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An enjoyable read for your first newsletter Blair, I'm looking forward to reading more of your work in 2021.

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Yet there are other political forces which can’t be framed so neatly into the debate. For example - the allure f sovereignty trumped economic pragmatism in the EU debate. Indeed the process took on its own momentum in ‘take back control’ drowning out all trade and economic arguments. Then there is the issue if trust vis a viz Scotland’s electorate and Westminster which has been recklessly corroded in the Brexit negotiations - You can only lose trust once,” said Nicole Bacharan, a French political analyst. “When it’s gone, it’s gone. “ We’ve all learned that a UK PM and his govt can just undo things when they feel like it. Try framing that behaviour into something which makes Scots voters feel secure with the status quo. In the battle of the narratives there is indeed much to play for in 2021.

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The language thing has bugged me for years. Those of us who favour unity have been fighting nationalists on their own ground for far too long. They want to control everything about the argument and language is their number one target. Stop saying you are against this that or the other, say what you are for!

PS. tiny wee typo, Blair - "border with the England."

Look forward to more of your writing.

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