I’m a huge fan of the Irish comedy show “Father Ted”. The number of shows is sadly limited given the tragic and far to early death of Dermot Morgan who played Father Ted. One of my favourite episodes though was “Kicking Bishop Brennan up the Arse”. In this show Father Ted has to do the needful to his superior following a forfeit and as you can imagine it’s doomed to failure. The shenanigans along the way though are chortling.
However, that’s a comedy show but I am minded of it watching the Lord Advocate prepare to go before the Supreme Court with the legislation for an independence referendum. It’s got as much chance of success as I have of getting an American Green Card. Father Ted was funny in his actions and sympathy lay with him, the Lord Advocate just looks hapless, as well as cynically going through the motions.
The fact that she referred it isn’t a cunning wheeze as Father Ted devised to be able to apply his boot to the Bishops posterior. Instead, it’s confirmation that she has no faith in what the Government are doing and frankly no real support for it. She’s simply used an expedited procedure to get it before the court, as she isn’t willing to sign off the legislation as is required.
Father Ted at least had to profess belief in Catholicism to be appointed albeit to the purgatory of Craggy Island. The Lord Advocate doesn’t even believe in the core policy of the government in which she serves. You’d have thought in the real world you’d avoid appointing an apostate to such a critical position.
Her submissions to the Supreme Court are the written equivalent of the legal cop-out of “my client advises me” i.e. I’m only saying what they tell me and I don’t believe a word of it myself. It’s so manifest that the SNP are now seeking to enter into the action which has been brought by the government they control. Why? Because the person representing them doesn’t believe in the policy she’s being asked to promote on their behalf. What a waste of valuable party funds.
Her referral to the Supreme Court’s her equivalent of Father Ted’s forfeit and she’s going to suffer the same fate. But that was comedy, whilst this is just pure farce.