English Tories have lost the slightest reason to care about the union | Kevin McKenna

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Getting shot of Scotland would leave Boris Johnson in power for decades

A miniature sporting curiosity is re-enacted each year that conveys integrity and stewardship in the face of shallow commerce. It’s when the gnarly hand of an engraver is seen to inscribe the name of golf’s Open champion on to a sacred claret jug. At what point does this master craftsman get the nod to begin his work? His is a task that doesn’t reward haste and yet he can’t tarry too long. This little ritual sprang to mind when Boris Johnson became Britain’s latest prime minister. In it, the silent engraver is beginning to inscribe the words “Scottish independence” even as Johnson’s name is being announced.

In the weeks since it almost seems as though Johnson is eager to fulfil one of the expressed wishes of England’s Brexit supporters. In several polls they signalled their willingness to sacrifice Scotland as a price worth paying for securing Brexit. This seems to have lodged itself subliminally in the minds of Tory MPs at Westminster. In recent weeks they have been seen to observe a rather less edifying ritual of their own. Thus, whenever Ian Blackford rises to respond to the latest convulsion on the withdrawal agreement a signal is emitted at a pitch that can only be picked up by English Tories. As soon as the SNP’s Westminster leader opens his mouth to speak, they rise as one and depart the chamber. At other times they talk loudly over him in an adolescent attempt to convey indifference and disdain.

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from The Guardian https://ift.tt/31QpGmG

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