CHARLIE WHELAN: Scotland is a nicer place to live in a decade after Independence referendum

I find it difficult to believe that the Scottish referendum to split from the rest of the United Kingdom was ten years ago.

It seems like it was only yesterday that I witnessed Gordon Brown’s passionate speech against narrow nationalism which helped to win the ‘no’ vote so decisively.

Not decisively enough for the losers though who have spent the whole decade since trying to divide the nation.

It’s also worth remembering just how deeply unpleasant the referendum was particularly for those of us who were born south of the border.

The Scottish Nationalist Party may have been less obvious recently in their covert racism by no longer blaming ‘The English’ for all their own failings only now more subtly ‘Westminster’ but we all know what they really mean.

The latest attack on Westminster comes as the SNP government have made savage cuts in their spending plans.

They are even pretending the cut in the winter payments to pensioners has nothing to do with them despite the fact that it’s a devolved benefit.

Indeed the Nats were recently promising to give enhanced payments to Scottish pensioners.

The truth of course is that the financial crisis they find themselves in is all of their own making.

The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies latest report shows that Scotland gets 24 per cent more spending per head than England.

There is no credible excuse for the Scottish NHS to be in crisis or for education standards to be falling.

The cuts announced by the SNP are Scottish cuts not Westminster’s

The government’s own Fiscal Commission has said that “much of the pressure comes from the Scottish Governments own decisions” so there you have it.

The night of Gordon Brown’s vote winning speech I crossed St George’s square to catch the train home to the Highlands from Queen’s Street station.

It was full of saltire flag waving Nationalists. I felt very uncomfortable.

Today as I contemplate the SNP’s humiliating defeat at the general election 10 years on from that referendum I feel a lot more comfortable living in a country that seems so much less divided.

• During the European football championship Scotland’s Tartan Army was rightly praised for the tremendous support they gave the team and for their good humour.

My pal who was there in Germany told me about the terrible unreliability of the trains over there and of how the Scottish fans sung sarcastically on Munich Station “Are you ScotRail in disguise”

I much prefer to travel by train these days though since the SNP nationalised ScotRail it has come as little surprise the service has actually got worse.

The train drivers union ASLEF and it’s jovial general secretary Mick Whelan (no relation) tells me that part of the problem is that they haven’t employed enough drivers!

They don’t seem to have long enough trains either.

I decided to try and get to Inverness airport by train the other days and the train to Inverness was delayed - they said because of overcrowding.

As it was a Saturday a quick look at the football fixtures would tell you that Ross County were at home to Dundee and that providing just three coaches might not be enough.

I did manage to get on the train and stand all the way to the Highland capital before catching the train to Inverness airport.

The only problem is the station isn’t actually at the airport but a good 20 minute walk away. All I can say is it’s a good job it wasn’t raining.

It is a pity that the people who built the new terminal put it on the wrong side of the runway so it is as far away as possible from the road and rail link.

Charlie Whelan (Labour) is a former spokesman for Gordon Brown.

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