Liz Truss says "best to ignore" attention-seeking Nicola Sturgeon

[BerylBird]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-62385757

I'm not Scottish and I don't live in Scotland, but this statement by Liz Truss has made me seethe with rage. AIBU?

I know Nicola Sturgeon is not universally popular in Scotland but, by all measures, the SNP have a sizeable majority in Scotland and like it or not, she is the elected leader of the country, chosen by its population.

How can someone who is vying to be PM of the UK make such a comment as this without alienating, by definition, a majority of Scots? It's a terrible footing to start out on.

It just shows the low regard that she / the Tories have for the "other" nations of the UK outside of England / Westminster. If ever there was a great advert for independence for Scotland (or Wales, or reunification of Ireland), surely this is it?

I'm sure that not long ago you were railing at the outgoing PM for lying, and yet now you want a prospective PM to lie rather than say what she really thinks.

Maybe that nickname is common in the bars around Ibrox or amongst your circle of friends but I've certainly never heard anyone call the SNP that before.

Can you provide us with some statistics that show sexual misconduct/offences/assaults are more common amongst SNP MPs and MSPs than other parties or is just SNP cases that draw your ire because you don't like them anyway?

The SNP have had independence in their manifestos since day dot. It's hardly surprising to find they spend money on it when they are repeatedly elected into power. It's like being surprised when tories award dodgy contracts to their mates.

Speaking of dodgy contracts I'll give you the ferry fiasco, although my understanding is the whole issue stems from the government stepping in to try and save Ferguson Marine from administration back in 2014. In retrospect they should have let them go under but, then again, I'm sure if that had happened you'd be on here proclaiming that the SNP "killed a Scottish shipyard" instead.

It's also bizarre just how outspoken Tories in particular are on this subject yet are silent over the covid fraud committed by their beloved party. Why are you all so angry about a couple hundred million but happy to turn a blind eye when it's billions up billions?

As for drug deaths that is a societal problem that has been an issue in Scotland long before the SNP gained power. In this case the spark that ignited this particular problem is widely attributed to those lovely tories and their bloodlust for deindustrialisation in the 80s.

You may argue that it has worsened under the SNP reign but I'd point you to over a decade of austerity and the erosion of public sector services combined with ever increasing inequality and wage suppression championed by the tories (surprise surprise), as a larger contributing factor than anything the SNP have or have not done.

The same applies for education really, it's difficult to maintain and improve services like health and education when your budget is constantly being reduce in real terms. I believe we have had a 7.1% real term cut to resource funding this year and a 9.7% cut to capital funding too. So once again the SNP will have to do more with less while the moon howlers proclaim how shocking it is that services are failing and underfunded.

If only there were a way for the Scottish Government to have full access to all tbe economic levers required to run a country successfully.

I’m not a Tory supporter, nor a football supporter, nor sectarian in any way and the “ circles” , as you put it, that I move in happen to be clever, articulate and strong women who care about their rights, their families and their country.
It’s up to you to find your own proof about the SNP and their behaviour.

Yeah, this.

Thinking about it, in a way that's the only possible course of action. She doesn't want be seen to be taking action to oppose NS's attempts to have a referendum as it would look like interfering in Scottish business. She can't support them. She likely doesn't think a referendum is a realistic danger at the moment. Ignoring them is about the only option and probably the right one.

Maybe saying so shows a lack of political nous given that people are so willing to see any comment as an offence. But the other options seems to be, say the same thing less obviously.

She is however staggeringly unable to see how her words will create division and let the Scottish parliament and Scotland in general know what she thinks of them.

The woman's ineptitude is immeasurable.

Horrendously disrespectful and misogynist to say she will “just ignore” the democratically elected fm of Scotland and that she is an “attention seeker”’. It will be good for nicola sturgeon politically though

Time to step away from the wine, I think

Nicola sturgeon is hugely popular in Scotland and is the elected fm. This is despite the SNP being in power for some time. The tories on the other hand have a handful of MPs.

This thread is a good demonstration of the fact we are on very different paths politically as Scots do not vote Tory and have voted SNP for years now. The contempt and disrespect expressed by Liz Truss has been readily reflected by many posters here. And make no mistake, this comment about the FM is contempt of Scotland itself. To ignore her is go ignore the mandate she has been voted on the deliver.

How dare Liz Truss say that - she's an absolute disgrace. But it is a political gift to independence. So those independence supporters that worried they were about to lose their best ammo (Boris) fear not - another idiot will soon take his place. And on it goes.

Just so @Celia24 . Nothing has changed since Jim Sillars' remark in the 80s about the ' central paradox of British politics : a Labour voting Scotland being ruled by a Tory government ' .
I paraphrase.

Well , things have changed but for the worse. Cameron didn't put a third option on the 2014 ballot. He wanted to put the frighteners on Scotland - ' Leave the UK and you're out of Europe!'

The success of this tactic emboldened him to run the Brexit Referendum , imagining he would repeat the trick and see off UKIP for once and for all. I'm not sure how Truss will play this long term. Perhaps - ' Leave us and you will be forced to join the EU !'

@Celia24 has a good point about about different regions being on different paths politically. I think that is expected and totally OK. In Scotland you have the SNP, in NI they typically elect sectarian MPs and so on, in Wales ... well I'm not sure :)

But in the end, the show is essentially run/dictated by the higher population areas, i.e., England. Truss is stating something that resonates with a lot of her constituency, and is likely to be your next PM. As a active conservative, I'd much prefer Sunak, but that is not going to happen.

Everything the Tories do or say seems to give ammunition to the idea of an independent Scotland.

Truss is a fool. Sturgeon is a democratically elected leader and she should at least show her basic respect and courtesy. She does not have to agree with her but we don't need that level of gutter politics.

I haven’t had the chance to read the whole thread but once again I feel I need to once again remind some people that there are plenty of Tory voters in Scotland- it is the second largest party in Holyrood. And while I am here, yes, there was also a large number of Brexit voters as well.

I think it’s best to ignore Liz Truss. A bit unfortunate if she becomes the next Prime Minister! Anyone who would want to vote for a Lib Dem, Conservative, anti-monarchy, fine with a monarchy, remainer, Brexiteer, supporter of differential public sector pay, opponent of differential public sector pay sort of a politician needs their head examining. She appears to have no clear ideas on anything, and no principles, just a liking of jumping on and off a lot of different bandwagons.

I’d like to ignore them all.

Sadly, with the negative impact the SNP have had in Scotland while in (minority) government along with their plans for a referendum and yet more division and bitterness, for no benefit, are hard for me to ignore.

Whatever your views of Nicola Sturgeon- and I’m far from her biggest fan- she is the democratically elected leader of the Scottish government. For a politician hoping to be the next prime minister to say that she should be “ignored” is disrespectful to the position she holds- I.e. the first minister of Scotland- not just personally to Ms Sturgeon. And Liz Truss knows (or should know) that. The things the first minister says and does should not all be “ignored” by Westminster.

But then I believe the Tories couldn’t care less about the devolved nations because they don’t have such significant political support there, so feel they are politically irrelevant. This is, I think, some of what drives people to vote for parties like SNP when they aren’t supporters of independence (a surprising number)- they feel that the Tories and other national parties will treat us as irrelevant, an afterthought, whereas for nationalist parties that is not an issue. Liz Truss announcing that she believes it is better to ignore our First Minister no doubt plays well to the Tory party members, but does little to dispel the idea that the Tories are not interested or to be trusted in Scotland. And possibly in the other devolved nations.

@jacks11 said: "Tories couldn’t care less about the devolved nations because they don’t have such significant political support there, so feel they are politically irrelevant."

That's that key point. Scotland is (for the most part) politically irrelevant for us conservative voters in England. I really don't care what happens there. I expect that Scottish people don't care for much about what is happening in Kent, or Shropshire, or other places I've lived. It's a United Kingdom, but one country is firmly in the driving seat. That's just the way it is.

You have set out the case for Scottish Independence quite succinctly there @TheShoeFits . I remember the late Hugo Young predicting this schism back in the 80s. That was in the context of a railway closure iirc.

Soon followed by the Poll Tax being trialled first in Scotland. Presumably its unpopularity wouldn't matter there. What this thread has revealed is the contempt in which Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are held by Conservative voters. And not just a relative handful of septuagenarian malcontents.

So how does this attitude square with Tory voters in Scotland?

Whilst what happens in my home nation is more important to me as it affects my family and I, I wouldn't say I don't care what happens elsewhere in the UK.

@Abhannmor , I clearly did not say I hold that I hold Scotland/SNP in contempt. You are twisted my words. You must be SNP :) But seriously, smaller regions are generally politically irrelevant in the United Kingdom, and that's how it will stay. Of course, there might be glitches from time to time with close elections, but even then the smaller parties are being played for short term benefits.

With comments like this, it's hardly any wonder that some people want independence.

Where does this attitude end. Smaller ethnic group? Politically irrelevant.

I'm also thinking it was a pretty stupid thing to say during a leadership contest, but also fairly accurate.

The SNP and Sturgeon are great at making a noise and populist "cancel the tolls/have some free stuff" policies, but shit at doing anything fucking useful.

I wouldn't vote for the Tories either btw and never have. It's a shitshow up here trying to not vote for idiots.

It's typical of Truss politics, and remember she's trying to win an election, so had to appeal to her core voters after all. Don't be so sensitive.