SNP’s crisis mentality

EVEN before the votes were cast in the EU referendum, the Scottish Government was warning of a constitutional crisis and issuing threats of Indyref 2 if Scotland voted differently from the rest of the UK.

Having failed to build support with its EU stance, its efforts to bring about a constitutional crisis are now based on claims of a Tory plot against devolution itself.

The UK government has explained how UK-wide frameworks need to be put in place in some devolved areas, such as fishing, agriculture, food standards and so on before powers in these areas are transferred to Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.

Naturally, the SNp is unhappy with this approach and claims it is a power grab by Westminster, even though Westminster is also our government and we have 59 Mps as Scotland’s voice.

However, the SNp has never

respected the result of the 2014 independence vote and the present Scottish Government is committed to breaking up the UK by stoking grievance wherever possible with an institutional ‘Us’ and ‘Them’ mentality.

With such an ideological mindset, if all powers were to immediately go to holyrood as the SNP demands, it is highly likely that the subsequent negotiations to establish UK-wide frameworks would be acrimonious and used to create the sort of differential Brexit the SNP wants for Scotland.

This would undoubtedly lead to instability in the UK structure, followed by calls for Indyref 2.

ALAN WYLLIE, Largs, Ayrshire.