Nicola Sturgeon: A populist against the Brexit

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The spiders, the British - so much is now clear to every German. So it is good to remember that there are still decent inhabitants of the British Isles, to the very north. One of the best, to the taste of the Germans, is on this Tuesday in Potsdam. Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, will receive the M100 award, which honors defenders of free European values ​​each year. Last year, the "world" correspondent Deniz Yücel got him.

In Germany, Sturgeon is considered a woman of reason in unreasonable times. A head of government who stands up for cohesion - unlike Boris Johnson, the chaotic Brexit berserker.

The Chairwoman of the Scottish National Party (SNP) knows what her European audience likes to hear. Scotland is an open and tolerant country, which must continue to play a key role in Europe, she likes to emphasize in speeches. It is positioning itself against the populist Tories, who ruthlessly ignore the interests of the Scots. It stands for openness, tolerance and justice.

However, Sturgeon will scarcely be criticized for a concept condemned by liberal democrats: nationalism. This is quite understandable: If the questionable is in the name of their party, they can hardly spoil it.

The SNP tailors the Scots a victim role on the body

And that's the amazing thing about this remarkable award in Potsdam. Sturgeon is carved from the same wood as Boris Johnson and his Brexit brigade. She is the leader of a party that carries almost all the features of modern populism. Not only does the SNP have a questionable attitude to the freedom of the press, it also provides the Scots with a victimhood that explains any mishaps with the malignancy of English politics and promises everyone exactly what they want to hear. Ms. Sturgeon's nationalist ideology is so meaningless that she recently sincerely announced that the SNP is the party of every single Scotsman. If this is not a proclamation of a one-party state, then what is it?

Allegedly, the M100 award stands for "Services for the Protection of Freedom of Expression." One wonders if the jury knows the name Stephen Daisley. Mr Daisley would certainly have something interesting to contribute to the love of the Scottish nationalists for press freedom. He was head of the editorial department of STV's online site until he appeared to be too critical about SNP's governance style in 2016. According to his story, he was not allowed to postpone his opinion after two SNP MPs insulted him in a meeting with his boss as a "crap journalist".

Mr Daisley, who preferred to quit his job rather than work in such conditions, later warned on his blog: "For ten years, the SNP has centralized power, suppressed the diversity of opinion, mobbed its opponents and divided the country between nationalists and unionists."

Perhaps the latest accusation reminds the M100 jury of headlines they are currently reading in British newspapers. Two years before the Brexit referendum, we Scots had a plebiscite on independence. She has fallen into oblivion in the present chaos.

Poverty exists, according to Sturgeon, "thanks to the shameful Westminster system"

In a family-tearing debate, the nationalists covered themselves with Scotland flags to show who the proud and optimistic inhabitants of our rainy homeland are. Just as Brexiteers likes to claim, the BBC was subordinated to a hate campaign against the independence movement. Journalists and economists who expressed doubts as to whether a region dependent on English taxpayers could really afford the step of independence were scolded, they talked Scotland badly. Some newspapers were completely excluded from press conferences.

Mrs. Sturgeon was at that time deputy party leader. The pompous Alex Salmond, who in the meantime had to answer in court for allegations of sexual assault in several cases, split the country at that time. His successor is drier and likes to be modest. She has never distanced herself from the tactics of the recent past. All you have to do is listen to her speech to the party congress in April to understand that she is pushing the same buttons as her predecessor.

Scotland is a wonderful country where things are going well, she said, thanking of course the SNP. Because the Scots are so egalitarian, universities would always be free of charge. There is no question that billions of euros in financial compensation from London make such generosity possible in the first place. Later in the speech, she talked about things that did not go so well. Many Scots could not afford to serve enough food for the family. The responsibility for this, of course, is not in Edinburgh. Such poverty exists "thanks to the shameful Westminster system." The parallels to the Brussels bashing of the Brexiteers are obvious.

In a populist style, Sturgeon promised everything to everyone

The Scottish victims' role played by the SNP sometimes makes it difficult to have a clear view of their own past. Glasgow's many central streets still honor businessmen, who accumulated their wealth with the exploitation of slaves. But a country that sees itself as the ultimate victim of colonialism does not like talking about its own share in such crimes.

The populist temptation to promise everything to everyone can not be resisted by Mrs. Sturgeon. At the party congress, she announced with great applause to proclaim the climate emergency. Shaken by the "Fridays for Future" movement, she will use all her energy to make Scotland CO2-neutral by 2050. Unfortunately, she had no time to mention the attitude of her party to Scotland's oil reserves: The SNP wants to pump her to the last drop from the North Sea. Oil could hardly do without an independent Scotland. Tax revenues from the North Sea are Edinburgh's only chance to at least partially offset the huge deficit.

I know, it's probably too late. Nevertheless, I have a request to the jury of the M100 Media Award: Could you not revoke your decision at the last minute? It is understandable that it is difficult to be neutral towards London in these heated times. It still looks a little bit as if the motto "The enemy of my enemy is my friend" played a certain role at this award ceremony. If you are looking for a pro-European Scottish politician, we really have a strong choice.

Ruth Davidson, the former party leader of the Scottish Tories, has just resigned because of her party leader's Brexit strategy. Unlike the grim First Minister, she is a fun and funny speaker. After her resignation, she would certainly have time to make a spontaneous invitation.

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Another option would be Jo Swinson. Just 39 years old, she was named leader of the Liberal Democrats two months ago and is one of Westminster's most determined defenders of the rights of Europeans living in Britain. Feeling daily dissatisfied members of the other parties join their ranks.

Criticism can probably be raised against both women, but one thing can not be reproached: that they try one of the most successful peace projects of the last centuries (there is, let's not forget, for nearly 300 years no war between Scotland and his " Auld Enemy ") to gain a short-term political advantage.