Facing both ways

The Scottish Sun (Prop. R Murdoch) today leads on the wonders of Nicola Sturgeon. The greatest political leader on earth and, thanks to the Dirty Digger’s close friendship with former SNP leader Alex Salmond, she and her party will gain Murdoch’s support on 7th May. But only in Scotland. In England, The Sun’s headline is ‘Evil Sturgeon will give you cancer’ (I’m not too sure if these were the actual words, but you get the drift) and there you have the power and cynicism of the Murdoch brand. Anything to get his way.

And anything to get Cameron and Sturgeon’s way too because, beneath all the fluff, the SNP is absolutely desperate to see the Tories win in England. Of course the quick-witted lawyer Sturgeon will say in public she wants a block against the Tories and will support a Labour minority government but you only need to recall the words of Mandy Rice-Davies: she would say that, wouldn’t she? Sturgeon is as cynical as Murdoch because the aim of her anti-Tory rhetoric is to help stoke fears south of the border and to bring about a Tory government.

And why would the SNP prefer a Tory majority? Put very simply, a Tory government in England with an SNP landslide in Scotland would be highly unsettling for the union. This is precisely what nationalists want: instability. And with Cameron, cowering to his right wing by calling an in-out EU referendum for 2017 he is laying the ground for another Scottish separation referendum. If Scotland votes to stay in, but the rest of Britain votes to leave, Sturgeon and co will kick the government’s door down. Yes, it is a cynical SNP strategy, but it is also a very clever strategy when faced with the back of a fag packet policy-making of Cameron’s Conservatives.

An SNP landslide north of the border will merely confirm what we all fear about the future of the union. Even though the ‘no’ vote won last time, the genie is out of the bottle and whilst all sides say they accept the verdict, changing circumstances will ensure it will never climbs back in again. Cameron plays fast and loose; Labour continues to stand firm for the union.

I sense that Cameron’s heart really isn’t in all this. The so called leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party knows that he is well on the way to the Tory exit door. He has already declared that he will not seek a third term in office, despite not even having fought the second term (and ignored the fact he didn’t actually win outright his first term) and that even if he survives as PM this May, he will be gone some time in 2017 when the EU referendum takes place, immediately after if he takes Britain out of Europe. His successor will not suddenly appear after the next parliament because Cameron, who says he will not be PM after 2020, will obviously not fight that election. His successor will fight that election. I do not believe Cameron has a great deal of interest in long term strategy, I believe he is about short term tactics, winning the election at any cost, and regardless of the cost to the union.

So to that end, Cameron and Sturgeon are singing from the same song sheet. They both want each other to do well, they both need each other to do well and they have Rupert Murdoch, along with the rest of the right wing press to do their bidding. They pretend they hate each other but they have a mutual interest, Cameron wants to cling to power for a couple more years and the SNP remains committed to the break up of the UK, the latter being why Labour would never enter a coalition with them even though the SNP encourages that illusion and the Tories promote the lie.

It’s not that complicated really. The Tories and the SNP both need each other but daren’t say so in public. Theirs is a secret love, an affair that they both know will end in tears for one of them, probably the Tories. It’s slightly more than a one night stand, but only slightly. David Cameron will slide off early in the morning once it’s all over, handing over to another Old Etonian, but the damage will be done by then.

For those who see Sturgeon as a breath of fresh air, then think again. She’s a very smart politician, just like Salmond, but a politician she is.