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John Swinney has been accused of disrespecting the majority of Scots who oppose independence after he stood shoulder to shoulder with Sinn Fein and Welsh separatists to desperately promote the break-up of the United Kingdom.
The First Minister came under fire for spending the day promoting independence for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at a ‘separatist summit’ in Cardiff rather than getting on with his job.
asserted
Minister → click → job
Opponents condemned the ‘constitutional stunts’ and said the sight of the SNP leader alongside senior figures in Sinn Fein will anger many Scots who remember the trauma of the Troubles.
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who → condemn → Troubles
Mr Swinney used his appearance at the summit to claim that there will be another independence referendum within the next five years even though he failed to secure his ‘mandate’ of an SNP majority.
He also signed a memorandum of understanding with the other nationalist leaders at a joint press conference where they claimed that ‘Westminster’s time is coming to an end’.
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time → use → end
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: ‘Many people across Scotland will recoil at the sight of John Swinney joining forces with Sinn Fein in their shared desire to destroy the United Kingdom.
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Swinney → say → Kingdom
‘They will also be appalled by the SNP’s continued disrespect towards the majority of Scots who reject separation and want the devolved government in Edinburgh to get on with its job.’
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government → appal → job
In May’s Holyrood elections, Mr Swinney fell short of the majority which he had argued would be a mandate for another independence referendum.
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he → fall → referendum
John Swinney joined Sinn Féin’s vice president Michelle O’Neill, president Mary Lou McDonald and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth at the summit
A majority of voters backed pro-Union parties, with a minority of 40.5 per cent voting for the pro-independence SNP or Greens on the constituency ballot, and 41.2 per cent on the regional list.
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minority → join → list
Shadow Scottish Secretary Harriet Cross said: ‘This separatist summit is a blatant distraction from the real issues facing Scotland, like education and the economy.
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summit → say → education
‘Andy Burnham’s naïve and incorrect comments at PMQs last week have been jumped on by Nationalist leaders across the UK and given them fresh ammunition to plot the break-up of the United Kingdom.
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comments → jump → Kingdom
‘John Swinney happily sitting shoulder to shoulder with the leader of Sinn Fein shows just how far he is prepared to go in pursuit of his lifelong dream of independence.
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he → sit → independence
It is a sight that will anger many Scots who remember the Troubles.’
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who → anger → Troubles
Following Monday’s summit in Cardiff, Mr Swinney sat alongside Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and Sinn Féin’s vice president Michelle O’Neill and president Mary Lou McDonald.
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Swinney → follow → Iorwerth
He claimed the event was ‘a pivotal moment in the constitutional journey of the United Kingdom’ and said that he wants the people of Scotland to be able to decide their future ‘in this term of parliament’.
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people → claim → parliament
Mr Swinney added that ‘Scotland and the people of Ireland and the people of Wales must be able to determine their own future’.
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Scotland → add → future
In the 2014 independence referendum, which SNP leaders billed as a once in a generation opportunity, Scots voted by a decisive majority of 55 per cent to 45 per cent to remain in the UK.
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Scots → bill → UK
Alastair Cameron, chairman of the Scotland in Union campaign group, said: ‘Yet again John Swinney seems more interested in constitutional stunts than the issues that really matter to Scots.
‘
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that → say → Scots
The First Minister should be focusing on Scotland’s failing education system, over-stretched hospitals, or ferries crisis, which polling shows Scots see as higher priorities.
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Scots → focus → priorities
‘Instead, he’s embarked on a PR stunt which will come to nothing as a desperate attempt to distract from the SNP’s failures and scandals.’
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which → embark → failures
Mr Burnham suggested in the House of Commons last week that ‘majority public support’ could trigger another Scottish independence referendum – before attempting to backtrack by insisting in a letter to Mr Swinney that he still believes another referendum is ‘off limits’.
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referendum → suggest → limits
But Mr Swinney claimed he was ‘crystal clear’ that another independence vote should take place by the end of the current Scottish Parliament term in 2031.
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vote → claim → 2031
Referring to the Prime Minister’s comments, he said: ‘When you say things to the House of Commons when you’re the prime minister, you should stick to them.
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you → refer → them
That’s vital.
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That → ’ → ?
That’s the whole purpose of parliamentary accountability.
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That → ’ → accountability
‘When I speak to the Scottish Parliament, I stick to what I say in the Scottish Parliament, and I look forward to the Prime Minister doing exactly the same thing as he did on Wednesday.’
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he → speak → Wednesday
He also claimed that Mr Burnham will be ‘the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom’, said more MSPs support independence than ever before and cited selected opinion poll evidence which he said showed that independence is ‘the constitutional preference of Scotland in most of these polls’.
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independence → claim → polls
Malcolm Offord, leader of Reform UK Scotland, said: ‘This is fantasy politics from a First Minister who has completely run out of ideas.
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who → say → ideas
‘John Swinney is happy to swing a wrecking ball at our constitution but will not lift a finger to fix the NHS.
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Swinney → swing → NHS
Our schools are plummeting down the league tables, A&E waiting times are going nowhere, taxes are punishing the people who work hardest - and his answer is a photo-op with Sinn Féin and Plaid Cymru.
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answer → plummet → Féin
Mr Swinney used his appearance to claim that there will be another independence referendum within the next five years
‘
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Swinney → use → years
Swinney told Scotland that an SNP majority would be a mandate for another referendum.
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majority → tell → referendum
Voters refused to give him one.
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Voters → refuse → one
He’s demanding it anyway because obsessing over a referendum he lost is much easier than solving the real problems on his doorstep.’
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he → demand → doorstep
Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP David Green said: ‘The SNP did not achieve the majority they craved at this election to pursue another referendum.
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they → say → referendum
That is because they have let people down on the issues that matter, from the long waits in our NHS, to the ferries our island communities depend on.
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communities → let → ferries
‘The First Minister should look in the mirror and acknowledge he presides over a government that is far too centralised.
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that → look → government
'He should have used this summit to find common purpose in pushing power out to communities.
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He → use → communities
Those are the reforms that people, particularly those I serve in the Highlands, are yearning for.’
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I → serve → Highlands
The Scottish and Welsh governments also yesterday signed a ‘Cardiff Agreement’ pledging to work together on areas of shared interest, including tackling child poverty, the cost of living, inclusive economic growth, climate change, international engagement and language, culture, media and sport.
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governments → sign → living
Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: ‘As the Prime Minister made clear to the First Minister in his letter on Thursday, independence and a referendum are off limits, because they would only serve as a distraction to our vital work of growing the economy and helping to give families breathing space with the cost of living.
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they → say → living
‘If we want to build a better Scotland in the years ahead, uniting around our shared values and focusing on practical solutions offers a better route than division and grievance.
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uniting → want → division
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
