NOW IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP TO THE THREAT OF SNP’S CHAOS
WE’VE always known that the SNP is attracted to chaos. Its job and business support schemes are chaotic, falling far short on the promised funding amounts.
The way the Nationalists try to build ferries and hospitals is chaotic too.
And at every turn, they want to force us through the mayhem of another divisive referendum.
But the one area where the SNP always managed to avoid chaos was in their own party.
They have a reputation for chaos in their domestic record but within their own house they have been remarkably disciplined since 2007. There has been almost no breaking ranks.
Until now. Chaos is engulfing the SNP on a weekly basis. They are losing an MP a day to Alex Salmond’s fledgling party, Alba.
But we cannot allow ourselves to get complacent for a minute. The nationalists are not weaker, they are stronger. Before, we were facing the threat of an SNP majority hell-bent on holding another divisive referendum, regardless of what the UK Government said. Now, we are still facing that threat of an SNP majority, only with the added threat of an independence super-majority.
The threat of a Scottish parliament fixated on breaking up the United Kingdom for the next five years, instead of on the essential task of rebuilding our country, is more real and serious than ever. Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond are no longer friends but they are still, ultimately, allies. They both hold the same obsession.
A new nationalist alliance has been formed. It is an unholy, unfriendly alliance. But nevertheless, the trio of Salmond, Sturgeon and her little helper, Patrick Harvie, all have the same goal in mind. For them, it’s independence at all costs, no matter the damage it causes.
The risk of a divisive, illegal referendum has shot up. Salmond’s Alba Party is seeking to game Holyrood’s electoral system in their favour to drive at that independence super-majority they so desire. The impact that Salmond could have is very clear.
While dividing the pro-UK vote further would have dire consequences for the United Kingdom,
the nationalists are not actually seeking to divide their vote. Salmond and his cronies are seeking to manipulate the system with a list-only nationalist party, which is such a dangerous proposition because they already overwhelmingly vote for one party in constituencies.
This new Yes movement would wield the Scottish parliament as a weapon to divide the UK. They would take a super-majority and try to get independence by any means necessary.
As leader of Scotland’s biggest opposition party, it’s my job to take responsibility and lead from the front against this new threat. That’s why I offered to meet the leaders of the Labour and Liberal Democrat parties to discuss how we can co-operate to stop an SNP-led super-majority for independence.
ISAID we should rediscover the Better Together spirit and do everything in our power to find a way to work together against the nationalists. They refused within a few hours.
Labour and the Lib Dems just don’t seem to get it. They don’t seem to understand the threat we are facing. So today, I repeat my offer with a stern message: wake up. Wake up to this new threat before it’s too late. Stop backing off the SNP and let’s take them on, together. Let’s not get caught up fighting one another. Let’s turn all our fire on the nationalists.
To stop an SNP majority and stop this new nationalist threat, I am willing to discuss what it would mean to tactically vote and how to maximise the proUK vote in constituencies. But it’s not simple: many Scottish Conservatives are such strong unionists that they will not vote for a Labour Party that abstains in a vote of no confidence against Nicola Sturgeon or votes for the SNP’s Hate Crime Bill.
Those voters may simply choose to not vote at all.
On the other side, the transfer of votes in recent by-election results shows us that Labour voters are divided between nationalists and unionists.
If they did choose to stand down, it may actually help the SNP in some cases.
BUT this new nationalist threat is too great to not at least make the effort, get around the table and try to find a solution that could help to stop the SNP. We need the Scottish parliament to be 100 per cent focused on recovering from this pandemic. On that, we all agree. We all agree we must restore local schools, invest in the economy and properly fund our NHS.
I believe there is a majority across Scotland who want to choose recovery over a referendum, who would pick rebuilding Scotland over dividing Scotland. If we put aside petty politics and tribal differences, we can achieve so much more. We can rebuild Scotland stronger.
But we cannot do any of that if the SNP wins a majority, the nationalists get a super-majority and they spend the next five years trying to split the country.
We cannot ignore the nationalist elephant in the room. I hope Labour and the Lib Dems put our differences to one side and reconsider. But if they do not, we won’t give in.
With or without a new Better Together alliance, the Scottish Tories will form an anti-SNP, pro-UK coalition of voters. We will unite anti-referendum, prorecovery voters. We did it in 2016 and we stopped an SNP majority. We can do it again now.
‘Let’s not get caught up fighting one another’