LBC Radio host James O’Brien has slammed the UK Government’s “madness” in the wake of the Supreme Court’s indyref case ruling.
Following the Supreme Court's verdict that the Scottish Parliament does not have the competency to legislate for an independence referendum without Westminster’s consent, O’Brien gave his thoughts on Scotland’s position in the Union.
O’Brien kicked off his rant by saying “this might upset some Unionists”, before asking: “How can you justify this continuing refusal to allow the people of Scotland to have a say on their own future?”
#Scotland must be the first country in history to have economic sanctions imposed on it by its so-called union ally pic.twitter.com/o6wvZe9y7T
— Phantom Power (@PhantomPower14) November 23, 2022
He went on to dismiss arguments that the 2014 referendum was a generational vote as circumstances had been changed by Brexit since the “people of England” had “handcuffed themselves to Scotland and drove the car off a cliff”.
He continued: “If the United Kingdom is the first country in history to have voted to impose economic sanctions on itself, Scotland must be the first country in history to have had economic sanctions imposed upon it by its so-called ‘Unionist ally’ – madness.”
Following an apology for his lack of balance, O’Brien claimed that if he were a Scot, Wednesday's verdict would be “sending me loopy”.
After conceding that his opinions were largely based on his “evidence-based” dislike of the Tories, he said: “Imagine, seriously, having to look to Westminster from Scotland and to see Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and the rest of them making an absolute dog’s dinner of pretty much everything – while also being told ‘no, no, no, we’re in charge of you’”.
Several figures north of the Border have similarly voiced their frustrations with the Supreme Court’s decision, with the First Minister saying she was "disappointed" by the ruling.
However, Sturgeon has said she is now looking to convene a special party conference to decide on the details of utilising the next General Election as a de-facto referendum.
