John Swinney accused of 'dangerous dishonesty' as SNP leader insists Scotland 'on path to independence'
John Swinney has claimed that “Scotland is on a pathway to independence”.
John Swinney has been told to “give up on his independence obsession” after facing claims of “dangerous dishonesty” over his economic argument for separation.
The First Minister insisted he was “deadly serious” about the arguments for independence after publishing the final Scottish Government paper on breaking up the Union before May’s Holyrood election.
The paper claims that Scottish households could be more than £10,000 better off per year if the country was independent. The document uses analysis from the Resolution Foundation, which found UK households would see an £8,300 per year bounce if the average income and inequality was the same as other countries of a similar size.
Speaking at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay ridiculed Mr Swinney for claiming he was proposing “a fresh start for Scotland”, claiming the FM was “having a laugh”.
But in response, Mr Swinney insisted he was “deadly serious about the arguments for independence”.
He said: “The rightward drift of the United Kingdom and the stagnation of living standards demonstrate a re-examination of this argument. I can see the direction of travel in Scotland and it’s going to [be] independence.”
Mr Findlay accused Mr Swinney and his latest independence paper of “dangerous dishonesty” over the economic impacts of separation.
“Serious and credible experts have demolished this 90-page exercise in wishful thinking”, the Scottish Tory leader said.
But the First Minister, pointing to austerity and Brexit, claimed “the arguments against Scottish independence have collapsed since 2014”, adding “Scotland is on a pathway to independence”.
In response, Mr Findlay called on the First Minister to “give up on his independence obsession and move on”.
He said: “If he ever got his way, it would mean extreme tax rises and severe spending cuts for Scotland - mortgages up, pensions at risk and a hard border with England. Scotland would be divided, smaller and weaker.
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“John Swinney keeps obsessing with independence, which would make Scots poorer.
“This man is not a fresh start - he is a tired nationalist with a dismal record. He’s not focused on building a strong economy for the future - he’s wasting time and taxpayers’ money on the same old arguments of the past.”
Mr Swinney admitted that “living standards have stagnated in Scotland”, as he pointed the finger at the UK government and Brexit.
He said: “I am very proud to lead a campaign which is about focusing on improving living standards in Scotland, transforming the lives of people in Scotland. We’ll do that through independence.”
Mr Findlay hit out at the use of civil servants to produce the 91-page paper and the accompanying technical document.
“This is a paper with no solutions, it does nothing to help people’s lives here and now, it’s an outrage that it’s been produced by Scottish civil servants,” he said.
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“So, will John Swinney stop wasting any more taxpayers’ money on such nonsense?”
Responding, the First Minister said: “The issue that Mr Findlay has got to address is that the arguments that he puts forward for the status quo are now completely and utterly threadbare.”
Opponents of independence, the First Minister said, told Scots that bills would come down, the country’s place in Europe would be assured and there would be financial security – all of which, he argued, had not happened.
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