A downward spiral
THE SNP’s hard-won, if ill-deserved, reputation for competence is evaporating like dew on a late spring morning.
After a decade of spinning dull managerialism as firm government, the Nationalists are all over the place. And at the heart of the chaos is the SNP’s dream of Scottish independence.
First, Nicola Sturgeon confidently announced plans for a second independence referendum late next year or early in 2019.
Next, Scottish voters flocked to Unionist parties in the recent council elections, with many backing the Tories whose unequivocal opposition to a second referendum chimes with the views of the majority of Scots.
Then Miss Sturgeon, perhaps chastened by the election results, said it was not necessarily a matter of when but if a second referendum takes place.
But just as the dust was settling on that particularly sharp U-turn, along came the deputy leader of the SNP, Angus Robertson, to change the message yet again. Yesterday, Mr Robertson – facing a serious challenge from the Tories in the Moray constituency – insisted that a second referendum would take place according to the timetable Miss Sturgeon appeared to have torn up.
The impression is that the SNP doesn’t quite know what to do about the rise of Tory support in Scotland and what that will mean for the constitutional battle.
Mr Robertson may have insisted yesterday that the return in next month’s General Election of a majority of Nationalist MPs in Scotland would create a mandate for a second referendum but this is not so. The reality is that, with an increased number of Conservative MPs in Scotland, Prime Minister Theresa May would feel confident in using the powers of Westminster to block another vote on the constitution.
Most Scots do not want to go through the pain and uncertainty of another independence referendum. It’s time for the SNP to accept this and get on with sorting out our failing public services.
We hope the need for the Scottish Government to do better is one thing Nicola Sturgeon and Angus Robertson can agree upon.