Nicola Sturgeon’s folly; Westminster SNP rehash ‘old material’ as they say the Conservatives 'have returned to anti-Scottish days of Margaret Thatcher', Nationalist leader puts bitter personal attack against David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary, does Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP members intend to hound David Mundell as they did Charles Kennedy?

Dear All

To be a comedian you have to always use new material, the same could be said in politics, yesterday, I was blogging on the SNP being in their death throes, today as if on cue to prove my point, up pops the SNP leader Ian Blackford at Westminster to use retread material of a bygone age.

Ian Blackford says the Tories have returned to the “anti-Scottish” days of Margaret Thatcher, isn’t just pitiful that the SNP can do no better than attempt to resurrect a ghost of the past.

The idea that petty gimmicks and malcontent can build a nation or indeed unity it is laughable. The SNP are a thoroughly unprofessional group of people who although elected are incapable of building bridges. The bitter exchanges by Ian Blackford towards David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary isn’t good politics, also no one at all will believe the SNP leadership at Holyrood will be seeking consensus by restarting cross-party talks to defuse the mounting constitutional crisis over Brexit.

The SNP want a constitutional crisis over Brexit, so they are using a tactic, Problem–reaction–solution, a method to attempt to steer the UK Government towards operating to their agenda.

The end goal is of course a referendum to be called at their timing, known as a neverendum.

This will not be allowed to happen, with the SNP imploding from the inside, they know that time is against the SNP. In the recent Deputy contest, Keith Brown MSP managed to get 55% of the vote, but we should all remember that only about 26% of the membership voted. You could say that Keith Brown has no real mandate to be deputy leader as only circa 1 in 10 members thought him fit to be elected.

9 out of 10 SNP members didn’t!

In politics, we continually hear that personal attacks have no place in politics, but here we have the SNP leader Ian Blackford in the House of Commons launching into a personal attack against David Mundell, the Scottish Secretary suggesting apparently that he was “yellow” for not speaking in a three-hour debate.  Blackford also claimed that Mundell had no credibility to hold his current post.

Blackford said:

“He fails to stand up for Scotland as a country, fails to stand up for our Parliament, he sees us as subservient…That’s why the Secretary of State needs to go. He is quite simply unfit for the office he holds.”

In a feeble attempt to goad Mundell after accusing him of “stabbing the Scottish Parliament in the back,” Blackford demanded:

“Come on, up you get.”

David Mundell did get up, wandered over to the dispatch box after the SNP had fired their heavy artillery at him and calmly said:

“This speech, I suppose it can be called that, is not worthy of a response from me in the tone that he has set out. He calls for respect but focuses entirely on the personal in his comments. This may be a performance for his colleagues and his core voters, it doesn’t impress Scotland.”

The classic reply, ‘not worthy of a response from me’!

You have to laugh, Blackford wanted a fight backed up with his sheep sitting round him for support and in the end, he made himself look like an absolute fool. One Tory source later said:

“They have no proper argument and that’s why they are resorting to cheap, personal attacks.”

Remember what I said yesterday about the fact the SNP have no substance?

They also have no vision, no depth and no business being in Westminster, what exactly is their purpose there? Plainly, it seems to me to be about drawing the salary, engaging in identity politics and grievance manufacturing, they will leave Westminster no wiser than when they first entered.

Learned nothing, did nothing and added nothing to the betterment of society!

Someone clearly out of his depth is SNP MP Martin Day, he piped up to suggests Whitehall’s action has sparked a strong sense of outrage from his constituents, previously witnessed following the introduction of poll tax, and he added Scotland had now reached a “tipping point”.

Notice any demos this morning or indeed any other morning?

See any real support by way of online petitions?

See anything in the press or on TV and radio about mass discontent?

Heard Tommy Sheridan wheeled out to waffle on?

One thing which should interest anyone who is following this SNP dog and pony show is the comments of Conservative MP Simon Hoare. He pointed out how Lord Sewel, one of the architects of devolution, had made clear the UK Government was not enacting a power-grab because sovereignty rested with the UK Parliament. All powers returned to the UK from the EU must go through Westminster.

Or to understand the nub of it, there is no contract or membership with the EU and the Scottish Government hence no transfer of powers.

It is entirely right that the UK Government are not willing to move any further to allow a Holyrood veto over policy aimed at protecting the UK’s internal market, the SNP are yet again fighting a losing battle which they know they can’t win. You have to ask yourself why the SNP keep having fights when they know that legally they can’t win or influence; is it simply to waste time or are there another motives behind the scenes which they operate too.

No one will win a vote to bring forward emergency legislation to scrap the bill’s Scottish clause especially after David Mundell and his colleagues have made what they regard as significant compromises. Sometimes, it is better to take a small win and then walk away, but the SNP seem to be gamblers and always come up losers. When you build up a record of failure, people will eventually ask; what is the point of supporting you, prior to abandoning your party.

The internal UK market must be protected, this benefits Scotland as much as anyone other part of the United Kingdom. How can the SNP sell their lies on independence when they cannot even work with our largest trading partner in a responsible and constructive way?

Finally, I said the SNP in in its death throes, and as many in the SNP know all too well, George Laird right again!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University