Debatable; Scotland in Westminster

STV had their leadership debate on Tuesday, presented by Scotland Tonight’s Colin Mackay. I was fully prepared to make a joke about how inconsequential the opinions of these people are to this election. However, given the turnout at the weekend’s BBC and ITV debate, this might be the most important in well over a week.

In attendance were; Willie Rennie of the Scottish Lib Dems’, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard and interim leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist party Jackson Carlaw. Each had one minute to promote their party.

Leonard, Sturgeon,Presenter Colin Mackay, Carlaw and Rennie (left to right)

The first words out of Willie Rennie’s mouth were: “We have to work together to stop Brexit and Independence.”

To the surprise of absolutely no one - the villain in his version of Scotland was Brexit. The introduction amounted to how the Lib Dem’s will fund social care to just about covering the cost of the last time the public put them in office.

Nicola Sturgeon started strong. Saying that: ‘Scotland’s future is on the line’ the baddie of her story was Boris Johnson, presumably not thinking Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw worth the breath. She repeated Labour’s lines about Johnson selling the NHS.

Straight off the bat the Tory interim leader said we should be focusing on funding our NHS, ‘but we can’t’, because in this story, the antagonist was Nicola Sturgeon. With only a sprinkling of Corbyn. And their plan to ‘take control of this country’ needs to be stopped. He wants the public to put an end to Indyref Get Brexit Sorted’. (Which must be a Scottish version of the Toryism ‘get Brexit done’) Ending with: “This is for real, next week: The Union is on the ballot paper”

It will be interesting to see if we get a Tory majority with an SNP landslide in Scotland how No.10 could refuse a referendum. The Scottish Tories just said the union is on the ballot paper.

Richard Leonard began: ‘this is a U.K. general election and a straight choice between a Labour and Tory government’ The narrative was clear, discount the SNP; vote Labour stop the Tories: who are, were, and always will be, the enemy. His speech was genuinely encouraging people to vote Labour. Which, he’s found since becoming leader, can feel like a lost cause. Much of what he said will fall on deaf ears, at one point he looked like he’d bored himself but brought it back around. Ending with a: “this is an agenda of hope when Labour wins; Scotland wins.”

These interconnecting narratives made for good watching. There was a smooth quality about this debate and the way the candidates bounced off one another that’s been missing on the BBC and ITV debates. Mackay confronted Sturgeon and Richard Leonard about Corbyn’s ‘money-trees’, as well as Carlaw for austerity and Rennie for the Lib Dems’ complicity in the coalition government, all in the first round of questions.

This snowballed into a heated scuffle which bled into the next round. Culminating in Willie Rennie saying Nicola Sturgeon should be ashamed of her time as First Minister.

Sturgeon used this to point back towards the Liberal Democrats and their record in parliament; bedroom tax and tuition fees.

A rivalry, which bizarrely, outweighed that of any other two people on the stage. Showing that the grand narratives, stopping Brexit / getting Brexit done, mattered more in Westminster than in bonnie Scotland.

The First Minister asked Richard Leonard about Labour’s Brexit policy, when he began to explain Corbyn’s neutral stance, she cut in, saying: “you can’t even keep a straight face while answering this." While Sturgeon is apprehensive to criticise Jeremy Corbyn on the BBC, she had little time for the Labour party during this debate.

The question of independence continued to dominate the debate, Leonard ruled out supporting another referendum and, once again, Willie Rennie lost it with Sturgeon. Responding to her claims that the Scottish people deserve to choose, he said: “you’re not Scotland Nicola.”

The second half of the STV debate featured cross-examination of the leaders by each other. This was effective, well moderated and made for an exciting back-and-forth.

The cross-examination of Jackson Carlaw was the most scathing of the evening, the First Minister began by quoting the child poverty rates in the U.K. and said: “Does that not make you feel ashamed?"

She also pointed towards the fact Carlaw himself supported Remain during the referendum; accusing him of ‘selling out Scotland’s interest at the command of Johnson.’

It was a tough round for Jackson Carlaw, who then faced pressing about Universal Credit from Leonard. He responded another Scottish Toryism: “the best form of benefit is work.” (formerly “the way out of poverty is work” - Theresa May).

they say it’s tough to be tartan-Tory, Rennie also challenged Carlaw about Boris’ comments about gay people and Muslims: “Trump, Farage and Tommy Robinson back your leader, how does it feel to be on their team?”

Another notable moment was when Willie Rennie blamed Labour for the need for austerity in his cross-examination. It’s always been the Conservative party line to blame Labour’s management of the economy for austerity and it outlined how much the Lib Dems’ are desperate to take the unionist vote from the Tories.

This led Sturgeon to tell him to: ‘stop trotting out Tory lies.”

In his opening statement, Colin McKay said this will be quickest one-hour debate at this election. I would agree with this, there was a fluidity in the format that kept things moving forward. The cross-examinations were an interesting touch.

The one-minute opening statements were written based on the U.K. parties and all the leaders, excluding the First Minister of course, stuck tightly within the party line and had to answer difficult questions on behalf of their Westminster leaders.

It also felt slightly odd seeing people, who’s day-to-day business takes place at Holyrood, having a pop at Reserved matters. Promoting their party in an election that they aren’t standing in. It came off as more sincere from Sturgeon, who is the recognisable face and presidential candidate for the Westminster SNP, even if she isnt their Westminster leader.

For these reasons, Sturgeon won. The SNP had the advantage at this debate of being credited for their achievements without their British counterparts putting people off. Willie Rennie did well but couldn’t shake off the Tory stigma, ditto with the Tories and Labour leader Richard Leonard has been doing only fine for two years.