Be positive... to save our British identity

IT began as an ‘eye-catching initiative’ by that constitutional bull-in-a- chinashop, Tony Blair, with his shallow idea that Scottish devolution would defuse the nationalists’ threat to Labour seats.

But as so many warned, his restoration of the Edinburgh Parliament in 1999, almost three centuries after its dissolution, has had the opposite effect.

Far from pulling the rug from under the nationalists, it has encouraged separatist feeling and given Alex Salmond a platform from which to stir up resentment. With only 19 days to the independence referendum, it has become frighteningly clear how far he has succeeded, as the polls show a dramatic drop to six points in the Better Together campaign’s lead. So it is that an SNP once widely dismissed (with good reason) as a fringe group of cranks now poses a mortal threat to something we’ve all taken for granted for so long that we’re in danger of forgetting how deeply precious it is.

What is at stake, on both sides of the border, is our British identity – the bond that has joined us in war and peace since Queen Anne fulfilled the Union dream of her Stuart ancestor, King James. Ever since, in science and commerce, industry, literature and the arts, we have shared each other’s triumphs. And in times of peril, from Napoleon and Hitler to the collapse of Scotland’s banks in 2008, we have stood side by side.

Of course, we should be wary of reading too much into a poll taken immediately after Monday’s TV debate, in which Mr Salmond got the better of Alistair Darling.

As first impressions fade, voters may reflect that his victory was won not on the arguments, but by goading and gurning at his opponent, shouting him down and taking advantage of a vocally partisan audience and a feeble BBC moderator to exercise his skills as a showman.

Indeed, from the start, the Yes campaign has been a distasteful mix of frivolity, aggression and mendacity, quite at odds with the seriousness of the issue.

After all, this referendum is not like a general election, with the chance to switch sides within five years. If Scotland votes Yes, we will all live with the consequences for ever. Yet Mr Salmond seems hardly to have thought about practical issues such as the currency, pensions or his back-of-theenvelope Scottish Defence Force.

As for his projections for oil revenues, like most of his ‘facts’ and figures, these are merely plucked out of the air. Meanwhile, the Cybernats who support him have plumbed depths of abuse on the internet, while nationalist thugs have prevented opponents from speaking.

In contrast, the No camp has stuck to dry facts in its efforts to demolish Mr Salmond’s case. Indeed, it has often been too dry and too negative, allowing Mr Salmond to portray it as bullying. From David Cameron to Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, the message has been that independence would spell disaster for Scotland. Hasn’t that tone been counter-productive? Isn’t there a better alternative?

As this paper has long argued, there’s a wonderfully positive case for the Union – and to date, it has hardly been heard. Yes, Scots feel strong national identity. But a defining characteristic of the UK is that its peoples can celebrate their differences, while glorying in their Britishness.

If the UK survives, there will be time enough to air our grave reservations about ‘devo-max’ – the Westminster parties’ rash promise to compound Mr Blair’s folly and give Edinburgh more autonomy, whatever the result. For the moment, what matters is to drum up the largest possible majority for keeping Scotland British.

This week’s poll is a siren warning to the Better Together campaign. There are 19 days left to accentuate the positive.