5 days ago
Lesley Riddoch: Why won't the SNP mention Scottish independence?
Perhaps he didn't see the (obvious) question coming from Good Morning Scotland's Gary Robertson, but the PM's out-of-hand rejection of a second indyref was instinctive and unequivocal.
The Knight with expensive sponsored glasses, is not for turning. Or democracy.
READ MORE: Independence isn't going away, no matter how much Keir Starmer wishes for it
More than that, Starmer's dismissive, contemptuous tone made clear that these days he's not for listening to anyone – not his Scottish lieutenant Anas Sarwar desperate for a pre-Hamilton by-election break, not his own backbenchers demanding urgent Gaza action instead of a scandalous hush-hush ministerial trade mission to Israel and certainly not independence supporters expecting fair play.
But Starmer's provocative veto of another independence referendum for the duration of his leadership might have been serving another purpose. It let him claim John Swinney has not raised the subject with him during recent talks – something the First Minister has not yet denied.
Now, the low public priority attached by SNP leaders to the cause of independence is indeed angering many Yessers. A Glasgow pal says he's received every election leaflet and message from Katy Loudon – the SNP candidate in Hamilton – and independence hasn't been mentioned in one of them. Even though indy is sitting at 54% (minimum) in the polls.
So, Starmer might have been trying to put the cat amongst the independence pigeons – opening a fault line and so scunnering independence supporters in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse that they'll stay home today letting Labour's lacklustre candidate inch home.
If so, I think that was a vain hope.
Quite apart from Davy Russell's totally underwhelming performance (when he actually appears), I'd guess voters of almost every stripe have got bigger fish to fry.
They want to send a clear message to Starmer and Rachel Reeves about meanness, betrayal and a total lack of empathy over the Winter Fuel Payments, Waspi decision, retention of the two-child cap and impending cuts to disability benefits.
I'd guess most voters are still beeling about Labour's new Tory-lite agenda and they won't let the party out of jail because of Starmer winter fuel U-turn or yesterday's warm but detail-free words from Reeves. Everyone has seen and heard the priorities of UK Labour– and they aren't about protecting the vulnerable.
So I'd guess few SNP voters will switch over Starmer's attempt to mix it with Swinney. Indeed, many Yessers might feel there's no point even reacting to Starmer's Unionist hard-man routine.
It was indeed utterly predictable. And yet it's vital that we respond. Vital that we act as if we are disappointed. As if this impasse actually hurts. As if it could be otherwise.
Because if we don't keep shining a light on the lack of democracy in this country, and the PM's hypocritical stance, no-one else will. And that's how indy supporters get jaded and worn down. So, let's pay Starmer a compliment he doesn't deserve and take his pronouncements seriously.
In the interview, Starmer claimed he got a big election win last year which justifies him doing whatever he wants now – in particular promoting Scotland within the Union.
READ MORE: POLL: How would you vote in the Hamilton by-election?
Fine. But logically, if elections do create sweeping mandates, then a Scottish election with an indy majority will also create a mandate – for another referendum or for independence talks to begin. Won't it?
If elections create mandates, then all elections do that. Unless it's one rule for Westminster and another for Holyrood.
Yet we know the answer. Starmer will not countenance another referendum whatever the 2026 outcome.
So, that means it's official. Might is right is now the central tenet of 'Democratic Labour' nicked from the Tories.
Starmer's next claim was that nobody raises independence with him as a top priority. As Paul Kavanagh so astutely observed, security around the Prime Minister means no normal person gets to raise anything with him.
But again, it's worth having a response.
Independence as an arid, abstract, constitutional goal is probably not the top priority for many Yessers. But I'll tell you what it is;
Sky-high energy prices – controlled by Westminster.
Fuel poverty – determined by Westminster.
Benefits and the welfare state – mostly decided by Westminster.
Grangemouth – abandoned by Westminster.
Trident – renewed by Westminster
Privatised public services – imposed by Westminster.
Grid connection across Scotland – overseen by Westminster.
Size of the block Grant – determined by Westminster.
The OECD's most regionally unbalanced advanced economy – courtesy of Westminster.
I could go on.
It's important to bring the indy argument straight down to earth.
Another thing. Starmer said he had a duty to keep Scotland safe.
But that's not achieved by putting a nuclear target on the backs of one million folk on the Clyde thanks to the Trident submarines Scots have repeatedly rejected.
Real safety relies more on capacity, resilience, empowerment and democracy. Ask the Finns who share an 800-mile land border with Russia.
READ MORE: Anger as TWO Scottish Labour politicians get key BBC slot on by-election eve
Finland topped global cyber safety rankings last year, for a number of reasons. Certainly they have a huge standby army that's a remnant of Second World War resistance which saw Finns push back the mighty Red Army.
There's also Nato membership which the Finns sincerely hope will bring big players like the US to their aid if Vladimir Putin attacks, despite Donald Trump's threat to annex Nato member Greenland.
But the biggest part of Finland's safety is something the adversarial UK will never take seriously – social cohesion.
The Finns are teaching all social groups to spot fake news and fact-check – this includes lessons in community colleges, digital literacy toolkits and a critical thinking curriculum in schools. As a result, online interference by Russia has not overwhelmed Finnish politics.
Jussi Toivanen is a former adviser to the Finnish PM on media literacy and spoke at a Nordic Horizons event about the secret to cyber security success; it is 'Finland's 'superpower' status as a cohesive society with high levels of trust in institutions and the media, and a strong sense of identity rooted in human rights and the rule of law'.
He offered an unexpected insight – 'the first line of cyber defence is the kindergarten teacher'.
That's the kind of society that creates trust and safety.
Not the dog-eat-dog society inherited from Margaret Thatcher – and barely touched by Labour – which only creates the suspicion and mutual fear that lets Nigel Farage and other bad actors thrive.
So, we need to respond to flagrant disregard from a British Prime Minister.
If we don't, the watching world will believe that Scots have given up. And perhaps more importantly, so will we.
Some may think opinion polls are doing the heavy lifting for us. The latest with 54% backing for independence was even covered by BBC Scotland.
Yes, I know. There is hardly a towering beacon of interest anywhere in the media save this newspaper. But when the media spotlight falls anywhere near the subject, we must act like people who still care and still have our own standards.
If necessary, cos we are weary, we can fake it till we make it.
No, this isn't the heady stuff of 2014. It is just skirmishing. But it's also very good practice.
