Ben Crair has a piece at TNR today headlined, The Iraq War is Responsible for Scottish Independence. Really.
Well, up to a point Lord Copper. The “Really” is an unfortunate indication that this pudding may be a little over-egged.
Few people would deny that discontent with the war played a part in the SNP’s victory in this year’s elections. But other factors were at least as, and probably more, important. Among them:
1. Alex Salmond’s return from his Westminster exile. Salmond brings a heavyweight presence that trumped anything the SNP could put up in his absence; it trumped Jack McConnell’s pretensions to statesman status too. You wouldn’t feel embarrassed being represented by Salmond. Alas, the same could not be said of McConnell.
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