Scottish independence: Brian Cox’s thoughts on independence described as “ill informed and dangerous”

Brian Cox’s thoughts on independence have been described as “ill informed, wrong and dangerous”.

The Succession actor, who was born in Dundee has said that Scots will inevitably back independence because they are fundamentally different from those in England.

Speaking to the Economist podcast, Cox said that Scotland must break free from the “manacles” of the United Kingdom and that the Scottish independence campaign will “gradually move forward” but that independence is “inevitable”.

He said: “Decisions have always been made on our behalf. I embrace Scottish independence because social democracy at the time in the UK was failing miserably.”

Brian Cox in Succession

“I think Nicola Sturgeon is extraordinary. “She does an amazing job and she has had a tough time recently at home because the Scots are very difficult when they get together.”

The 75-year-old added that he would have some regrets if the UK was to split but added that Scotland become a beacon of “egalitarianism” that had been eroded in England and the US.

He said: “Scotland has moved from tribalism to a form of egalitarianism and the potential for Scotland is enormous but we have got the manacles round our ankles.

“Scotland suffered so much from Thatcherism and the closing down of industry and it has been really hard. “Also, we are very different. Scots are very different. We are Celts, we have a different sensibility, we have different cultural routes. We are not the same as the south.”

However, chief executive of Scotland in the Union, a group campaigning for the continuation of the UK, has dismissed the comments as “ill-informed, wrong and dangerous”

She said: “Brian Cox is a fine actor and a great Scottish export.

“But to claim that there is a fundamental difference between Scottish people and English people is ill informed, wrong and dangerous.”

The actor plays billionaire founder of the global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, Logan Roy in the HBO drama Succession, now in its third series.

Cox, who was formerly of the Labour Party has been an active member in the SNP and spoke out for Scottish independence ahead of the 2014 referendum, and has called for a second independence vote following the Brexit vote.