by Rab Bruce’s Spider

Mastodon: @RabBrucesSpider1@Mastodon.Scot

X / Twitter: @RabBrucesSpider

Every parent knows that teenagers can be difficult to keep in line. You can try bribery or threats, but sometimes nothing seems to work.

What has this got to do with politics? Readers, I present to you the UK Government which is treating Scotland as if our nation was just like an unruly teenager. The latest spat really does show just how pathetically inadequate the UK is, with a furore over whether Scotland’s First Minister is allowed to speak to other delegates at the Cop28 climate conference without a nanny to supervise him. They really do worry that other nations will realise that Scotland is more than a region of England. Their own insecurity makes this a fearful prospect for them, and they will resort to any petty reaction as they struggle to control Holyrood.

We’ve had the bribes in the shape of so-called Levelling Up money which, to the surprise of nobody at all, seems to go mostly to Tory constituencies, and now we’ve had threats and accusations from Sir Dave Cameron and Minister of State for Keeping Scotland Under Control, Alister Jack.

As usual with the Tories, they are getting all worked up about not very much at all as they strive to show the world how much in control they are. Instead, I suspect that this absurd episode has only served to show other international leaders just how much Scotland needs to break away from the dysfunctional UK. And I do hope that, without his UK minders being there to keep him right, Humza Yousaf drops more than a few hints about the UK’s infantile behaviour.

Above all, I do hope that, like most teenagers, Scotland can escape the controlling shackles of Westminster and become a fully-fledged adult nation on the world stage.