The EU Lies of Daniel Hannan and Ruth Davidson

As we slide into the annual feast of cronyism, backslapping and institutionalised corruption that is the “Honours” system, the Brexit moment hits a new low. Not just with the predictable packing of the Lords with pro-Brexit “bastards” like John Redwood to grease-through May’s discredited deal, but with three other Tory appointments to the privy council, including Edward Leigh, a Brexiter and member of the backbench European Research Group.

The disgraceful act of the Home Office, in the middle of the Christmas holidays, posting a clip with smiling faces and upbeat music telling EU citizens resident in the UK that they have to apply if we want to stay was astonishing:

“Getting status under the scheme means you can continue to live, work and study in the UK as you can now,” says the video. “We’re making the application process as quick and user-friendly as possible.”

This is a moment in British history. This is the moment when the British government demanded families pay £40 for children born in the UK to apply to stay, based purely on the ethnicity of the parents. Their parents are legal citizens.

For Scottish citizens this is the convergence of two lies that have been perpetrated in the past few years. With the state of British politics as a sort of blizzard of lies its difficult to keep hold of just one or two but this is worthwhile.

Lie One

With 2014’s Project Fear morphing into Farage’s Project Fear the Sequel in 2016 this is the inevitable outcome of an entire political project based on a fear of immigration and a cultivation of racism. For Brexiteers to feign shock at the act is disingenuous. It is also incumbent on left-wing supporters of Brexit to explain how this act and the wider phenomenon is compatible with a positive Brexit outcome.  For the past two years the Brexit campaigners have been simultaneously denying that EU nationals would be under threat whilst also inculcating a culture of fear and xenophobia.

Lie Two 

Hannan’s lie is a pair with Ruth Davidson’s lie that voting No in 2014 would ensure membership of the EU. There’s no escaping these bare-faced lies. And they have consequences for EU nationals living here right now but also for the key institutions and workforces that Europeans support and are part of in the whole of Britain – but also for any future Scottish independence referendum.

Make no mistake, given the opportunity many of the thousands of people living in Scotland would vote very differently than they did in 2014 when they were lied to (you may have noticed a pattern here) about their prospects in the event of a Yes vote.

There will be a reckoning to this and the myths of Britain as some enlightened multi-cultural home of decency and internationalism – that was put forward by so many in 2014 – lies in the ruins of the Brexit debacle. Scotland remains shackled to a toxic state in the throws of imperial decline and populist authoritarianism. There is only one possible political conclusion: our collective New Years Resolution should be to depart with our European colleagues, neighbours and friends as soon as is possible.

 

Comments (10)

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  1. Christopher White says:

    Hello Mike. A very well stated article Sir.
    And yes, my New Year’s resolution is to help progress Indyref2 as well as persuading you to publish some of my poetry.

  2. Liz Gardiner says:

    My New Years resolution is to do whatever I can to support independence as soon as the start pistol is fired. I am in my 60s. I have voted for the SNP (and more recently a combination of SNP, Greens and whomsoever can help us on the road) since gaining the right to vote aged 18. I am glad we did not win by a narrow majority in 2014 as we would have had problems from almost 50% of our population dragging their feet. The time is now!! All feet will be stampeding in one direction.. together… united in diversity and purpose..

  3. William Habib Steele says:

    I find myself feeling frustrated and impatient. I realise that there’s a need to know what’s happening with Brexit before the Scottish Sovereigntists act, but I wonder if we do not have enough evidence of the mistreatment of Scotland by the English Government of the UK and the MPs and MSPs of that English Party in Scotland to act. When will Craig Murray’s prescription be taken?

    https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/12/the-scottish-parliament-does-have-the-right-to-withdraw-from-the-act-of-union/?fbclid=IwAR1qusDGh12Jqivd6-GcnVSaOF3iy9loIUepK5da2W5Fl5hHZ4k82pwyJdI

  4. Squigglypen says:

    And that’s why I am a fanatical free thinking Scot and SNP supporter. Why do we manage to breed so many traitors( a bag o’ siller?)…or fearties who think we canny run oor ain country?
    Excellent article..thank heavens there are others who think like me..I am not alone in the asylum!

  5. Gavin says:

    It may come across as irrelevant pedantry, but if someone says something that’s incorrect, but they believe to be true, then they’re not lying. I have no doubt there were members of the Vote No group that were pro-Brexit, but it seems improbable that any of them saw Brexit as a likely event in the short-term. Those who said No was a vote for staying in the EU were certainly short-sighted, and possibly even deluded, but lying looks like 20/20 hindsight rather than an accurate accusation.

    1. Fair point Gavin. I dont believe thats the case in either of these lies though.

  6. Tom Kane says:

    Well said, Mike.

    Spot on.

    And Happy New Year!

  7. Alan Chance says:

    This is so sad – Mike Small appears so reasonable and his arguments are telling. Then right at the end he can’t resist that “Scotland remains shackled to a toxic state in the throws of imperial decline and populist authoritarianism” – a blatant example of populism and racism, appealing to a fundamental tribalism – just the sort of “inculcation of fear and xenophobia” that he decries. Brexit resulted from disdvantaged Brits thinking all our problems stemmed from Brussels. And disadvantaged Scots have always blamed London. Blame the foreigners, it’s so easy. Come on Mike, you can do better than that.

    1. Hi Alan – which bit of the sentence ““Scotland remains shackled to a toxic state in the throws of imperial decline and populist authoritarianism” is racist? It would seem a simple statement of the political reality?

  8. Andrew Wilson says:

    I defy anyone to understand the logic of the EU in punishing their biggest future trading partner on the basis of Euro nationalism. With common standard etc there should be no trouble in cobbling together a deal. Europe’s clique of commissioners doesnt want a deal, they live in fear that their construct will be judged on its own merits (see Greece). David Cameron would not have lost the knife edge referendum if Europe had made a single major concession. They are incapable of it and they’ve shown their colours since. Statements were made were made in good faith even if incorrect. Scottish Nationalism is a matter for the Scottish people and there is an overall tendancy for countries to go better (even if smaller) under their own governments. The Act of Union was however provided an enormous lift to Scotland which in turn made a contribution out of all proportion to the British Empire. Scotland will not much longer have North Sea oil to fall back on and the price of oil has tanked. Whatever the merits the union case had its own merits. Britain a toxic state?? Compare it to North Korea.

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