Where does Dennis the Menace come from? He was initially created by DC Thomson in Dundee. But later the character has appeared in animated films made in London. The UK Government advertised this with a picture of the animated version of Dennis saying it came from London. This was met with fury by various Scottish nationalists. One called it cultural appropriation.

What is it to be a Scot? The SNP thinks that anyone living in Scotland is a Scot. It isn’t necessary to be born in Scotland. It isn’t necessary to have any Scottish ancestors. It isn’t even necessary to speak English, Scots or Gaelic. It is perfectly possible for instance for a new Scot to live in Scotland and know nothing whatsoever about Scottish history, culture, language or indeed anything else.

If the SNP achieved independence it would like to increase immigration. Everyone who arrived in Scotland would be as Scottish as someone else who could trace his ancestry back to Bannockburn.

But the contradiction is this. Scottish nationalists are obsessed with the past and with Scottish culture. This is why they play bagpipes when they go on marches and why they wear Jacobite hats with white cockades and highland dress. It is also why they are obsessed with finding and emphasising anything that makes Scotland different from England. This includes a desperate search for a different language.

Want to see more SNP fails? – Health Matters