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That's not helpful, and quite stupid, really. Devolution isn't abused by SNP, the numbers for independence got stronger in the moment Tories attacked and undermined devolved settlements. /1 https://twitter.com/MrHarryCole/status/1328453892594667528
One of the biggest misconception, very prominent among Tories by the way, is the idea that devolved settlements can just be "granted" or work out well if all parties are committed to Unionism. That's plainly nonsensical and also not how political institutions work. /2
The best example is the downfall of BP (Bavarian Party) which was quite big in the 50s and committed to Bavarian independence (don't laugh, they existed and had reasonable success). /3
Arguably two points brought their downfall, for one people were quite happy to stay as long as staying seemed economically beneficial. Second, they felt they had in all relevant matters a say - not just in areas which were devolved but also national matters. /4
The Bundesrat here provided an opportunity to effectively force national legislation to consider Bavarian interests (as seen as by CSU). Although they had de jure no veto, but because of their size it was easier to them to be a de facto veto player. /5
Long story in short, UK gov wouldn't have been able to enact Brexit the way they wanted but be forced to negotiate with SCO and get to a consent. And given that SNP's electoral success relies on soft nationalist votes a purely obstructionist approach would not have worked. /6
That said, they wouldn't have been able to legislate IMB or make any moves to undermine devolution without SNP consent. That means key factors in SNP and Yes vote strengths'd de facto not exist. And SNP would have been unable to help creating them b/c voters would punish it. /7
The solution is not more or less solution but integrating SCO as an entity into the decision making and force them to share responsibility. Obviously, Tories' pet projects would never have worked and majoritarian culture would have made it incomprehensible for wider public. /8
But broadly speaking, integrating them and forcing them to play a role in decision making would be the best shot. Thankfully for the SNP, it's unlikely that Tories (or Labour) will get that. CC @APHClarkson @LeaskyHT 9/9
