I FEEL the response to Boris Johnsons analysis of Scottish devolution has been a tad harsh. In a private briefing on Monday night with MPs, the Prime Minister is reported to have described devolution as a disaster. Too right its been a disaster, Prime Minister, but only for you and the far-right cultists whom youve permitted to run your party.
Those who were present at this briefing were probably startled at such honesty from Johnson, something which is about as common as vegan sharks. Perhaps such refreshing candour from the Prime Minister will be regarded as the first green shoot of veracity in the post-Dominic Cummings era.
The chatter amongst the special advisers must have spread like news of a decent investment opportunity: By jingo, Boris has actually said something he really means. And yet, our response has been churlish in the extreme.
You can see why Johnson is exasperated by devolution. He and his party had been long assured by their glove puppets in Scottish Labour that devolution would leave the independence movement dead in the water. Why, dear old George Robertson, the red Baron of Port Ellen (insert laughing emojis here) had assured his Unionist chums that Scottish independence wouldnt even last as long as the century in which it was conceived. In 1995, when he was plain old George Robertson, MP for Hamilton South, he said: Devolution will kill nationalism stone dead.
READ MORE:Kevin McKenna: Englands north is learning the lesson No voters did in 2014
Less than two decades later as the spectre of Scottish independence began to haunt his worst nightmares, the Baron began to panic. The loudest cheers for the break-up of Britain would be from our adversaries and from our enemies, His Lordship told a Washington business group.
Later he would compare the battle for the Union with Abraham Lincolns fight against slavery in the American Civil War.
This was a comparison that only the very delusional or the very infantile would seriously entertain. Which is probably why it became the entire basis of Scottish Labours position in the first independence referendum.
Those of us who wondered why Baron Robbie seemed to be deploying allegories with American history and policy to US audiences received a confirmation of sorts a few years later. This was when the laird of Port Ellen became an advisor to the Washington-based Cohen Group, a consulting and marketing firm.
The Baron later became General-Secretary of Nato.
Shares in Russian and Chinese weapons manufacturers must have seen a sharp spike in their value when that announcement was made. I also had visions of those wee aliens in the old mashed potato television adverts pishing themselves at the humans stabbing potatoes with their steely knives.
Its not difficult to understand Boris Johnsons vexation at devolution. Life would have been so much easier in the knowledge that a key component of the United Kingdom was safely in the hands of a collection of the Tories Scottish Labour lickspittles. All that was required in those good old days to keep the tribunes of the people sweet was to hold out to them the prospect of a few gongs and life peerages as a reward for a career bending the knee to their superiors in Westminster.
By the time the SNP had gained power in Scotland in 2007 a collection of dutiful Scottish Labour stalwarts were beginning to form an orderly queue at the Westminster trough. Jack McConnell became Baron McConnell of Glenscorrodale; Alistair Darling became Baron Darling of Roulanish and dear old George Foulkes is still to be seen slumbering away in the Upper House as Baron Foulkes of Cumnock.
Indeed if I were advising the UK Prime Minister Id suggest getting these old political trenchermen together (a few bottles of decent Scotch and a small non-exec should do it Prime Minister) and Id be asking them what in the name of the wee man was happening to Scotland while they were all collecting their baubles and telling the Tories that everything was cushty in the northern approaches.
Well, I think we all know what was happening while the UK Tories and their Labour scouts were asleep on the job. The people of Scotland began to realise that there was a clear divergence of doctrine and philosophy between Scotland and England in key areas such as education, health and attitudes towards immigrants and refugees.
AS Tony Blair and Gordon Brown squandered a three-term Labour government pandering to big business and reneging on commitments to reverse Margaret Thatchers anti-trade union legislation questions were being asked in Labours Scottish heartlands. Just what do this pair of political opportunists actually stand for?
As the New Labour project crashed and burned under the weight of its own hubris and Cool Britannia trinkets it morphed seamlessly into David Camerons Conservative government. Cameron, who possessed as few political scruples and principles as Tony Blair, benignly gave way to a hard-right form of Conservatism. This would immediately impose a one-sided austerity programme on the UKs working-class communities while fashioning a suite of tax breaks and other fiscal inducements for its traditional fanbase.
READ MORE:Kevin McKenna: Are we Unionists, Nationalists or something else altogether?
Inevitably, immigrants and refugees would come to be blamed for the resulting economic hardship in Englands northern communities. The Windrush generation would soon be receiving their orders to pack up and leave and Nigel Farage would weaponise extreme xenophobia and become the conscience of a new and insidious form of mainstream conservatism.
In Scotland, a collection of indolent and worthless Tory fanboys gained some seats at Westminster and deployed a studied policy of looking the other way as Scottish interests and existing devolved powers were being traduced during the Brexit process. With all this going on you neednt have been a lifelong, Saltire-waving devotee of Scottish nationalism to have begun to view independence in a favourable light.
And all the while, Scottish Labour was asleep, only coming groggily and shambolically to life to shout Feck! and Drink! at appropriate times like old Father Jack on Craggy Island. You can see them still asleep in their comfy Holyrood chairs any day of the week.
Following Boris Johnsons clumsy burst of honesty, Laura Kuenssbergs ubiquitous Downing Street source, attempted to clarify his remarks. Devolution is great but not when its used by separatists and nationalists to break up the United Kingdom.
The truth of the matter is well-known to the 58% and counting of the Scottish population who now favour independence. English nationalists not Scottish nationalists have hastened the break-up of the United Kingdom. Theyve done this by turning their country into a theme park for the alt-right and a klondyke for global, organised crime.
Read the original here:
Kevin McKenna: Devolution has been a disaster for the Westminster Tory cult - The National
- The Grotesque Slander of Comparing Gaza Protesters to Neo-Nazis - The New Republic - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Joe Alt Is A Strong Fit For The Los Angeles Chargers - Sports Illustrated - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- How The Manosphere Of Alt Right Content Targets Boys - BuzzFeed - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- Say Hello To Joe Alt, Future Hall Of Fame Right Tackle - Barstool Sports - April 29th, 2024 [April 29th, 2024]
- An Alt-Right Icon Just Gave the Single Dumbest Seinfeld Take Ever - Cracked.com - April 4th, 2024 [April 4th, 2024]
- Ireland & Wales Rugby Fans Take On Alt-Right On Twitter - Balls.ie - February 18th, 2024 [February 18th, 2024]
- Doja Cat Reacts to Backlash Over Alt-Right Comedian T-Shirt: 'It Didn't Affect the World' - TooFab - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Doja Cat Responds To Backlash Over Alt-Right T-Shirt: 'It's Not An Attack' - HipHopDX - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Marvel and DC Writer Mark Waid Rejects Mark Millar's Call To Root Out Comic Book 'Cancel Pigs', Dishonestly Paints ... - Bounding Into Comics - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- Maudlin Strangers unveil intense alt rock banger Im Not In The Right Mind [Video] - EARMILK - December 19th, 2023 [December 19th, 2023]
- The Dark Economics of Russell Brand - WIRED - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Pro-Kremlin Propagandist Ties to White Nationalist Movement ... - Southern Poverty Law Center - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Opinion | How to Argue Against Identity Politics Without Turning Into ... - The New York Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Anna Wintour: 'I just have to make sure things are being done right' - Financial Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- Opinion | Donald Trumps Abortion Shell Game - The New York Times - September 23rd, 2023 [September 23rd, 2023]
- How to Treat Right-Wing Violence in the U.S. - The New Yorker - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]
- Scalise, No. 2 House Republican, Says He Has Blood Cancer - The New York Times - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]
- Emails reveal Secret Service contacts with Oath Keepers - Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]
- How Trump's Election Lies Left the Michigan G.O.P. Broken and ... - The New York Times - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]
- Alt Right: A Primer on the New White Supremacy | ADL - March 2nd, 2023 [March 2nd, 2023]
- The Dangerous Subtlety of the Alt-Right Pipeline - March 2nd, 2023 [March 2nd, 2023]
- The Alt-Right Manipulated My Comic. Then A.I. Claimed It. - March 2nd, 2023 [March 2nd, 2023]
- Richard Spencer: Five Things to Know - Anti-Defamation League - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- From Alt Right to Alt Lite: Naming the Hate - Anti-Defamation League - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- Alt-right Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com - February 18th, 2023 [February 18th, 2023]
- What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory? - January 8th, 2023 [January 8th, 2023]
- Benedict XVIs Most Powerful Influence on the Catholic Church Came Before He Was Pope - The New Yorker - January 6th, 2023 [January 6th, 2023]
- Netflix Removed Kanye's 'Harmful Alt-Right Beliefs' From David ... - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Where Are All the Women on This Alt-Right, Anti-Choice, Toxic ... - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Forbes Gets Punked - Labels FTX Former CEO's Girlfriend a "New Darling ... - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Alt-Right Picks Wrong Side in Dutch Farm Crisis - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- La Mirada Chamber Invited Alt-Right Racist to Moderate School Board ... - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- Hate & Extremism | Southern Poverty Law Center - October 30th, 2022 [October 30th, 2022]
- America First Political Action Conference - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Pepe the Frog - ADL - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Paul Joseph Watson - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Jack Posobiec - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- QUIET - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- Shintaro Abe - Wikipedia - October 25th, 2022 [October 25th, 2022]
- #FireMcMaster, explained. How alt-right media and a handful of | by ... - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Right-wing politics - Wikipedia - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Real Viking History and the Imagined White Supremacist Past | Time - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- More Toxic, Alt-Right, QAnonism | No Minister - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Steve Bannon's influence on conservative politics: Expert on alt-right explains - University of Colorado Boulder - October 23rd, 2022 [October 23rd, 2022]
- Alt-right - Wikipedia - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Alt Right: A Primer on the New White Supremacy - Anti-Defamation League - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- How the Alt-Right Happened - American University - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Alt-right pipeline - Wikipedia - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Richard B. Spencer - Wikipedia - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- incel Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- red pill Meaning & Origin | Slang by Dictionary.com - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Just The News - Media Bias/Fact Check - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- The Download: TikTok moral panics, and DeepMinds record-breaking AI - MIT Technology Review - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- Roe vs. Trump in the Michigan Midterms - The New Yorker - October 6th, 2022 [October 6th, 2022]
- PhD student examines clash of masculine identities on internet hate site - University of Toronto - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- Clickbait extremism, mass shootings, and the assault on democracy time for a rethink of social media? - The Conversation - September 27th, 2022 [September 27th, 2022]
- By Reading Brainwaves, an A.I. Aims to Predict What Words People Listened to - Smithsonian Magazine - September 15th, 2022 [September 15th, 2022]
- A Case of Rhabdomyolysis in a Young, Morbidly Obese, Asthmatic Woman With COVID-19 - Cureus - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- Mothers of the movement: Leadership by alt-right women paves the way for violence - The Conversation - September 11th, 2022 [September 11th, 2022]
- An antidemocratic philosophy called 'neoreaction' is creeping into GOP politics - The Conversation - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- How Stop the Steal Captured the American Right - The New York Times - August 2nd, 2022 [August 2nd, 2022]
- Alt Right: A Primer on the New White Supremacy - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Will Tehama Sheriff Candidates Ties to Alt-Right Extremists Alarm ... - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Racist Great Replacement Conspiracy Went From Alt-Right to Mainstream - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Trump and his mob tried to overthrow American democracy and threaten to try again - Ohio Capital Journal - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- Pacifism is the wrong response to the war in Ukraine - The Guardian - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- How Culture Went Back to the Middle Ages - ArtReview - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- FoxO3 restricts liver regeneration by suppressing the proliferation of hepatocytes | npj Regenerative Medicine - Nature.com - June 24th, 2022 [June 24th, 2022]
- The Alt-Right Has Its Very Own TV Show On Adult Swim - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- The Nation: "The Libertarian Party Goes Alt-Right" - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Milwaukee business owners don't all want the RNC - Wisconsin Examiner - June 11th, 2022 [June 11th, 2022]
- Alt-Right Incels at Deep State Daily Stormer Site Celebrate Buffalo ... - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Alt Right Journalist Whos Lost Every Lawsuit Over Banned Accounts ... - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- PBS, Lincoln Project Label DeSantis, Press Secretary 'Alt-Right' - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- Johnny Depp-Amber Heard Verdict: The Actual Malice of the Trial - The New York Times - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- How To Keep Meat Juicy With Science : Short Wave - NPR - June 3rd, 2022 [June 3rd, 2022]
- What Do Female Incels Really Want? - The Atlantic - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- 'Well be here again': How tech companies try and fail to prevent terrorism - Protocol - May 17th, 2022 [May 17th, 2022]
- Republican and more Republican: Idaho shifts ever rightward - The Guardian - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]
- Listen up! Here are the finalists of the 2022 Student Podcast Challenge - GBH News - May 11th, 2022 [May 11th, 2022]