IAN Blackford wanted to say what we were all thinking at Prime Minister's Questions today – and he played the rules perfectly to do so.
Jeremy Corbyn decided not to hammer the Tories on Brexit, but that wasn't the case with the SNP's Westminster leader.
READ MORE: Theresa May's ministers in contempt of Parliament in disastrous defeat
The Tories had tried to keep the Attorney General's Brexit legal advice out of the hands of the Commons. After the House humuliated May's government by holding them in contempt, they were forced to reveal it in full.
It revealed that Northern Ireland would be offered, in effect, indefinite membership of the customs union and single market. Which Scotland is being denied.
Such are the rules of the Commons, Blackford couldn't accuse the Government of attempting to mislead Parliament by holding this information back. That meant a clash with the Speaker.
WATCH: Scottish National Party's Ian Blackford says PM Theresa May has been "misleading the House perhaps inadvertently " after the Attorney General's full legal advice on the Brexit deal was published pic.twitter.com/fcrmp1WvWy
— TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) December 5, 2018
The SNP MP began: "We were promised strong and stable. What we have is a government in crisis.
"A government found to be in contempt of parliament. Is it time that the Prime Minister took responsibility for concealing the facts of his Brexit deal from members of this house and the public?"
May responded: "We have not concealed the facts on the Brexit deal from members of this House. What he will see is that the legal position set out in monday in the 34-page document together with the statement made and the answers to questions given by the Attorney General on Monday very clearly set out the legal position."
About as weak a response from May as we've come to expect.
Blackford hit back: "Mr Speaker, that is an incredibly disappointing response from the Prime Minister. The facts have had to be dragged out of this Government by Parliament.
"This morning we have seen the detail of the legal advice. We have seen the facst that the Government tried to hide. This government is giving Northern Ireland permanent membership of the single market and the customs union. The legal advice is clear. It stays.
"Despite statements in the protocol that it's not intended to be permanent, in international law, the protocol would endure indefinitely.
"Since the Prime Minister returned from Brussels with her deal, the Prime Minister has been misleading the house, inadvertently or otherwise. The Prime minister must explain..."
READ MORE: These are our alternative paths to Scottish independence
Bercow then interrupted: "Order, order, order. There can be no suggestion of otherwise. The Rt Hon gentleman must make it clear that there is no suggestion that the government is misleading the house deliberately. There can be no question of that. If the Rt Hon gentleman wants to use the word inadvertently, which people do now and again, he can, but there must be no ambiguity on the point, and I ask the Rt Hon gentleman to clarify that matter."
Blackford replied: "Mr Speaker, I did use the word inadvertently and I repeat it. Since the Prime Minister returned from Brussels with her deal, the Prime Minister has been misleading the house, perhaps inadvertently."
That wasn't enough for the Speaker: "Order, order, order. I always want the Rt Hon gentleman to be heard fully, and he will be. But therecan be no imputation of dishonour, and the insertion of the word perhaps suggests the Rt Hon gentleman wants to keep his options open. The option of imputing dishnour does not exist. That word must now be removed. Please rephrase, continue and complete, briefly.
Blackford concluded: "Mr speaker, I say again, inadvertently. Mr Speaker, the Prime Minister must explain why she continues to deny Scotland the rights and opportunities that her deal offers to other parts of the United Kingdom."
May simply repeated her first answer in response, adding only that neither side wanted the backstop to be used.
She added a bonus jab of the SNP position meaning they would stay in the Common Fisheries Policy, perhaps not realising that this is also what her Scottish branch office's leader and deputy leader want as Remain voters.
Blackford said what we were all thinking, and played the rules to get his point across.
The SNP have had much success in the past along these lines – remember that walk-out?
If that's what it takes to be frank about the nature of this government, we're glad someone is doing it.
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