The case for Scotland staying part of no-deal Brexit Britain is fast turning to dust

by Ian Blackford
Posted on
5 years ago
3 min read

Today is the day Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Scotland on a galling victory lap since his ascension to Number 10 last week.

Johnson was elected by just over 90,000 Tory Party members – a tiny proportion of the UK as a whole, and without any scrutiny from MPs.

Let’s be clear – this Prime Minister has no mandate in Scotland and his right-wing politics have no place in our society.

His “affable buffoon” character is no eraser for his appalling comments in the past.

Johnson’s politics are defined not by his personal convictions but by whatever rallying call is most popular among his cronies on the day.

He once even told the press he didn’t think an in-out referendum on EU membership was necessary and that Leave didn’t appeal to him.

But he now makes his way into Downing Street because of his advocacy of a disastrous no-deal Brexit – a path that could cost every person in Scotland £2300 per year and risks 100,000 jobs.

At the weekend, Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson confirmed her backing for Johnson – despite backing nearly every other candidate in the leadership race – but said she was opposed to a no-deal Brexit.

It’s astounding that her support for the new PM is conditional on opposing the one policy that got him into Number 10.

But it’s clear that her attempts to rebrand the Scottish Tory Party have failed – the mask has slipped and the “nasty party” is well and truly back.

The latest Tory spin is that they are the saviours of the Scottish fishing sector – but history tells quite a different story.

The Scottish fishing industry was sold out on the way into Europe and they’re set to sell out hard-working fishermen and women on the way out as well.

Last week also saw the sacking of David Mundell from the Scotland Office, making way for new Secretary of State for Scotland, Alister Jack.

He’s only been in office a few days but already the headlines are far from kind to the Cabinet’s man in Scotland.

It was revealed yesterday that Alister Jack has shares in a firm that claimed £1.2million in European Union’s CAP funding – despite the MP advocating a disastrous no-deal Brexit.

Another company Jack has logged in the MPs Register of Interests issued a stark warning about the “various risk factors” of leaving the EU.

It really is staggering how the new Secretary of State seems to be only too aware of the benefits of being a member of the EU – and indeed the risks of leaving Europe – yet is still hell-bent on advocating a catastrophic no-deal exit.

Scotland deserves so much better than this. The coming days, weeks and months will prove a real test for the UK.

Now more than ever, the case for Scotland staying part of the UK is fast turning to dust.

People are looking to the positive, inclusive case for independence as part of the EU– juxtaposed against an insular Brexit Britain with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

It’s time to give Scotland a say.

And when that time comes, I’m confident people in Scotland will vote for a better future as an independent European nation.

This article originally appeared in the Daily Record.