."
The man went on to say that the SNP plans to hold indyref2 if they win a majority at next month's election but the Tory Government in Westminster pushed ahead with Brexit earlier this year.
He added: "The SNP are talking about having a referendum after we come out of the main part of the pandemic, whereas it's the UK Government that's driven us out of the European Union in the middle of a pandemic."
READ MORE: Scottish Tories prove they're utterly obsessed with independence in new leaflet
Labour MSP Neil Bibby responded: "Our only focus at the moment should be recovering from this pandemic. It's been a year since we went into lockdown. Nearly 10,000 people have died in Scotland. The claimant count is 100,000 higher in Scotland – it's doubled – a lot more people are out of jobs, our kids have lost six months of education over the past year.
"We need to have a relentless focus on our recovery plan that works for families in Scotland. The priority should not be an independence referendum."
Sturgeon has said there will be a second independence referendum if Scots vote for one at the elections in six weeks.
She made the comments at the final session of First Minister’s Questions yesterday afternoon before the parliament broke up ahead of polling day on May 6.
They came in response to a question from Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory group leader, who had been pressing the First Minister on education issues and an attainment gap between pupils from higher and lower income backgrounds.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon vows to hold indyref2 ‘if Scotland votes for it’
Davidson, who is leaving the Scottish Parliament to take up a seat the Lords, asked the First Minister “how many times she would demand an independence referendum before she finally gets around to closing the education gap”.
The First Minister responded: “There will be another independence referendum if the people of Scotland vote for an independence referendum. It is, Presiding Officer, called democracy, which I know is a principle that Ruth Davidson perhaps does not recognise these days as she might have done one day.
“It’s not me, Presiding Officer, that is coming away from responsibility and accountability. I am about to put myself before the people and I will put before the Scottish people my record in office. I will say to the Scottish people where we haven’t made as much progress as we wanted to make and why that is the case.
“And I will put forward a positive case for the future. I will put forward plans which will see us continue to close the attainment gap, continue to support the health service, continue to support economic recovery and, yes, continue to support plans which allow this country to choose its own future.”
A draft bill to hold a second independence referendum in the next parliamentary term was published by the Scottish Government on Monday.
It set out the proposed question and timing of the new vote after the legislation was promised in the Scottish Government’s latest Programme for Government.
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