Unhealthy Mind, Unhealthy Body; SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon seeks to deny Scots the great opportunities which will be created by Boris Johnson’s Brexit internal market Bill, the Sturgeon vision is all about a race to the bottom, developing a country where its people really don’t have a future and live in a permanent state of grievance, Sturgeon isn’t supporting Scotland, she isn’t a wealth creator, she is an anchor holding Scotland back

Dear All

Do you feel safe in Scotland?

Well if you do, you might be just living in hope, having mismanaged everything she touches, SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has allowed coronavirus to coming raging back. So much for daily party political broadcasts masquerading as public health briefings, oh and before I forget, has anyone seen the SNP Public Health Minister, through-out this whole farce of the SNP allegedly protecting the country, he is like the invisible man. Except, everyone remembers the invisible man but not him, if he ever makes it to a Sturgeon party political broadcast, someone drop me a line. In her rush to promote minorities into her Cabinet and government, presumably to secure her position, there was one area seemly lacking in appointments.

Competence!

In the wake of a grim coronavirus reality, the other story of note is Brexit, we have had the vote to leave, we have seen the transition nearly up as we approach the end of the year, and we still see Nicola Sturgeon yet again taking on fights she has already lost and can’t win. In shipping terms, she is seeing her ‘rat ship’ of a party and government having both their keels ripped out, sitting in shallow waters, she still tries to portray her ships are a navy still in operation. One aspect which particularly gets up Sturgeon’s nose is the UK’s government’s Internal Market Bill because she despises the fact she doesn’t want integration and cooperation between Scotland and the rest of the UK. In an intervention increasingly looking like a ‘daily diary’, she said that the Internal Market Bill published yesterday will drive Scots to vote for independence.

All this nonsense she spouts out her mouth is all about keeping the wolves away from the door by rattling the old independence sabre. As I said way back during the failed attempt in 2014, the boat on Scottish independence sailed and without the SNP steering the ship.

And it ain’t coming back!

In those heady days, the Nats under Salmond and Sturgeon would say anything, do anything and lie, in the hope of getting their bankrupt Scottish vision over the line. What the landscape has now which wasn’t universally known is poison, lying poisoned the entire proposition which is why the SNP is busy trying to sell a new lie mixed in with a dose of the old lie. The cracks have been revealed and no £1 a roll political wallpaper can cover over that Scotland isn’t wealthy. We can’t pay for the level of support we current enjoy, we can’t pay our way. The SNP keep saying Scotland is a wealthy country but when pressed, the talk of major cuts to public services and pensions, taxes raised for what would be a sub standard set of services in Scotland. Our health service in Scotland won’t be protected, think on that when you look at your family, waving a flag won’t get you cancer treatment, won’t replace heart values and won’t protect you. Nicola Sturgeon and her cohorts will be okay, they will have private health care. They will also control the money supply and you know they will cream off their bit.

We are not far off the ‘end game’ of Brexit, which is why remainers like Sturgeon are so fearful; they see their vested interests fade. Remainers however come in all shapes and colours, which is why we see former Tory Prime Minister Sir John Major join with Sturgeon in criticism of the internal Bill. So, you see Nicola Sturgeon will work with Tories, joined at the hip, say one thing to the public, do another thing in private and hope you don’t notice, hope that you don’t read! Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, said the changes will provide a “safety net” for UK businesses when the jurisdiction of the EU single market ends in the UK next year. The EU is against ‘state aid’ unless they are doing it, hypocrisy in Europe is a key reason for leaving; the EU broke trust with the people of the UK. We got so sick of these people; we couldn’t wait to get to the ballot box to get rid of them.

As Sturgeon fights her lost battle, remember she is out of touch with business, Alister Jack insists the “overwhelming majority” of firms are behind the measures. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also said that the legislation will provide a tranche of new powers for Holyrood. Here is a thing, despise various organisations assisting Sturgeon’s government, why isn’t there a booming small business climate in Scotland? To save time, the SNP don’t understand business as both the Prestwick Airport and the Ferry scandal so painfully show. Who buys a failing business then cannot turn it around? Who buys ferries for a company which they didn’t want, are late and aren’t generating revenue?

Nicola Sturgeon!

Sturgeon said:

“The Tories’ proposed bill for a so-called UK internal Market is an abomination. It is a naked power grab which would cripple devolution. The plan for mutual recognition of standards in reality means a race to the bottom when it comes to things like food standards and environmental protections. It would prevent the Scottish Parliament from effectively legislating in a whole range of areas, including laws covering the food people put on their tables, which is currently produced to high EU animal welfare and food safety standards. That could be undermined by Scotland having to accept lower standards set by a UK government in pursuit of a US or other trade deals – and could see us forced to accept chlorinated chicken.”

Chlorinated chicken, when it comes to food, you can either buy or not buy it, is Scotland or supermarkets crying out for Chlorinated chicken, I don’t think so. So, the market will dictate whether we want this on our tables. The aim of the new bill is all about guarantees for companies to trade unhindered in every part of the UK. If Scots weren’t getting guarantees, you would see Sturgeon complain about that, so the ‘issues’ are irrelevant to Sturgeon, complaining for complaining sake is all that matters to her. Instead of being part of the process to shape the internal market bill, she let Scotland down by cutting off her nose to spite her face.

Brexit sees Holyrood and the other devolved nations handed new controls over areas such as animal welfare, food regulations and the environment. Given the record of Sturgeon’s govt and of her herself, you can see the need for “single market” rules in the UK. The UK plans to trade as Global Britain and to do that everyone needs to have the same rulebook in the UK. The bill will come before the Scottish Parliament for legislative consent will no doubt be voted down as it cuts across devolved areas, but the reality is the the UK government can press ahead without this. Holyrood is a second rate parliament with third rate politicians, stunts, gimmicks and grievance is its stock in trade.

Nicola Sturgeon has pledged to “fiercely resist” the plans and called on all parties in Scotland to oppose the measures contained in the bill. She added:

“All parties – including the Scottish Tories – have a duty now to protect and defend the powers democratically endorsed by the people of Scotland. Far from returning powers to Scotland, as promised by the likes of Michael Gove, it is now crystal clear that Brexit means taking back control from Holyrood and taking control away from the Scottish people. That is a betrayal not just of devolution, but of the promises made in the Brexit referendum, including those in Scotland who voted Leave. It is also now clearer than ever that the only way to defend the powers of the Scottish Parliament is with independence. And when an independence referendum comes – as it will – it will no longer be a choice between independence and the status quo, but between independence and a Tory regime which is intent on crippling Holyrood.”

The “Tories” aren’t taking away a single power that Holyrood already has; this is the lie that people like Sturgeon spreads to her supporters. Despite being asked to name one power removed, she cannot. Her complaint is that she wants powers that she never had, wouldn’t use and at the first opportunity give them away back to the EU. What Nicola Sturgeon is peddling to Scots is ‘fake independence’; Europe to her is all about opportunities for personal advancement for her and her SNP clique, and all at your expense.

The Scottish Sec said:

“The bill will also create a safety net giving businesses the certainty they need after EU-wide rules cease to apply. We will guarantee that, where Common Frameworks do not exist, regulations from one part of the UK will be recognised across the whole country. That means Scotland’s distillers would be assured of access to barley grown in other parts of the UK and oatcakes baked in West Lothian will continue to appear on supermarket shelves in the West Midlands.”

And fish will appear everywhere!

Finally, do you remember the last time that Nicola Sturgeon came up with anything meaningful to help the people of Scotland? I can’t, her vision isn’t about a prosperous Scotland, it isn’t about changing working class people’s lives; it isn’t about developing the country in terms of business, socially or in education. Her vision is all about a race to the bottom, developing a country where its people really don’t have a future and live in a permanent state of grievance. Sturgeon’s country is a country of unhealthy mind, unhealthy body. We who see through her have a task, fight for Scotland, it is a journey she isn’t apart of and never was!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University