Tuesday’s front page headline in The National was roughly the political equivalent of introducing yourself to your new next-door neighbour by saying “Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Jimmy from No.22 and it definitely wasn’t me who killed your cat last night”.
Humza Yousaf’s great masterplan of an independence strategy is imploding faster than the OceanGate Titan, and scarcely any less disastrously. And unless you’re one of the colleagues, family or friends of the tragic victims on board the doomed vessel, it’s even more painful to watch.
24 hours on, pretty much everyone seems to have come to the same conclusion (with the assistance of briefings from the FM himself) about Humza Yousaf’s “independence strategy” as the one Wings saw immediately yesterday, namely that he’s taken Nicola Sturgeon’s flawed version of a de-facto referendum and made it even less credible.
In as far as they’re talking about it at all, anyway.
Still wondering what Humza Yousaf’s going to say to the SNP’s pretend “conference” on independence strategy this coming Saturday? Well, wonder no longer, because this morning he told Sky News.
In other words, he’s waving the white flag and praying for a miracle.
The Scottish National Party’s primary and defining purpose is Scottish independence. Next weekend’s “special conference” will at least notionally determine its policy on that subject for years to come. On the face of it it’s the most important congregation of party members in the SNP’s history.
The Caird Hall can accommodate just 3% of the claimed membership. (And you’d expect at least half the seats to have been reserved in advance for the faithful payroll.) Members ought to be fighting like dogs for a ticket. And yet a week before the event the leader is having to send out pleading letters to try to scare up enough attendees that it won’t be a half-empty humiliation.
The SNP tell us that independence support is currently at 53%.
They tell us that most Scots want a referendum within the next year:
And we know that it’s absolutely unequivocally possible for the SNP and Greens to trigger a Holyrood election which would serve as a de facto referendum not only within a year, but within weeks. Scots could entirely realistically go to the polls this August or September, or even on the date Nicola Sturgeon promised less than a year ago.
So why are the SNP choosing this of all moments to give up?
Young Lochinvar on Learning Insanity: “H McH Another your “bad” to add to your count. Wrong again. FACT!” Jan 18, 22:13
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Learning Insanity: “Professor ALF BAIRD’s commendable letter to the MODERATOR of the Church of Scotland is on BarrheadBoy’s site here: SCOTLAND’S COLONIAL…” Jan 18, 19:34
Alf Baird on Learning Insanity: ““Indy should be such an easy sell, a unifying idea, that we really shouldn’t be bringing religion into it. Not…” Jan 18, 19:23
BigJay on Learning Insanity: “…and I’ve found the letter in reply from the Moderator to the Professor: “Dear Alfie, TL;DR. Lots of love, Rosie.”” Jan 18, 18:45
DaveL on Learning Insanity: “I can’t remember this particular halfwits name but I do recall that he was known for constantly ‘flouncing’ off twitter.…” Jan 18, 18:42
willie on Learning Insanity: “So Trump is now at war with Great Britain. 10% tariff on all goods from 1st February and 25% tariff…” Jan 18, 18:36
Lorna Campbell on Learning Insanity: “But it didn’t end, James. Had it ended, there would be no Union. It simply expanded to include the Treaty…” Jan 18, 18:29
TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “Scotland has a rich intellectual history, dissident and questioning. That i respect, particularly valuable in a time when information is…” Jan 18, 17:27
Insider on Learning Insanity: ““James” Cheyne That is absolutely hilarious “James” !” Jan 18, 16:49
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “I’ve found Alf’s letter to the Moderator of the Church of Scotland. It’s written in English.” Jan 18, 16:46
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “What can I say, TURABDIN? If Scottish nationalism is indeed about intellectual reacquaintance with our immensely rich heritage, then the…” Jan 18, 16:23
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: ““the most dangerous in the world” Yet you not only claim to know details of its inner workings, but you…” Jan 18, 16:14
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Good one, Confused. There is no more pernicious religion than zealous antisemitism. Take a look in the mirror. As for…” Jan 18, 16:03
Hatey McHateface on Learning Insanity: “Wow! Welcome to 2026 – same as 2025! Post “Orcs” and up pops Implants with some “Great Satan” sophomoric drivel.…” Jan 18, 15:56
Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh on Learning Insanity: “TURABDIN, thank you for your thoughtful and informed contribution. My essential gripe is that few Scots seem to do any…” Jan 18, 15:50
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “this funny picture sprung into my head of unionist very busy on keyboards trying to..delete.. all the old available information…” Jan 18, 15:28
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “The treaty between Scotland and England either stands or it does not, IF it is claimed it still stands as…” Jan 18, 15:20
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Strange though it may seem, The 1707 treaty of union for and of Scotland only refers to two gender biological…” Jan 18, 15:05
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “If religion came into it at all, then king Charles and the present governments would be in breach of the…” Jan 18, 14:51
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “The resulting evidence is that one half of a two country (duel international treaty) [ England ] cannot apply new…” Jan 18, 14:37
Xaracen on Learning Insanity: “James needn’t bother, Aidan. Your appeal to ‘established and recognised case law’ is indefencible on the matter of ‘the’ constitution…” Jan 18, 14:32
Confused on Learning Insanity: “Alf Baird has written an open letter to the church of scotland. Hmm. I keep thinking of that old tom…” Jan 18, 14:04
Confused on Learning Insanity: “https://archive.ph/RRubW https://archive.ph/0MvKL getting young folk off the fucking internet is now seen as being a good thing – unless its…” Jan 18, 13:55
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Fearghus MacFhionnlaigh, The difference between policy and law. Law has precedence over policy. As policy is a proposal to becoming…” Jan 18, 13:40
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Seeing as I don’t drink alcohol at all I obviously cannot make a comment on how alcohol has an effect…” Jan 18, 13:21
TURABDIN on Learning Insanity: “@Fearghas MacFhionnlaigh The great matter regarding history and its interpretations is that the victors usually write the «official» versions. Versions…” Jan 18, 13:18
Breastplate on Learning Insanity: “John Main, the real reason that the USA want power over Greenland, Venezuela and Ukraine, to name but a few…” Jan 18, 12:49
James Cheyne on Learning Insanity: “Reference to the dissolved united kingdom, It States in UK parliament and on records, that Great Britain Parliament end in…” Jan 18, 11:27
