AS I write this, the aftermath of Storm Dudley is still being dealt with, and Storm Eunice is ripping through the country delivering record-breaking winds.
By the time this is published, the worst should have passed. However, weather forecasts can change at the drop of a hat so please be careful if you’re out and about this weekend. If weather warnings are extended, try to stay indoors as much as possible.
And now to turn to the cesspit that is British politics, I’d ask you to think about when Douglas Ross MP, MSP, referee, called for the resignation of Boris Johnson, Prime Minister and the leader of his party, only to be called a “lightweight” by Jacob Rees-Mogg.
It was reported at the time that the Scottish Conservatives would not invite the Conservative PM to their annual conference. Just over a month on, the PM is still in his position, Jacob Rees-Mogg is still in Cabinet, and the Prime Minister is still invited to address the Scottish Conservatives’ Conference.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross defends Tory benefit cuts DURING soup kitchen visit
I ask you to remember this because I am left pondering the same question I asked the Secretary of State for Scotland – what it will take for any one of these ridiculous people to resign? The Prime Minister should have gone months ago. He has no right or authority to put a lead on a dog, never mind lead a country, after everything he’s been caught doing. Surely given that Douglas Ross had called for Johnson’s resignation, and he still hasn’t resigned, Douglas Ross needs to be resigning himself?
I cannot think of anything more ridiculous than Ross’s current predicament. He’s leader of a branch office in a party he has told everyone the PM is unfit to lead. Most of his Scottish Conservative colleagues ignored him, the PM ignored him and sent one of his pals to insult him on national television ... and that seems to be that. The other Scottish Tory MPs have been deathly silent about the actions of Boris Johnson. Maybe they think he’s a lightweight too?
Perhaps they don’t care about Douglas Ross at all and are simply playing the same political game the rest of the Tory backbenchers are, letting this charade play on to see if it is advantageous to them personally.
It may seem harsh to be asking for Ross’s resignation given he was one of the few to show some backbone in publicly asking the PM to resign. However, this is the perfect example of why we are living in such dangerous times.
The House of Commons runs on a “precedent” basis. The rules are based on Victorian etiquette rather than robust logic. In normal times, no politician would survive what Boris Johnson has because it is assumed that common sense and decency would surely never allow this kind of corrupt individual to maintain the confidence of the House?
Well, the silence of the Scottish Conservatives alone goes to show that common sense and decency seem to be chronically lacking. This silence is slowly normalising utter disrespect, arrogance, and corruption.
Before I give Douglas Ross too much credit, the flash of backbone he showed is only cheapened by his actions since. Has he, the leader of the Scottish Tories, managed to convince the UK Government to do anything for Scotland? Has he managed to convince the Chancellor to address the cost-of-living crisis?
No. The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that inflation has risen to 5.5% and wages have fallen. The Bank of England has stated inflation will rise to 7%. The Chancellor is missing in action and Douglas Ross seems to think that is absolutely fine.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross shows off his incredible questioning skills during committee session
Has he done anything to ease the pain of Brexit in Scotland, especially since a huge majority of this country voted against it? No. The Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland announced that they’ve lost 32% of their staff and almost £2 million in funding in the past couple of years, while their workload has been drastically increased by the extra red tape Brexit has added to trading. Douglas Ross doesn’t seem bothered about that.
You have to think anyone with even a modicum of self-respect would have bolted long ago. Though to be fair he has about a dozen jobs, so it’s reasonable to expect he’s just lost track of things.
Rather than resigning out of principle or fighting for Scotland’s needs in Westminster, he is standing up in Holyrood claiming victory over the First Minister because she announced a rollback on some Covid restrictions. It is really the saddest type of politicking.
Odds are this will be Ross’s legacy as leader of the Scottish Tories. He will have achieved nothing and will made a fool of himself along the way. That was also the last Scottish Tory leader’s legacy, but somehow Ross has compounded it and made it worse.
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