THE FATAL

FLAW IN

THE NAT

CHARACTER

 THE moment Scottish Nationalist candidate David Kerr lobbed a £2 coin across a TV studio at his Labour opponent was the moment we knew his party had blown the Glasgow North East by-election.

It was a futile attempt to strike a spark in a campaign which has failed to catch fire, with just a week to go before the last by-election test before next year’s UK general election. It was also a telling reminder of the fatal flaw in the nationalist character: just when they seem competent and capable of doing something worthwhile, they will do something plain daft.

Kerr’s £2 gesture on STV’s Politics Now programme was supposed to make a serious point about the niggardly increase in per capita spending on Glaswegians compared to the larger sums in other parts of Scotland. (Ignoring for the moment the huge sums already being spent on health and welfare payments in one of the most disgracefully under-privileged parts of the UK.)

Instead, it looked gimmicky, superficial and patronising. Labour’s Willie Bain, by contrast a solid if unspectacular performer, was able to treat it with disdain – and Kerr looked like an immature youngster playing at grown-up politics. It was the kind of stunt for which points were deducted when I used to travel the country judging the national schools debating contest.

As a former TV journalist who had to give up his BBC news and current affairs job when he stood for the SNP, he should have known such on-screen clever-dick ploys nearly always fall flat. But then TV news programmes are full of smart-aleck journalists who use silly stunts to make their reports more attention-grabbing and talk down to their audience.

Kerr just couldn’t help himself and that Nationalist flaw surfaced again a few minutes later when he was asked how much the SNP government’s pointless ‘conversation’ and referendum on independence would cost the Scottish taxpayers. He shrugged: “You’re looking at about £9million. But you know what? The cost of freedom? Priceless!”

In other words, more Braveheart bombast. All that was missing was Mel Gibson with his face painted blue. No wonder there is a growing feeling that to be Scottish Nationalist, you have to be a bit doolally …

This pattern of serious appearance followed by foolishness is a fault-line that runs through Scottish Nationalism and even their adroit leader First Minister Alex Salmond is not immune. Witness his comparison, after the al-Megrahi release of the hapless Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill (of all people!) to Mahatma Ghandi  (of all people!) Or his demands that he takes his place, like a head of state, at the top table in Europe or the climate summit in Copenhagen.

The Glasgow North-East by-election should be a stiff test for Labour who look increasingly like a UK government o its last legs. Instead, Labour seem to be strolling home, helped by a traditional Labour vote and a general populace that can’t be bothered with politicians of any hue.

If they are to make good on Salmond’s to win so many Scottish seats that they will hold the balance of power in the next Westminster, the SNP will have to do better in seats like Glasgow NE. But first, they’ll have to grow up.