by Rab Bruce’s Spider

So the boss of Highland Spring is sorry that his comments on the Scottish Government were taken the wrong way? He is, apparently, sorry about this. Mind you, it is difficult to see what other way his words could have been taken, seeing as he mentioned that the Scottish Government needed to stop talking about independence, and get on with helping the UK Government with Brexit. If that’s not an anti-independence statement, what is?

Of course, his apology, such as it was, was triggered by the wave of protest which was backed by a wave of customers cancelling orders. This won’t change his private opinions and, indeed, may harden them further, but it may serve as a reminder to business leaders that making political statements has consequences.

Of course, many people who went onto social media to proclaim they would be boycotting Highland Spring were reminded that affecting the profits of a business could harm the employees. This is quite true, but the fact is that the general public do not have much of an alternative when it comes to expressing their displeasure. Businessmen who want to make anti-independence statements will always find a willing media happy to report their words. Indeed, STV in particular trumpeted the comments all day on their Twitter account. This is deliberate as it seeks to reinforce an anti-independence message in the minds of the public. Few pro-Indy businesses ever have their message reported with such prominence, and individual members of the public have no chance of being heard. A boycott is therefore the only effective measure people can adopt. It may appear petty and irresponsible to some but the alternative is to remain quiet, carry on as usual and allow the anti-Indy message to be repeated over and over again by other wealthy businessmen who have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

So, however silly it may seem, Highland Spring now join Asda, BP and Tunnocks on my list.