Tory minister tells of sense of nationhood

A CONSERVATIVE minister has described Scotland as “another country”, saying the “sense of nationhood in Edinburgh is palpable”.

Guto Bebb, Under Secretary of State at the Wales Office, said a recent trip to Edinburgh left him feeling “despondent” as it reminded him of the independent Irish Republic capital Dublin.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will seek a second referendum on Scottish independence.

And Mr Bebb, a Conservative party whip, who was in the Scottish capital for a British-Irish Council meeting, has said his “gut feeling” is that there has been a change in attitude in Scotland since the independence referendum of 2014, in which the majority voted to stay within the UK.

The meeting the Aberconwy MP attended brought together the devolved governments from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as the UK and Irish governments.

Writing in his North Wales Weekly News column, the former Plaid Cymru activist said the First Minister’s call for an independence referendum was “hardly a surprising development” as the Prime Minister comes closer to triggering Article 50 to begin the UK’s exit from the EU.

Mr Bebb added: “My brief visit to Edinburgh left me somewhat despondent because I felt the same way as I do when I leave Dublin.

“For me Dublin is somewhere which is recognisable but very different. That is fine in the context of the capital of an independent country but it should be a warning when visiting a city which is a crucial part of the UK.

“The sense of nationhood in Edinburgh is palpable. For a long time it has been satisfied within the UK. Even in 2014 a majority saw themselves as British and Scottish. Is that changing though? My gut feeling is yes and that should be a cause for regret to all of us.”