On the final visit to the South of Scotland, political reporter DAVID WALKER visited the Union Bridge that crosses the River Tweed between Horncliffe, Northumberland and Fishwick, Berwickshire. This area is a shootout between the SNP, who want to bring in border checks on the picturesque bridge, and the Scottish Tories.
David Walker on the Union Bridge
Hidden away in an unassuming part of the Scottish Borders, the Union Bridge connects Northumberland to Scotland, with no border checks. Set across the River Tweed it is a sign of the closeness England has to Scotland and is at the edge of the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire constituency.
There is a very poignant engraving on the exact border between the countries, reading: “United strength is stronger”. If the SNP got its way then there would be border guards checking people, goods and items on this and other crossings, causing huge delays and economic chaos. Repeated First Ministers have admitted this would happen.
There is also the major issue of a tax differential between those living just minutes away, with anyone north of the border paying more to the public purse if they earn over £34,000.
One former farming woman admitted she had moved across the border, from Perthshire (and John Swinney’s constituency) due to the SNP and not wanting to pay higher taxes. She is enjoying life away from the “smallness” of Scotland and added that she was “spat at” during the referendum.
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Another visitor to the area, this time from Falkirk, expressed disbelief at any political parties making a difference to his life, including ferries and energy prices. Voting already through postal votes, he was coy about who he had voted for.
Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire covers key Borders towns including Hawick, Jedburgh, Kelso, Duns and Eyemouth. It is full of remote areas where locals rely on heating oil for their homes, with this exploding in costs thanks to the war in the Middle East. It is the Scottish Tories’ safest seat but the SNP are a real threat. Party sources believe that deputy leader Rachael Hamilton has enough of a personal vote to fend off both the Nats and Nigel Farage’s outfit.
Russell Findlay campaigning on the Union Bridge
Speaking at an event on the Union Bridge, Ms Hamilton laid out the main issues facing local people. She told the Scottish Daily Express: “In this region, so when I’m knocking on doors, and I’ve knocked on 1000s of doors, people are talking about energy bills, cost of living crisis. A lot of people are quite fed up with politics.
“You know, they’ve had 19 years of SNP rule, and they want to see their waiting lists go down, but they also want to be able to get a GP appointment and bring violence down in schools. These are the fundamental things that people are concerned about. And the only way to stop the SNP is to vote for Rachael Hamilton on the purple ballot paper and vote for Scottish conservatives on the peach ballot paper. No other party can win here.”
That feeling was reflected in the lack of political posters dotted about her constituency, with the apathy spreading from other south of Scotland regions. The blue wall can survive with tactical voting, it was suggested by Tory sources, but their vote has to turn out on May 7.
Russell Findlay lying beside the engraving
As the Tories took pictures on the Union Bridge, American tourists wished them well in the election and were told that the party was the “goodies” in the battle against the Nats breaking up the UK.
Ms Hamilton concluded: “So the south of Scotland in itself, is a very rural area, and people living in rural and disparate communities do feel ignored by the SNP. They feel that they’re letting them down, that the SNP only consider the central belt, and that their priorities lie within Glasgow and Dundee. And I think it is important that somebody who understands the rural communities like the borders can represent areas like Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire.”
Walking up and down the bridge, for the first time, made me appreciate the open borders between England and Scotland and the shared beliefs and community feeling on both sides. Something the SNP want to “tear away,” according to one activist.
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