Time to move on, not drag Scotland back

THE true danger of Scotland being ripped out of the UK was revealed when Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged that there may need to be controls at the border with England.

This would not only pose a grave threat to Scotland’s most crucial trading relationship, it would also divide families.

In 2014, the SNP arrogantly dismissed any suggestions that a hard border may be required.

Gone, too, is the outlandish claim that there would be a ‘currency union’ with the rest of the UK which would allow a separate Scotland to continue to use the pound.

A separate Scottish currency, as now proposed, could trigger severe and painful consequences for the economy.

It may, therefore, have been hoped that we are finally getting a bit of honesty about the consequences of secession from the Nationalists. Sadly, this was inevitably short-lived as the fantasy economics of the SNP returned yesterday.

Finance Secretary Derek Mackay came out with delusion after delusion in a policy-free speech. He claimed that it is Brexit, not Scexit, which will inflict years of pain on Scotland.

Instead, he said separation could help Scotland become part of the ‘top tier’ of wealthy nations.

He conveniently failed to mention that the SNP’s Growth Commission, of which he was a member, warned that it could take a decade to bring the eye-watering 7 per cent deficit a separate Scotland would face down to sustainable levels.

He also claimed that Scotland ‘cannot afford’ to remain part of the UK. Yet his own Government’s official figures show that every man, woman and child in the country benefits from a ‘Union dividend’ worth £2,000 a year.

There will be more of the same from Nicola Sturgeon today, as she uses her keynote speech to claim that a separate Scotland can be a ‘bridge’ between the UK and European Union.

She will conveniently fail to mention that Scotland would not be allowed to become an EU member until it commits to adopt the euro and brings down its deficit, which could mean years of painful austerity.

Yesterday’s Queen’s Speech set out how the UK Government would bring forward a series of new measures to promote ‘the Union that binds the four nations of the United Kingdom’.

It is welcome that Scotland can benefit from one government trying to celebrate and strengthen what we have, rather than tear it apart.

Some of the proposed legislation to be introduced by the UK Government in the next 12 months will not directly apply to Scotland.

However, any investment in devolved areas will result in a windfall for the Scottish Government in so-called ‘Barnett consequentials’. These demonstrate the value of the Union, where spending south of the Border results in a funding boost in other parts of the UK.

Boris Johnson has previously pledged that he will also have no fear of spending money directly in Scotland. This is a welcome commitment, and we await details of this spending.

It is time that the Scottish Government started using its money wisely and refocusing on areas for which it is responsible – such as health, education and the economy – not dragging Scotland back to the divisive constitutional battles of the past.

The people of Scotland had their say on this issue in 2014, in what they were told was a ‘once in a generation’ event. It is time to move on.