Westminster by gaslight
by Why Westminster politicians’ deceitful panic proves independence is popular
If you spent your time listening exclusively to the choir of Westminster politicians, you would be forgiven for thinking that Scottish support for independence had vanished into thin air like sunshine in November.
From Downing Street to the backbenches of Holyrood, Westminster politicians sing from the exact same tired hymn sheet.
We are told by the Prime Minister that Scots have already “determined” the issue; whilst Kemi Badenoch acts as if Scots want the Scottish Parliament to be stripped of its powers; and Nigel Farage’s man in Scotland, Malcolm Offord, claims it’s only supported by a quarter of registered voters.
Meanwhile, Tory MSP, Alexander Burnett says ‘Scots are sick of independence‘; and his colleague Murdo Fraser claims that “most polling” shows people want continued Westminster control.
It is a masterclass in political gaslighting. There is only one small snag with their narrative: The actual numbers tell a completely different story.
Just look at the hard data. It shows a clear majority of polls since the 2024 election showing a lead for ‘Yes’.
To put that into proper context, cast your mind back to the run-up to 2014. When the Edinburgh Agreement was signed, independence was polling in the low 30s. The Westminster establishment treated the campaign as a foregone conclusion and took the voters for granted.
Today, the baseline isn’t in the low 30s but has a majority of polls showing a ‘Yes’ lead and those that don’t are in, what Americans call, a statistical dead heat.
To claim in the face of these numbers that the issue doesn’t need to be addressed is like standing in the pouring rain without an umbrella insisting you are as dry as a bone.
So, if Andy Burnham, Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage, and their branch managers in Scotland are truly convinced that the Scottish public has turned its back on national self-determination, why not prove it?
If they are so utterly confident that Westminster control is so popular in Scotland, why run away from testing that in a referendum?
The truth is obvious. Their refusal to test their claims isn’t born of strength or democratic principle; it is born of a total lack of confidence.
They fear the ballot box because they are afraid of what would happen if the Scottish people were given a free choice to cast their judgement on their broken promises of 2014.
Telling the Scottish electorate that they don’t want independence, while running away from testing that claim, is like a football team clinging to a 1-1 draw, blowing a referee’s whistle and declaring themselves world champions.
They are terrified of facing an electorate where their broken promises of 2014 – on EU membership, being better off by £1,400, lower energy bills, cheaper food, and equal partnership – will be exposed in the colder light of day and more thoroughly dismantled.
This endless campaign of denial and gaslighting treats the intelligence of the Scottish electorate with contempt.
When politicians rely entirely on denial, bluster, and moving goalposts to keep Westminster control, they prove they have run out of arguments.
In the end, this continuous deceit from Westminster-supporting politicians provides the most compelling argument of all for Scotland taking its own path without Westminster.
We do not just need independence to rebuild our economy and protect our public services – we need it so we can finally be done with a dishonest Westminster establishment that uses deception to dodge a vote they fear they would lose.
It’s time – time to clear away the smoke and mirrors of Westminster, trust the Scottish people, and move to take Scotland’s future into Scotland’s hands.