The most graceless performance performance today in the Commons as David Cameron underwent his final PMQs was put on by some of the Sottish National Party’s MPs. When one particularly mean-spirited question was asked I tweeted that the Nats were failing to rise to the historic nature of the occasion. Some of them looked beyond chippy in the chamber.
My tweet then caused various under-employed SNP supporters to locate an old tweet of mine in which I criticised the Scottish Parliament last year because SNP MSPs regularly applaud the First Minister like performing seals.
I couldn’t work out the connection, and then it dawned they thought I had been criticising the subsequent failure of the Nationalist MPs to stand and applaud Cameron today (I missed that part although I’m told one did stand).
The not applauding as Cameron walked out doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve never made any secret of not liking applause in the Commons, a practice which was only introduced for a departing PM when Blair left.
What’s more interesting is how grumpy the SNP looked today and then it dawned on me. They’re jealous. A year ago the spotlight was on them and the revolution they had wrought with their obliteration of Labour in Scotland. They were going to transform Westminster. They got masses of attention. The UK newspapers were full of simpering pieces by confused London journalists, with one noting that the Commons was suddenly full of Scottish accents (rather overlooking the reality that defeated Scottish Labour MPs had been, er, Scottish too.)
Gradually, as is the way, the interest in the SNP’s doings at Westminster faded. They became old hat. (It’s a cruel business politics.)
And then in the aftermath of EU referendum the Tories laid on the most political drama since May 1940, a process which culminated with them reasserting their historic ability to regroup and reinvent themselves under a new leader. It all made the Scottish independence referendum of 2014 seem deeply boring.
Realising this, the SNP leadership did its best to get the spotlight back. At various points during the drama last month and this month the SNP jumped up and down saying “don’t dare deny us a new Scottish referendum” when no-one is. If they fancy another go (this time with a different currency, perhaps even the Euro, and EU contributions to find) then they will find nothing stopping them other than their own fear of losing. Nicola Sturgeon’s routine will also not work quite as well against Theresa May as it did against David Cameron, what with him being a polite man and May being a take no crap woman.
No wonder the SNP is annoyed. They’ll probably be back, with new variations on old grievances, of course, but for now they are very much yesterday’s news. Sad.
