Of course, as the SNP keep reminding us, this year’s general election had nothing to do with advancing the case for independence. Besides, please, you must remember there’s much more to the party than its thirst for national liberation. Any suggestion to the contrary is quite deplorable.
Which is fine, I suppose, as far as these things go. Unfortunately these things do not go very far. If you doubt this, ask yourself this question: would the SNP advocate, far less pursue, any policy it thought likely to hinder the drive towards independence?
Helpfully – for us, if not for the party leadership – this question was answered by Kenny MacAskill earlier this week. Writing for the party’s pet organ, The National, the former Justice Secretary confirmed that Scottish government policy is subject to one test above all: whether it advances the independence cause.
Freed from the burden of office (not before time, it might be noted), MacAskill now deplores the Scottish government’s disinclination to grant prisoners voting rights.
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