The Conservative Party loves the Union. In fact, they endorse it to such an extent that they felt it appropriate to incorporate the word into their full name, the Conservative and Unionist Party. However, despite the party’s unconditional appreciation for this 300-year-old agreement, they may ironically be the last to preside over it.

With the SNP winning 56 out of the 59 available Scottish seats in the general election, the Tories have an inevitably tough task ahead. But one cannot help thinking that if they truly desire to maintain the Union, they should be taking every decision and announcement with extreme caution and consideration regarding Scotland, remembering how close it was to separation last year. Fortunately for the nationalists, they have done no such thing.

Instead, the party has maintained its stance that if the UK decides to leave the European Union in the upcoming referendum then Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland must also leave – even if these countries individually decide that they wish to stay within the EU. This is blatantly undemocratic, because Scotland (the same goes for Wales and NI) may be forced to leave simply because England voted to do so; England’s population is around 53 million, while Scotland’s population is smaller than London’s. England will have effectively steamrolled the results of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland because of the disparate levels of population. If this situation does occur – and it is likely considering that polling (uh oh) frequently suggests higher levels of support for the EU in Scotland than in England – then the Scots will be outraged and Nicola Sturgeon will rightfully claim that this is one of the ‘material changes’ that she suggested would result in a second Scottish referendum. And with Alex Salmond claiming that Scotland has never been closer to independence, any evidence that the country is subservient to England could indeed persuade enough of those who voted ‘no’ to home rule last September to do the very opposite next time. Thus, a ‘yes’ vote in any possible referendum would be almost entirely the fault of David Cameron and his dismissal of the Scottish people.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister’s incompetence towards Scotland regarding the Human Rights Act further demonstrates his failure to understand the Scottish people. 50% of the small nation voted for the SNP on May 7th, and 24% voted for Labour. This means that 74% of Scotland voted for parties that reject the abolition of the Human Rights Act (HRA) – and that figure excludes the Liberal Democrats and Greens who also oppose such a move. Despite this obvious rejection of any such proposed eradication, Cameron looks set to proceed with his plans to do so throughout the entirety of the United Kingdom. This is ignorance and idiocy on an embarrassing scale, and if Sturgeon uses this matter to make the case for a second referendum – and that referendum is won for the nationalists – then once again, Cameron only has himself to blame.

The Tory government can resolve these issues, however. Regarding the EU, Cameron could agree to Nicola Sturgeon’s proposal that unless every nation within the UK agrees to leave, then we remain a member state. It is an entirely sensible proposal, given that the Union is a collection of countries each with their own people, and we must all agree on decisions together. Scotland, Wales and/or Northern Ireland cannot simply be overruled by England. And if this solution seems unreasonable, then maybe one ought to consider if they actually agree with the Union and what it represents and constitutes.

The future of the United Kingdom is hanging by a thread, and the decision whether to cut that thread or not lies in the hands of David Cameron and his party. Every decision that they make must be done so with extreme caution if they wish to keep ahold of Scotland. So far, that level of caution has not been displayed by Cameron – far from it. From the viewpoint of a nationalist, long may it continue…

Ryan Curran

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