The Scottish Nationalists are losing it Several weeks ago the London narrative (Blair-era word for story) was that the momentum in the Scottish independence referendum campaign was all with the Nationalist Yes campaign. Such was the concern over the supposed total crapitude of the No campaign, run under the Better Together banner, that all manner of wild claims were made. It was declared that Alistair Darling – who leads Better Together – was going to be fired (no he wasnt). The No campaign, it was claimed, was in complete disarray (no it wasnt, or not any more than usual and not any more than most political campaigns at one point or another in the course of a long race). The anxiety south of the border was entirely understandable when a few months ago the Nats got a bit of a poll lift and Salmonds tail was up. But those who deride the Better Together campaign and urge it to improve its performance always seem to forget that it is by definition a very different beast to the Yes campaign. For all that Yes claims to be cross-party and all that jazz, it is really the creature of one man. What Alex Salmond says in the Yes campaign goes. It is a one man, one vote operation. Alex Salmond is the man and he has the vote. In contrast, in the No campaign Darling has to broker agreement for initiatives between Labour (which itself has more factions than members in Scotland), the Tories and the Lib Dems. There is another layer of complexity in that the relationship with Number 10 and the Treasury, which understandably wants to play some role, has to be managed. In difficult circumstances, Darling has played a blinder. As a Unionist I did share some of the concerns expressed a few weeks ago. It looked as though the Union defences might be about to be overrun by marauding nationalists. And the Yes campaign needed to be much more upbeat. By the way, as we say in the west of Scotland, Ive never hidden that Im a Unionist and Ive written in defence of the Union many times. Im British, was born in Scotland, my extended family live in Scotland and I live in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. Oh, and several of my best friends are Scottish nationalists. Its just that the SNP wants to end my country (the United Kingdom) and Id really rather they didnt. But now it is the Nationalists in trouble. Stung by Ukip getting a Scottish seat in the European parliament, which undermines the SNP mantra that Scotland is so different from supposedly backward England, and annoyed that Yes hasnt got level in the polls, they are flailing and lashing out at easy targets rather than thinking how this might look to floating voters. Two case studies observable in recent days reveal a lot about the mounting frustration on the Yes side. In case study A some of the so-called cybernats – online nationalist warriors auditioning for roles on the Committee of Public Safety that will surely be established by the Nats in the event of independence – went through the roof when the boss of DIY store B&Q dared to say the other day that he was pausing investment in Scotland because he is worried about the impact on the business he runs if there is a Yes vote in September. There was talk online by appalled Nats of boycotts. Really. You can take our garden furniture, our mid-priced barbecue range and our packets of two-inch nails, but youll never take our freedom. Of course, if the B&Q boss had said he loved the idea of independence, you can be sure the cybernats would have praised him as a great visionary and hero of the struggle. The objection is simply that the man has expressed an opinion – an opinion – of which they disapprove, so he must be shouted down. Which is creepy. In case study B there was a nationalist demonstration outside the BBC in Glasgow on Sunday because Yes campaigners object to the removal of Gary Robertson, one of the hosts of Good Morning Scotland on BBC Radio Scotland. They suspect a Unionist plot. I make no comment on the case itself, other than to point out that Mr Robertson always seemed like a good broadcaster when I heard him on the radio. When I was interviewed by him on air he was scrupulously fair. I have no idea why he has left, if indeed he has. However, what really seems to annoy the cybernats and their allies in parts of the mainstream media most is that a so-called home-grown presenter has been replaced at BBC Scotland with imported stars who – oh the horror! – have until recently been living and working in – I cant believe it! – England. In this way, excellent broadcasters such as Jim Naughtie and Sarah Smith who have made the decision to go home to cover the referendum are branded outsiders. Thats Sarah Smith, daughter of the late Labour leader John Smith. Now another BBC Scotland news show, reviewing the Sunday papers, seems to have been axed. There was yet more Nationalist outrage when news broke that a Labour politician would host the replacement programme. It now emerges that actually there will be two hosts. The other will be a lifelong nationalist. There goes another cybernat conspiracy theory. This approach – from the Yes campaigns point of view – is all quite mad, so I sincerely hope their supporters carry on. But this is not how Salmond, a skilled campaigner, wanted to fight this referendum. He clearly knows that his best hope is to create a feel-good factor, by optimistically reaching out to the unconvinced and persuading them that an independent Scotland would be a reasonable place run by moderate people. Boycotts, demonstrations and shouting at people take the nationalists back decades to the time when the SNP was a minority sect run largely for the entertainment of a small band of activists. Meanwhile, the Better Together lot are in a chipper mood going into the final three months of the campaign. Plenty can still go wrong for the Unionists, of course. London could easily still c––– it up. And there are, I suspect, several major twists left. But for now, the Yes campaigns momentum has gone into reverse and some of its supporters are reduced to boycotting DIY stores and demonstrating outside television and radio stations.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 12:05:48 +0000
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