Mhairi Black: There's one clear reason Tories don't want an independence debate

It is entirely indisputable now that favouring Scottish independence is the default position for people in Scotland, but the Tories and the rest of the old Better Together gang continue not to react to this information.

A conference speech from Douglas Ross and Michael Gove saying he’s going to hire a couple of press officers seems to be the best defence of the Union they can come up with.

At Scottish Questions in Westminster this week, I asked the Secretary of State, Alister Jack, about his comments that there wouldn’t be another referendum on Scottish independence until 2054 (or thereabouts, he has now walked back that assertion, assuring us that it was just a wee joke).

Specifically, I asked him where in the Edinburgh Agreement or the Smith Commission that it was stated that the independence referendum would be “once in a generation”. He didn’t answer. Luckily, however, I know the answer and you all do, too – nowhere. Not one single time is it stated in either document.

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On the contrary, there was an agreement, signed by the Unionist parties, that stated nothing contained in the Smith Commission affects Scotland’s ability to choose to become an independent country in the future.

The Scottish Tories could not hold back on feigning outrage at the question online. Discussing independence was described as “embarrassing” by one Scottish Tory who quite literally has “fighting against indyref2” in their Twitter bio.

The official Scottish Conservatives, whose entire bio is about independence also Tweeted out that the SNP and I are obsessed with independence.

It is clear to absolutely everyone that Tory position is: if you’re against independence you must make it your entire political identity and use it to build a career, but if you’re in favour of independence then talking about it is embarrassing.

Disagreement from the Scottish Boris fan club doesn’t bother me, but it did get me thinking about this hypocrisy. The Better Together folk have always tried to make favouring independence seem radical. They’ve tried to make out that thinking the decisions about Scotland being made by the people who live in Scotland is outlandish and weird. But … it isn’t.

It’s not just that independence is in itself normal – talking about it is too. It’s just a policy position, and there’s nothing wrong with discussing it, or asking questions of ministers about it, especially when said ministers have been in the press talking about it themselves in recent days.

I don’t know if the message that debating a policy that holds the support of the majority of the country is a waste of time is effective. I don’t think it makes people convert from Yes to No.

I do think, however, that it serves to excite the Unionist base, and it also serves to make people who support independence a bit shyer to say so. Given that the number of Unionists is currently shrinking, however, it’s probably a good time for the Better Together folk to start working on defending the Union instead of wasting their time trying to excite a dwindling base.

The exchange online also reminded me of a clip from a Scotland Tonight interview that Jess Phillips gave when she was running to be leader of UK Labour. In the interview it was the usual guff about how people in Scotland don’t actually care about independence or “talk about it on the doorstep”, but what was so striking to me in that interview was the scoffing tone that was applied throughout. Aside from the fact that I’ve spent my fair share of hours chatting to folk on doorsteps in Scotland and they very often want to talk about independence, I don’t think scoffing at people who care very deeply about the debate (for one side or the other) is worthy of the question.

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You can, of course, find plenty of examples of the LibDems doing the same stuff, which probably explains why they’re polling to remain in fifth place at the next Scottish election.

I can’t think of any other time that the Tories and their friends have put in so much effort to pretend a policy isn’t worthy of discussion.

They don’t do it with drugs – they’re always ready to fiercely defend their indefensible view that criminalisation is the answer. They don’t do it with economics – they’re always ready to fiercely defend their indefensible view that cutting taxes for the wealthy while squeezing every penny out of the poorest is the answer. They don’t do it with Trident – they’re always ready to fiercely defend their indefensible view that spending billions on rusting submarines that, if ever used, would lead to incalculable death, is fine.

It seems to me that the reason they wish to not have the independence debate is that they know their defences are spent. There is no positive case for the Union and people are savvy to the Project Fear lies.

So, they pretend the question doesn’t even exist. But it does. And they will, inevitably, have to defend their status quo position in the upcoming election. An election that we must win.