David Cameron, in response to Angus Robertson's question about the likely closure of RAF Lossiemouth at PMQs -
"If you had an independent Scotland, you wouldn't be flying planes, you'd be flying by the seat of your pants."
A sneering reply that was the cue for lots of equally sneering laughter from the Tory benches - but let's just examine this for a moment. Who are they actually sneering at? Not the SNP, that's for sure - Cameron wasn't particularly talking about an SNP-run independent Scotland, or even a Labour-run independent Scotland. He was simply mocking the capacity of Scots to govern themselves under any circumstances.
Now, you can see how Cameron might have been deluded into thinking that he's onto a winner here. After all, Labour have been talking Scotland down for decades and have more often than not been richly rewarded for their troubles. But the difference is that it's usually Scottish Labour figures who are the front for the talking-down operation. Why else does it infuriate us so much when Jackanory Jim does his "as a Murphy, it breaks my heart to say that an independent Scotland would be as rubbish as Ireland" routine? Because we know that the spinning of such yarns does get under people's skins, and it does ultimately sap this nation's morale. But hearing an Old Etonian Tory PM repeatedly sneer at "you" Scots will, I suspect, have a somewhat different effect.
Great politics, Dave. Don't stop.
In England sneering at Scots and Scotland invariably goes down "singing hymns". For some strange reason the English seem to love to hear us being put down.
ReplyDeleteI suppose that as, one by one, his plans come tumbling down, what with Boris rebelling against his housing benefit changes, and Treasury officials telling him it would be illegal to base the paying of Child Benefit on the income of a male partner, as CB is awarded to the mother.... the DWP telling him it doesn't have the staff to do the changes, and the tribunals already being clogged up with appeals against individual decisions based on Labour's regime, before they even start with the Tories'... and as he folds his tent over European budgets, I expect the poor wee man needed to get a laugh from somewhere... and where better than the Scots. To hell with the respect agenda; that went flying out the window long ago.
Cheap and nasty... not to mention (as you say) stupid; it seems that the playing fields of Eton aren't all that they are cracked up to be, and that if you have enough dosh a degree at Oxford is a piece of gateau.
Great politics Dave. Don't stop!!
Off topic here James, but my God we have to do something about that old bastard Dimbleby when Nicola Sturgeon is on QT.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting beyond a joke.
You won't be surprised to hear I've written a new post on that very subject, Ezio!
ReplyDeletehttp://politics.caledonianmercury.com/2010/10/27/an-independent-scottish-defence-force/
ReplyDelete