Drip, drip, drip

Following on from my previous blog on this subject, we have an interesting little postscript to the thoroughly debunked story of Scotland withholding money from the Queen once the Scottish Government has control of the Crown Estates there.  Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for all SNP MPs to be made to reaffirm their loyalty to the Crown.  He made the request to Chris Grayling, the Leader of the Commons, and he said

Following the brouhaha there has been over the Crown Estate, the Scotland Bill and the Sovereign Grant Act, will you make time available for a debate to allow our friends in the Scottish National Party to reaffirm their loyalty to our and their sovereign?

This is just yet another instance of the 'othering' of Scotland that was a large part of the General Election campaign, and shows an increasing portrayal of the Scots as untrustworthy and ungrateful.  They really haven't forgiven us for coming so close to winning the referendum, have they?

The problem with the constant dripping of negative stories about the Scots is that it is not going unnoticed up here, and eventually the people of Scotland will have had enough.  Keep this up and the next referendum will be lost by the Unionists.   So why are they doing it?

Partly it's about fear, as I mentioned previously.  It's the equivalent of expressing contempt for something which has recently terrified you in an attempt to show you're not afraid.  No-one is fooled by this.  I can't help wondering, though, if it's a deliberate provocation of the more intemperate elements of the independence supporters.  Keep it up, and there are some who might well be tempted to take retaliatory action.  And if that happens, military occupation would be considered justifiable by Westminster, on the basis that they are protecting the UK from terrorism. 

Seem unlikely? A bit conspiracy theory gone mad?  Maybe, but it's not beyond the realms of possibility.  That's why we must wait until the time is right for another referendum and ignore the constant drip, drip, drip of poison.  And this time, we will win.