This is from The Express this morning:
The UK has entered recession after a 20.4 percent contraction between April and June. The UK's slump is also one of the biggest among advanced economies, according to preliminary estimates. Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned last month that the recession would represent a difficult time for the country. Richard Murphy of Tax Research UK warns that the growing frustrations with the economic crisis will ultimately lead to the break up of the union
He said: "In the middle of all this we have Brexit as well as the potential for Scotland to leave the union.
"The last prime minister to lose a part of the union was Lloyd George, and he was the last liberal prime minister.
"If Boris Johnson loses Scotland in the middle of this, is he the last Conservative prime minister?
"I ask this seriously, because he has created a situation where it will happen now.
"Will Scotland stay? I don't see any way. They will leave at some point. This is the collapse of the whole national morale.
The union could break after the recession, Murphy warned
"Our identity is at threat here if he doesn't get the answers to this economic question right."
I'm not quite sure why the Express is so keen to feature my opinions right now. But getting the message out there in such media is important so I am not arguing.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Although I am no a fan of the Daily Excess, they must be congratulated for raising your concerns about the economic downturn and the possibility of Scottish independence. The other right-wing media will find it hard to avoid these issues now. It also highlights how the SNP has been a very effective opposition to the Tories.
I am baffled
I spent an hour with this journalist and he seems keen to get maximum return on his investment
And I was in sound bite generation mode
It can only get worse given that Covid infection rates.
Having tried 8 times for a test (I had a slightly raised temperature of 36.2) I gave up – there were no home test kits available and no test vacancies for rural post code, yet my small town has two large and very good doctor’s surgeries.
My son was allowed into school with around the same temperature as me because they checked him when he went back ( to his credit he was more worried about infecting his mates).
I can see the economy slowing down where I work in developing new affordable homes – we have material supply issues, staff shortages due to lay offs, self isolations, furloughing – we can’t finish what we are already working on, and are unable to start the stuff we want to do next. Our next development programme could stretch into years – long ones. And productivity therefore will be stretched over a longer period of time and be represented as reduced.
I am working on a blog on the economics of this, right now
Sitting down by the river and feeling glum despite the beauty of the morning
36.2 C is well within the normal range. Absolutely no reason to be tested unless you are showing other Covid symptoms.
Has anyone considered the idea that giving voice to concerns about the Union would be the perfect excuse to turn the British Army into a supporter of the fascist government? Armies are traditionally nationalist – what cause could be more ‘justified’ than saving the ‘Union’ and the sovereignty of the Queen? I think too many people with power have their heads in the sand, overly reliant on political norms that this government will ride over, roughshod.
The British Army has been run down to such low levels by the recent Tory governments, that it would not be able to establishg a military dictatorship. The last time we had what effectively was a fascist government (though the word hadn’t been invented at that time) was when Oliver Cromwell dispensed with parliamentary government – as well as ridding the country of the monarchy. Cromwell had at his disposal the New Model Army, a formidable force that had won the Civil War(s). The present British army has shrivelled – is it not now reduced to two brigades? – and are not the tanks to be mothballed? – and the Royal Marines are likewise in a shrunken state. The Tories – and before them Labour – have spaffed money on the navy white elephants like giant aircraft carriers and the nuclear submarine deterrent forces – buy neither the RN nor the RAF would be able to march in to all the urban centres up and down the land and establish Westminster based control. The army just does not have the manpower to keep control of the populations of London, Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Nottingham, Leicester, Bristol……… The British Army never managed to keep Belfast under proper control back in the days of the Troubles, and the army then was 3 times its present size. As for the Armed forces “protecting and rescuing” the Queen, it’s worth remebering that fascist military dictatorships tend to be anti-monarchy and anti royal governments. Remember how the Greek Colonels ousted the Greek monarchy, and Franco kept the King of Spain in safe exile?
There will be plenty of unemployed people to fill the ranks.
Land of moral and social distancing make the mightier yet!
They’re using your piece as a rallying cry: The union is in jeopardy – all hands on deck!
Of course, to some degree
Richard makes the point that “If Boris Johnson loses Scotland in the middle of this, is he the last Conservative prime minister”.
Perhaps this prospect is what worries the Express? But there is an alternative concern that comes to mind. Without those Scottish opposition seats, be they SNP or Labour, England seems doomed to perpetual Tory rule under its First Past The Post electoral system.
Before Scotland goes we need their votes in an election to defeat the Tories and help install Proportional Representation. As I see it that must be a central goal of all progressive Parties. If Scotland departs before this occurs its hard to see how the Tory hegemony can be broken.
I’ve never understood how in any way our 59 seats can make a difference out of 650? all 59 have never been the same party. We go – that leaves 591, surely plenty to work with? Labour defiantly refuse to work together with SNP in anything. Look up ‘the Bain Principle’ in a search engine. Lib Dems no better.
From here it feels like we have done our share of trying to rescue rUK from Brexit – we have delayed attending to our constitutional matters because of it , now we are fighting a pandemic. #ItsTime is the hashtag we’re using on Twitter. We can’t wait for ever. Folks in England, Wales and Northern Ireland you really can’t lean on us for your futures. We’re only human.
Hazel. I fully understand and am sympathetic to the frustrations of Scotland, particularly over Brexit. Living in England, on the North side of Hadrian’s wall, I have much empathy with and respect for our Northern neighbour.
So personally, I would hate to see you leave the Union as I believe it would not only move the centre of gravity of the rump UK further South geographically, but would also move it further Right politically. Furthermore, I think you underestimate the influence of your 59 seats particularly at the present time when we need to cultivate an anti Tory majority irrespective of its political constituency.
However, I speak as a despairing NE Englishman. I can easily appreciate that this perspective may not hold much appeal in Scotland to those who would prefer a clean break ASAP.
The point I was making was that notwithstanding the traditional identity of the ‘Conservative and Unionist Party’, Johnson and his English Nationalists might actually be very glad to destroy the Union as long as they can blame somebody else.
In England, under FPTP they would then be able to enjoy the same hegemony that the SNP currently enjoys in Scotland. So before this happens I hope that at least we in England can salvage a PR voting system that is more like the one existing North of the border.
But unfortunately, if Scotland has gone before the next UK election, the exclusion of those 59 seats may make all the difference to achieving a more representative system capable of constraining the current ascendancy of The Right.