From a stone
Posted on
March 18, 2023 by
Chris Cairns
The world's most-read Scottish politics website
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Wings Over ScotlandA tall tale
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Lift that rock and watch a few hundred insects rushing for the cover of other smaller rocks marked Greens, Labour, and Third Sector
Very apt Chris
I would hope that that is the sturgeon nonces and perverts party’s GRAVESTONE
I feel like Charlton Heston at the end of the Planet of the Apes.
Wtf has went wrong. Where has all this tranny stuff came from wordlwide all at the same time. Is it really Klaus Schwabb and his gang? Do they controll governments policies everywhere, if that is the case. They must be blackmailing St Nic and her gang if this is really a thing. I really have no idea but the world has went nuts. They are really pushing it particularly hard in America under sleepy Joe.
Back to reading but hell yes I am confused.
There is nothing underneath.
Nothing at all, cos it’s been hollowed out over the last 9 years.
If you were to lift that rock up, there would’nt even a hole there…..because a hole would be something.
There is NOTHING there guys.
Once again, you’ve hit the back of the net Chris; and you’re probably correct, God only knows which skeleton will fall out of which Bute House cupboard before the moving van and the Black Maria arrive for ther Sturrells.
Peem Wile E Coyote is under the muckle feckin stane ! Meep, Meep !!!!
In memoriam.
What went wrong? Same old, I’m afraid.
We gave all of our power away, to a political cabal.
(No shit, sherlock)
Of course, I may be well naive, but for me, the real momentum towards independence and power lay in the expression of the mass AUOB marches and the wider YES movement. That power was never harnessed though, or made politically manifest. Why do you think the secretive clique never took part?
Because they weren’t ever going to relinquish their political power. How people can put their faith in these nobodies is beyond me. I should know, I was one of them.
Next time! – We don’t serve them – they serve us, that’s how it is supposed to work…
Given recent events does anybody want to know what else could be under there?
Does anyone else have a sneaky suspicion that Westminster is just loading all this as ammo to shoot down our parliament?
Happy weekend everyone.
Smitty says:
17 March, 2023 at 7:37 pm
The biggest story ever in Scottish politics is about to break….
….. The NEC, half of the MPs & MSPs, all the SPADs, all of the comms teams, HQ staff and every trougher have a bow wave of shit coming there way shortly and there will be no life raft for them. A total reset and a total clean out.
I actually hope it goes further than that Smitty.
The whole Establishment tried to frame and smear Scotland’s foremost international statesman, destroy his person, his career, and his political legacy, and have him jailed no doubt for the rest of his life branded as a sex offender and ra+pi st.
Instead of defending the man’s innocence and integrity, the judiciary chose to protect, and irrationally protect, the liars and malicious conspirators with lifelong anonymity. Shame upon them all, the guilty and the complicit.
Such are their crimes, if proven true, that subverting the pursuit of Independence for the Scottish nation, particularly through their abdication of responsibility following Brexit, doesn’t come top of the charge sheet.
From this disaster, something better must come.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJlN9jdQFSc
Standing back from all of this and trying to make sense of how the independence movement goes forward, I have come to the same conclusion as many others on this forum that there needs to be a complete re-set and that this requires a re-branding and visceral dissection of the SNP.
AS has been astute in playing the long game and must now return to front-line politics. As small as ALBA is, it has the basic infrastructure to play an important role and critically has the talent to begin the process of re-shaping the movement.
It will require a tolerant approach, but that tolerance cannot extend to key figures in the Murrell cabal who have poisoned the well.
They must go.
Where crimes have been committed, they must be prosecuted.
But the independence must be a broad church founded on high ideals and a determination to ensure good governance.
Whoever gets in as FM must purge the party of those who have caused so much harm b y not only removing them from key positions in government, but (after due process) from the party.
This is going to take time.
The current sh*tshow has diminished Scotland’s reputation on the world stage and rather than being seen as a paragon of progressive democratic liberalism, we are now regarded as a ‘bit of a basket case’, more closely aligned to a former Soviet republic than a modern nation state.
It was all very predictable.
Not the timining but the eventual denouement which is happening before our very eyes.
Credit to WoS, to Craig Murray, to AS, et al.
They have served the country where others came close to destroying it.
Bottom line = re-construction of the indy cause is going to take time and as tempting as it is to embrace UDI, the truth is that the public support is not there (yet) and we would be playing into WM’s hands.
Apologies.
I cant wait for this ALL to come out. I fervently hope that the members who left the NuSNP will show overwhelming support now for AS and all he has been put through, by joining Alba en masse. He must be fully exonerated and welcomed back. Furthermore the SNP website must be amended to restore Alex’s role in the history of the party.
In short the problems with the SNP can be summed up this way. When Alex Salmond was in charge (an actual Bone Fide LEADER), he said to indy supporters, ‘this way, follow me..’. Under the current bunch of devolutionists, they said ‘mibbes if London lets us we can do something, but mibbes not, but stronger for Scotland in the meantime, eh?’. And THAT is the problem.
Only one of the leadership candidate has said. ‘this way to independence, follow me’, and her name is Ash Regan.
In the absence of true leadership, the SNP will carry on dying. If you have no direction, then you will go nowhere. This leads to poor self-entitled decision making, the indulgence of pet projects and division.
In many ways, the SNP after Mr Salmond left, is a textbook example of why you need a leader who wants to achieve something. Sturgeon in eight years achieved nothing. She let England take us out of the EU against our will, forcibly stripping Scots of their EU citizenship and rights, she allowed England by direct undemocratic colonial diktat to determine if Scotland could be independent, she allowed England and its craven corrupt, undemocratic parliament to dictate which laws Scotland could make. All of that, with barely a whimper of dissent. Unless you hold a metaphorical gun at the head of Westminster, it will treat you like a piece of sh*te on its shoe. Asking nicely just does not cut it. Not now, not ever.
I do genuinely wonder, if even to this day, Sturgeon has even realised that writing a letter to the English colonial prime minister asking permission to hold a referendum is utter folly. Of course England says no. Of course it does, because it cannot afford to lose Scotland’s wealth, money, oil and other assets.
To lead Scotland, you first need to be a leader, you need to chart the course for independence, and say ‘follow me..’
Right now, Scotland is crying out for such a leader. We can only hope that Ash Regan gets elected, and is up to it. Otherwise we will need to wait for the return of the king.
@breeks
And you voted for the person who did that to Alex Salmond even after you knew what she’d done.
Ps.
Nicola Sturgeon’s persecution of Alex Salmond had absolutely nothing to do with independence. It was about Nicola Sturgeon’s psychopathic jealousy of the man combined with a huge dollop of insecurity that he was going to return to politics and take the limelight and her power over scotland away from her and Peter Murrell. It really isn’t very complicated. The establishment that conspired with her and then covered this up was directed and bribed and threatened into line by Nicola Sturgeon and her henchmen like John Swinney.
@ Viscount Ennui
” Bottom line = re-construction of the indy cause is going to take time and as tempting as it is to embrace UDI, the truth is that the public support is not there (yet) and we would be playing into WM’s hands.
Apologies ”
Do you not think public support WOULD be there if we had representatives that were something other than useless , anaemic * progressives * at ” best ” – deeply compromised , ” enemy within ” treacherous bastards at worse ( it’s just a question of how many n how high up ) ?
On the pitifully few occasions Blackford & The WM Spine-free Wunderkind showed a little bit of defiance the response back home ( among the YES support ) was overwhelmingly positive – people wanted MORE of that : of course , we know it was merely gestural – the resistance of the worm before the bird pierces n consumes it , and Blackford was soon happily ensconced back in his favourite position . Supine .
All the * Long Games * , time-biding , clever strategising in the world will mean nothing until REAL resistance and an voracious appetite for confrontation is manifest .
My concern is that if the SNP suffer irreparable electoral damage – which it almost will – what replaces it will be – essentially – more of the same .
The Game can never be won using WM rules ; it’s permanently , irrevocably fixed in it’s favour . Until this is 100% accepted , no progress is likely .
Superb cartoon , Chris
Breeks 6.34am
“From this disaster, something better must come”.
See the wee green shoots of new growth on the cartoon…
The future has to be the grassroots.
I was expecting the toes of a pair of red shoes to be protruding from the base of the boulder.
The Salmond stitch-up was not just about smearing him in a calculated and coordinated manner to effect a pre-emptive coup, it was also to tarnish 2014.
2014 was a very unusual period, we all felt it. Alex Salmond was integral to that shared experience we all had. By smearing Alex Salmond they also smeared the memory of 2014.
They did not just attempt to stitch-up Salmond… in many ways they attempted to stitch us all up.
The road to independence starts with the truth. It needs to come out, all of it.
Yesterday’s resignation by Foote leaves one question. Who supplied him the false data? There needs to be more resignations.
Hard to see any no voters joining a sinking ship in these circumstances.
Ash Regan may be giving some hope, but its perhaps false hope.
Looks like possible legal action from the Regan camp to pause the election. I can’t see any other way now. It simply can’t go ahead.
Ash has played a blinder. This will boost her profile, if it has to be rerun.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23395483.ash-regan-team-discuss-court-action-pause-snp-leadership-contest/
As a wee aside, I wonder if the closing down of Bute House is to stop it becoming a gathering point for any future protests regards Sturgeon and Murrel disclosures?
It’s the kind of thing Sturgeon and Murrel would do.
Because where else can we knowingly find the bastards.
Ingenious Nicola!!!
Great depiction Chris.
They say you can’t get blood from a stone, but the Murrells managed it. They took over the solid rock like foundations of the SNP and bled them dry till nothing but dust remains.
Incredibly in spite of all we have seen and heard lately there are actual members I know who have cast for Humza because Nicola seemed to favour him. Incredible.
I personally think the SNP will be in rehab for quite some time, but luckily enough we have Alba waiting to take over the mantle of the Indy party. Allegiances are hard to break when you have been part of something for many years, but break they must. From the old comes the new.
If Independence is your driving goal you can be assured the SNP are in no position for the foreseeable future to deliver on that. They have to reform and rebuild first. Your only other choice is Alba who (whether you like him or not) is guided by the man who almost took us there before.
Hard choices await those who rather support the SNP than work together for Indy.
Eric says:18 March, 2023 at 8:03 am
Yesterday’s resignation by Foote leaves one question. Who supplied him the false data? There needs to be more resignations.
Hard to see any no voters joining a sinking ship in these circumstances.
Ash Regan may be giving some hope, but its perhaps false hope.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You might hope that PoliceScotland may wish to ask the question as to who lied to him as that may well be corroborating evidence of involvement in other crimes committed within the Party.
This is all panning out to have a touch of the French Revolution about it.
The Royals (The Murrells), fleeing into hiding like hunted rats.
Who’s first for the guillotine?
Viv la Scotia.
It was not a cartoon and I forget where I saw it (on here or elsewhere) but it was photo taken from behind Nicola Sturgeon as she stood in front a packed hydro of adoring fans (with them all as the backdrop).
Someone had added a caption pointing out that by 2023 half the people in audience will hate the other half.
That is Sturgeon’s legacy and you can’t fix that quickly. That is the whole point of it.
But one way we can at least repair some of the damage is for the truth to come out.
Even then I am sure many WGD fanatics etc will still ignore it but it does offer a path. Truth and reconciliation go hand in hand.
@viscount ennui
I hate to break it to you, but the rest of the world is paying no attention. This is no more than a regional matter, at a level akin to a local council – because Scotland is not a nation state. And that’s a good job as this shower kf idiots couldn’t run a bath, let alone a devolved executive never mind a nation state.
Ron Clark…
“As a wee aside, I wonder if the closing down of Bute House is to stop it becoming a gathering point for any future protests regards Sturgeon and Murrel disclosures?”
Nah… It’s simply time to replace the existing monitoring, surveillance and recording devices with the newer, upgraded versions now available. These old buildings with their thick walls can be tricky, so it tends to take a while. Plus, the NTS will be pissed if there’s any visible damage to walls, floors, ceilings etc. so it can’t be a rushed job. 😉
To the MPs and MSPs and Mike Russell
Did you know the membership was in free fall in the last 12 months? That 50,000 had left the Party in the last 3 years?
If yes why did you stay silent?
If not, why are you silent now?
Why did you all rush as a pack to support Humza. It looks like an organised cover up.
Liz Lloyd. Corrupt to the core. Feeding Humza information that Nicola was resigning to give him an advantage.
She sickens me. Send her back to the rock she crawled out from under.
SteepBrae says:
18 March, 2023 at 7:46 am
Breeks 6.34am
“From this disaster, something better must come”.
See the wee green shoots of new growth on the cartoon…
The future has to be the grassroots.
It’s neither easy nor very predictable, but if these resignations are representative of a wider trajectory, then it might just be the very best thing to happen to Scottish Independence since Sturgeon took over.
I want to see Trans Talibaneers walking the plank too. Let them fk off to pursue their own mandates without stealing ours. Get them removed from the positions of influence which they’ve royally abused.
Then we will have carte blanche to redesign and restructure a YES Movement that actually moves, and something we can all contribute to; like the old YES and yet not like the old YES; solid inclusive cameraderie but with the Claim of Right and Scotland’s Constitutional Sovereignty being an integral part of the movement. No more playing Westminster’s game with Westminster’s rules or Westminster’s media. No more foot on the brake interminable procastination.
Please, please, please, let us learn that we do NOT require any Westminster styled mechanism or protocol to mobilise our strengths. Once we’re free of the trap, stay out of it. Keep it Constitutional, keep it International, and exercise strength wherever we are strong.
You say grassroots, and aye, I believe the word aptly describes Scotland’s Community of the Realm; the people.
I confess, I wasn’t all that sure about Ash Regan back when she first stood up to Sturgeon’s cabal, but she’s a bonnie wee feighter is she no? A catalyst for change? Or something greater still?
And SALVO, we need Salvo at the heart of this too.
And regards SNP and ALBA? What are these except vehicles trying to negotiate the swamp of UK politics and Westminster system? Does a SALVO styled Convention of the Estates need any political party?
Maybe it does by the way, because fit or unfit, there is a democratic mandate to an elected individual, and that might be useful in pursuit of recognition… at least as a stopgap until we have something better.
Etticus says:
18 March, 2023 at 7:39 am
@breeks
And you voted for the person who did that to Alex Salmond even after you knew what she’d done.
Why do you come here Etticus? Do you really think I feel a hint of regret, remorse or embarrassment about voting for the only possible result that would have delivered a Holyrood Supermajority?
Do you even know what a Supermajority is?
Please stop ticking the idiot box Etticus. Raise your game, or I’ll just ignore you like that other balloon, Maine or Sensible Dave or whatever his name is.
From “I can’t recall” to “I don’t understand” (NS). No one believes you.
How many different cartoons did you draft this week, Chris, I wonder!
It is possible the figures represent Alex and Ash – or am I wrong?
In the great-run of British colonial history, the outrageous shenanigans we are witnessing today shouldn’t be regarded as anything particularly novel or unexpected. Land-grabs are inherently unstable affairs, as the long list of ex-British colonies will testify. Energy-rich Scotland can’t expect itself to be the exception. Those who still believe that colonised-peoples are invariably either Black, Brown or Yellow, had best prepare themselves for the inevitability of liberation.
A great caricature of the end of Sturgeons SNP.
robertkknight. 8.44am
Whatever the motive for the Murrells moving out of Bute House, it will have some dastardly deed at the back of it.
NOTHING is straight forward and above board when it involves Nicola Sturgeon and Peter Murrel, that we do know.
Many commenting on this forum (not all) are culpable for this mess. Even after Sturgeons memory loss and the actions of sneaky Pete at the Salmond enquiry you still didn’t see it for what it was because you still seen Sturgeon as some sort of Evita and couldn’t wait to get out there and vote SNP in record numbers (almost a record majority in the SP) at the following GE. So don’t try and rewrite the history books here if after all that was seen and done you still went out and voted SNP. At the end of the day AS was just collateral damage in the Indy dream as you thought the devious one was leading you to the promised land. You bought All this wizard of Oz pish and followed the yellow bricked road. Shame on you, you did this country a disservice.
Murray Foote has resigned. The architect of the Vow. That’s good news for the SNP.
And Liz Lloyd. She’s scurrying away. Scurrying. Like a rodent beast feeling the sinking ship. HMS Brittania going down.
If SNP do ckean the house and rebuild and/or Alba take off, then lessons must be learned. How does a genuine independence movement/ party prevent itself from becoming infiltrated by woke extremists and taken over by family cabals (vulnerable to state influence and infiltratio)? If we are not careful, the same thing will happen again. The world us full of selfish, self-obsessed operators who read from the script but otherwise do nothing for Scotland. Eaiting in the shadows for an opportunity. How do we thwart them?
Great ‘toon Chris.
Re Smitty’s updates, I enjoy reading them but obviously have no idea of their accuracy. However Emma Roddick has tweeted she has no intention of leaving the SNP so that’s one prediction down. Hopefully any future involvement will be as an ordinary branch member and not an elected official…
Andrew Learmonth says NEC are telling Murrell to resign TODAY … or else. Rev has retweeted Learmonth so it must be true!
NEC having vote of no confidence in Murrell, expect him to be gone by end of the day…
Andrew Learmonth on Twitter
https://twitter.com/andrewlearmonth/status/1637018409471713280?cxt=HHwWgICxtb7k7bctAAAA
Robert Hughes says:
18 March, 2023 at 7:44 am
I respect your opinion, sir.
Where I think that UDI falls down is if there is any doubt about the “settled will” of the Scottish population.
Also, from a practical perspective, once the Murrells and those soiled by them have been removed from office, it will take time for new incumbents to develop their political expertise and power bases to forge ahead with independence.
The opportunity has been ‘lost’ (or deliberately thrown away) and a new one must be forged.
Independence can only come when it reflects the democratic will of the electorate.
All this begs the question why did Sturgeon resign? They must have known this was the likely outcome?
Nicola’s heels are flying towards Murrell’s napper as we speak. With divorce papers on the cards. Haha.
Nicola won’t want to be associated with Peter Murrell. If only he had been a better man she’ll say. She won’t want to be associated with him. She won’t be able to live with his behaviour.
Like everything else that Nicola failed to do. She’s failed to anoint her chosen successor. The last days of Saigon indeed.
Liz Lloyd announces she will quit Scottish Government, the SNP has the weight of the world on its shoulders now there all leaving the sinking ship.
The Russian retreat from Kherson was better managed than this.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/
Once rhose tiny rocks are lifted, there will be a tsunami.
Again Chris, a picture paints 1000 words, we’re lucky to have you.
Just finished reading all the comments on the other thread..
The Brit establishment don’t care about AS,the stitch up.
They want the indy movement to collapse forever, so I doubt any help will come from that direction.
I have no clue what will happen but the most significant resignation for me was Ian Livingston, not even working his notice.
Whatever it is, it must be huge.
Also air miles Angus not standing, hmmm?
Bute House, bugged top to bottom, maybe some whistle blower has all the copies.
The new incubant will need to get it debugged.
Also, yes Ash Regan in particular and Michelle Thompson, for the latter I believe revenge is a dish served cold, have done wonders to open the doors.
Also thanks to the Rev for spilling so much stuff.
Can’t wait for the next instalement
@ Sarah
Yes, just read it. This part worried me.
“the call for Mr Murrell to “set a date for departure”
He shouldn’t get to set a date, he needs to resign with immediate effect.
I also found some of the quotes coming from the “senior” member of the NEC pathetic. It’s too late for the lot of them to be wise now that they see the house is collapsing. They’ve inflicted this situation on people for how long and did nothing for years apart from punishing those who spoke up.
Nice one Chris, I’m sure there a helluva lot more under the SNP’s dirty little rock of Sturgeon/Murrell’s secrets.
on another matter why hasn’t the candidates or anyone else called GCHQ’s involvement in this leadership race, in my opinion its well within GCHQ’s powers to rig this contest, and make it appear as though all is above board.
Would the USA’s democratic party or the republican party call in say Germany’s security services the BND to oversee their election of new leaders, of course they wouldn’t so why should Murrell be allowed to call in a known enemy of Scottish independence in GCHQ.
in my opinion the fix will still be in.
“However Emma Roddick has tweeted she has no intention of leaving the SNP so that’s one prediction down”
Aye that’s right. They have “no intention to resign” until they do – or are forced to (like Lloyd yesterday).
Bot only after Ash had a word with the head of the civil service about her (Lloyd) campaigning for Humza on the public tab!
@breeks
I’ve been coming to wings for over 10 years. During that time sometimes I’ve commented and sometimes not.
My opinions are just as valid as anyone’s whether you like them or not and considering it is people like you who kept returning Nicola sturgeon to power when the world and its dog knew how corrupt, incompetent and unfit for power she was who are responsible for the state Scotland is now in I’d say they are more valid than yours. You haven’t demonstrated poor judgement time and again.
Dictatorships tend to suffer from corruption because those in power are unaccountable and are allowed to behave as they like. Since 2104 scotland has been a defacto dictatorship as no matter now badly Nicola Sturgeon screwed up people like you elected her. It didn’t matter if education was a mess, health declined or the economy collapsed around us, you’d vote for her anyway. All that mattered to you was that Indy carrot and she saw you coming a mile off. The end result of that is the corruption we are wading through today which means Scotland is arguably further from independence than it has been in the past 20 years. The mechanisms of state and law in Scotland are now so corrupt that it will take years for it to be put right and lengthy jail terms will be required to deter future corruption.
If you don’t agree then take Jim Sillars and Alex Salmond’s word for it, both of them have said on record that Scotland is corrupt and not ready for independence. That’s the facts whether people like it or not and if you are one of the people who are responsible for that sorry state of affairs I suggest you take responsibility.
Can a helicopter land on the roof of Bute House?
Couldn’t agree more with the Smitty and Breeks comments.
A tsnusami of excrement is indeed headed for this rotten pile they call the SNP. Where the members have gone, the electorate will follow.
The dumpling Humza if installed will have a short lived existence. And he is a dumpling if he thinks he’s some kind of continuity Candidate. He, the rotten cabal, and the troughers are gone.
One way or other a rebirth, a realignment is coming. And coming soon too. Independence has not gone away.
That GCHQ story that appeared is very worrying. That was a cover story.
I would expect they have already contacted the SNP using this as the excuse and Murrell then invited them in to make sure everything is ‘ok’.
The outcome of this election is going to tell us a lot, one way or the other.
Quite a few folk appear to be getting awfy excited aboutAlba
Bottom Line – Alex Salmond / Alba and all other Scottish political parties do not support peoples sovereignty. They support continuation of the illegal English system of parliamentary sovereignty.
Without restoration of our constitution, the Scottish people -as now -have no protection against politicians who have gone off the rails.
Anyone come to mind???
We have no means to hold them to account. And furthermore we -as now – would not be in a position to assert that our resources belong to the people. (As they actually do!)
Salvo / liberation. scot is the only way to cross the line to re-independence with our inviolable constitutional rights restored – and politicians accountable to us. Anything else -as now -leaves us as a hollow shell of a nation. No more false profits – please! “let’s staun up” and be our own heroes.
salvo literally means the peoples voice over politicians
salvo.scot liberation.scot. you signed yet
It’s all unravelling quickly now. Hard to keep up with events. The odd couple tried hard to plan their getaway and install a continuity puppet. Unfortunately for them, things didn’t go according to plan. The GRR fiasco, the earlier than planned resignation, Angus Robertson not cooperating, Humza being such a poor substitute etc etc all played a part. However, the real spanner in the works IMHO was Ash Regan’s unexpected entry into the leadership contest. This really upset the applecart. The party managers were forced to fight on two fronts, and it has been fatal. Ash has been fearless in her pursuit of transparency and a fair fight. They really did not expect (or plan for) this. Too bad eh?
Could Murrell go today, I bloody well hope so.
“PETER Murrell has been told to resign as the SNP’s Chief Executive by the end of the day or face a no confidence motion from the party’s NEC.
One senior member of the ruling body told The Herald: “We have the numbers. There’s not a hope in hell that Peter can survive a no confidence motion.””
https://archive.ph/PYIIA#selection-1601.3-1613.153
Does this aw’ amighty bourach mean that Wee Nicola an’ Wee Peem wull’nae git tae Ruritanian farce in May ?…….I’ll jist go an’ git ma coat…..
This time last week people were commenting on the possibility of NS taking a place in either the EU or the UN, more likely the WEF. The only crime in politics is being caught, perhaps those organisations are not as squeaky clean as some people believe.
@Etticus
Keep the posts coming.
Breaks styles himself as the “intellectual” on here, but check out his back catalogue over the past year or so, and you will see the real reason he has carpet bagged the Indy cause.
In fact, just for fun, check out how many Breeks posts that do not greet about Brexit and the EU.
But if you want a real laugh, work out what the discussions about sovereignty really mean, according to Breeks. The underlying “logic” boils down to this: The definition of a Sovereign Scot is a Scot that wants Indy. Ergo, only Sovereign Scots need be consulted on Indy. Other Scots, unconvinced about Indy, can’t be Sovereign, and thus don’t get a say.
Indy support among Sovereign Scots is already at 100%!
“Nicola Sturgeon’s persecution of Alex Salmond had absolutely nothing to do with independence”
You may believe that, and that is your prerogative. I most certainly do not. I am convinced it was all to do with independence, as it was the concerting action of labour, libdem and tories to eject Mr Salmond off the seat while keeping the political fraud in hers.
If you look at the “newspapers” around the time, there was already an attempt to eject him off the seat in 2015, but they failed. At that time It was rather curious the colonial entities behind this “strategical vote” had an unhealthy interest to remove Mr Salmond from Westmintser but they did not have the same interest in preventing Sturgeon to take a seat, despite the much acclamed popularity and increase of SNP membership under Sturgeon (that turned to be bogus because membership was already close to 90,000 when Mr Salmond stood down).
At the end of the day, Mr Salmond was no longer the leader of the party or FM, so why was it more important for these entities to remove Mr Salmond from the seat than to remove Sturgeon?
The most convincing response to this question is that, by that time, 2017, they already knew they were going to disembowel the SNP and they did not want to take the risk of Sturgeon being pushed away and Mr Salmond re-instated as leader by the membership. This would put Mr Salmond, a real pro-independence strategist and leader, in direct control of the mother of all anti-independence SNP MP majorities. This is a sign the powers that be also knew Sturgeon would not be seen by the membership as a match to Mr Salmond. The tarnishing of Mr Salmond’s reputation was a preventative measure to avoid this.
Also, if you look at the political fraud’s speeches of 2016, particularly those around the EU referendum andafthen you read the ones she delivered in 2017 you will notice a serious change in tone. She was feitsy immediately after the EU referendum and placing serious demands. She very often mentioned the “change in circumstances” (rebus sic stantibus), which is a well accepted principle in international law that legitimises the end of treaties. It is my personal view that every time she was mentioning this she was deliberately signalling that she hand in her hands the power to terminate the treaty of union.
Independence, the referendum and change in circumstances were mentioned often. Immediately after the EU ref and until GE2017 Sturgeon was without a shadow of a doubt at her strongest negotiating position. This was the most dangerous moment in time for the continuity of the union and she knew it.
If you read those speeches you will see a change from making strong demands to softening up and pretty much capitulating to brexit and watering down those demands.
Right on the middle of that time there was July 2016, the time when May came to Scotland “to save the union”. At that time, May was quoted as not triggering A50 until there was a UK approach. There were also lots of soundbites and signalling in that speech from May that suggested her willingness to sit at the negotiating table.
It is my personal opinion that this point signaled a commencement of negotiations. It is also my opinion that the calling of the GE2017 was nothing to do with May gaining a majority but rather to ensure the SNP lost a few seats to take wind off Sturgeon’s sails, but more importantly, to ensure Mr Salmond was ejected from Westminster. While GE2017 still left STurgeon in control of a majority of SNP MPs, her negotiation position had weakened.
Looking at all those speeches and Sturgeon’s apathy in stopping Brexit (all what she did was virtue signalling on this), I am convinced Sturgeon was pursuing something, possibly a extended form of devolution, but never independence itself.
Looking retrospectively, it becomes evident independence and the referendum were used by Sturgeon just as ACE cards to force the negotiations on her favour, but never as the ultimate aim.
It is my personal view that Sturgeon never intended to pursue independence nor delivering a referendum. For this reason, I do not believe either that the actions of this woman are the consequence of blackmailing by the British state. In fact, she was the one in the right negotiating position to do the blackmailing by simply threatening them to revoke the treaty because of the change in circumstances.
I am convinced her actions from 2017 onwards are the consequence of a successful negotiation with the British state to achieve what she wanted and her cooperation with that state to forever thwart independence of Scotland, and more importantly to prevent the end of the Treaty of Union 1706, in the short to middle term. The proof that the negotiations had concluded is her letting the strongest ever mandate for a referendum Scotland could ever had (2016) expire. The mandate we got in 2017 or even 2021 was watered down, because after 7 years, you cannot longer claim a change in circumstances. In other words, she had dropped her threat to the Treaty of Union.
Her S30 demands and her continuous mentioning of permision from Westminster, signals this too. A material change in circumstances is sufficient reason to terminate the treaty. Scotland does not need permision from anyone nor S30 to do this. An S30 is only beneficial if instead of pursuing the end of the treaty and the union, you are pursuing secesion of Scotland, as a region, from a larger state, putting Scotland in a much worse negotiating position. Why would you force your team to escape through the air vents when you have the key to open the front door? This, to me, signals that an agreement had been reached. When did Sturgeon start talking about the need for a S30?
Sadly, Ms Regan also talks about negotiating independence between Scotland and the UK, which points to her choosing the much more inferior and disadvantageous for Scotland route of “secession” rather than the correct (in my view) one, which is the unilateral termination of the treaty.
The last change we have noticed in the SNP, which is them basically adopting labour’s claims that Scotland is not ready for independence so they happily embrace remaining in the union for the foreseeable future, was meant to be, in my view the last stage in the morphing of the SNP into an innocuous, British state compliant, version of New Labour. Bizarrely, I have seen a headline in the National recently where they even proposed a change of name for the party. This proves this point.
Judging by the very large number of MSPs and MPs with no urgency to deliver independence, their silence and inaction while watching how Sturgeon destroyed their party, and they endorsement of a patsy, with a proven record of being utterly useless as a minister, it is my opinion that most of them are on this collusion and happy with the deal, whatever it is. For this reason, Ash Regan will have the mother of all fights in her hands to pursue independence with this lot. Before she can move forward with her plan, there has to be a clear out of all the troughers in Westminster and that cannot be done overnight. And then, of course, there is the problem of how to circumvent the posibilty of an agreement already being in place.
The collusion of the UK civil service with COPFS, the crown agent, the police, the Lord Advocate, judges, elements of the press and the SNP executive proves this is not just Sturgeon’s doing. The COPFS, the crown Agent, the police and the uK civil service are under the control of the British state, not Sturgeon.
In my personal view, removing Mr Salmond from the SNP to stop him having any influence in the dangerous SNP anti-union MP majority, as the destruction of the SNP as a vehicle for independence were two conditions imposed by the British state to deliver whatever it is the political fraud asked for. Evidently the fraud was happy to oblige, but so were all those MSPs and MPs who sat on their hands and let her proceed with it.
If you look at the modus operandi of the political fraud, you do not see the actions of a leader. You do not see the actions of a thinker, never mind a serious strategist.You see the actions of an implementer following a script that somebody else wrote. The response of Sturgeon to problems is always blunt firefighting, not strategy redesign. You see this in everything. Mr Salmond’s criminal case is an example, as it was her “intervention” in the Fabiani Farce or, more recently, her intervention to claim she did not know anything about why Regan and Forbes were demanding the membership figures. In absence of a good argument, play the ignorant fool – her favourite character.
Sturgeon and her SNP sold us, I have no doubt of it. But in my view, the brains of the operation and the long term vision come from elsewhere. In my view she and Murrell have just been following a script and firefighting like crazy any deviation from that script forced by unpredictable external environmental factors (for example Mr Salmond’s civil case against Sturgeon’s government due to the complaints procedure, or the articles of Mr Murray about Mr Salmond’s case, or the return of a Mr Wings fiercer than ever, or the inconvenient demands for a membership figure).
I wonder what’ll happen to all the carrots?
They were going to get passed on like a baton to Humza.
If true Sturgeon/Murrell’s house of cards is collapsing.
https://twitter.com/SuzJamieson/status/1636732162589306883?cxt=HHwWhsC9-dzO67YtAAAA
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FraVx61XwAAHnC_?format=jpg&name=medium
Murrell will go today. NEC have told him they have the numbers. He might delay until the last minute to try and delete as much as he can. Think he is going to jail though.
Sturgeon, Lloyd, Chief Constable, Murray Foote and now probably Murrell resigning. Its going to be a hell of a leaving do at SNP HQ. Office leaving do’s have a tendency for alcohol induced romances so I do hope no-one gets too drunk and behaves in a way others deem inappropriate….
On a more serious note I am very impressed with Ash Regan. She is fairly rinsing the SNP of all the chancers. Whatever happens with her leadership bid I think she is due an enormous thank you from all Independence supporters and just those that believe in fairness.
Those calling Regan Trumpian may well wish to give her an apology. Trump accused people of doing things without evidence, safe to say the evidence of Regan’s allegations are now there for all to see.
If we wish to link Regan to American politics perhaps she is more Woodward and Bernstein. Potentially makes Smitty Deepthroat. Continuing the Watergate analogy, I wonder if Bute house is closed for repairs to remove the paint from the walls?
@John Main,
I usually skip your posts or give them a cursory look.
However today you achieve a new low of stupidity. You make an inference entirely your own and then try to attribute it to another. Sneaky.
What about that other horrible little Green pervert Harvie.
If he goes then we could be looking at a General election.
@ Viscount Ennui
Respect reciprocated , mon ami .
” Independence can only come when it reflects the democratic will of the electorate. ”
For sure: the question is … how can more (sufficient) people be persuaded/convinced of the rightness & necessity of Independence ?
Good faith , probity and demonstrable competence – all urgently required – will go a long way to restore a measure of confidence in an SNP Gov ; but , all the way to Independence ? I have my doubts . Still , the latter qualities in governance would be a vast improvement on the last , hard-to-believe-how-fckn-awful 8 years of misrule
The NEC are rotton to the core.
They all need sacked and new people need voted in.
All the ‘affiliated groups need booted into touch, no need for them.
One member, one vote.
The chosen groups happened around 2018, then no more were allowed special privilege.
In retrospect another set up, probably by air miles.
It gave certain people, more than one vote.
I’m pleased to see that, eventually, things are moving towards a clearout. But we cannot allow the rats to jump off from the sinking ship onto dryland and scurry away.
All of them must be grabbed by the short & curlies and brought to face the consequences of their inadequacy. And I’m being generous implying that there were no betrayals or shenanigans, on the basis of Occam’s razor.
Dinnae fash yersel’ putting out the fires on the listing, sinking hollowed out shell of the Saint Nicola’s Party.
Alba is more than ready to take up the mantle.
The SNP “brand” will be forever tarnished and is following the well trodded trajectory that “Scottish” Labour has been for a decade.
But don’t bet your house on this yet: we proactive political anoraks are really engaged. The general public is months behind the curve and only reactive. Before you see the tide turning it’ll take a tsunami of bad news to break through the scarce level of attention in the disengaged.
An even bigger problem is the inherent corruption of all media serving Scotland, keeping the inattentive in the dark.
But this will be for another day.
While we await more information on the details of Murray Foote’s resignation, I have to ask rhetorically; did people really believe his sudden epiphany was genuine? This man had access to information way beyond most punters, yet not only threw his lot in with Better Together, he was the architect of last-ditch desperation that was The Vow. Coupled with his subsequent apologist stance for the Sturrell Mafia and lack of urgency for independence, I’d say that, on balance of probabilities, it’s far more likely he was just another careerist feathering his own nest. Just another former Labour trougher jumping on the SNP gravy train.
If/when Murrel goes surely the leadership election will be considered invalid and cancelled with no need for Ash Regan’s indictment?
Where’s Pete Wishart’s legs sticking out from under the boulder wearing a pair of comfy slippers?
Breeks
8.57am
“You say grassroots, and aye, I believe the word aptly describes Scotland’s Community of the Realm; the people.
I confess, I wasn’t all that sure about Ash Regan back when she first stood up to Sturgeon’s cabal, but she’s a bonnie wee feighter is she no? A catalyst for change? Or something greater still?”
It seems that the various mechanisms for change could be coming together and of course there are already solid ones in place.
Pieces of the jigsaw are appearing thick and fast now. On the one hand is the drama of resignations/revelations. On the other is the prospect of grasping this opportunity and running with it.
The former requires popcorn; the latter requires the people. The popcorn won’t last forever.
Interesting observation: the odds on Ash Regan at 50/1 have gone to 33/1 or 28/1. Will they keep shortening?
@john main
I hope he’s not a gambling man because it appears he’s got every big political call of the last 8 years wrong and he doesn’t show any sign of understanding why and taking action to rectify.
Anyone who wants Scotland to join the EU is no Scottish nationalist and does not believe in Scottish self determination. The EU (if it survives as it is) is in the process of erasing nation states and the ability of their people to make decisions for themselves. A truly free Scotland can only exist out the UK and the EU as per the doctrine of Jim Sillars, a man I have respected for decades. Further if we are to be a successful small nation we need to come down hard on corruption and not shy away from rooting it out and jailing those responsible. Countries like South Korea or Israel don’t shirk when it comes to jailing corrupt politicians and neither should we… and neither should we re elect those who turn a blind eye and that is why I have my doubts about Kate Forbes and Ash Regan. Both of them were in sturgeons cabinet and if they were unaware of what was going on they were either wilfully blind and happy to go along with it when it suited or so incompetent that they didn’t notice.
Assuming she isn’t charged with anything Sturgeon can always go to Canada and for all it’s worth play the role of brave woman leader ousted by the patriarchy. Lot’s of folk there would believe her.
She might write her self-serving autobiography, which wouldn’t even have a passing acquaintance with the truth of events. Then the international lecture circuit will beckon and lots more dosh, not that she’d be near the top of the range for fees.
What she won’t be able to do is reside in Scotland and have any respectability.
Big jock @11:00
If NEC really does have the numbers then presumably those on it need to explain how they got them, how long they had them and why they didnt share them with the press officer or any of the candidates.
@ben madigan 11;14am
You’d have thought so, ben, but I suppose the remaining Sturgeonistas will come out with the “uncharted waters” excuse. Don’t rock the boat – as if it couldn’t be any more unseaworthy. Maybe Regan’s just making sure.
[BTW for anyone interested in what’s happening in Ireland I recommend ben’s blog.]
@mungo anderson
I heard from someone with a bit of knowledge that the police are now investigating Sturgeon for perjury arising from her evidence to the Salmond inquiry. Apparently her electronic diaries are being looked at and could well be the smoking gun. That is why she resigned suddenly.
Here’s my plan for moving forward.
Raise the SNP to the ground, get rid of all the hingers on, comfy slippers and weirdos.
Rebuild the SNP from the ground up using only the best materials with Ash Regan at the helm.
Do a deal with Alba.
At Holyrood return around 60 to 70ish constituency MSPs and Around 30ish Alba List MSPs.
Tell Westminster to GTF.
Jobs a good ain.
Yoons and pretendy Indy supporters be crying like babies.
@ Laukat
I agree. Regan has shown tremendous courage while people ridiculed her and wrote her off. Some of her greatest enemies are in her own Party and their sniping has been vindictive. The press have been the same with her. The press dismissed Forbes too by choosing to focus only on her religion. Meanwhile stuff was piling up on Yousaf but the press chose to ignore all that.
The actions of Regan and Forbes by formally demanding the membership figures, by highlighting Lloyd’s capers in the Yousaf bid and all the other dodgy stuff going on brought Foote’s resignation about yesterday. Goodness knows what’s still to come but so far Regan and Forbes have not been cowed. I hope the real bad guys realise that the game is up.
@ Doug 11.15
Wishart is calling for an “inquiry” but only AFTER the election is finished. Hilarious quote from him earlier,
“You don’t get more ‘loyal’ than me but when this leadership contest is concluded we need the broadest possible inquiry into some of the issues around the mess that has been so unnecessarily self inflicted,”
The Herald article also states that The Times has been “briefed” from the NEC overnight about forcing Murrell out but the quote talks about “within weeks”. That suggests to me they still want this dodgy election to be seen as above board.
@Bob Mack 11:01 says
sneaky
Sorry, Bob, not seeing it myself.
But your outrage might have been better employed against Breeks’ original and gratuitous name check of me at 9:07. How was that on your sneaky scale?
As Etticus pointed out already, there’s only one bloke who can tone police on here. It’s not you and it’s not Breeks either. Soz.
I fully understand that there are regular posters on here who intend to post what is essentially the same stuff for ever. They have already been posting the same stuff for years, so it is now second nature to them.
Observant readers see two problems: 1) It is a failed policy. Support for Indy is going backwards. So maybes the record needs changing. 2) Scotland herself is changing at ever increasing speed. The UK, the EU, the world are all changing. Everywhere, in response to changing political and economic circumstances, people’s views and attitudes are changing. So, again, maybes the record needs changing.
The collapse of the SNP is reboot time. The Indy movement can use this opportunity to build anew, with broad, inclusive views that will appeal to the Scottish majority, or it can use the old blueprint, to recreate the same tired structure, on the same site.
Pragmatic, real-world, popular policies leading to success, or ideologically pure failure again. That’s the choice.
@sadscot 11;42am
Thanks for the PW quote. He’s some machine. All morality gratefully deceived.
Maybe Sturgeon and Murrell are still holding out for a Yousaf “win”. A bit like Nixon making sure his successor, Gerald Ford, would give him a presidential pardon.
BREAKING Peter Murrell SNP chief executive is resigning with immediate effect
@LBC
@LBCNews
https://twitter.com/ginadavidsonlbc/status/1637061106102423552
@John Main,
The problems were actually caused by a leadership who had no intention of getting Indy unless on Westminster terms. To achieve that they locked out the membership from the decision making process.
All the plans in the world no matter how ingenious were doomed to fail unless adopted by Sturgeon Murrell and the “occupied” NEC.
It led to what we have today. Blame ,recrimination and frustration. Cut others some slack. They were as impotent to change anything as you were.
@Etticus 11:22
There is much I agree with in your post. I was one of the 1.1 million Scots who voted to leave the EU. Which is why the ever-repeating posts hankering to get back in as soon as possible grate with me.
I would be strongly opposed to an iScotland joining the EU, but as a democrat, I would abide by the will of the majority, if we Scots were given a referendum post-Indy on EU membership, with full and upfront knowledge of the certain costs and supposed benefits.
But the current SNP position, which is that a vote for Indy will be a de facto vote for EU membership also, is untenable. I assume it goes without saying that the Continuity Incompetence Candidate is onside with this. The silence of KF and AR is worrying. Are they signed up for this too?
Words fail me when I read supposedly sane and rational people gurning about Scotland being bullied and exploited by her bigger neighbour for over 300 years, who then wax enthusiastically that just about the first thing iScotland will do is reposition herself for a new era of bullying and exploitation!
Just as words fail me when people claim it’s what we Scots really want! We Sovereign Scots seemingly can’t wait to gift our newly rediscovered sovereignty to Brussels?
Naw.
Somebody’s having a larff.
@ stuart mctavish at 11.24
I assumed that “we have the numbers” meant the numbers to win a vote for Murrell to resign, not the membership figures.
Crazy. Yes that’s what I meant.
@John Main Kate Forbes has spoken about joining the EEA possibly through EFTA, like you I am against full membership, but I am open to the EFTA
Good riddance Murrell you sleazy treacherous gimp, this really is something to celebrate. Time to put another £5 on Regan…
@Robert Louis
I think Ash Regan’s campaign has two points:
1. To stop Humza, Humza v Kate Humza wins. But a three horse race with two of the horses being ‘mates’ and their supporters ranking them 1 and 2 Humza loses.
2. She is flying policy kites for Kate who is running a ‘safe’ campaign. Ash is demonstrating the support there is for her policies. She will be Deputy for Kate I have no doubt. Safe will become radical once the rank, stinking stables have been cleared out and the rats dealt with.