Wings Over Scotland

I recd the SNP leaflet from George Adam Paisley again NO mention of independence NO surprise

They probably realised that as in the 2017 and 2019 election turnouts no mention of indy meant people stayed away from voting, so if they again don’t mention indy there will be less of a turnout and they don’t want a massive majority as that would mean nowhere to hide but they will be happy for a minority govt with the greens

There is being cautious and then there is being craven, cringing, cowardly.

Unbelievable. Poor SNP membership betrayed by it’s Leadership, employees and Parliamentary groups.

We need Alba to have some success this time and then grow big enough to have the power to get our independence.

#IStandStillWithNicola

Same with Fergus Ewing, no mention of independence, equally, no mention of woke policies. Straight into the recycling bin along with the rest.

Farmers, folk with gardens on busy roads: contact your local ALBA rep for a field/garden board. They’re about 2 foot high by 4 foot wide.

The boards that is, not the reps.

More vacuous, aspirational bullshit.

Why does the current bunch of SNP troughers have the air of ‘Opposition’ rather than ‘Government’ about them?

Could it be that it isn’t just the ‘Dear Leader’ who suffers from “imposter syndrome”?

So far the leaflets we’ve received have been 4 tory , 3 labour , 3 libdem , 1 snp and no need to guess what leaflet doesn’t have the word “independence” on it ? .

Yes that’s right , the snp leaflet doesn’t have the word “independence” on it at all .

If it wasn’t for Alex asking for us to vote snp in the constituency vote , they wouldn’t have been getting either of our votes at all and that’s after both myself and my husband voting snp for the last 40 years .

Only a couple of days left on the crowdfunder.

Time to put our money where our mouths are.

I’d like to see Galloway (who I am not a fan of) elected.

He will cause a lot of problems for Nicola, she cant handle him, but Alex can.

So happy to see him in there just to open a new front on Nicola.

After all the more fronts she is fighting on, the better.

Forgot to mention the leaflets look different from the one posted but mine and the other guys in my city looked exactly the same

Stuart MacKay @ 5.31am.

Whenever I hear or see a politician or charity going on about child poverty, hunger or despair it really gets my goat. there is now a culture around the real issue of poverty etc where a great many people earn a really good living supposedly tackling poverty etc. Are they really wanting to eradicate the issues and put themselves on the dole? Don’t get me wrong there are a great many people who do put time and energy into the issue but there are a lot at the top who need these issues to continue to maintain their lifestyles just like a great many fecking politicians.

Probably think that if they were able to fool yes fans into voting for them they can do the same with the no faction – especially if there’s a big postal turnout despite nobody being allowed to go on holiday.

No mention of independence but a fair bit about ‘mitigating'(UK policies) on the SNP campaign leaflet. Let’s see how the SNP get on with mitigating further UK court rulings that overrule Scottish Bills. Didn’t work too well last time in December 2018-

‘the UK Supreme Court overruled part of a Brexit law that was passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Bill could have blocked some Brexit-related laws from taking force in Scotland without the SNP government’s consent.

But seven justices today said part of it was “outside the legislative competence” of the Scottish Parliament.’

No matter –

‘Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon insisted the ruling was a “vindication” for her because the rest of the Bill had no issue.’

WHEEEEEEEEEESHT…….!

Couldn’t David Davis expose the Super Injunctions in HoC using Patliamentary Privelige?

Stuart MacKay, “So when Alex Salmond described the SNP as glacialists he really was giving them the benefit of the doubt.” – haha exactly. I liked the glacialist description too, but it maybe isn’t long term enough description.

I’ve got two leaflets through the door so far – one is Labour, a generic one claiming they are a Scottish party and plastered with Anas Sarwar, so I have no idea who my local candidate is – but I suppose we need general party leaflets for the list vote,,, it would be nice to know who they have standing though.

Anyway, I was sure my other, SNP, leaflet had the word independence on it so went to check & indeed it does.

This is Bob Doris’ own leaflet – not the generic SNP one – so I guess he has a choice of what to write (this is for Maryhill & Springburn constituency). There are 6 things on the main side with a big picture of Bob, and no ‘both votes SNP’ message, with all the generic NHS gets funding, bus passes for young people, new social security system – but also a new national care system – and the last item is “Deliver a new independence referendum – Scotland’s future is Scotland’s choice”. The bottom of the main side leaflet (one sheet of card btw) also has the rainbow ‘YES’ logo alongside “Vote SNP on 6th May. For a New Independence Referendum”.

So far so good, at least he mentions independence – though only in terms of a referendum & not promoting independence itself.

The other side of the leaflet has more blurb about Bob himself – turns out he’s the convener of the social security committee (I was vaguely aware of that), the one that’s not delivered yet – and at the end he says “I look forward to Scotland taking its place…I will champion the right to choose that future in a new independence referendum.” (Bold writing is his).

So a glacialist indeed (looking forward to something isn’t going to make it happen!) but at least he’s not ashamed of the word independence. Also on that side is a small photo of NS with a short very general quote. And right at the bottom of this side, with the contact details, above the SNP logo is ‘both votes’. (With ‘votes’ highlighted and not ‘both’) – so reasonably subtle if you were being forced to add that piece of nonsense.

So meh, whatever, inoffensive, and he has been an active MSP & gets involved in community projects (arguably what the councils should be doing) – but he’s never going going to push for independence. Not with NS at the helm. I don’t know if he, personally, was one of the jeering clapping and cheering MSPs egging on Sturgeon as she lied and obfuscated in parliament.

I doubt it’ll get people out voting either – lots of deprived areas in this constituency, so with no proposals for real change, I doubt many will be bothered. Apparently only 25% of electorate have applied for a postal vote, and the average turn out in glasgow is below 50%, so Alba need to get the their leaflets printed, distributed and through people’s doors fast to get their name and message into people’s minds.

Do what you think is right with your constituency vote tartanfever.

Vote tactically against the SNP if that is what you think is right. ( I personally don’t think AS would disagree with that.)

It comes down to whether the SNP MSP on the constituency can be defeated realistically by tactical voting. If that is a waste of time then vote SNP1 as it makes no difference and you are freeing up space for ALBA on the list.

Al-Stuart says:
“Meanwhile the Unionist press go into waves of faux meltdown and splash banner headlines that Sturgeon is the biggest threat to the Union.”

That’s the bit that curdles my curds and whey, too. It’s almost as if they were all in league to mislead the Scottish electorate…

tartanfever says:
14 April, 2021 at 7:27 am
Apart from getting Alba constituency seats, what is the point of voting SNP ?

Reply

To keep Unionist out?

Keeping Unionist out of power in Holyrood is possible however keeping Unionist out of power in Westminster is impossible.

In view of that perhaps the time for ‘No Votes SNP’ will be in the general election.

Would it make any difference if we had zero SNP MPs?

The good ones might be able to join the Alba party.

Alba Crowdfunder just under £45K 89% of target.
Only 2 Days left.

I’ll be going in again but I will confess I’m all contributed out now.

I’d be divorced if my wife knew how much money I’ve put in to so many
good causes fighting for independence.

I didn’t get one of the many blank cheque Tory PPE contracts so I can’t
pay in to the level of these guys.

Boris got £100K from the owner of JCB for a speech to his staff.
Malcolm Rifkin charges £5K for a letter of introduction.
Baroness Ruth picks up £20K from a Russian for a lunch that never happened.

Is Alex, after all he has been through, asking too much at £50K for a whole election campaign?

Look down the side of the sofa. Your country needs you.
Otherwise the word Independence will never be uttered again by an SNP official.

Luigi says: 14 April, 2021 at 7:24 am

I think NS may be compromised. It’s the only explanation IMO. She seems to be terrified something will be exposed unless she behaves. What does the establishment have on her?

Maybe it is simply that she has been compromised by power?

All she needs to do is to mutter independence a few times before every election and the mugs will permanently vote for her.

Unfortunately for her there is a new kid on the block to thwart her that goes by the name of Alba.

Still SNP 1 and Alba 2 for me – they can dick around with their policies all they want but, like leopards, they can’t run away from their spots (ie Independence and Scottish voters). The SNP were created, designed and supported to deliver Independence and if they don’t deliver when we put them into a position to, well, that will be the end of them, in every way shape and form ! Keep voting them in (except in Glasgow Govan) until they have no option but to deliver, with or without the current First Minister.

Until there is another Independence party, not voting for the SNP is [seen as] backing the union! No matter what Wings or anyone else says this is the number one fact above all others. Independence is also number 1 on the SNP pledge list: link to snp.org albeit it with a caveat. And a list vote for Alba without a first vote SNP is less effective than SNP/Alba.

He wouldnt go away. He just would not go away.

What Sturgeon and her unionist pals don’t get if that the reason he won’t go away is because he has huge support, and he has huge support because he actually fights for Scotland to be independent. Has done his whole life and will continue to do so. Sturgeon is as terrified by that prospect as any unionist and that can be seen in how much she despises him and her role in the stitch up. I think many of us once though (the slow among us still do) ‘But what would her motive be for trying to have Salmond imprisoned and destroyed?’ We see it clearly now with Alba and her spiteful reaction to it.

The word Leadership implies a direction being chosen then pursued and taking others with you.

I have never seen a Party making such obvious efforts not to win an election.

The STV promoted the Greens hard last night. The BBC doing the job this morning. All planet saving cuddly issues. The real Green values being hidden from the public.

Why no polls during the week the postal votes come out!

In view of that perhaps the time for ‘No Votes SNP’ will be in the general election.

Hopefully Alba will be standing candidates at the next WM election. It would be good if they refused to take their seats and did something more productive with their time but they may have a better plan. If they’re not standing, how about a campaign to spoil ballots with “Not my parliament” ?

PaulaJ says:
14 April, 2021 at 7:47 am

Aye, I always thought that about Labour and Tories in WM. Labour were only there to give the illusion of choice. The SNP seem to be there to keep the peace by pretending they will, one day, at some point, whenever bring about independence. Makes it look like we have an even greater choice when they are all the same under different rosettes.

Mac says:
14 April, 2021 at 8:06 am

Maybe when she “fell on her sword” was when she was recruited by the other side to shaft Scotland.
“You do this for us and we will take this trivial little matter no further and, what’s more, you will have a lucrative career in politics with plenty of perks”.

Jon Le Carre didn’t just make his stories up from nothing.

WeeChid says:
14 April, 2021 at 8:02 am
Ruby says:
14 April, 2021 at 7:50 am

If the SNP have no intention of delivering independence in what way is voting for them “keeping Unionists out”? Surely the SNP are now, demonstrably, a unionist party and voting for them is voting unionist?

Reply

Lets change it to ‘Keeping British Unionists out’

Zero chance of British Unionists offering independence
Scottish Unionists aka the SNP might be able to be persuaded to change their mind especially if the SNP MPs start speaking out.

New SNP slogan

INDEPENDENCE – IT GOES WITHOUT SAYING

link to crowdfunder.co.uk

Link to Alba crowdfunder!

tartanfever says:
14 April, 2021 at 7:27 am

I’m struggling with that too and, although my candidate is a supporter of women’s rights and not in the least woke, I can’t help but feel voting for her would be an endorsement of SNP policy – which to me seems to be to keep us in the Union but with enough devolved power to make us a country where women are reduced to handmaidens for the transcult and where working class and older people are, at best ignored, and, at worst, forced to comply through “re-education”.

“Maybe when she “fell on her sword” was when she was recruited by the other side to shaft Scotland.”

Yeah, maybe.

Her failure as a lawyer must have been crushing for her. She probably realized she did not have what it took to succeed at it.

She was looking for a way out, something else…

Her ascent to FM is perplexing seeing how generally crap she is at most things.

How much power does Nicola Sturgeon have over all the SNP politicians?

I’m not convinced that getting rid of Nicola Sturgeon will magically sort everything out.

Sure Nicola Sturgeon is a dud but what about the rest of them? What about all the duds in Westminster?

There’s not a lot of choice in the HE but come the GE I would suggest ‘No Votes SNP’

They get what they want. Sturgeon leading the independence movement down one dead-end after another, always somehow inexplicably misplaying her hand and missing the opportunities… over and over, time after time.

She gets what she wants. To inflict all her wet dream woke garbage on Scotland. Making it into the wokey Disney land of her dreams. And then retire, after umpteen ineffective wasted years, as an ‘elder statesman’ to some talking shop job somewhere. Leaving the SNP and the independence movement a smoking ruin around her…

And we, well we don’t get what we want, obviously.

What I can say with certainty is that I believe Nicola Sturgeon is a wrong’un.

I just cant say for sure what is the extent of it, how far deep it goes.

It does not really matter now. What is required is still the same. She has to go.

Control: Remember, Agent Sparrow, there must be no mention of independence in any of our election literature

Agent Sparrow: Why’s that, Control?

Control: We don’t want to scare off soft Nos

Agent Sparrow: How do we get them on board, Control?

Control: We play the long game. We appeal to their better judgement, demonstrating our deft ability in the provision of services and standing up for Scotland’s interests. When we are polling at or above 60% then we call a referendum

Agent Sparrow: Will we still require an S30?

Control: Of course

Agent Sparrow: What if Westminster say no?

Control: They won’t. They can’t

Agent Sparrow: What if they do, though?

Control: That would be a democratic outrage. The will of the Scottish people cannot be ignored. The international community would never accept it

Agent Sparrow: What about Catalonia?

Control: Ah, that was illegal. We’re not advocating a wildcat referendum

Agent Sparrow: How would we go about achieving our aims and ambitions if there’s no Holyrood? After all, the Tories seem Hell bent on whittling away at our capacity to legislate, brick by brick, stone by stone

Control: They can’t

Agent Sparrow: Says who?

Control: The Claim Of Right

Agent Sparrow: Do you expect them to respect that?

Control: If they don’t there will be consequences

Agent Sparrow: What sort of consequences?

Control: Bad ones

Agent Sparrow: Like what?

Consequences: Terrible things

Agent Sparrow: Could you be more specific?

Control: I could, but the information is classified

Agent Sparrow: It would be useful to know that we have some strategy in place

Control: We do, here’s our vision paper: Scotland 2121

Agent Sparrow: 2121? Is that a misprint?

Control: No, we don’t want to spook the soft Nos

Agent Sparrow: They’ll all be dead by then. Every page in that document contains the word “Redacted”

Control: Precisely. The younger generation is progressive and we like when things are progressive. The document is a draft; all drafts are redacted

Agent Sparrow: What if another party comes along that promises independence in a much shorter timescale and with credible options to S30?

Control: Then we endeavour to destroy it. Splitting the Indy vote is a constitutional outrage, gaming the system is transphobic and anyone who disagrees with us is a social conservative who must be imprisoned for crimes they did not commit

Captain Yossarian says:

Make your own mind-up.

Reply

You are too kind!

I’ve made my own mind up and decided neither Andrew Neil nor Nicola Sturgeon are worth listening too.

Next!

I think i am done here – just one last act of vanity
– spoil constituency ballot with the words –
independence not a corrupt dictatorship – and then vote for alba on the list.

Scottish politics – I mean, who the fuck cares? A nation of cowards.

I’ll still forever read wings though!

Scot Finlayson @ 8:33 am

“Our real enemies are among us, born without imagination.”

This is actually only a part of the story. Our own people are not the root cause of colonialism nor the ultimate beneficiaries; though some (natives) may join in the melee and help ensure the status quo, and especially the bourgeoisie in order to protect their privileges and status, without the colonizer there would be no colonialism (Albert Memmi).

Well, it’s manifesto day for the SNP tomorrow, so it has effectively become their last chance to convince me to vote for them on the constituency vote by actually unashamedly putting independence front and centre of their campaign.

“wathater says:
14 April, 2021 at 2:40 am
They probably realised that as in the 2017 and 2019 election turnouts no mention of indy meant people stayed away from voting, so if they again don’t mention indy there will be less of a turnout and they don’t want a massive majority as that would mean nowhere to hide but they will be happy for a minority govt with the greens”

2015 was not about Indy period and yet they got their best ever result, 2019 was about Indy and Brexit was it not?

I could add my tuppenceworth but I see you guys have got this.

So instead I’ll just say thanks Alex and Stu!

Alba leafleting starts on Friday!!

Rock and roll!

FAINTHEART!
a new film starring «you know who» in a epic story of how to deceive most of the people most of the time.
OK, you’ve seen The Terror….now prepare to be even more gutted, eviscerated and have your brain smoothied in a blender.
A One world, be nice to your neighbour production in cooperation with How to manipulate the masses inc. funded by Billionaires Rule Yay!
And remember, Stay Safe you Turkeys!

I join the dots in a different way. The SNP is aware that independence is a low priority for around 80% of Scots at the moment. So why would they lead on it? It will alienate ordinary voters who’ve been swayed by the apparent strength of the COVID response and Sturgeon’s ability to appear convincing. On every real measure, she and her government have failed this country and the stench of corruption is obvious – but sadly it seems, only to those who seek it out.
She’s survived everything and will gain a majority now.

I don’t think the SNP are woke just because of the greens. There’s a large wave of woke among the young – who vote entirely with their hearts having yet to have that sinking feeling of seeing just how much comes off in tax. I don’t know about anyone else, but that was my moment of political awakening. It’s that young wave they are after, so I expect more of the same. They know that the lifers will vote for anything with an SNP logo. A vote is a vote. There’s no caveat that you held your nose while casting it.

@Alf Baird,

we, the common herd ,were given a democratic chance to free ourselves but 55% said no,

“Our real enemies are among us, born without imagination.”

Robert Cunninghame Graham 1930 ish

I watched this leaders debate this morning and the one thing I noticed was how these five leader all seemed happy with the Holyrood MSP members and its setup, from Ross to Harvie and Sturgeon they are happy with the current system for all there bull about the constitutional question. 7yrs and Sturgeon and her government haven’t made any progress at all from education to the NHS and no ground work for currency or pensions or what an Independent Scotland future will look like or how to achieve Independence, I got a leaflet through my door from the SNP and bin it straight away. I totally get why all these party’s are opposed to Alex and the Alba Party its the only party who want to push the issue forward.

Luigi@7.24
Perhaps it’s the other Murrell that’s been compromised but she’s the one over the barrel??
Whatever it is, the SNP in its current form is pointless. Their reason for existence is independence, a subject that now seems way down their list.
They are fast becoming another self serving anti Independence Party but with the monopoly on the bonkers policies.

Way back in the mid-late 1980s the SNP took a decision to become a ‘mainstream’ political party, with policies on a’thing and dropped their single focus on independence.

The SNP have been on this journey for almost 40 years and Alex Salmond was a key player in this process. Independence is simply politics to all of them. And like it or lump it they have been highly successful. Nicola Sturgeon has just amplified the message to achieve domestic political dominance, aided of course, by inept and/or corrupt opposition parties.

I remember going to the SNP National Conference in Dundee in 1987 as a local branch rep and despite terrible SNP polling at around 15-17% I could not get over how smiley a lot of the big names were ….. dressed in suits and high heels the conference was their Oscars and they loved it (almost as much as they loved themselves).

I, on the other hand, was depressed and could see no way forward that appealed to my patriotic nature. A bit like now.

The world has moved on, the social marketers backed up by their obedient AI led social media gurus, is handing us all over to the corporates to be consumed as the fodder we have become.

Some people decry patriotism and national self determination as divisive, and even racist. These people are fools because they believe in a dream that is ruthlessly promulgated by the corporations ‘ that we are all the same’ and that culture, language and a different world view are barriers to development (which to them is the amassing of huge power and wealth by corporations).

Hi Astonished – I know polls can be gamed, so I will caveat the following by adding Stu highlighted a similar statistic in a post a couple of months back: Polls Don’t Mean Prizes (near the end) – and this was in the Herald earlier in the week: Independence is viewed as the most important issue by fewer than one in five people according to recent poll data.

The poll, carried out by Savanta ComRes for The Scotsman put independence as the most important issue for just 19% of respondents, and down from a high of 23% in the same series of polls.

Sturgeon must surely know that the only way to negate Brexit, which Scotland will not recover from is Scottish independence.

twathater at 2:33 am
I recd the SNP leaflet from George Adam Paisley again NO mention of independence NO surprise..

Did you get that far? I tore mine up the minute I saw the ‘SNP yellow’ livery beneath my letterbox, I caught a glimpse of Adam’s cowardly mush as I tore-into it and binned it.

I think we can now officially and categorically declare Sturgeon’s SNP as the genuine and easily-spotted article – The Scottish Tories.
The more of Salmond we see, the more Sturgeon will Tory, the more the ‘Nicla’ crowd will see what’s actually taking place under their noses. Only problem is, some of the ‘Nicla’ cases are so severe it could be years before they’re cured of the disease of denial, with some pathetic souls never being cured.

I emailed STV twice asking why Mr Salmond was not “invited” on their so-called Leaders’ debate. I was not given a reason. Basically, it was what they “decided” and that was the end of the matter. Absolutely no mention of ALBA on any of their news programmes. That’s more than just a coincidence. It’s absolutely clear that STV/BBC and the the print media have “decided” on a common strategy – completely ignore ALBA and Alex Salmond.

I watched the leaders debate and the emphasis on recovery once Covid is no longer an issue.

Neither Sturgeon or Harvie, or any other pro-independence commentator on this topic, has mentioned that we will only have Barnett and a few hand-me-downs from the Tories to fund said recovery. Being independent on day 1 we would have full access to our $68 billion in tax revenues and the capability to borrow on the international money markets, or use QE, via our Central Bank.

Scotland has circa 30% of the UK’s natural capital which would underpin our new national currency, so creditworthiness should only be an issue for Westminster.

After the 2017 GE, when they lost so many MP’s, I toddled along to the local SNP Constituency Meet…

Swinney and Wisharts do.

Swinney stated, ‘we got it wrong, we should have put the message of Indy front and foremost, our supporters are very angry and when they challenge me about it I just have to suck it up like a big sponge – we got it wrong.’

The local branch chair has made a point since then, of ensuring ‘Independence’ is put in black and white in all campaign brochures since then.

However, went to see him at the back end of last year, distinct change in attitude, very much a corporate body, ‘wheesht for indy’ type. Got seriously indignant that I was concerned about the missing money, he’d ‘never heard of such a thing’… this from a guy who reads EVRYTHING about indy, including wings.

So, they are fully aware that this is going to lose them votes, and they are doing it deliberately.

If you believe that a Supermajority has got the Britnats seriously worried, then by hook or by crook the logical next step they have to achieve (if they cannot remove Alba) is to ensure that the SNP do not win on the Constituency votes.

Their tried and tested method, is to scunner good people so much that they just don’t turn out to vote… which will impact Alba too.

To those on the Constituency Seats for SNP, those that truly want Indy, you MUST create some blue water between yourselves and the SNP HCB, GRA, Corruption bollocks – so that the Abla team can actually vote for you… and more importantly campaign for you – you are going to need all the help you can get.

I remember a church advert that said ‘ Try Praying’. I wasn’t expecting a political party to adopt this policy.

Mind you. When you think about the Nicola zealots. They are a bit like one of these evangelical God’s army types. Next she will have us all singing and waving our arms like James Brown in ‘The Blues Brothers’.

Meanwhile Boris is destroying Scotland’s economy and stacking up more national debt.

I just noticed the BBC tonight combined the vaccinations given in England and Scotland!

They gave the separate figures for N Ireland and Wales. I wonder why??

A quick check revealed.

First jab only

Scotland 50% of the population
England 40% of the population

We see you BBC. You are getting really predictable and shoddy in the quality of the propaganda.

Ruby ….” I’ve made my own mind up and decided neither Andrew Neil nor Nicola Sturgeon are worth listening too.

Next!”

Hahaha aye , me too , plus ol’ Capn Y’s continuous love-song to fannybaws Anal Neil is getting really tedious .

Change that record will ye Capn , sounding a bit scratchy n was never much cop to start with

He who hopes is lost, action speaks louder than words.

This idea of this lot running a country fk me who knows what they will get up to without adult supervision

That they will not be running a country, managing its own elections, is the attractive part of the new configuration.

Once the payroll vote figure out that their longer term interests (ie the pay) lie without the current leadership, I can see them dusting off their saltires and tweeting about the referendum days.

If you think the [barely suppressed] bile and nastiness between Alba account and SNP account is palpable now, just wait till you see what it become after HR elections. We’ve (Alba) had to put up with the really thick and deluded among them, even promote their corrupt party, in order to get our own people into HR: kid gloves. I could’ve let-rip a million times if not for the end-result I desire.

I hate to say it, but this movement has become completely torn-asunder, shredded, beyond Life of Brian comparisons – mission accomplished – but I will not sit idly-by, all nicey-nice, on social media after May 6th whilst these naïve fools continue to assist Westminster holding power over Scotland.

Willie at 8.24

What is the evidence that leaving the EU has led to a low wage economy?
Exactly the opposite is the case, as soon as we left, real wages started to rise for the first time since 2008. The reason is clear. The main driver of low wages was the oversupply of labour so that competition for jobs allowed employers to pay minimum wages.
Once the inflow of labour reduced then real wages started to pick up.
The whole Blairite economic strategy was based on maintaining low wages and what they termed a ‘flexible labour market’. Being in the EU and allowing free movement was an essential element of this.

But an economy based on low wages is necessarily a low investment and low innovation economy. Why should any firm invest in labour saving technology when workers are cheap?

The pro-EU line of the SNP under Sturgeon is just a continuation of their Blairite neo-liberalism.

The Blairite line was a repudiation of the traditional Labour opposition to the EU just as the Sturgeonite line was a repudiation of the traditional SNP opposition to the EU. It was Thatcher who was campaigning for joining back in the 70s referendum. Remember that joining Europe in the first place was pushed by the Tories and opposed by both Labour and the SNP on the grounds that it would prevent any deliberate industrial policy to maintain full employment.

That is exactly what happened. Scotland today is a shadow of the industrial nation we were before going into the EU.

Like Blair, Sturgeon is the willing inheritor of Thatcher’s legacy.

Funny thing is. I was outside ma Hoose when the postie came, he said I have flyers for your bin, oh says I more SNP lies. Aye he says that’s what I, getting whenever I meet folk, they tell me to keep it or they will shove it in the bin anyway.

Nicola Sturgeon, the star of dystopia tv. Very very slowly winning round those soft No voters with the brilliant strategy of banishing the indy word. While her other half enriches himself year on year with party members’ and donors’ dosh.

Any remaining SNP members who are satisfied with the Murrells personal and political conduct must be prize simpletons.

Douglas MacMillan @ 9:14 am

“Some people decry patriotism and national self determination as divisive, and even racist. These people are fools”

Well said Douglas. Without our own Scottish ‘national consciousness’ , which is not nationalism (Fanon), there would be no desire for Scottish national independence. National consciousness is about our identity, it is who we are, determined by our own culture and (Scots) language. National consciousness is the people on AUOB marches holding their saltires aloft. Our national consciousness is the only thing that differentiates us from other peoples. Without national consciousness we are nothing, and we will continue to be nothing.

I joined ALBA on the second day and now want to donate something on the site and send money to the crowdfunder.

I live in the EU. Has anybody else joined from abroad?

Did the checkout details accept foreign addresses etc.??

Was there any problems with the process?

Thanks for any help.

Donating for the WOS crowdfunders or SNP membership (I apologise, am not a member anymore..!) was easy, so I’m being a bit careful. 🙂

She has served her purpose, too many red cards this past few months, she is actively campaigning NOT to be re elected. Hence enter stage right Alex Salmond. Too many voters didn’t like him before the pantomime, more won’t now, exactly what bojo the clown’s puppeteer Tony the cottager blair needs. Its all pointless now anyway. The plandemic is much further along than they could ever have hoped for. The sheep couldn’t get jagged quick enough so they could virtue signal how righteous they are. Anyway gov. UK had this all mapped out 20+ yrs ago, have a swatch at the futures series, the future of cities is good but a tad pointless reading it now, as the needle has brought everything forward by Years. This is all down to you bloody socialists, your dystopian world awaits.

John H @9:59

“I can easily see Sturgeon wearing remind by that time”.

Yes, Sturgeon in the Lords isn’t hard to imagine. Sitting next to Wishart, who became Lord Schlemiel of Old Scone.

John H. (The original one) says:
14 April, 2021 at 9:59 am

Sturgeon is literally destroying the SNP before our eyes. She knows exactly what she is doing. They will still stay in government, though without a majority. Then over the next few years she will weaken the party further until it is a shadow of what it once was. By the time she retires the unionists will have nothing to worry about from the SNP.

….

Well that’s the plan, but we have an election coming up and prognosticating on the the evils that will come does not excuse you from opposing them, now.

So, the SNP don’t think that independence is a vote winner then.

I’d think they’d have access to stats, polls and so on, which led them to this conclusion, so what does that tell you about the chances of YES winning any future referendum if even the SNP don’t think there’s any appetite for independence?

I know I know, the current SNP leadership stinks.

But please hold yer noses and vote SNP 1 and Alba 2. Just this once – I don’t believe we will have to do it again. Vote SNP on the constituency to help the Alba Party. Ye know it makes sense – even if it is a stinky sense! Holed yer noses.

Just this once folks. 🙂

Scot Finlayson @ 9:04 am

“Our real enemies are among us, born without imagination.”

I know the quote, however it is rather an incomplete view given the main protagonists involved in Scotland’s constitutional drama, and I assume you know who they are. I would suggest you might wish to read Albert Memmi’s ‘The Colonizer and the Colonized’ which provides a detailed portrait of both.

The level of sophistry and redirection apparent in these leaflets was what allowed WGD and his ilk, to argue that the SNP didn’t have any earlier valid mandates to pursue independence. Unfortunately, in Scottish elections the constitutional question is the elephant in the room that the SNP leadership don’t want to talk about as it would mean actually doing something about it.

ALBA crowdfunder:-
link to crowdfunder.co.uk

If/when ye have time, I recommend listening to Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh’s interview on Barrhead Boy:

link to barrheadboy.com

I wasn’t impressed with Tasmina when she first appeared on the scene, but boy was I wrong. What an intelligent, articulate lady. If that is the calibre of Alba Party candidates, no wonder the Brtish establishment is doing it’s very worst to pretend the Alba Party doesn’t really exist.

“Move on, move on, nothing to see here – it’s all a figment of your scotch imagination!”. 🙂

I wonder if Sturgeons political progress was not despite her actions as a lawyer, but because of them. In short, she earned favours by arseing things up deliberately. Her behaviour as FM appears to suggest she has the skill set.

Willie @ 8:24 am

“Well, here’s the real deal”

An accurate synopsis, Willie.

It is now a clear choice of either national independence or Scotlan nae mair, and an ever more subjugated pile of worthlessness and humiliation.

Haud yer nebs fowks! SNP ane (except NS cabal) / ALBA twa

@ Mist001 says:
14 April, 2021 at 10:11 am

So, the SNP don’t think that independence is a vote winner then.

I’d think they’d have access to stats, polls and so on, ‘

You make a good point, and at this period in time, I think we have to look at the opinion polls with a huge degree of skepticism.

Lets recap:

Support for Indy hovered at the 50% mark until October ish 2020.

Just as Nicla was approaching the November SNP Confernence – suddenly BIG leaps in support to almost the 60% mark.

And there were a lot of them. Normally when you get an Indy poll showing over 50% support, the very next thing you get is an absolute drowt of any more polls. But no, there were between 10 and 20 of the damned things.

It was enough to ensure there was no VONC in Niclas leadership at the conference.

Trouble with polls that high supporting Indy, is it weakens the argument for not either holding a Plebiscite Indy Election (in May 2121, so just months away) or actually formally requesting that S30 order with a time limit on it, and a disclaimer that ‘no reply’ will be deemed a refusal – all good ammo in an upcoming HE.

So the polls had to drop. And drop they did.

Brexit happened in January 2021 – deeply damaging. That was the only big change. No good news for the Brits at all…. and yet, and yet, suddenly support for Indy dropped back down to the 50% ish mark again.

However, the new rallying cry was, ‘look at Nicla’s approval ratings’.

And they too have now conveniently dropped to 0 – just in time to discourage/dishearten the Indy / SNP voter from turning out to vote.

I normally take the view that ‘rigging’ opinion polls serves no-one because the rigger ends up lieing to themselves.

But this time out, I’m taking the view, that the Britnats have the money to hold their own opinion polls that do not get published, and the published ones to influence. I’m guessing that rigging an opinion poll isn’t too difficult for the Britnats to do, all things considered.

One other thing worth keeping in mind. The political triangulation/New Labour technique, was to make the political parties so similar, that there was nothing to chose between them, and ensure the voters had no one else to vote for.

These voters do not then rebel, stand for election themselves or form new parties. These voters get heartbroken and scunnert, then just stay at home.

It’s a very succesful method, tried and tested. And it is absolutely what is happening now, in front of our very eyes with SNP.

No wonder they’re bricking it over Alba and Alex.

If the SNP don’t think independence is a vote winner when opinion polls are showing over 50% support, what on earth is the point of them.

I mean wow, just wow.

I don’t think the SNP are Independence winners.

And sadly, they don’t appear to have the necessary grit to even be able to stand up for devolution.

True Scot @9:18am

Guess that means that when SNP get more than 20% of the vote it’ll prove they embraced the fine art of cheating long long ago and, tyrannical health regimes and legacy trust issues notwithstanding, muffled hallelujahs might be in order after all.

Just donated to Alba Crowdfund its at 91%- last two days.

This could be dictated by the Great Dictator herself. A vague list of feelgood aspirations with dubious claims inflated into ‘facts’. A false piece of PR as you are likely to see.

Half of them are the results of Westminster policy, whether you like it or not. The others are just nonsense – such as on education and jobs. The desperation to use covid as a demonstration of the Great Leader’s abilities is laughable, but explains exactly why she hogged the press conferences as if it showed someone in charge, which the covid record would refute easily.

But the most egregious give away is the absurd ‘global leader on climate change’. This demonstrates exactly the diminutive Nikla’s desperation to be seen as a ‘global’ progressive leader and her delusions of grandeur. Ask your candidate if their claims about climate change are reflected in their refusal to do anything at all about the scandal and inequity of land ownership in Scotland, which has a direct effect on climate change.

The whole thing is a demonstration of their utterly vacuous claims to be an actual government, while in reality being the branch office of WM, administrators with a little local wiggle room, but very little real power. They have convinced themselves they are a government, and thus why do they need to promote independence? The trappings of office have convinced them of their own ballooning self-importance, betrayed in Sturgeon’s arrogance about who should be allowed on election programmes, as if she, as a candidate, gets to choose and dictate.

This juvenile list of pretension is designed to make impressionable people believe she runs an actual government, and to put aside any ideas which might upset the middle classes she serves, such as independence, climate change action, social democratic ideas of equality and redistribution etc. It is a huge conjuring trick, which of course also omits their record on controversial subjects such as hate crime and trans policies.

They are shameless, lying hucksters, just like Johnson and his mob, immune to democracy, real debate or radical ideas which we desperately need. They have got so comfortable in office with their inflated salaries and benefits matching their inflated egos. People who now believe they have an absolute right to rule, without any challenge, scrutiny or checks and balances. They are the establishment sine qua non. And need to be opposed and exposed for exactly that reason.

I have been convinced for quite some time now that what we have seen for the last 6 years has been nothing but smoke and mirrors and industrial scale deception. In my opinion, the SNP died on 14 November 2014, the day a political fraud, with no intention whatsoever to deliver independence and quite possibly with someinconvenient skeletons in her closet, took over its leadership.

There appears to be a cell unit within the SNP including the usual suspects (those that are always in the press pages patronising us, bossing us around, insulting us to silence us) and the leadership itself.

It seems to me this cell has been tasked with forcing a directional change of SNP policy towards becoming more pro-Israel, pro-neoliberalism, pro-USA, anti-Russia and of course pro-UK. I think there are plenty of examples of this.

By the look of it, this cell has also been tasked with ejecting from the party the most active pro independence members, and perhaps that is one of the reasons why their leaflets are now far more appealing to devolutionists than to pro independence supporters. I think there are plenty of examples too that some of the most active and vocal pro independence members have left the party in disgust and some of them joined Alba.

In other words, that unit has been tasked with deconstructing the SNP as an anti establishment pro indy party to transform it into another British establishment compliant political arm, innocuous to the English and American establishments, and willing to comply at all times with instructions of abusing the colony of the north as the testing ground for harmful policies that are simply too politically toxic to try in England.

This queer theory crap the political fraud is forcing down our throats is the poll tax all over again, isn’t it? Impose and test it in Scotland to see the damage before extending it to England. Or even worse, impose it in Scotland sparing England from the damage so the UK can persuade some foreign government to close some toxic for Scotland trade deal.

Hurting Scottish people you say? Well that is what UK “patriotism” is all about, isn’t it? Wave the UJ a couple of times and the pain will soon go away or be welcome as “pride”. To be exploited and to be used as the human shields for England is what the people from the colonies are there for and what they ought to aspire to at all times. Isn’t it?

Everything this woman has done in the last 6 years has been to stop if not derail independence. Every move. Every speech. Every delay. Every political conspiracy. Every taxpayers’ penny spent. Every “mistake”.

She has deliberately closed most doors that were opened to us to dissolve this union when Mr Salmond stepped down and is now continuing at pace to lock the door of the referendum. During the last 5 years she used the con act of the S30 to delay it. I am convinced she was hoping to use the S30 as the ultimate permanent padlock on indyref, but too many saw right through her deception.

That is when the queen of covid oscar deserving role emerged. COVID was a convenient extension of the S30. When the effect of COVID as a tool to stop indyref started to wear off and the lockdowns could not be prolonged forever, up it came the next tool: the devastating economic effects of COVID. Never mind the queen of covid could have closed the borders and stop the virus continuously entering back into Scotland. But the economy excuse is also wearing off, particularly when Mr Salmond is already announcing having plans to deal with it.

So, the next tool is already in the testing stage:

the last email from Martin Keatings is very clear. After attempting to derail the court case, this woman is now already warning England’s government that she will pass the bill in Scotland’s parliament before it is established if it is the competence of Holryood. Just as she did with the continuity bill, this move will give plenty of time to Westminster to block it before it gets the royal assent and retrospectively change the law to permanently block it. It now seems the continuity bill was just a wonderful opportunity to test that this route would work for Westminster when the time to block in an England court, with English law, Scotland’s right to hold indyref arrived. With that continuity bill, she has set up a precedent of English law quashing Scots law, didn’t she? So why wouldn’t it work?

Why hasn’t she been expelled from her post after the shenanigans with the complaints procedure against Mr Salmond and the grotesque bill her incompetence forced upon Scotland’s taxpayers?

Why hasn’t the Lord advocate been expelled after his evident corruption and after completely trashing the reputation of the COPFS?

Because it seems to me that the entire British establishment, and that includes her, the sycophants in the cell unit, the crown agent, the lord advocate and of course the civil service, have been behind this with one objective and one objective only: to stop Mr Salmond getting back into Holyrood and derailing their project to permanently stop independence.

That is the reason why this political fraud, why the propaganda mouthpieces of the British establishment and the British establishment are now losing their sht pumping propaganda like crazy against Alba instead of seriously scrutinising Sturgeon, the civil service that did not conduct due diligence checking the background of the organisations it is funding, Stonewall, LGBT YOuth Scotland and ILGA for that infamous charter.

But we have seen it all before. Haven’t we? It is always the same moves, the same tactics, the same propaganda.

In 2015 we saw civil servants leaking to the press a memo about Sturgeon. Carmichael was framed for it, while the civil servant that leaked it left scot free and even got a better job. Well, has any civil servant been sacked for allowing confidential, sensitive information to exit Sturgeon’s SGov and entering a newspaper? Oh dearie me no!. What we have seen is raises in salaries at our expense and shockingly, Evans’ boss in Whitehall being parachuted to the HoLs out of the way instead of demanding from him a full official investigation as the one conducted when the memo was leaked in 2015.

What we saw in 2015 with Miliband stating that he would not work with Sturgeon if the SNP won, is exactly what we are hearing from the political fraud saying that if Alba gets into HOlyrood she would not cooperate. The same script, the same propaganda, the same lies, the same deception, the same contempt for the voters and quite possibly the exact same person/team writing the script.

For years Labour has been telling us the lie that the only way we can stop England forcing on us a tory government is by voting labour in Scotland. “Who are we going to vote otherwise? Now the exact same pathetic script has been adopted by Sturgeon’s SNP to tell us, even more aggressively (desperately, actually) if you are an independence supporter, who are you going to vote for if not SNP? or more pathetically, telling us that if we do not vote SNP we are “unionists” when Sturgeon’s SNP has been far more unionist than the tories since she took control of the SNP in 2014.

Socialists and the grass roots in labour were kept in check by being continuously insulted as antisemitic. The most active pro-independence politicians in the SNP and most impatient pro yes activists have been insulted and called cybernats, unionists, transphobes, homophobes, racists and Russian trolls. In some extreme cases, they were even called several of those things at once or subjected to malicious prosecutions.

WE have seen over and over again the exact same deception game been played in front of our eyes for the last 6 years: the only way Sturgeon’s SNP looks like an independence party is when it is lined up simultaneously with tories, labour and libdems and even Greens. The moment you put a real pro indy party in the line, they are ousted as what they are: unionists and charlatans.

That is why Mr Salmond cannot possibly be in the TV debates. That is why he cannot be in HOlyrood or Westminster. That is why they are not airing Alba’s manifesto. That is why Ms Cherry cannot be in the front bench. They have to maintain the illusion that the political fraud and her eviscerated SNP are seeking independence when it is clear as day they are doing the precise opposite.

The task to maintain this illusion falls on the England parties. By filling up their campaign leaflets with anti referendum nonsense they continue to prolong the illusion the SNP is really seeking the referendum, or even independence. It is of course deliberate and all an act aiming to deceive. But this is an act where the unionist parties are the ones tasked with giving for free credibility to the SNP rather than the SNP itself working to earn that credibility. This is why the political fraud can get away with polluting our mailboxes and insulting our intelligence with leaflets that do not contain the word independence even once and still pretend to be pro independence. It is a house of cards built on no foundations at all and we have been fooled with this tactic since this political fraud took control of the SNP.

But Alba is threatening to kibosh all this deceptive set up, hence their urgency.

The day Mr Salmond launched ALBA, the British establishment (and I include STurgeon in it), realised the political conspiracy that started sometime in 2017 (I refuse to believe Mr Salmond simply lost his seat without some kind of “help”), failed miserably.

Millions of taxpayers’ money wasted in this enterprise, the credibility of the Sturgeon as a pro indy gone, the credibility of the Lord Advocate, the crown agents, the entire civil service in Scotland, the COPFS, the parliamentary committee and even our judges gone, and they achieved absolutely nothing, apart of opening the eyes of a few more voters to the reality that for as long as Scotland remains in the union, democracy and justice are just an illusion.

It is very likely that Mr Salmond will get back in Holyrood, continuing to expose STurgeon for the political fraud she is, and his presence there will continue remind us of the political conspiracy and how the COPFS, civil service, lord advocate and Holyrood committees are nothing but unprincipled tools of the British establishment that sooner walk over justice, ethics and democracy than allowing Scotland get anywhere near independence.

What is worse, the British establishment has failed to deny all those yes voters Sturgeon has been working so hard for the last 6 years to disenfranchise, a vehicle to channel their rage, to express their disgust for the corruption and lack of democracy and justice, their disgust at Sturgeon’s procrastination and to communicate their desire for independence, all while helping to eject a bunch of unionist MSPs, from Holyrood.

AT all possible effects, the political fraud has failed in her ultimate mission. She may have succeeded in delaying independence for 5 years, but she has failed in her main task, which was to keep Salmond out of politics and to make us believe we can be governed fairly in the UK as a devolved nation. She is advocating for SNP 1 and 2 knowing that such strategy will give free seats to unionist parties, because without “unionist” parties in sufficient numbers in Holyrood, her and her party will be exposed as unionists too.

The British establishment needs a political fraud leading the SNP in power because if it is one of the English parties who forms government, the union won’t last. If the SNP does not get a majority and the greens lose their seats because of Alba, then Alba may well get the levers of power.

Clearly Sturgeon’s SNP is in dire need of a wee boost after more and more people see Sturgeon as a political fraud and after the recent fiasco involving ILGA, Stonewall and LGBT Youth that puts serious questions over Sturgeon’s government interest in protecting our children. What better way to restore Sturgeon’s shattered credibility about her concerns about children and support for Scotland’s “autonomy” than to hand to her an opportunity to insult the tories for being so nasty stopping a children’s bill? Or is the children bill another test run to clear the way for when the indyref bill needs to be blocked by England’s government?

It is all an act, isn’t it? Rescuing and keeping Sturgeon in power and giving her SNP carcass a majority appears to be far more important for the British establishment than giving Dross an ounce of credibility or his branch a chance.