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John Swinney needed a distraction.
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Swinney → publish → distraction
By his own admission, the First Minister knew several months ago that the next drugs deaths statistics would show a significant increase in fatalities.
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statistics → know → fatalities
In the event, the figures recorded an 11 per cent surge in Scots losing their lives to illicit substances.
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Scots → record → substances
Despite investments and promises and mission statements and the rest, Scotland was still the drugs deaths capital of Europe – and getting worse.
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Scotland → get → Europe
So, it was with abject cynicism rather than genuine coincidence that a Holyrood debate on independence was scheduled 24 hours before the latest death toll was released.
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toll → schedule → independence
Put on a good show and set Nationalists and Unionists snarling at one another so the Scottish Government could slip out truly horrific drugs data while everyone was distracted by the constitution.
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everyone → put → constitution
Just because he wears ugly, middle-management suits and speaks with all the emotional range of a satnav, it doesn’t mean Swinney isn’t a slick snake oil salesman.
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Swinney → wear → satnav
His sales patter could use some work – a personality might help – but he is selling quackery all the same.
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he → use → quackery
He wants you hooked on constitutional conflict so that you won’t notice soaring drugs deaths, slumping PISA education results, and missed NHS targets.
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you → want → deaths
It works, mind you.
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It → work → you
The death toll figures have come and gone and the SNP lives to fail another day.
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SNP → come → ?
I try not to compliment politicians – it only encourages them – but a mention in dispatches for Malcolm Offord.
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it → try → Offord
The Reform leader tried to put the kibosh on Swinney’s antics by reminding the Presiding Officer that the Supreme Court had ruled the Union to be a reserved matter.
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Union → try → Officer
Holyrood could not legislate in this area without Westminster’s consent.
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Holyrood → legislate → consent
John Swinney needed a distraction from Scotland's shameful drug death figures
Kenny Gibson, whose contempt for Reform isn’t even thinly veiled, replied: ‘Mr Offord, this is a parliament, and parliaments are free to debate whatever subjects they wish to, including this one.’
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they → need → one
I would like to tell you that Gibson got the law wrong, but he didn’t.
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he → like → you
The Supreme Court’s landmark judgment applied the provisions of the Scotland Act to a dispute over legislation; parliamentary motions are not legislation and have no force of law.
So Holyrood could spend the next five years debating independence motions and nothing else and it would be, in constitutional terms, tickety-boo.
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it → apply → terms
Does that mean we just have to accept that the Scottish parliament will continue to be nothing more than a political theatre for the SNP, its business bulletin drawn up to serve the needs of the Nationalist PR machine rather than the needs of Scotland?
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bulletin → mean → Scotland
I say No.
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I → say → ?
It is merely a creature of a piece of legislation, the Scotland Act, and legislation can be amended.
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legislation → amend → legislation
While my preferred amendment would be a provision that any further independence grandstanding will result in the abolition of Holyrood, I appreciate the Westminster political class is too feart and indifferent to take on the devolutionist-Nationalist axis.
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class → prefer → axis
So I propose a much more modest tweak: Westminster should amend the Scotland Act to bar the use of parliamentary or government resources on reserved matters.
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Westminster → propose → matters
That would cover motions and debates, questions and committee hearings, research and policy, expenditure and recruitment.
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That → cover → motions
If it relates to anything mentioned in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act, Holyrood and St Andrew’s House alike would have to steer clear.
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Holyrood → relate → Act
If MPs want to be thorough, they could also legislatively amend the Scottish parliament standing orders to make discussion of reserved issues disorderly in much the same way that speaking about matters that are sub judice brings a reprimand from the Presiding Officer.
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that → want → Officer
Malcolm Offord held the SNP to account over continual constitutional wrangling
No more debates on independence, no more keffiyeh-clad gabbing about Gaza, no more international aid spending.
Devolved parliaments and governments exist to attend to devolved competencies, and amending the Scotland Act would leave them no choice but to stick to those issues.
Make no mistake, there would be howling and squealing from the separatists and many of the devolutionists.
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amending → hold → devolutionists
Ross Greer will chain himself to something; Jenny Gilruth might even fire off a terse email.
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Gilruth → chain → email
Civil society groups fearing the loss of Scottish Government funding would dutifully turn their guns on the UK Parliament, as would the usual suspects from academia and the commentariat.
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groups → fear → academia
All across Establishment Scotland, they’ll be weeping into their lanyards.
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they → weep → lanyards
Well, I’m sorry, but if we want to save our country, we’re going to have to do some things that upset the establishment responsible for leaving our country in need of saving.
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that → ’m → saving
And remember, the legislative tightening we’re talking about would do nothing more radical than requiring the Scottish parliament and government to stick to the terms of the Scotland Act.
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we → remember → Act
If our highly paid MSPs want to argue for their right to prioritise political hobbies over the bread-and-butter concerns of ordinary Scots, let them go ahead.
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them → pay → Scots
Come on now, you say.
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you → come → ?
This is never going to happen.
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This → go → ?
Unless you create one.
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you → create → one
It’s about time Westminster did a bit of pandering to Unionists.
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Westminster → ’ → Unionists
The only power you have is your ballot, and the most powerful thing you can do sometimes is withhold it.
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you → have → it
The SNP are desperate to re-ignite the debate over the Union
Email your MP or MSP, get in touch with your preferred political party, have a word with the next canvasser they send round.
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they → re → canvasser
Tell them politely you are now a single-issue voter, and that issue is forcing Holyrood to focus on its devolved responsibilities.
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issue → tell → responsibilities
Since the SNP habitually refuses to do so, preferring to exploit the devolved institutions to agitate on reserved matters, the only way to move Scotland forward is changing the law to restrict the parliament and government to those issues for which they are responsible.
Prepare to be fobbed off, or spun a line.
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they → refuse → line
…and 7 more, not listed.
The Aporia
