BBC's Question Time is not what it used to be in the time of Sir Robin Day, or even Peter Sissons, but it still has the ability to produce some illuminating insights. Good examples are the "muddle not a fiddle" assertion of the hapless Henry McLeish and the hilarious silence of one of the SNP's top brains, Joanna Cherry MP, when asked the simple question "what currency would an independent Scotland use?" (We are of course still waiting for an answer to that question, from Ms Cherry or anyone else at all.)
The latest edition (March 15) provided another such moment. The wealthy expatriate actor Brian Cox was asked by an audience member why he was pleading for political unity across the EU when he was committed to destroying that same unity with the rest of the UK. His answer was: "leaving England is a a different thing." In other words, to Mr Cox, England is such an exceptionally bad place that it is a uniquely unsuitable partner for Scotland, unlike France, Bulgaria, Croatia, Malta or any other country he can think of.
SNP politicians like Nicola "My granny came from Sunderland" Sturgeon or English-born Michael Russell may claim it is not the case, but the mask has slipped. They can say "some of my best friends are..." as much as they like, but we can see exactly what drives the nationalism of the likes of Mr Cox.
Peter A Russell,
87 Munro Road,
Jordanhill, Glasgow.
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