Wings Over Scotland

DRoss – projecting stupidity through the Armed Forces.

Always look forward to early Saturday morning such an uplifting point in the week.Well done again Chris,fantastic.

Opinion polls now suggest that Alba now seems unlikely to gain any regional list seats in the election for the Scottish Parliament. So far, only one of 5 polls (Panelbase) shows a percentage vote share (6%) that gives Alba a chance of winning seats. While Sturgeon is quite clearly posing as a supporter of Scottish independence while doing everything in her power to procrastinate on this matter, sadly Alba now looks unlikely to provide the supermajority to drive it forwards that Salmond and others hope for.

What rhymes with Tank and stands on one?
DRoss – Excess waste material.
How apt.

@daodao

The only way Alba will achieve anything is by abandoning the tactic of crawling up Sturgeon’s backside and become a party in its own right. They need to go on the attack and drive voters from the New SNP and the greens or else they will become a footnote of history.

I’ve lost respect for Salmond how we went from saying Nicola Sturgeon wasn’t fit to be FM and that Scotland was too corrupt to be independent (as did Jim Sillars, Robin McAlpine and anyone else who paid attention) to now saying none of that matters as he desperately tries to suck up to her.

It seems to me that like many people who are let down or abused by friends and family Salmond is unable to process that Nicola Sturgeon was never his friend because to do so would harm his fragile ego. Sturgeon is a manipulative narcissistic psychopath who has used every single person she has ever known and in Peter Murrell she found a like mind. Salmond is someone who desperately needs to be liked and it is now seriously affecting his judgement. As someone who was once ripped off by a close family member I found the best way to deal with it was face the reality of the situation, accept the person was a twisted bastard, get my revenge, wash my hands of them then draw a line under it and move onwards and upwards leaving them behind. That’s what Salmond needs to do because this continual begging for acceptance from a person who tried to send him to die in jail is pathetic and undermines all the claims he previously made about her.

Baldy galloway – Tory enabler.

Daodao – You wish ( if that’s you mr murrell I’d start having porridge for breakfast).

I would also suggest you tell nicola to start backtracking on the hate crime and genderwoowoo if she wants to keep her seat (Although I doubt anyone will believe her).

P.S. Great cartoon Chris.

Well, IF the ALBA party fails to do well, then for the first time, I will be bitterly disappointed in the YES movement.

How sad to witness another limb of our mighty 2014 juggernaut left emaciated and withering under Sturgeon’s interminable nullity.

One question occurs to me, which I’m surprised nobody has asked, (or maybe they have and I’ve missed it), but when did the SNP become aware that Sturgeon left the legal profession under a cloud and on the point of being struck off? Seems extraordinary that such an indelible black mark on someone’s conduct and integrity would survive vetting, especially for higher positions in a political party.

Rather begs a question about the SNP’s vetting protocols, – coincidentally the access point for the smear campaign conspiracy against Alex Salmond.

I cannot understand the Scots obsession with Galloway.
Politically he was yesterday’s man in the 1990’s.

Is it something to do with the I’m a Celebrity TV show or am I missing something.

We all appear to hold great aspirations for Alex and Alba
to free Scotland from 2 corrupt governments but the U.K. media
and the somewhere over the rainbow Independence Party are
hindering and slandering at every opportunity of which there are many.

So how are the public and real independence supporters reacting to their
Crowdfunder and membership offers?

Well the Crowdfunder if £15,000 short with few days remaining and only
900 people have bothered to put in even the smallest donation.

You really do get nothing for nothing and you have got to give to get!

link to crowdfunder.co.uk

A week is a long time in politics.

Anyone giving up on Alba this early is suspicious.

As a rule I do not grieve anyone over threescore years and ten but do acknowledge any good they have done and tend to ignore the bad for the sake of those close.

Nicolas Witchel is earning his corn and too late for the bucket as I now entered the dry boak stage.Surprised by some eulogising but realise there is a demographic they have to suck up to but some like oor Angus Rob make Witchel jealous.

ALBA has been in existence a matter of days..i’m told someonr opined that a week is a long time in politics. We shall see.
However, the royal propaganda card is being played.
No time for sentiment.

Pay nae heed to some of the trolls above… Alba will do very well.

The polls are coming out thick and fast right now because they (those opposed to independence) want to crow that ALBA have yet to make major inroads. But it has been less than 2 weeks so far too early to ascertain impact.

I reckon the polls will show a marked shift toward ALBA by the end of this month.

I recall the two US politicians talking on camera (deliberately/staged) after GG had torn the US Senate Committee a new arse.

They were saying that they had ‘achieved what they set out to achieve’ – meaning they had successfully called a sitting Government Politician from a foreign country in front of a US Senate Committee to answer to them, indicating fealty/acknowledging their authority.

A precedent was set.

Well done GG – fucking halfwit.

Shocked says:
10 April, 2021 at 8:32 am
@SR

Explain the volte face then. From causing her of serious criminal conduct to now saying she should be FM and trying to become allies with her again…

Because she’s a crooked petty liar and a crook who wriggled out of being sacked for malpractice, “again” , but Alex Salmond has the sense to understand there are bigger issues at stake right now, like the prospect of a Holyrood Supermajority being able to reverse and undo Sturgeon’s brainless ineptitude and damaging precedent of affording Boris Johnson a Section 30 veto over Scottish Democracy, and put Scottish Independence back on the agenda. Because you can be damn sure neither Sturgeon nor her cronies have the brain power needed to figure it out for themselves.

A wee word to the wise…

Some moderate concern about ALBA might be no bad thing if it gees folks up to get on and do something.

I’m confident ALBA is here to stay, and frankly, once it has it’s feet under the table, I hope it takes no prisoners.

@holymacmoses

I’ve got principles and stick to them and I respect others who do the same. Politics is not an adequate excuse for such a volte face and it leaves it open for people to now question everything Alex Salmond claims was done against him. The criminal corruption of the New SNP is so much bigger than politics.

The reason I detest sturgeon so much for what she tried to do to Alex Salmond is not because she did it to him, but because she could do it to anyone and if she did it to him just imagine what she would do to you or I. That is why Nicola Sturgeon should never again hold public office and it’s why once her hands are removed from the levers of power she should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and face a lengthy jail term.

My prediction for the election is either a SNP majority based on the constituency vote alone or a SNP informal coalition with the greens, with the greens just being nodding dogs as they are now. Alba will achieve nothing because outside of the hard core nationalist element there is no reason to vote for them because all they are offering is more Nicola Sturgeon and rather than I expected Salmond to do, start up a genuine nationalist opposition the SNP, he’s just set up SNP2 with different badges. Just like ISP or AFI, waste of time.

Before Sturgeon “retired” from the legal profession a female (FEMALE) client had to endure years of abuse from her partner because Sturgeon did not file a restraining order, neither did Sturgeon file the paperwork for legal aid ( it was found at the bottom of a filing cabinet when her replacement took over the case).

Sturgeon has never apologised to that Woman. She should therefore not stand for office since she has failed to apologise for that. She let her down badly. Mental and physical abuse suffered because she did not do her job and protect her.

Only the English editions covered the story. Funny that!

@stuart Mackay

I have got over it (I bet many others wouldn’t) my point was to share my experience of what is the best way to deal with something like that and that is what Alex Salmond needs to do.

Stuart MacKay @ 8:50am

“Only biological females need apply”

I’m old enough to remember when just saying “Women’s Conference” would have been enough.

Shocked says:
10 April, 2021 at 9:21 am

To your average Joe in the street there is no reason to vote Alba.

Says an SNP automaton who patently doesn’t understand what a supermajority actually is.

The polls are always wrong. (or they lie, take your pick).

I am not as shocked as Shocked appears to be as he is shocked in a way that makes me shocked that Shocked is shocked.

SNP1 and Alba2 ie Con SNP list Alba leads to a better denouement and a damn sight quicker than demolition and rebuild. Sheesh,I see em!

Heaver,
The polls have been weaponised for years, instead of a measurement of people’s thoughts and intentions they are used to influence.

Super cartoon, made me laugh.

A wee question re the lists.

Can anyone confirm/correct

A party puts forward List candidates, and sets them in an order that can then not be altered or shuffled about?

And one way or another Nicla and Swinney (and possibly the others) have got themselves placed at position number 2 on the list?

If so, they have maximised their chances of winning the list seat position (should they fail to take the constituency seat).

So, what happens if they win the Constituency seat – does their list seat position, become null and void, does list seat candidate number 1 come back into the running and get it, or does number 3 get bumped up the list, and take it? Anyone know.

I don’t suppose it becomes Null and void – by it would be useful to know for certain, really not something a party should be doing if it does – they are supposed to Maximise representation, not maximise those and such as those getting elected. However, I don’t know.

So, Position number 2 on the list, and why its really the position that gives them the best chance of being elected.

2016 figures (roughly, from memory):

Mid Scotland

SNP 9 Contituency seats won.

List votes SNP 120,000 Tories 73,000, labour 51,000

Round 1 120,000 divided by ten – new total 12,000

SNP with a figure of 12,000 will be nowhere in the running until round 7. Step up SNP list candidate number 2. In 2016 12,000 was not enough, but in other areas I think the greens got the last seat on similar (maybe just a wee bit higher) numbers.

Why this is important, is a lot of folk want to vote tactically to get Nicla out (me too by they way), and they see that someone else is at number 1 on the SNP list and are thinking that’s good, we have a chance to oust her.

But DeHont is a bugger.

One thing is certain. On the list vote, the vast majority of previous SNP votes, now need to go to Alba, not just to ensure maximim Alba representation, but to ensure the SNP bigwigs don’t get 2 bites at the cherry and game they system to their own benefits.

Likewise if, getting elected on the Constituency seat, means being placed on the list, and then winning that seat also, the seat becomes enforced vacant. That is a policy that the party members need to know about and put a stop to.

Anyway – List vote – Alba – yes, yes, yes.

Shcked @ 9.21pm
But Alba can’t – they’re just a list party. For any chance of them getting seats they need the SNP to take the constituency (which they will do anyway). The only way Alba can go toe-to-toe is once they’re in parliament. That’s when you’ll see them take the SNP head on.

That’s why the supermajority concept is appealing, get the most independence seats elected, then go in hard to hold the SNP to account.

ALBA conference for women’s concerns is online via zoom.
Quote from site.
[Any woman can join in to listen to our discussions which will cover gender-proofing all our policies to ensure women are front and centre in all our policy considerations.
This will be an all-women safe space event.]
Aside from questioning the need for such a thing at this time, the stuff about all-women safe space given the virtual nature of the «event» seems curiously superfluous and not a little wokey.
BTW: Zoom is a Chinese platform about which there are «safety» concerns.
ALBA, do stick to the brief!
and the politics needs to go on 24/7, regardless of who has died.

I turned on the TV to see what was happening in
the world but almost every channel is spewing out
gallons of gloss about a man who retired about 70 years ago.

Having to watch Sponge Bob Square Pants to avoid it but
I fear he’s going to mention him any minute.

I gave up and went out for a drive that took in 2 Digital Billboards.
Both permanently showing a picture of Philip and his date of birth and death.

That must cost an absolute fortune.
It shows just how rich the suppressors of the Scots are!

Breeks,
I’m sure that particular penny isn’t going to drop for him any time soon.

«John McNab» is obviously an AngloBot.
A John Buchanish Scotchman type bot, not quite in the first flush.

Yes , for the negatrons – suspiciously- talking down the chances of Alba in the coming H.E , the point is …..whatever the outcome in May we’re going to need a Party capable of not only advancing our cause of Independence, but to protect us from the ravages of Westminster/Tory rule , something New SNP are totally incapable of , so fixated are they on Identity Politics buffoonery , we’re virtually defenceless currently . In fact , not only do we need a Party to protect us against the historic Unionist enemy , we need a counter to the lunacy of one Party that supposedly had our interests as a priority ie the SNP, anyone with a functioning intelligence can see that Party has been mangled beyond all recognition , of repair .

So , ALBA , not just for May , for the foreseeable .

” or repair “

A list MSP can stand down at any point and the next on the Party list automatically becomes a MSP e.g.
Conservative Regional MSP Douglas Ross resigned as Highland and Islands MSP after being elected as MP for Moray in June 2017. He was replaced by Jamie Halcro Johnston at Holyrood.

A SNP top ranked list candidate, if elected, could resign on Election Day to save a “name”.
Another reason to vote ALBA on the list.

ttomanboi says:
10 April, 2021 at 10:18 am
«John McNab» is obviously an AngloBot.
A John Buchanish Scotchman type bot, not quite in the first flush.

This is what passes for persuasion, is it?

Breeks says:
10 April, 2021 at 8:32 am

“but when did the SNP become aware that Sturgeon left the legal profession under a cloud and on the point of being struck off?”

No idea about the SNP but it was common knowledge in the legal profession over 15 years ago – my cousin (criminal solicitor in Edinburgh at the time) told me about it in the early 2000s.

I think her comment at the time was “she’s so negligent not even a free solicitors practice will keep her on” (Govan Law Centre IIRC).

The United Kingdom is Scotland & England in union. If one drops out there is no United Kingdom.
Very simple, but one party and its establishment would be subject to considerable loss of international face.

O/T
Utterly scunnered about the wall to wall BBC coverage of the death of a 99 year old?
Complaint form attached.

link to bbc.co.uk

Is it safe to turn the wireless on again yet?

Yesterday, I maintained media isolation till teatime, switched on Radio 3, got the tail end of something pleasant, then the announcer said “and that was the Portuguese Suite, driving in to work earlier I noticed the Portuguese Embassy flag at half mast….” Off again.

pls advise.

@ Daisy

As I understand it, the Party ranked positions aren’t knocked out in each round. The first ranked candidate for a Party picks up a list seat when the Regional list vote share for that party (after constituency divisors) comes into play in any particular round.

John McNab 10:18
Oh pull the other one, your not in the least up for «persuasion».

@Effigy

Couple of pics of the cuffs on his most dapper evening wear appear to suggest that he went from Lieutenant 70 years ago, to Admiral of the fleet. Irrespective of how it was achieved, his keen sense of humour marks him out as one of the truly good guys who probably would have been only too keen for Scottish independence if those planning it had only had the presence of mind to organise it in such a way that his wife got to be longest serving British monarch for all time and the currency adopted to compete with that of the bank of england had adopted the profile of Duke of Edinburgh as its symbol of trust..

That said, and setting aside how he managed to survive the car crash a few years ago, Pete Roberts comment on previous thread raises the rather intriguing question of who the head freemason might now be – and on what authority.

Former Tory Minister Alan Duncan has published a book
where he passes opinion on those he worked with.

It seems Edwina Currie called John Major a C**t.
Boris described as a stain on the UKs international
reputation, a selfish ill-disciplined shambolic clot.

Mrs May a frightened rabbit, a cardboard cut out with
sub zero social skills.

Gove is a unctuous freak, a whacky weirdo.

He has many more correctly labelled that we well know about.

Unctuous is such a wonderful descriptor for the raptor in question.

John McNab @ 9.58am
There were plenty of us calling out our concerns on NS since before Brexit and certainly after Brexit. The problem was Stu’s BTL, was at the time, inhabited by SNP cultists (who’ve in the main defected to WGD) so voices got shut down.

But make no mistake there were peeps trying to highlight that NS had no intention of delivering independence.
Probably the most diligent was Colin Alexander and he got pelters day in day out, but I think in hindsight he’s been pretty on the money for most of it.

Daisy
I was under the impression that when Eva left the SNP and joined ALBA Stefan Hoggan-Radu shot up to No1 from somewhere around 7th? because he is disabled and in our constituency 1st place is reserved for a disabled candidate. I’m not sure but wasn’t John Swinney always 1st on the list in previous years? When this happened I did wonder what would happen if Nicola loses in the constituency but SNP get a list seat and Rosa Salih has to step down for some reason – I would imagine another BAME candidate would have to get the No1 position. Why have the new NEC rule otherwise? I might have this all wrong though…no doubt someone will know for sure!

Error..2022 is the year of the Great Rejoicing jingofest.
An outfit in Glasgow is keeping the UJ flying for Scotland…yaye!
Read about it here.
link to aproxima.co.uk

Roughly, the era of Sentimentalism (analogous to the nowtimes) gave way to the Romantic era, via the French Revolution.

Have posted this a few times since it was published but it’s always worth a re-read, and a great antidote to the barrage of sycophantic fiction we’re all enduring.

link to nytimes.com

Nice one Chris, I had great respect for Galloway at one point, his performance at the US Senate was masterly, his endeavours to aid the Palestinian people is admirable, his compassion to bring a young Iraqi child to Scotland for medical treatment of which he paid for, was exceptionally compassionate.

However Galloway’s intense hatred of Scottish independence, and his new found love for the Tories, and ultimately the establishment, has left a sour taste in my mouth, and he will end up on the wrong side of Scottish history when the dust settles.

Meanwhile folk are sick to the stomach with all this nauseating coverage of Phil the Greek, but this is what happens when a foreign country owns your terrestrial media channels.

link to thenational.scot

I’m not sure that recalling the Scottish Parliament on Monday to listen to turgid encomia about Philip is even legal. Parliament is not in recess, it has been dissolved for an election. We no longer have MSPs, we have candidates. The FM and her cabinet are still in place, so that the country can function, but only they hold office. Several dozen of the last lot of MSPs have already retired. Ken Macintosh isn’t the Presiding Officer now.

For anyone who is demoralised about polling of Alba or the crowdfund, you’ll probably know that you can contribute through the website, which is separate. I contributed there, not on crowdfund. We know they have at least 5000 members and I’d assume it’s much higher now. I’ve volunteered for local activism and not been contacted yet, so I’d assume there will be more activity soon (once everyone has recovered from the shock of a 99-year-old that we never met dying).

Grand National Party Tips-

SNP- Cabaret Queen or Any Second Now

Labour- Definitely Red

Tory- Acapella Bourgeois

Lib Dem’s- Talk is cheap

Alba- Give me a copper

Greens- Cloth Cap

Alba is the only party many of us will vote for, people within SNP are with Alba. When NS is gone that puts SNP and Alba in a very powerful position if they get the MSPs. NS is fighting for survival, when they turn on her its going to be quick and vicious, she knows its coming, she needs SNP to be propped up by the Greens for her to stay in power. Thats a view I am putting forward.

Yeah I agree with some in here that ALBA will do much better than we think come May 6th, however the old chestnut of fiddling with the postal votes is really the only way that the establishment can do ALBA down.

Is IDOX and ex-Tory Peyer Lilley still involved in the Scottish process?

Effigy & 8.40

The average donation so far is £39.18p, not bad IMO

If we dwell on negativity and a hatred of all things English, we are attempting to establish a nation on what we are not rather than what we are.
What I despise about the SNP is that they have made what we appear to be as corrupt and incompetent. In other words, they have stolen our national identity.
Scotland used to be considered a bastion of free speech and justice built upon the principles of the enlightenment but we are now thought of on the international stage as a rather squalid backwater. More Zimbabwe than New Zealand.
What struck me about AS’s testimony at HR was that he still believed in the institutions that had been corrupted and attributed responsibility to those in charge rather than Scotland per se.
I hope that this is true and that the cancer of corruption has not infected the whole state.
Personally, I would prefer to postpone independence until we can ensure that justice will be served in a nation state and I know that will make me an enemy of many on this site, but would you seriously give enhanced powers to NS, Swinney et al?
Seriously???

@stuart Mackay

I can’t even understand half of that.

My issue with Salmond is that Alba, that should have been a long planned operation with years in the planning to take on and replace the SNP looks like a rush job with no plan beyond supporting someone he was calling corrupt and a criminal a few weeks ago. That doesn’t wash with me, I know what sturgeon has done, as does anyone who reads wings, and I cannot condone voting for her or her party on any level. Sturgeon needs jailed, end of, as do every other corrupt bastard who was involved in the Salmond situation and any other corruption she has been involved in. The fact she is even standing for election shows how utterly screwed up Scotland is. It is a bad joke.

DJ @ 11:17 am

“Anyone using the word secessionist is no friend of Scottish independence.”

Correct, the facts of Scottish sovereignty and the Treaty of Union ensures that Scotland is neither Quebec or Catalonia; secession or UDI does not therefore apply to Scotland.

A treaty-based alliance agreement may be ended by any signatory party to it, according to the European Court of Justice, and may be effected by the decision of a majority of a country’s national representatives. ALBA’s #Supermajority strategy to commence negotiations for Scotland’s withdrawal from its UK alliance therefore complies with international law.

Republic of Scotland 11:50
Please…there is some measure of Greek, albeit via Egypt, in my DNA. the DoE could not even claim that…
He hated Greece and by extension probably its people.
He was a fine specimen of the Danish German princeling type.
May he, however, RIP.

@TNS2019

I am with you. We can’t build a country on rotten foundations.

Stuart MacKay + 1320

Exacterooni.

Bear in mind the metacontext Scotland sits in, because no man is an island unless his name is Madagascar. We’re in an increasingly unstable global order (politically, economically, culturally, demographically) that’s changing in ways few would have predicted 10 years ago, unless they preferred tinfoil chapeaus and hand-photocopied their own newsletters. TPTB are trying to clamp down on the implications of this with an upswing in woke authoritarianism and completely unsustainable spending splurges that would make John Maynard Keynes shit his breeks in terror. This is a sign of weakness, not strength. Nassim Taleb talks about fragility – the entire system is built on Fraggle Rock. All it takes is an itchy trigger in Ukraine, or a boating mishap in the Suez, or a bad flu from China to create ripple effects that shake the entire planet.

Crises spell opportunities. The future is democratic nationalism, because it offers the only sustainable context for social stability. It took a while for the Scottish public to lose patience with Labour, it won’t take as long for the SNP to be found out – they’ve already been found out by people who are paying attention.

Alex Salmond is 66 years old and just one man, scorned and covered with scars. But he’s not feeling sorry for himself, he’s still fighting, with his last ounce of courage, for Scotland. Our host has been subjected to some of the vilest slanders, legal unfairness, and censorship I’ve ever seen. Does he give up? No, he fights like Rocky.

How can we look at these examples and do less? It should shame us. To live as a man means shouldering the heaviest burden you possibly can bear, otherwise we’re not living, we’re just killing time. Don’t stop to count your enemies and never tell me the odds – get up and fight, ya lazy bums!

“Anyone using the word secessionist is no friend of Scottish independence.”

I’m warming to the term “anti-colonialist”.

Feeling more like a colony under Governor General Sturgeon and her merry band of cozy-devolutionist troughers.

Thanks folks for the info re DeHonte

Msdidi re, ‘I’m not sure but wasn’t John Swinney always 1st on the list in previous years?’

He probably did, but the numbers were different then. As I’ve said before, every time one thing changes on DeHonte, everything else changes also.

Eg 2007 and 2011 the SNP did not do so well on the Constituency vote and absolutely needed the list vote seats to make up the difference.

That was when both votes SNP came into being, and it was valid at that point.

I don’t know what the numbers were in 2011 (and sad as I am, I am not going to look them up, even I have my limits), but for the sake of argument, if the 3 big parties all took similar amounts of Consituency seats, and roughly similar numbers of List seats (compared to the 2016 almost double) then in round 1 list seat counts, the Division number will be similar across the board.

For the sake of argument – say SNP 2, Cons 2, Labour 3, LDs 2 on the Constit vote,

And say (comletely made up) on the list, SNP took 80,000, Tories 70,000, Labour 50,000 and LDs 25,000.

Those numbers would be divided by 3, 3, 4 and 3 respectively.

Round 1, seat 1 would go to SNP’s first candidate on the list.

2016 – the SNP became List Seat victims due to their sweeping the board on the Constituency Seats. The division figure is huge – If you take an average 120,000 on the list, but win 7, 8 or 9 Constituency seats – that 120,000 is near enough divided by 10, bumping it all the way to the bottom, especially on the first round.

I did average out what the votes in each region on the list were in 2016. Again, this is from memory, but it gives a rough working.

On averge, on the list, the SNP took 120,000 – next highest (and in some areas it was labour, others tory) was 73,000, third highest 50,000, forth LDs) 20,000 – the greens were sitting around 17,000.

If you are currently a candidate sitting at number 1 on the SNP List, then you are almost guaranteed to lose if SNP sweep the board on the Constits votes again.

The only way you get that seat, is if Nicla or Swinney win the Constituency seat and graciously stand down from position number 2 on the list (if it wins) and gift it to you.

2016, and current opinion polls showing SNP set to take nearly all the Constit seats creates a ‘prefect storm’ not usually available on this voting system.

Anyway – DeHonte sucks.

Shocked says:
10 April, 2021 at 8:25 am
@daodao

The only way Alba will achieve anything is by abandoning the tactic of crawling up Sturgeon’s backside and become a party in its own right

Reply
No! Alex is going the right way about things. He will attract more voters with honey than with vinegar.
The damage Nicola has done to her public persona is severe, her bitterness towards the man who escalated her in politics hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Alex is a statesman, Nicola is an imposter.
I hope people will not lose hope & renege on SNP1 & ALBA2 for the list.
People bottled it in Sept 2014 & have regretted it since. Please don’t bottle it this time.

Alex is a great political tactician. Have faith in him.
I remember when we in NZ entered the Americas cup as a small nation. They said we couldn’t win. We had Russell Coutts as skipper & Paul Buttrose as tactician. We beat the Americans, took the cup home.

” I actually as a real estate agent sold Russell Coutts family home that he grew up in as a boy. There was a room of the garage that had carvings of small boats he sailed in as a laddie.

What I’m trying to say here is.. If you want to succeed in gaining your independence, go with the tactician who can outsmart the opposition. That to me is Alex Salmond.

@alf baird

And another one who doesn’t understand what the UK is. Salmond’s strategy is a nonsense designed to appeal to people who do not know any better. If he builds a party on a lie it doesn’t bode well for the future.

We have seen something similar with Sturgeon who has been lying about her career before she even got a start in politics, she has now told so many lies she doesn’t care.

@bob Mack

Go read the act of Union, it isn’t very long and it’s effects could not be clearer.

@ StuartM says:
10 April, 2021 at 12:26 pm

@ Daisy Walker

Swinney got the largest % of votes in the members’ vote for candidates for his region so in the normal process he would have been No 1 on the SNP list of candidates. However the NEC Wokies decided in their unwisdom that they would reserve 1st place in certain regions for disabled candidates and in others for BAME candidates. This is how Graeme Campbell became No 1 on the SNP’s Lothian list despite not living there and achieving only 2.2% of members’ votes. Eva Comrie in Swinney’s region got 1st place because she was the disabled candidate with the highest % of members’ votes. When she resigned from the SNP the disabled candidate with the next highest vote became No 1.’

Whether it came about by accident, or by design, currently the Number 2 slot on the SNP list is much more likely to secure a seat at Holyrood, than the number 1 slot, unless the number 2 candidate is also the constituency candidate and goes on to win that.

Call me a cynic, but even if they never thought of it themselves, I doubt its an accident that Swinney and Nicla not only booked themselves 2 bites at the cherry, but ensured that second bite was likely to be the only list bite going.

@merganser

Yes he did all that, then bottled it and said “vote for Nicola”.

You will not turn people away from the SNP by avoiding the truth in the vain hope they will lend you a vote out of kindness. You need to tell these people exactly how corrupt and dishonest Sturgeon is and what the disastrous consequences of that lying criminal being returned to power are.

I feel sorry for the passing of George, he was like an old slipper, comforting (for some) to always be around, completely useless and ineffectual, but this 24/7 is grating the nerves. Hope they bury him with his hat.

Now this Philip, what’s an ageing old fart from a bygone era, who doesn’t even live here, doing sticking his nose into our political arena? He represents the interests of foreign powers and even shares DNA with the Russian royal family ffs. Someone should tell him to butt out.

Republic of Scotland Given Edinburgh voted No by a bigger margin than the Scottish average in 2014 and Scottish polls still have it 50% 50% on independence Edinburgh almost certainly remains opposed. After all the only SLab MP in Scotland is in Edinburgh as is one of the 4 Scottish LD MPs.

54% of those who oppose independence want to keep the monarchy even in an independent Scotland to 22% who want a republic, so Edinburgh is firmly monarchist. It is Yes voters who want a republic, 56% of Yes voters back a republic, 30% want to keep the monarchy

link to dailyrecord.co.uk

Shocked

I can see people having some reservations on SNP 1 but,

Who are you personally voting for on 6th May? If not at least Alba on list then not sure why you’re bothering to mix it here?

@dan

Yes I am an idealist, I don’t want to build a Barratt home that falls down in 10 years, I want something done right that will last.

Ottomanboi says:
10 April, 2021 at 10:35 am
The United Kingdom is Scotland & England in union. If one drops out there is no United Kingdom.
Very simple, but one party and its establishment would be subject to considerable loss of international face.

Not quite. The United bit comes from the union of the Kingdom of Great Britain with the Kingdom of Ireland in 1801.

And if & when the people of Northern Ireland exercise their right under the Good Friday Agreement to join their southern neighbours, what will the remaining 95 or 96% (depending on intervening Caledonian events…) be called? Probably still the United Kingdom – life is too short to change names unnecessarily: Scotland remains Scotland despite the loss of Berwick upon Tweed.

Of more interest is what an independent Scotland would be called.

@shocked

A loyal Labour man trying to help the cause.

Ref the MSP’s getting recalled to Holyrood to ‘mourn’ PTG…

I understand they were kept on wages over the prorogue election period, in case of Covid emergency reasons…. but I’m wondering if that was on a ‘call out fee’ basis. IE no call out, no fee.

I’m also wondering if there’s a ‘recall to duty’ special part to the fee.

Greedy Bams. They really do think we’re all zipped up the back.

.
Chris, thanks for the ‘Toon 🙂

It would be a touch of light relief to do a caricature of the influx of rabid Trolls Stuart is having to suffer on Wings lately.

For those uber-trolls who waste their lives trying to get a rise out of sane Wings folk with their BTL comments condemning Alex Salmond and Alba with 50 Shades of Yoon carp and today’s wreck-thread-theme from Yoon/Sturgeonite Troll lying about polls. NOBODY can be at all certain what Alba may achieve. This is because the D’hondt LIST system added to the margin-of-error in all polls could mean the difference between Alba getting 8 MSP seats and 20. Margin-of-error makes polling the hyper-sensitive LISTS predictions with + or -2% varitions redundant, feckless and impotent for Holyrood LIST seat guesses. A bit like RightHandJob, Shrecked and BO-Farts. All a waste of skin, carcass and oxygen-thieves.

However, I have SNP friends from two neighbouring constituencies to my old SNP branch and we got chatting via video-link. One friend had changed their social media avatars from SNP 1&2 to…

SNP1
ALBA2.

We did an experiment and went through our branch SNP members as we still maintain a strong desire for Scotland to become independent. A surprising amount already had ALBA2 on their Avatars. Privately, many “get” what Stu., Alex and Alba are trying to do. Common sense then takes over,.. maybe lose max 4 SNP MSPs on the LIST, or more likely make 22 Tory/Lab/Lib Yoon MSPs redundant. No brainier. ALBA2 YES.

It is so noticeable two weeks into ALBA launch that three of us got together and we worked out that ALBA2 is already at 11% in the SNP branches.

None of us have quite figured out the psephological importance of that, but I reckon the Zombie Yoon Apocalypse with all these living-dead Amadans that joined Wings during the past few weeks such as BO-Farts are way off the mark writing-off Alba so soon.

Alex said about IndyRef1 that it peaked too soon. Mind the 55% YES for Indy mid-September 2014 and Cameron carping himself. Then wheeling out Gordon Brontosaurus Yoon Gimp and the lying VOW to claw back a few percentage points to NawBags.

Well Alex ain’t making that mistake again.

Besides when a certain baldy “beard” bloke gets handcuffed and remanded in custody about a week before poling day. The Dreghorn Dirker’s tractory will gain sufficient social media wildfire that she will find herself doing a Tony Blair tribute act and leaving politics like shit through a YoonGoose for fear of doing a bit of bird a HML Corton Vale.

Now how would that affect the Alba votes?

GIRUY YOON GOONS.

SNP1
ALBA2

@robbo

We don’t have reservations we have principles and will not vote for criminals.

Many of us are not voting for any one as we are not followers of democracy.

I predict people have better things to do with their time than turn out for a fake parliament election in the early stages of a pandemic.

The average person has not even heard of the alba party.y

It seems that Salmond is making very little headway against Sturgeon. Unfortunately she is on course for a big win. I’m afraid the referendum can will be well and truly kicked down the road as a result.

@ Al-Stuart re ‘We did an experiment and went through our branch SNP members as we still maintain a strong desire for Scotland to become independent. A surprising amount already had ALBA2 on their Avatars. Privately, many “get” what Stu., Alex and Alba are trying to do. Common sense then takes over,.. maybe lose max 4 SNP MSPs on the LIST, or more likely make 22 Tory/Lab/Lib Yoon MSPs redundant. No brainier. ALBA2 YES.’

Superb news Al… and do you know the best bit, ALL the calculations/potential gains for Alba are based on the (average) 120,000 former SNP List votes converting over to Alba, and once they are over 6% they start gaining seats.

This election is not about converting former No voters over to Yes (although that is always worth doing) – its about getting Indy parties and supporters to put Indy 1st, 2nd and 3rd on the agenda and get it done.

There was a fair bit of talk previously about how to heal the rift. This is doing it, very much time for folk to walk the walk, in fact no time now for anything else.

Fraser MacKintosh says:
10 April, 2021 at 1:20 pm

When Lizzie meets the grime reaper where can escape to from the royal arselickers?

Southern Ireland might be a good bet.

@ Shocked.

Nice try, but Alex Salmond hasn’t just done them, he is doing them all now. Alex Salmond has never bottled anything. I’m sorry you don’t see the reason for him asking people to vote SNP1. It is not through capitulation. It is causing the maximum grief to NS that he has suggested this – look how (more) deranged she has become since he asked for this.

Also, at this early stage of the new party it is essential to have a strategy to give it the best chance of success in the forthcoming election, and show people a commitment to, and a way to achieving independence.

Once his toe is in the door you will see the fireworks you wish for. The fuse is lit – try not to blow it out.

Who knows how well Alba will fare next month? All I say at this early stage to the ggloating yoons and wokies trying to convince us we got nay chance is: Beware the shy Alba voters!

The SNPleftMe I can explain basic Maths to you yes.

Edinburgh voted 61% No in 2014 to 55% No across Scotland, Scotland is still around 50% No, so you would expect on the same swing Edinburgh to be at least 56% No

I could easily see this election being a Holyrood version of 2017 for the SNP. For all the talk of nailed on SNP victory, I can’t feel any enthusiasm at all for it beyond the cult members. If they are so very numerous, then fine, but there is no buzz about this election at all. Turnout will be everything, but what reason is there to vote? To reward Nicola for being less bad at corona briefings than Boris?

I don’t think the SNP turning on Alba has been very smart, but we’ll see. Its pretty obvious Labour are trying to frame the SNP as the nasty party. Sarwar has nothing to prove in this election, and is coming over as a pleasant family guy, unlike bitter, angry Nicola, who has nothing positive to say whatsoever, and Humza who seems unable to wipe the sneer from his face these days.

Reading about the flood of sycophantic hyperbole engulfing all the schedules, it occurred to me that those who watch the soaps, who might also include royal watchers, might actually become irritated by their favourite viewing being swamped by this mandatory coverage.

So, why might they gave done this, perhaps risking the undercurrent of discontent it could cause in the usually placid and unengaged? Well, probably because they think that they can accept vague rumblings among the ruminants who can return to cud chewing once normal service is resumed.

The real purpose is to to demonstrate power to those who are outside the elite establishment, those who are vaguely or robustly republican in sentiment. Annoyance caused to them is deliberate. It is to emphasise your impotence. You can almost see them smirking, with the implied question, “What can you do about it?”

The royals are their representatives and is why they cram the airwaves and press with news about the royals and return to ostentatious Victorian levels of ‘national mourning’. We can remonstrate about it but can’t change anything and the more vulgar and exaggerated it becomes, the more we are confronted with our helplessness.

No wonder Nicola Sturgeon joined in the ‘national’ wallowing; she understands its purpose. It’s the blatant projection of power, dressed up in sanctimony, of course. She intends to annoy those very independence supporters who also dislike her cosying up to Hillary Clinton and other war mongers, who see her confederates making overtures to MI5 and her MPs who show bovine acceptance of Westminster power and their place in it.

The SNP changed before our eyes and changed utterly. (Why does Orwell always come to mind?)

Once a lonyal member of SNP member, no longer, because SNP have let me down, I wont be giving both votes SNP …wasting the list vote.

Its SNP1 Alba 2 for me!