Stop Sturgeon’s relentless march to break up Britain
IF Nicola Sturgeon was looking to build on the momentum for a second Scottish independence referendum, then she couldn’t be more wrong. A recent poll conducted by Savanta ComRes found that 51 per cent of Scots do not believe Scotland should be independent. In fact, only about 40 per cent are in favour of Scotland’s First Minister holding another independence referendum.
To add insult to injury, this week Ms Sturgeon had to swallow her Republican pride and meet with the Queen on her visit to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. An irony considering she has made it her life’s work to tear Scotland away from our great union. A union headed by the Queen.
If this week is anything to go by, Sturgeon’s calls for another referendum show that Westminster has neglected to set real limits on the devolved powers for too long. Clawing back the ground that Blair let rip for the devolved powers has been like trying to put a genie back in the bottle. And the Covid-19 pandemic only made things worse.
THE Coronavirus Act of 2020 gave a range of new powers to devolved ministries in sectors like health, education, and justice. Powers that the devolved governments quickly made use of.
It is no secret that I was very openly critical of Boris Johnson allowing the devolved powers individual control over their Covid policies. At a time where most of England was getting back to business, Scotland and Wales were placing more restrictions on freedom of movement, public gatherings and even forcing businesses to close. How is that fair?
Why allow politicians in one country to bankrupt their local economies with draconian lockdown rules and expect Westminster to pick up the tab? After all, wasn’t the pandemic a national emergency? Shouldn’t it have been dealt with nationally? But the absurdity doesn’t stop there. This week Nicola Sturgeon also sought a ruling from the Supreme Court on the legality of Indyref2, set for October 19 2023.
In an attempt to absolve herself of any legal hurdles her renewed independence campaign may face, she had asked the court to determine whether there are any “preliminary matters” that must be handled.
If the polls are anything to go by, it is clear Sturgeon is trying to shoehorn another referendum in order to bolster her political relevance.
One would have hoped that the 2014 referendum would have settled the matter. Even former First Minister Alex Salmond called it “the vote of a generation”. So why, when the UK is tackling a cost-of-living crisis, rising inflation, the threat of mass strikes and a war in Ukraine, are the same people harping on about another referendum just eight years later?
The answer is simple: Brexit. Brexit gave otherwise redundant politicians a new raison d’être. They saw a way to capitalise on an already deeply divided society for their own political gain. And with Boris’ government’s continued wrestling with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol, Scottish secessionists have more wind in their sails.
But they cannot be allowed to win. For England and Scotland’s somewhat loveless cohabitation to continue, tensions must be managed wisely. Westminster must reassert itself at a time where our country needs to be unified now more than ever. Fundamental changes to the United Kingdom must be tackled slowly and sensibly. Brexit first. Everything else must come second. Sturgeon’s referendum proposal does the opposite. She is threatening to open old wounds that would be counterproductive for the entire country.
MORE countries might end up seeking independence referendums. The English may demand to vote on whether they want Scotland to even be part of the union. After all, the English certainly don’t enjoy free university tuition fees, no prescription charges, and lower taxes like their fellow countrymen up north. And while the SNP may claim victory for these initiatives, they conveniently forget that these are primarily subsidised by Westminster, and by extension the English.
Grumblings will turn into questions. And questions will turn into another bitter culture war.The likes of which Britain is still reeling from after the 2016 Brexit vote. Ultimately, how can the union remain if one party is always trying to leave?
Politicians like Sturgeon and Salmond have long used devolution to fuel their unrelenting march towards secession. It’s about time our government put a halt to this march if our country is to resemble anything like a united kingdom.
‘How can the union remain if one party is always trying to leave?’