Why Scotland must not fall for SNP and Reform UK's competing nationalisms

With SNP support rising and Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party ahead of the Conservatives in Scotland and across the UK, populism is gathering momentum

The last Conservative government ended in failure and voters’ judgment in July was justifiably harsh. Labour inherited a mess but then, by repeatedly going on about how terrible things are, helped create their current troubles.

However, for all their faults, both parties have sought to tackle problems that have a real impact on people’s lives: the lacklustre state of the economy, high cost of living, long NHS waiting lists and so on.

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That they have found this difficult is obvious. It is unacceptable, but it should also be understandable. In tough times, neither party has found a magic wand to make everything better. But we should beware of those who claim they have.

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has warned voting for Reform UK will benefit the SNP (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has warned voting for Reform UK will benefit the SNP (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell)
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has warned voting for Reform UK will benefit the SNP (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

Farage a point behind Starmer

According to a new Survation poll for Scotland, the resurgent SNP are now backed by 33 per cent, with Labour on 24, Reform UK on 15, and the Conservatives on 13. A UK-wide YouGov survey put Labour on 26, a point ahead of Reform on 25, with the Tories on 22.

The SNP and Reform are radically different parties. However, they both benefit from populist appeals to nationalist sentiment. The dream of independence is enough to keep some SNP voters onside, almost regardless of the state of the country.

Meanwhile, Reform’s anti-immigration stance provides them with a similar base of support, which has grown in recent years partly because, in government, the Conservatives campaigned hard on reducing immigration, while also allowing in large numbers of migrants to work in the UK for the eminently sensible reason that employers were struggling to fill vacancies.

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Real-world problems

Clearly worried by Reform’s rise, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay has warned voters not to be "tempted by what amounts to a protest vote", saying this would only help the SNP.

Further splitting the unionist vote will certainly do that, but there is also a risk that these two competing nationalisms will feed off each other, creating a binary debate with little space for improving education, the health service or almost anything else.

Scotland needs politicians focussed on finding pragmatic solutions to real-world problems, not ideological dreamers waving one alleged magic wand or another.

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