By Mark T Connor • Published: 02 Jul 2020 • 13:41
Rivalry between Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson. Pic: Twitter
The rivalry that exists today between Nicola Sturgeon and Boris Johnson, however, can be said to be anything but friendly, Sturgeon took Johnson to task over his statement in the House of Commons that after the reports that Scotland might impose quarantine on people arriving from England. He went as far as to say such reports were “disgraceful” and that there is “no such thing as a border between England and Scotland.”
The two nations don’t have a physical border with customs officers etc, but there are border differences between the two, they have different laws, education systems, money, (although they both use the pound sterling, there are differences in the notes), and very different health services.
The First Minister for Scotland said: “What there definitely is, is a geographical boundary to my powers as First Minister.
“If the Prime Minister is questioning that now, I’m not sure what he would say if I pitched up in Newcastle and started to try to implement Scottish government policies in Newcastle.
“And see what I’ve just said there? It’s absurd too, which is why we shouldn’t be having these discussions.
“We should all be focusing with an absolute laser-like focus on what we need to do within our own responsibilities and working together when necessary to stop a virus.”
She then clarified her statement by continuing: that there are no proposals to impose quarantine for English tourists at the moment but said she would not rule it out completely.
She insisted her one objective during the pandemic is “trying to stop this virus getting out of control.”
That’s all that drives this decision-making process right now, and I really do say to people – whether it’s the leader of the Scottish Tories, the Secretary of State [for Scotland], or even the Prime Minister, who I have been at pains not to criticise over this – if you find yourself trying to turn any of this into a political or a constitutional argument, go and take a long hard look at yourself in a mirror.
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