SNP posturing

The last many months of posturing by SNP ministers on Brexit and the treatment of powers returning from the EU has made clear that their focus is on making life as difficult as possible for the UK government (“Giving powers to Holyrood will dismantle UK market, Green claims”, 25 September).

The SNP’S underlying tactic has been to demand what cannotbegiven,andthendemand it again and again with ever more strident expressions of outrage.

They want the 111 powers to come back directly to Holyrood so that they can then hold the UK to ransom 111 times in subsequent negotiations to ensure these powers are not used to undermine the operation of the UK single market.

The SNP has the luxury of not caring how long any of this takes. Indeed, the suspicion is that even the eventual outcome is not the main driver for the SNP just now.

The key is to generate as much illfeeling as possible out of the whole process, presumably as a precursor to eventually concluding that they have been “forced” into taking the course that the First Minister has for now put on hold.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom government has a tight timescale to keep to, and a responsibility to deliver for all of the UK.

No wonder Damien Green says with some exasperation that it is time for the Scottish Government to “get serious”. Good luck with that.

KEITH HOWELL West Linton, Peeblesshire