SNP so caught up in their independence fantasies that they are almost in Narnia – Christine Jardine

Civil servants are wasting time drawing up plans for independence just to help Humza Yousaf try to keep his party together

There are times when all governments reach the point where they are just treading water, bereft of ideas and the country knows that it is time for change. But, as with the current Conservatives, that usually becomes evident towards the end of a parliament.

At the moment however, with another three years left until the next Scottish election, it seems the policy pot has already run dry for the SNP and Greens. With our NHS stretched to breaking point and all services for which ministers are responsible short of resources, it seems our Scottish Government has decided to rely on its old favourites, with a Scottish Government paper on citizenship, post-independence.

I appreciate we all want familiarity for comfort in difficult times, and there can be no doubt that these are tricky times for the SNP. With internal party squabbles, broken ferries, and an ever-lengthening social care backlog, who can blame them for wanting a distraction? But why should taxpayers have to fork out for the SNP’s therapy for frustrated nationalists? Particularly when public funds are tight and so many people are worried about providing for their families.

And when you examine the proposals in detail they actually begin to look faintly ridiculous. There was a time when the SNP had drive, imagination, ran exciting campaigns and the other parties were a wee bit in awe of what they came up with. Not so much with these pronouncements.

Seemingly the Common Travel Area (or the UK as we currently know it) arrangements would mean there would be no border checks for anyone coming in or out of Scotland from England, Wales or Northern Ireland. There have not, of course, been any discussions with the rest of the UK to make sure this would be possible.

We would all also have our new passports by ‘independence day’. Oh and the colour of these new passports would be maroon, just in case that’s of any interest. We would also somehow have rejoined the EU without the nuisance of having to meet the criteria.

You could promise us all free transport to Narnia at the moment and it would not be any less realistic than these current proposals. The SNP has to get over this assumption that whatever they say, other countries and people will just fall into line and say: “Rightie-ho then, on you go.”

An image from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Picture: stock.adobe.com)

It takes years of painstaking negotiation with other countries, economic trading blocks and global organisations to achieve any of the false promises being touted by the SNP. If there was ever any doubt about that, then surely the chaos of Brexit and the economic turmoil it’s caused should demonstrate to the nationalists that their Scexit would not be any better or easier for Scotland.

It takes an incredible amount of effort for civil servants to produce these papers, make so many plans, just so the First Minister can try and hold his party together. And to try and convince an increasingly sceptical public that he is good at his job.

We are used to those who don’t agree with independence being accused of doing Scotland down. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to argue that by focusing on fantasy over reality, the Scottish Government is doing exactly that.

Christine Jardine is Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West