Nationalists stung by ex policy chief’s shock attack

ALEX Salmond’s former policy chief broke ranks yesterday to launch an extraordinary attack on the SNP’s ‘deluded’ arguments for independence.

Alex Bell, who negotiated with the UK Government to secure the referendum, said the party’s economic case was ‘dead’.

He added: ‘SNP independence has become the cocaine of the politically active, fun to join in but dulling the senses, jabbering on at a hundred words per minute while disconnected from self-awareness.’

Mr Bell was in control of the process that led to the Edinburgh Agreement – the deal signed by Mr Salmond and David Cameron that enabled a referendum to be staged.

But as work got under way on the SNP’s White Paper – the ‘manifesto’ for separation – the head of policy left his post because the document lacked a ‘big offer’.

Writing for an online website he now edits, Mr Bell said: ‘Cut Nicola and no doubt she still bleeds independence, but what she means by that is far less clear than before the referendum. The doubt arises because the campaign towards the 2014 vote, and the economic information since, has kicked the old model to death.

‘The idea you could have a Scotland with high public spending, low taxes, a stable

‘A morally dubious form of government’

economy and reasonable government debt was wishful a year ago – now it is deluded.’

Mr Bell accused the Scottish Government of failing to carry out more research on the implications of separation, saying: ‘Independence needs facts and planning. The leadership fear those facts will rip the party apart. This is a morally dubious form of government.

‘Posing as the defender of the poor against Tories when you have no credible alternative and don’t bother to research one is arguably immoral. The SNP’s ill-prepared version of independence does not plausibly offer any real alternative.’

Scottish Tory deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said: ‘Many of the things that have come to pass – a falling oil price, the need for tough economic decisions – were warned about long before the referendum.

‘We were ridiculed for making them at the time, but now even former SNP advisers are accepting these were justified. This is more confirmation the SNP is merely a propaganda machine.’

But an SNP spokesman said: ‘Since the referendum, every opinion poll has shown an increase in support for independence. This is due to widespread anger that the UK Government has not delivered on its vow on more powers for Scotland – but also because the SNP continues to make the case for self-government and demonstrates a strong track record in office.’