What effect would a No Deal Brexit at the end of this month have on the case for independence? There are two main schools of thought: 1) that people will accept the new status quo as ‘the devil they know’ and will shy away from any further constitutional upheaval, and 2) that many people who voted No in 2014 and Remain in 2016 will start to look upon independence as a safe harbour in the Brexit storm. We can only speculate at this stage as to which of those is right, but if by any chance it’s the latter, we may end up having Jo Swinson to thank for Scotland becoming an independent country. Her stubbornness in refusing to compromise on the leadership of a potential interim government doesn’t make No Deal a certainty, but it’s hard to dispute that it makes No Deal considerably more likely. As Paul Mason has pointed out, the Lib Dems have perversely become the party of choice for those who think a No Deal Brexit would be preferable to a Corbyn premiership.
Incidentally, Matthew d’Ancona was barking up the wrong tree with his claim the other day that a vote of no confidence would be a trap allowing Boris Johnson to remain in office until a general election that takes place after the date of Brexit. We’ve already seen the speed with which emergency legislation can be passed, so if Johnson tried to squat in Downing Street after losing a vote of no confidence, and if the Queen declined to remove him from office, it would be open to parliament to quickly legislate to change the procedure for appointing the Prime Minister – it could become a position elected by the Commons.
But all of this is academic for as long as the Lib Dems are determined to remain Boris Johnson’s Little Helpers.
