BARONESS Davidson has spoken about why she thinks Unionists are at risk of "doing the Scottish nationalists’ job for them".
The former Scottish Tory leader was speaking during a debate in the House of Lords on Scotland's contribution to economic recovery and renewal.
She also made a veiled reference to her "despair" at seeing the likes of Boris Johnson in her own party "dismissing business or disrespecting" the efforts they have gone to during the pandemic.
Suggesting that Scotland should be treated as an area of the UK rather than a separate part, Davidson said that this is not doing Unionists any favours in their arguments.
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She said: “Too often I feel that those of us who support the continuation of our United Kingdom are at risk of doing the Scottish nationalists’ job for them. By talking about Scotland in a way that separates us from that of which we wish to remain a part.
“Where Scotland is reduced to a comparator of our neighbouring nations, not a member of the wider whole.
“From there, it seems to me, there is only a short hop from defining ourselves as a counterpoint to our opponents' preferred framing.
“That framing where they define the United Kingdom as some kind of imposition, something that is done to Scotland rather than the simple truth that the establishment of the United Kingdom and its development down the centuries is something that Scots didn’t just participate in but that we helped build and we had and continued to have ownership over. It is our Union too.”
Describing herself as "unashamedly a pro-business Tory”, Davidson said: "I believe that hard work, endeavour, production and earning, providing for one’s family, is good for the individual, for health, for self-esteem, for freedom, for increased choice and for agency.
“But I also believe that what work does for the individual, business does for the country. A healthy economy gives us the funds and levers to improve public policy and it grants greater influence in an ever more integrated world to be able to shape improvements on a global scale."
She then referred to members of her own party, in a reference to the Prime Minister's catastrophic CBI speech where he lost his place and spoke about Peppa Pig World.
Davidson said: “It is a virtuous circle. And it is why I despair where I see people, even those of my own party, dismissing business or disrespecting the herculean efforts that people have gone to, especially in the last two years to look after their staff, to do well by them, to keep the show on the road, to survive and to fight back.”
Taking aim at the SNP, Labour peer George Foulkes said the party has been using Holyrood as a "campaigning vehicle for independence" rather than delivering devolved services and suggested that those services have declined as a result.
During the debate, Foulkes (above) said that breaking up the "successful Union of 300 years" would be a "disaster".
He said: "I think the Union is in grave danger of disintegrating. And it would be a disaster.
“Brexit shows how breaking up a Union of 40 years has caused problem after problem after problem.
“How many more problems would be caused by breaking up a successful Union of 300 years?
“So the UK Government needs to take some action now.”
Tory frontbencher Viscount Younger of Leckie said: “A far as I am concerned, Scotland and the Scots people are a much valued and most important part of our United Kingdom. Long may this continue.”
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