SNP: Give up on Independence and go national

Nicola Sturgeon in Downing Street (Image: The Sun)

I was close to dedicating this article to my support for the House of Lords. I will explain why I back a little later, however, I realise I haven't really covered the Scottish National Party (SNP) in a while. Significantly, both Scotland's largest Party and the Peers should be seen as allies as Britain edges closer towards the formal proceedings of leaving the European Union.

Over the past couple of years, throughout the EU membership negotiations, referendum campaign and its result aftermath, most of the Conservatives have been on message - minus a few internal critics like Ken Clarke. Meanwhile, the internal communications in Labour is disastrously damaging and aren't seen as a serious opposition, and the Liberal Democrat Party is too small to make a genuine difference in today's political scene. Only the SNP has shown absolute unity. None of their members have publicly rebelled on key issues like Europe, their messaging is consistent and there has been no sense of disengagement.

All the SNP need to do now is utilise their unique unity they have and unleash their true ambitions. I am not daft to believe that their leader Nicola Sturgeon wants more than Scotland being an independent country. If she puts her mind to it, the SNP has the capability to truly transform Britain and become a national party.

Line up of SNP MPs (Image: Daily Mail)

Hear me out here. The SNP has been the biggest party in Scotland since 2007 and support surged astronomically since the country's independence vote in 2014 despite their failed campaign. In 2015, during the UK general election, they accumulated 56 of 59 Westminster seats which was both unprecedented and unimaginable, especially after they put their heart and soul in that referendum the year previous. When Sturgeon took over from Alex Salmond, she gained crucial amount of support and respect, and during national TV debates, she'd dominate.

However, the SNP's downfall is Scotland's downfall too. The relationship between Westminster and Scotland's equivalent, Holyrood, has been rocky at best and I've argued in the past that the British government tragically take the Scots for granted. The tension continues to escalate. Scotland voted convincingly for remaining in the EU and Prime Minister Theresa May is ignoring what the leading parties of the devolved nations (this, too, includes Wales and Northern Ireland) want. The SNP have been the most vocal and they're being taken notice of by national media and international influencers. I don't think they realise how powerful they truly can be.

This is hence why I feel they can be a force of nature on a national level. If Sturgeon believes Scotland is a thriving country and wants the best for the UK (seeing as Scotland is part of Britain), why not have both, and do both? By doing this, and by continuing their stability as a Party, they can overtake Labour as the Conservatives' main opponent - if the polls are right in thinking Jeremy Corbyn's party is crumbling before our eyes. They already have greater influence than the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party. The Tories are completely reliant on ensuring the EU exit to be a success for them, but only the SNP has the ability to hold them accountable in a feasible way - a genuine opposition with conviction.

Sturgeon with Theresa May (Image: Vice.com)

With this in mind - indirectly - a nationally thinking SNP can shake up Westminster beyond the House of Commons. It seems at this very moment the government's key opponents are the Lords. This recent 'Brexit Bill' amendment vote proved that. Many claim they're undemocratic cronies that shouldn't be in existence. I happen to believe the opposite and think they're an asset. They are there for a reason - to be the government's beady-eyes and ensure that every legislation is absolutely spot on, no corner left unturned. In the case of that 'Brexit Bill', every crucial message the government pledged should be in writing. In life, you need that, let alone in politics.

An argument against the House of Lords is that there are 'too many' so-called 'liberal' peers. We can say that now because of who is in government at the moment. Would the 'liberal' SNP-led Westminster government spell the end of the Lords? Only if the Peers remain the same as they are today in the next decade. The majority of the Lords and SNP appear to agree on most policies from Europe to education - little challenge from the top means the Peers have little function. That could please the Lord-sceptics no end.

Trust me, I don't think the SNP would go national. Part of me wishes they did because of their stability as a party and their decent track record in Scotland that I'd like spread across nationwide. Once UK leaves the EU, to be honest, compared with May's intense relationship with Europe, SNP have a better chance of being friends with Merkel and the rest of Brussels so UK has the best possible deal. Westminster needs Scotland, but the former needs to play nicely or SNP will bite them where it hurts.