Monbiot: Wales should escape ‘chaotic, dysfunctional, corrupt’ UK as soon as possible

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland should get out of the “corrupt, dysfunctional, chaotic” UK as soon as possible, according to environmentalist and author George Monbiot.

Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Live he said that “If I lived in Scotland, I’d want to get out of this corrupt, dysfunctional, chaotic union as quickly as possible”.

“And the same applies to Wales, the same applies to Northern Ireland,” he said.

“I can’t see the point of staying in the United Kingdom, of being chained to the United Kingdom like a block of concrete, as as the boat begins to founder.

“You know the promise given to Scotland was: ‘If you stay in the union, you will have stability. If you become independent it will be chaotic. If you stay in the union you’ll have a political choice, you will be able to have a stable currency, you will be part of something which will allow you to punch above your weight on the global stage, all of that.

“All of those promises have been busted by Brexit. And it seems to me that in both straightforward, instrumental terms, and in ideological terms, Scotland would be much better off out of the United Kingdom, and in the European Union.

“Same for Wales, same for reunification in Ireland.”

“If I lived in Scotland I’d want to get out of this chaotic, dysfunctional, corrupt union”

Columnist George Monbiot says Scotland, Wales & NI would be better off in the EU

“Frankly I think that’s nonsense” says Conservative MP Andrew Bowie#politicslive https://t.co/db4d1c332U pic.twitter.com/1BnMVXyHrx

— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) February 11, 2021

‘Functioning’

Conservative MP Andrew Bowie, who was also contributing, said that he thought that George Monbiot’s views were “frankly nonsense”.

“There are 1m people in Scotland today who have jobs, because Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, and the furlough scheme that was supported by the weight of HM Treasury, and the Westminster Government stepping in when people most needed it was there in the darkest days of this pandemic,” he said.

“That showed the strength of this union in action. There are businesses open today in Scotland because of the action taken today by the Westminster Government. We are functioning as a country because this Westminster Government came in and took the action required to support Scotland through a very, very tough time.

“They have broad shoulders as four nations working together. And to blithely say that Scotland would be better off, and so would Wales, and so would a reunified Ireland outside the United Kingdom are frankly is to misunderstand the issues, misunderstand the views of a huge number of Scots who see their home and see their place of belonging as being a part of the United Kingdom.”