Scotland, Brexit, and the First Conditional Tense

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By Jason Michael

Scotland has been promised and “delivered” more bits of this “more powers” thing now that surely we must be the world’s leading superpower. “More powers” is a Downing Street euphemism for cheese and the trap is ready and waiting. Sniff sniff.

David “Fluffy” Mundell, the Secretary of State for Scotland who is actually on records saying that it doesn’t matter what the people of Scotland want, has returned to the favourite grammatical fudgery of the unionist cause. Brexit can, Brexit could, Brexit may, Brexit might, and Brexit should deliver… wait for it… “more powers.” Scotland has rejected the idea of leaving Europe, and London knows that to force it down our throats risks open revolt. So, as usual, Westminster’s game plan is that of meet-us-half-way-lads; meaning that it dishes up a whole pack of lies that we’re expected to swallow. And, of course, the new lie is the same as the old lie – more powers.

Mundell promising more powers https://t.co/kBJggWiqRM
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Mr Malky (@MrMalky) November 27, 2016

This fictitious package of more powers, introduced as a third option to the ballot at the eleventh hour by Gordon Brown lost us independence in 2014. More powers were promised with the Smith Commission and again in the Scotland Act. What we got was autonomy over road signage and something vague and utterly meaningless about fishing rights. It has never been a vow or promise worded, “Scotland will get…” Instead the British administration opts for the use of the first conditional tense: “Scotland can, could, may, or might get…” We might also all get a wee shot at being king or queen for a day. We may even be allowed not to pay tax on our earnings until we gain independence. We could… lots of things, but we can all see that it’s nothing other than a more sophisticated way of doing what Westminster does best – telling lies.

No, we will not get more powers with Brexit. Powers returning to the United Kingdom from Europe, after its divorce from the EU, are matters of sovereignty; the very issues of power that London is determined never to return to the Scottish people. We have more chance of being king or queen for a day. What isn’t really being talked about in the media – save for Marianne Taylor in today’s Herald – is the real threat that Brexit poses to the very existence of devolution in Scotland. Brexit, rather than delivering more powers to Scotland, has the real potential to obliterate Scotland’s power altogether.

Our Lord Advocate’s legal challenge to Brexit, if successful, will veto Brexit, and so undermine the democratic decision of England – the union’s senior member. Such would present Theresa May’s government with two options; either to federalise the United Kingdom or to set about “rewriting Britain’s unwritten constitution” and roll back on devolution. Both the Conservatives and Labour have sharply disavowed federalism, but – as we all know – direct rule has a history. Obviously this puts Scotland in a bit of a pickle. While we simply must challenge Brexit for the wellbeing of Scots, it risks the loss of all power from Edinburgh. This danger forces us to forget every mousetrap enticement of more powers and speed up the wheels of our next independence referendum.

Brexit reveals gulf between Scotland and England