KEIR Starmer has said he knows why many people voted for Scottish independence in 2014 – and it was the same reason why people backed Brexit.
In his much hyped new year’s speech, the Labour leader laid out his plans for a "Take Back Control Bill" – taking the co-opting of Brexit narratives to the extreme.
My Labour government will introduce a Take Back Control Bill. We will harness the potential that grows, not out of Westminster, but out of our communities. We will devolve power across the UK, giving people control over their own future. A new approach to politics.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 5, 2023
He pledged to “devolve power across the UK” (where has Scotland heard that one before?) and admitted he had been unable to disagree with the "basic case" made by Leave voters during the Brexit campaign – when he argued for Remain.
Perhaps it was Vote Leave’s pledge to cut NHS waiting times, or the pledge to cut migration, or the pledge to cut energy bills which he liked so much? Whatever it was, it sure convinced him, as Starmer is now an out-and-out Brexiteer.
But no, the Labour leader tells us that the reason people voted for Brexit was actually the same reason they voted for Scottish independence in 2014.
He said both were supported by “people who wanted public services they could rely on. High streets they could be proud of. Opportunities for the next generation. And all of this in their town or city”.
The clear implication then is that Starmer, who was so convinced by the arguments for Brexit, must also be convinced by the argument for Scottish independence.
Perhaps he was, as the Labour leader went on to make some pretty solid arguments for it.
Starmer attacked the “short-term mind-set [which] dominates Westminster”, going on: "It’s not just Tory ideology that drives 'sticking plaster politics', it’s the whole Westminster system.
"No similar country puts so much decision-making in the hands of so few people. So it’s no wonder the problems of communities up and down this country don’t get the attention they deserve."
He further claimed Rishi Sunak could only offer “more promises, more platitudes”.
The Labour leader was apparently blind to the irony.
Starmer then called for “a huge power shift out of Westminster [that] can transform our economy, our politics and our democracy”.
Well Keir, there is one sure-fire way to get what you claim to want. But then, you won’t even support the people of Scotland having a say on it.
