The ‘No’ campaign is back in the same old scaremongering mode

by Jim Fairlie
Posted on
3 years ago
3 min read

Here we go again! Every time Scotland moves towards self-government the same old, same old scare stories emerge. And every time Project Fear thwarts Scotland’s ambitions, these scare stories then come true under Westminster control.

We’ve seen it happen for decades. Whether they claimed devolution would close Ravenscraig and Linwood, or independence would close Rosyth Royal Naval Base or RAF Leuchars, or that jobs would be lost in shipbuilding, the result of these scare stories turns into reality with Westminster control.

The lesson is the same. Whatever they warn will happen with Scottish self-government goes on to happen under Westminster government. No one should trust a word they say because their warnings turn into predictions about the Westminster they are trying to protect.

They think if they can get away with those scare stories then the people of Scotland will accept any hardship thrown at them by Westminster.

Regardless, it should reassure everyone that much of the misleading commentary comes from the likes of the former head of the 2014 ‘No’ campaign, who famously said on live TV that Boris Johnson could never become Prime Minister.

Also, after that referendum, there was the report headlined: “Better Together Campaign Chief: We Would Have Struggled To Win Without ‘Scaremongering’.

That’s how much you can bank on his opinion.

We’ve also seen Project Fear try to scare workers in Scotland’s defence industry. It’s ironic that they should choose Rosyth to again stir up Project Fear.

In 1992, the then UK defence secretary said Rosyth’s Royal Navy base would close if people voted SNP. They didn’t and two years later the Westminster government closed it.

History teaches us that the exact opposite happens in the face of Westminster scaremongering – we get royally shafted because they assume they can do anything they like to Scotland.

Time and again, on shipbuilding alone, Scotland has been promised a boat-building bonanza only for promise after promise to turn to rust.

Given their litany of broken promises, it’s staggering the pro-Westminster camp is seldom – if ever – challenged with searching questions about their prospectus for keeping Scotland under Westminster control.

And Brexit is the biggest broken promise. They said Scotland would only be out of the EU if we voted Yes and that all the main Westminster parties supported EU membership. How has that turned out?

Well, the Tories imposed it on Scotland while Labour say there is no going back and the LibDems meekly accept it.

It speaks volumes that the ‘No’ vote for Scotland as a ‘member’ of a UK in the EU has been ignored as the Westminster parties in Scotland rush to please Tory Brexit voters in the Red Wall seats down south.

There are so many examples down the years.

The next time those who wish to maintain Westminster control and its veto over Scotland tell you something bad will happen with independence, you should put your money on it happening – because Westminster will do it to us.