Conservative MSP Jamie Greene snapped at First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for suggesting Scotland should currently be focussing on independence. While speaking on Newsnight with Emma Barnett, Mr Greene claimed he was astonished the SNP consider independence a current priority. He argued the party should be focussing on health, education and the economy rather than independence in his furious tirade.
Mr Greene said: “From the outset let me just say that I think people watching this programme will be astonished that we are rerunning debates about constitutional issues and referendums.
“This is in the middle of a global health emergency when huge swathes of Scotland and nearly a million people in Glasgow are coming under new lockdown measures.
“People are facing down a barrel of an economic and health crisis the likes of which we have never seen.”
The Newsnight host attempted to defend the push by the SNP for independence.
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Ms Barnett said: “Maybe they don’t like who is running the overall country and maybe they want a change.
“That is why after every election they have and the Scottish people have a chance of voting for someone they keep returning the SNP a majority.”
Mr Green retorted: “The Scottish election is eight months away.
“What I don’t want to be doing is spending the next eight months debating the old arguments on constitutional division.”
“I find that astonishing because the duty of all Governments is to get Scotland back up and running.
“It is to protect the health of our nation, not to be running referendums and putting through legislation.”
Ms Barnett argued that as Mr Greene was a Brexiteer he should respect the will of the people and support their push for independence.
Mr Greene hit back saying that he respected referendums, he respected the result of the initial Scottish referendum in 2014 and he respects the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum.
