The echoes of the 2014 Scottish independence campaign reverberated in the second Sky EU TV debate as chief Brexiter Michael Gove took a leaf out of the Alex Salmond songbook.
During at times feisty exchanges the UK Justice Secretary repeated the Nationalist lines found in the Yes-No campaign by insisting that the opponents of Brexit claimed Britain was too wee, weak and poor to go it alone while if the UK left the EU, Brussels would find itself next to a pleasant neighbour rather than a surly lodger.
Read more: Michael Gove compared to First World War general over EU referendum stance
But the borrowing did not stop there as Mr Gove declared that he was with the people, relying on their generosity and ingenuity against the “invincible arrogance of European elites”. It was a classic political trick: ingratiate yourself with your audience.
But his people vs the Establishment line was also pure Donald Trump.
The hourlong grilling showed the flipside to David Cameron’s performance of 24 hours earlier. Where the PM was strong on the economy and weak on immigration and sovereignty, his cabinet colleague was weak on the economy but strong on immigration and sovereignty.
The Scot started in a flustered way with interrogator Faisal Islam, not being able to name a single international body which supported Brexit nor a single foreign partner who backed it.
Unconvincingly, Mr Gove insisted there was “total transparency” over the Leave camp’s economic claims and what a post-Brexit world would look like. But details came there none.
But the Surrey MP came into his own in response to the audience’s questions and particularly on the issue of sovereignty.
Emotion came to the fore when he spoke of his father, who, Mr Gove claimed, saw his Aberdeen fishing business “go to the wall” because of EU bureaucracy.
There was also a quick dig at his cabinet chum the PM, whom he accused of spouting a “depressing litany” of scaremongering.
While Mr Cameron appeared for much of the time in his grilling het up and on the back foot, Mr Gove came across as calmer and more assured and able to turn the questions more ably to his own ends so that he ended up more often on the front foot.
The Brexit camp will be happier today than the Remain camp but there is a long way to go yet. Perhaps Stronger In will be hoping to retain the televisual initiative when next week Nicola Sturgeon enters the head-to-head fray with none other than Boris Johnson.
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