SCOTLAND, Ireland, what’s the difference? That’s a question many Unionists seem to have to ask themselves on a regular basis.
Take Keir Starmer’s Labour - which reportedly had a “major row” after the top brass tried to combine the advisory positions on Scotland and Northern Ireland into a single role.
Or one Tory MP, who on Tuesday stood up in the Commons to wish everyone “on both sides [of the house] a very happy St Patrick’s Day”.
Antony Higginbotham, the Conservative MP for Burnley, quickly realised his mistake - in no small part thanks to the laughs from his colleagues.
While the sentiment was no doubt appreciated in Ireland, the well wishes came about four months early.
St Patrick’s Day is celebrated on March 17, while St Andrew’s Day falls on November 30.
St Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland, while St Andrew represents Scotland.
Those lines are more for Higginbotham’s benefit than anyone else.
Well maybe for Barack Obama as well, considering the former US president told COP26 delegates that he was happy to be "in the Emerald Isle here" - while in Glasgow.
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