Only last month we were told by Ruth Davidson that the only way to protect Scotland’s place in the UK was to vote for the Scottish Conservatives. How is that working out?

On Tuesday in the Scottish Parliament I spoke with more anger than at any time since I was elected more than five years ago. My anger wasn’t directed at the more than 1 million people in Scotland who voted to leave the European Union. They did so for various reasons. Some are concerned about immigration while others wanted to stick it to the establishment; others feel utterly powerless in their own lives because of years of cuts to public services they rely on.

The political leaders in Scotland who all advocated a remain vote must wake up to the fact that so many people north of the border heard the economic warnings about the impact of Brexit but thought that things couldn’t get any worse for them. That’s a powerful message that the political class must take on board.

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No, my anger was directed at the Conservative party in general and Ruth Davidson in particular. The actions of the Conservatives since the 2014 independence referendum have done much to destabilise the union.

It started with David Cameron’s ill-judged speech on the steps of Downing Street the morning after the 2014 referendum, where he set out plans for English votes for English laws proposals in an attempt to appease the more rabid elements of his backbenches.

What followed was a Conservative general election campaign that set Scotland against England. We all remember the posters showing Alex Salmond as a pickpocket. It was a blatant attempt to suggest that Scotland is a burden on the English taxpayer, provoking resentment against the SNP as a means of convincing people to vote Tory.

And now we have the EU referendum result – a result that has exposed the clear differences between the various parts of our nation: not just the difference between Scotland and England, but the differences between parts of England and Manchester, Liverpool, London, Cardiff and Northern Ireland.

The full ramifications of last week’s EU referendum result are as yet unknown. It will take years before we know the impact it will have. The economic consequences will be severe. Already we have seen the value of the pound plunge, billions wiped off the value of some of our largest employers, and firms suggest they will shift jobs to nations with a long-term future at the heart of the EU.

There are major social consequences too. Day after day we hear of reports of people who have made their home in our country told that they are no longer welcome here. And some people born and raised in Britain with black and minority ethnic backgrounds are told to go home.

Those hurling the abuse are either too ignorant to realise that this is their home, or they simply don’t care. Either way, the hate and fear so irresponsibly stoked up by those who successfully advocated a vote to leave the EU will not disappear any time soon.

The referendum result has given many nationalists the excuse they were waiting for all along: the chance to call for another independence referendum. The fault for that lies with the Conservatives. Davidson was a fully signed-up backer of the Tory electoral strategy over the last few years. She supported Cameron’s EU referendum. She joined in with the Scotland v England tactics.

During the Scottish parliament election last month, Davidson’s pitch was pretty simple (and ultimately effective). She told voters that a vote for the Conservatives would prevent a second referendum and provide a strong opposition to the SNP. She told people there was no middle ground – you were either a nationalist or a unionist, when in reality most people just want good schools for their children, a health service that delivers when they need it, and a helping hand to get on in life.

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The Brexit vote now makes it more likely that there will be a second referendum, and on Tuesday in Holyrood we saw how limp an opposition the Scottish Tories provide. Scottish Labour’s manifesto last month made clear that we don’t support a second independence referendum, and that position doesn’t look like changing.

In many ways the arguments against independence have strengthened since last week. At a time when there is so much division and uncertainty, why pile on even more? When our economic links with Scotland’s second largest trading partner (the EU) face being ripped apart, why would we do the same with our largest trading partner (the UK, by a significant margin)? I understand that people will want to reflect on these big questions following the Brexit result. But now is the time for calm heads. More than ever we need a period of reflection, not more upheaval.

We live in uncertain times. It would be foolish for anybody to predict with any degree of certainty what will happen in the future. But what we can say without question, without hesitation and without equivocation is this – you can’t trust the Conservatives with the union.