Four things Scottish unionists should never say

Having said that, let’s focus on the seed of truth because it’s been on my mind of late while listening to some of the reaction to Ms Sturgeon’s speech and unionist commentary more generally. A lot of it is undoubtedly aggressive but a lot of it is ineffective too or much too reliant on the anti-SNP cliches that have built up over the years. I think it would be better if unionists avoided them and so I would like to suggest, just for a bit of constitutional fun, four things Scottish unionists should never say.

1: “Focus on the day job”

This is one of the most common cliches of unionism. You hear it all the time. For example: Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan. Ms Allin-Khan said of Ms Sturgeon’s conference speech that she “should be focusing on her broken health services, on the attainment gap in Scotland, on the fact that there are more children now plunged into poverty than ever”.

In some ways, this is fair enough: it is extraordinary that Ms Sturgeon should have talked so much about the NHS in her speech without seeking to explain why waiting times in Scotland are so shocking. You may know someone who’s on a waiting list. Perhaps you are on a list yourself. Tens of thousands of people have been waiting more than two years for treatment and yes, it needs focus from the Scottish Government. As in: now.

But the problem with an argument like “focus on the day job” is that first, it loses its power by repetition – people factor it in and don’t really hear it. And secondly, we are actually now beyond the point where the Scottish Government could focus solely on the NHS rather than the constitution even if it wanted to. Yes, the SNP arguably got us here because of their behaviour post-2014 but face the reality. We are in a constitutional crisis. We need to find a way out. We need to need to find a new status quo. We need to focus on the constitution.

2: “A once in a generation vote”

Did Alex Salmond say it? Did Nicola Sturgeon say it? Did I say it? Did you? Who knows, but a common riposte to the idea of an independence referendum next year, or the year after, is that the SNP promised the last one in 2014 would be “once in a generation”. Assuming a generation is around 20 years, that would mean no new referendum until 2034.

But the once-in-a-generation argument has a number of problems. Firstly, like the focus-on-the-day-job accusation, the more you say it, the less it means.

Secondly, a basic tenet of the British constitution is that one group of politicians cannot bind their successors – in other words, even if Mr Salmond did make the promise, it does not bind Ms Sturgeon.

And thirdly, it’s fair to say that the political landscape has changed considerably since 2014 and the SNP can make their case for another vote. A much better riposte to their argument would be to say that there should only be another referendum when there is a settled will for one i.e. considerable majority support. I would say over 60 per cent at least.

3: “I hate the SNP”

This one goes to the heart of what Ms Sturgeon said about aggressive unionism, the problem being that she made her point after saying she detests the Tories. The Tories reacted by saying it was shocking that Ms Sturgeon detested them, although much of their reaction was a little hysterical, even disingenuous. I do not think, as the Scottish Secretary Alister Jack claimed, that using the word “detest” will incite violence. And saying Ms Sturgeon was being dangerous and inflammatory is silly.

However, the problem of the personalisation of Scottish politics – I hate you, you hate me – is undoubtedly real and worse than it was and, whoever or whatever’s to blame, unionists should try to avoid it. I do not hate the SNP, I just disagree with their central premise. Keep the language calm and reasonable and you might find that you make more progress.

4: “The media isn’t tough enough”

This is another one you hear a lot from unionists who are convinced the SNP is given an easy ride by the Scottish media. But speak to some nationalists and they will tell you the Scottish media is far too hard on the SNP and too soft on the Tories. Which is true? It doesn’t matter. Focus on the arguments. And the facts. And quietly and calmly look for answers to the questions that are bothering you.

And, finally, to end, a quick word on what the other side, the Scottish nationalists, should be saying or not saying because there was something else that struck me about Nicola Sturgeon’s speech. There was all the usual stuff about independence being the answer, but it was also notable how often she dropped in other phrases apparently aimed at introducing more realism into the case for independence. Independence is not a panacea, she said. It is not a miracle economic cure. Opinions polls go up and down. Do not assume an inevitability about independence. There will be lots of challenges along the way, etc.

Why was she saying all of this? Hopefully, it’s because she realises that, like some of the cliches that unionists trot out, the cliché that independence is the answer to every question is convincing no one, except the most zealous and saltire-draped. The rest of us – the ones Ms Sturgeon needs to convince – want to hear something more nuanced and realistic. The First Minister says aggressive unionism is undermining the idea of a voluntary partnership of nations. But maybe she’s also beginning to realise that only a more reasonable form of nationalism is going to win independence.

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