NOTHING is perfect. There are many reasons to grumble about the failures and discontents of devolution - regardless of which side of the constitutional divide you sit on. 

But a week like this proves the old adage: ‘Be thankful for small mercies’. Because devolution is sheltering Scotland from some of the worst excesses of a raft of authoritarian laws from the Johnson government, which are shredding hard won citizen freedoms. Do note, however, that while devolution mitigates a little against this repressive and draconian legislation, Scotland is by no means fully protected - so we’re losing freedoms too, along with our neighbours in England.

The set of dangerous laws now flowing from the Commons are: the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill; the Judicial Review and Courts Bill; the Elections Bill; the Nationality and Borders Bill; and the Health and Care Bill. Clearly, some of these matters are reserved - such as policing and health; others, however, aren’t, and so Westminster is deliberately eroding Scotland’s autonomy.

More draconian legislation is coming soon too - from a government which has the temerity to claim that it cares about freedom. It’s all just cynical gaslighting. Johnson’s administration whines about ‘cancel culture’ and sets up phoney culture wars claiming ‘woke’ attitudes are a threat to liberty, when it fact it’s the Tory government that’s set on silencing people, controlling them and stripping away rights and protections.

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