On Twitter recently, a Scottish nationalist suggested that SIU's Alastair Cameron should explain Brexit from a Scottish perspective. Here's Alastair's response (which can be found on Twitter here):
1/ Would I like to explain to people about Brexit from a Scottish perspective? Oh yes, I certainly would…
2/ I’d start by explaining that the #EUref wasn’t about Scotland; it was about the UK. ‘Scotland’ wasn’t on the ballot paper, and people voted as individuals (and the use of council areas was for reporting and administrative ease). 'Scotland' didn't vote one way or the other.
3/ Thus, voting Remain, anywhere in the UK, simply meant voting to keep the UK in the EU. It wasn't about breaking up Britain. I might say, in passing, that I personally voted Remain, but am disgusted by Nicola Sturgeon trying to use my Remain vote to break up the UK.
4/ Next, I’d point out that nationalists' sudden claims to be Europhiles ring pretty hollow, given that voting ‘Yes’ in 2014 was a guaranteed way to leave the EU.
5/ Similarly, the fact that the SNP spent less on #EUref than on a by-election in Glenrothes tells you most of what you need to know about the nationalists’ enthusiasm for the EU. See link here.
6/ I’d then turn to how Brexit isn’t a trigger for #indyref2. SNP claims of a ‘mandate’ are false, given that the whole ‘Scotland voted x’ pretext is false; and the fact that there is only a pro-separation majority in Holyrood thanks to @scotgp reneging on their promises.
7/ And since #EUref, support for Scottish separation has continued to fall. Three polls immediately after the #EUref showed a reaction - but since July 2016, 39 out of 40 polls in Scotland about independence have showed a majority for staying in the UK. See link here.
8/ Similarly, there’s still no public appetite for #indyref2. Probably the most dramatic demonstration of this was the SNP losing 21 MPs when they pushed for it in 2017.
SNP lose 21 seats amid Tory surge. Alex Salmond and Angus Robertson were among the high-profile casualties for the SNP. See link here.
9/ Finally, even if there were to be another indyref, which is unlikely, most people can see that leaving the UK would hurt Scotland far more than Brexit will. For a start, there would be a loss of the fiscal transfer.
Scotland only benefits because resources are shared with UK, says Kevin Hague. See link here. The fiscal bonuses of being part of Britain are manifold according to the Scottish Government’s own Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report.
10/ Then there would be the impact of separation on trade - Scotland 'exports' four times as much to rUK than we do to whole of the EU. See link here.
11/ And of course there would be the restrictions on movement across the UK, friends and family becoming citizens of a different country, loss of international influence, etc. It’s no wonder that support for separation continues to ebb away, regardless of Brexit.
12/ So, in summary:
#Brexit isn't the #indyreftrigger that the nationalists want it to be, for a whole load of reasons.
Nationalists pretending to be Europhiles are demonstrably hypocritical.
Most people in Scotland still want to stay in the UK.
Hope that helps.