Towards the future
The election’s over and the votes have been counted. It wasn’t to be for Alba this time, but the fight goes on.
Whilst there’s disappointment, there’s also vindication. SNP list votes were even greater than in 2016 and yet produced even fewer list MSPs.
There’s an irony in the SNP suffering from unionist tactical voting, having traduced Alba for allegedly gaming the system. In the end it was perfidious Albion not Alba as Labour and the Tories gave each other hauners – when will the SNP ever learn that the British can’t be trusted? They may write the rules but they sure don’t play by them.
But with more MPs than Scottish Labour and more members than the Scottish Liberal Democrats, we march on. More are already joining having seen the outcome and many more we believe will follow.
That’s because indyref 2 is being kicked even further down the road. Firstly, a veto was given to Boris Johnson by insisting that a Section 30 order was required. Now that’s compounded by allowing him to dictate the timing. The First Minister’s decision that there’ll be no vote before “coronavirus recovery” cedes that to him as well. Leaving aside how there can be recovery without the fiscal and economic levers provided by independence, Johnson can delay matters indefinitely by simply saying “now is not the time”, knowing that he and Nicola Sturgeon are now singing from the same hymn sheet.
Alba is readying itself to push for independence and promote a radical policy agenda whilst preparing the policies on borders, currency and so many other issues that the SNP have shamefully failed to do, as well as contesting council elections next year.
Local groups are getting established and a national conference to settle the constitution and set policy is being organised. In the interim the Westminster group has to be set up. Parliament has returned and so we require to formulate a strategy there for Alba.
Alba intends to be a membership-based party where it’s the rank and file who decide policy and strategy, not executive diktat or select groups having greater influence than individual members. But as with some matters in the run-up to the election, we have to take some immediate decisions as to how we’ll operate, though it’ll ultimately be up to members. We’ll account to the national conference and will follow the directions of the party through its democratic structure.
Until then this is how we propose to operate in Westminster. Alba isn’t an abstentionist party. Westminster isn’t our parliament but having been elected there it’s up to us to use it and maximise its benefit for our cause (as well as of course representing our constituents to the very best of our abilities).
We’ll seek to use the platform it provides – limited though that may be – to make our cause’s case. We’ll also seek to utilise the resource it offers through the ability to question and obtain information. Both of those factors are critical for our party’s success.
We’re working with others who have served there to devise strategy and tactics that we can deploy. Room for manoeuvre is limited, as the days of Charles Stewart Parnell and the ability of Irish Nationalists to disrupt has passed. Powers have been centralised and the government dictates the agenda more than ever. But still there are things that can be done and gains that can be made.
That said, there can neither be supine deference to it nor any role taken in the administration of the British State. Partaking in pageants such as the Queen’s Official Opening of Parliament will be forsworn, as will participating in issues that are neither relevant to Scotland nor of concern to her people. Seeking official offices within Parliament is not the role of an MP of a party seeking to be independent of it, and neither’s holding posts that simply entrench British authority, whether over our land or other provinces.
Attendance in the Commons will be when it affords an opportunity to promote Scottish interests, not a routine sojourn to London. There’s plenty work to be doing in our constituencies and across Scotland, and that’ll be our focus. We’ll vote when appropriate on issues as they arise.
However, we’re under no illusions as to the likelihood of success in those votes and see no need to be there to do so on every occasion and on all issues. Since our election in 2019 not one vote was won by the SNP, let alone the opposition. A routine majority against SNP motions or amendments by the combined unionist parties was in the region of 250. On other issues the Tories had a majority of 70 over the combined opposition. (72 now with the Labour defeat in Hartlepool.) Our two votes either way are not going to make any difference.
In these circumstances we’ll go when we need to but concentrate our efforts in our constituencies and in Scotland. We pledge now that we’ll do so unless and until directed otherwise by conference. In the interim we’ll maximise what we can do there to promote Scotland’s cause.
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Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey are Alba Party MPs.
That’s what I want to hear Kenny. Onwards and upwards.
A Scottish political party informing the electorate of how it proposes to operate – what sorcery is this?
I wonder if SNP Group in WM will support or oppose any motions tabled by ALBA…
There is no international treaty between Scotland and England as to how the Westminster parliament shall operate.
Stop playing by their rules. Get together with the SNP and exclude English members (as they do you) and vote through legislation that only applies to Scotland. Remember no treaty outlining how the parliament operates means just that. Parliament procedure is only based on collective agreement from MPs not treaty obligations. Get together and vote on how and what you like.
Not attending gives easy headlines to the media. What is clear though is that the establishment is scared of a successful alba party.
Good Luck, Kenny & Neale. This is the first step on the long road to freedom.
Further to Scott’s 9:12 comment, I think you should table something at Westminster to see if SNP oppose it. How about “This House resolves Holyrood should be granted Section 30 powers whenever it requests them”?
Whilst not an abstensionist party, you highlight the futility of participating at Westminster. The SNP were sent down to ‘settle up’ not ‘settle down’ but too many have got used to the trappings, chairing committees, accepting Scottish Questions to be commandeered by English MP’s.
As MP’s you will be far more valuable ‘on the ground’, rather than facing the petty hostility of the SNP Group.
The Council elections, as the next target, give time to organise and prepare.
Thanks for this
“We’ll account to the national conference and will follow the directions of the party through its democratic structure”
I can remember when the SNP operated like that.
Good luck Kenny / Neale. I’m sure your arguments will gain purchase with the public. perhaps sooner than some in the SNP think.
The statement “no vote before coronavirus recovery” will be used just like the misquoted “once in a generation”.
Kenny, Neale,
Thank you for the insight into your plans for Westminster, and I agree with your plans as a good way forward (though I’m not a member of Alba so have no say on the matter, but for voting intentions, I see it as a positive).
On the SNP – I’m sick of hearing about them, they are a small factionalist party and have no bearing on independence, the public just hasn’t caught up yet – and you should never judge your own actions in relation to them, they are best ignored and we should assume support and promotion of independence – the reality of independence – needs to be built from the ground up. You asked ‘when will the SNP learn the British (state) can’t be trusted?’ – so I ask you, when will you learn that the SNP can’t be trusted? They know fine about the British state and are fully on board. We have no need to make that party central to every subject raised.
Perhaps ALL elected reps, MSPs and MPs, could take a leaf out of Sinn Fein’s book by only taking the equivalent of the average industrial wage and handing in the rest of the money to the party.
I am so very glad to hear that ALBA is to carry on and already growing in strength. Last week was hugely disappointing – I am more disappointed in the behaviour of the SNP leadership than anything else. They should have seen this coming, perhaps they did and just didn’t care? Of course no party can openly support another on the list, but things were said that didn’t need to be said, and there was a huge effort to push “Both votes SNP” – one million votes for two list MSPs, way to go eh? They didn’t need to push this aggressively. And as for the deliberate smearing of Alex Salmond whenever the opportunity arose – cowardly and utterly despicable. The man has already been through hell and to face this was just uncalled for. Not right, Nicola – hang your head in shame.
TBH it would have been a bloody miracle for ALBA to pull it off in six short weeks, even without the deliberate media blanking and the dirty, personal attacks from both the BBC and the SNP leader. Just not enough time to counter this before the election, but we have time now folks. Johnson and Sturgeon will now play out a long, boring game – both are masters of prevarication. So, let them waste their time playing constitutional ping pong, and while they do, let’s continue to quietly work on, chipping away at this combination of lack of awareness and negative public perception.
That fact that the dirty attacks have not ceased, some have even increased since the election, shows that the British and Scottish establishments fear ALBA and they fear Alex, Kenny Neale, Chris, and all the other big hitters now in ALBA. All the more reason to fight on. Last week was disappointing – lick your wounds and start the fightback. Folks this is not a cup final, it’s a war of attrition. If we struggle on with the cause, if we stay in the fight, then we will win. Of that I have no doubt. No one said it was going to be easy, but some things are worth fighting for.
The Dream Shall Never Die. 🙂
Is there a link or dataset behind the graphic? I know people will ask, verify and all that.
Thank you both. Best of luck!
Absolutely delighted to hear this and thank you to you both. Pretending to have an influence in the cesspit charade of Westminster is the most self injurious behaviour ever by any sane politician let alone those representing Scotland.
Thanks Neale, Kenny,
Now that voter ID is coming in and as ever, constituency boundaries are change to literally cheat the system, I’d expect pro-indy voters to be up against it in 2024.
I was slightly naïve to how distanced the real world was last week to the online world. Online polls suggested Alba would do well. However, far too many folk I spoke to when canvassing, leafletting, and as polling agent, either a) didn’t know who Alba were or b) had an idea they were Alex Salmond’s party and thought they were competing with SNP. In addition, most folk had no clue how the voting system worked.
We now have a year to get out into the real world and that’s going to take activism and also headline grabbing activities that show how we are the real party of independence and that we are a party with policies that should motivate the demoralised and disenfranchised.
It’s great to hear language like “supine deference to it nor any role taken in the administration of the British State”. A friend of mine said a good three years ago that Nicola Sturgeon in another time would have made a competent colonial Governor. I’m not on here to slag off the SNP or Nicola, but that’s just what he said and I can’t say it’s fantastical.
Let’s get moving fellow Scots.
Do MPs still have to be physically present in Westminster lobbies to vote? That seems so old-fashioned after the year we’ve had.
“Not attending gives easy headlines to the media. What is clear though is that the establishment is scared of a successful alba party.”
I don’t know if they are, they only got 38k votes? out of potential 2.5 million voters? was really surprised myself as
thought AS was a big hit.
Is the use of Parliamentary Privilege to get the whole rotten story about the Salmond stitch up into the public domain to be considered?
I know this is too late to influence last weeks election but is sorely needed to counter the smears against AS and ALBA by association.
Bravo!
@Kenny Macaskill
“That said, there can neither be supine deference to it nor any role taken in the administration of the British State. Partaking in pageants such as the Queen’s Official Opening of Parliament will be forsworn,”
This strikes me as very Ally Mccoist and 1978, he thought it was a case of strolling on to the pitch then dismissed the opposition.
This “after we’ve recovered from Covid” nonsense might as well be changed to “we need the broad shoulders of the UK in the meantime”. WTF are the SNP playing at handing their opponents a big stick with nails in it?
You’re now there on a fraudulent basis. If you had a scintilla of honour, you’d step down, call a by-election in your constituency, stand on an Alba platform and let your constituents decide.
But you won’t, because it’s too comfortable
Au Contraire. The establishment is scared of ALBA because they thought that if they pulled out all the stops (and they certainly did), ALBA would fail last week and (more importantly) ALBA would disappear. They achieved the first objective but that was the easy bit. ALBA is not disappearing and the only way is up. This scares the crap out of them. They will try even dirtier tricks as desperation seeps in but as long as we stay in the fight, as long as we don’t “disappear” then we will win.
The establishment was very much depending on ALBA disappearing shortly after they deliberately interfered with the Holyrood election process. If you thought the media blanking and smearing was bad last week, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Things are about to get really dirty. They are desperate.
I hope Alba will field candidates for the 2024 General Election of the English Government of the UK.
Good luck guys! It’s the start of a long road but all journeys have to start somewhere.
By the way, for anyone (seems it’s just one person) suggesting Kenny and Neale should stand down, perhaps you could come back after finding out how many of the folk listed here stood down when “crossing the floor” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elected_British_politicians_who_have_changed_party_affiliation
crisiscult @ 10:05 am
By the way, for anyone (seems it’s just one person) suggesting Kenny and Neale should stand down, perhaps you could come back after finding out how many of the folk listed here stood down when “crossing the floor” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elected_British_politicians_who_have_changed_party_affiliation
Well maybe this would be the ideal opportunity to show that Alba is in fact different?
I don’t feel totally comfy with it myself when folk in the constituencies voted for an SNP MSP and find they’ve now got something else. Both MPs have a high profile in their areas so how about it? It’d be the last thing the cash-strapped SNP need. Any media coverage would also have to acknowledge Alba this time. I say bring it on.
I hope there are more people with spines. Who will leave the SNP at WM and join Alba. The way I see it , they have nothing to lose. The SNP group in WM have achieved nothing.
The only voice of worth is Jo Cherry , who took Boris on and won. If only we had a leader of her ability in Holyrood. I intend to continue my membership of Alba , and try and play a part in promoting them.
Kenny is right when he says Indy Ref 2 has been kicked down the road. Nicola gave that game away last year when he said:” Until the economic effects of Covid are over”. Notice how that changed to until the pandemic is over pre- Scottish election. She re-arranged the furniture to look like indy ref 2 would happen as soon as lockdown was over. We know she is going to let the economy settle down and be dictated to by WM.
This my friends could be a decade. The ‘ Now is not the time’ has been re-affirmed by Boris and the media.
Nicola is terrified of public backlash and has been since 2017. So instead of doing what she feels it right, she is instead doing what the media tell her to do.
We are actually in a worse position post election. We need to accept this and do all we can to change this.
Are the Scottish Parliament regional results actually published anywhere? l can see 2016 ones on BBC but can’t find detail for 2021.
I hope Kenny and Neale that you are also contemplating that a modern and up to date version of the Scottish UN Committee set up by Willie MacRae, which was so instrumental in the resurrection of Scotland’s devolved Parliament.
I hope, passionately, that what the Scottish UN Committee achieved for Scotland on the road to Devolution, a new, or resurrected Scottish UN Committee might do the same thing, press the same buttons, speak to the right people, and make the case that Scotland has been subjugated by Brexit, our Sovereign Constitution has been violated, and the 1707 Treaty of Union has been breached.
As a Nation, we must STOP pandering to the notion that Scotland’s integrity, constitution, and nation status was extinguished by the 1707 Union. It was not.
The Treaty of Union was designed from the outset to be ambiguous. It was designed to be a permanent contradiction which allowed Scots to believe their constitutional rights were intact and the Union was a bilateral Treaty which could be ended, and yet also allowed colonial Unionists to pedal the myth that the formation of the UK extinguished forever the concept and individualism of both Scotland and England.
It is the Union itself, the perfidious language and ambiguity, which has allowed both irreconcilable and incompatible realities to co-exist for 300 years, without ever seeking a ruling on the legitimacy of either interpretation. The Scots had their delusions to comfort them, while the British Establishment had it’s licence to plunder Scotland.
The Union has survived this uneasy stalemate for 300 years because nobody was willing to face the consequences of ending that stalemate, and thereby confirming that either the Treaty of Union was a fallacy that could not properly exist, or that “somehow” the Union Treaty achieved the impossible and the impracticable and erased both Scottish and English nations for evermore.
Devolution didn’t clarify anything in the 1998 Scotland Act. Not one thing. In fact rather than clarify the incongruities of the Union, it compounded them. The Scotland Act purports to be a definitive constitution (small ‘c’) for the Scottish Government, but it is Constitutionally unsound, and does not reconcile the sovereignty of the Scottish people with Westminster installed as their overlord. Both realities CANNOT co-exist.
The Scotland Act is built upon the UK’s unwritten convention on Westminster Parliamentary Sovereignty, and the truth of that is that Holyrood and the Scotland Act have no more solid foundation than that unwritten convention masquerading as UK Parliamentary Sovereignty.
The problem however, is that while Holyrood is built upon weak, dubious, and impermanent foundations, Holyrood and the Scotland Act is being widely interpreted as a perfectly legitimate evolution of Scottish Government, when, in fact, what Holyrood is actually doing is allowing the colonial encroachment of the UK’s unwritten convention of Parliamentary Sovereignty to stand ascendant above the Scottish doctrine and Constitution which enshrines sovereignty upon the people.
What this means in short, is that the 300 years stalemate, sophistry and ambiguity which has sustained the Union had ended. Devolution has given Westminster an opportunity to embolden itself and seek to enshrine the concept of UK Parliamentary Sovereignty into the very DNA of Scotland’s properly sovereign institutions. It is back-door colonisation even more insidious than Anglicisation and cultural assimilation.
The UK is right now pushing hard to embed the fallacy that Scotland’s rights were extinguished in 1707.
They are now aggressively exploiting that interpretation and ambiguity, acting on their own initiative and challenging Scotland’s institutions to stop them. Scotland however is weak, and our institutions are infiltrated and in a state of considerable disarray. Our own sodding Parliament cannot even decide who it’s sovereign master is, and when confronted with actual, anti-democratic and unconstitutional colonial subjugation which injured our status and trade with Europe, rolled over and capitulated without a whimper. Absolutely disgusting. I would readily impeach this Holyrood junta for abandoning Scotland’s rights and interests in this way.
Scotland MUST waken up from this slumber before it’s too late and the false imposter that is UK Parliamentary Sovereignty has become so deeply embedded in the minds of us Scots that we kneel down and accept we are no longer sovereign but ruled over and subservient to the rule of Westminster. Listening to some Scots who should know better, perhaps it has already gone too far.
Since our SNP government under Sturgeon has revealed nothing much beyond it’s own feckless incompetence and Constitutional illiteracy, Scotland desperately needs a Constitutional Task Force similar in form and function to Willie MacRae’s Scotland UN Committee, and start to throw some hefty big constitutional spanners into the machinery which is seeking to subjugate Scotland completely.
I hope, and I appeal to Alex Salmond and ALBA, please busy yourselves with creating a Scottish Constitutional wrecking ball, like the Scottish UN Committee, which checks, stops, reverses and expels this insidious colonial encroachment and subjugation. Your decisive impact in such a field would have a hundredfold more impact and importance for Scotland that any number of seats on the Holyrood Merry-go-round.
If you stand by and watch this farce go on for at least another 5 years, then you are part of the problem, I am not blaming anyone for just getting on with life, I do that myself, but I live life on my terms which I am able to do as I have the finance to do it.
The easiest solution is to set up substantial communities that will ignore anything bad the SNP comes up with, strive to pay less taxes, set up and support your own big business as a community cooperative and use good accountants to avoid paying any tax at all if possible, claim for everything, every little thing, when I was in business I claimed 50 quid a week for my wife as my bookkeeper, my wife had absolutely no part in any of the workings of my business, but it was legal for me to say she did, oh the irony of that kind of stuff, makes you glad to be british lol.
After all, if tory billionaires can have their main business address in any number of tax havens to avoid taxes, so can we, whats good for the goose is also good for the gander.
And again the loaded dice system is there to be used, the loaded dice work in your hands just the same as the guy who made them.
My thoughts are that a Scottish sovereignty party should be focused on restoring Scottish sovereignty. It should not be like the SNP Mark II, with non-constitutional policies being the focus of attention.
It should be making the abolition of the Treaty of Union centre-stage.
A sovereignty party should be that alone. Promoting Scottish sovereignty. That the people of Scotland should decide for Scotland regarding nuclear weapons, EU / EFTA, monarchy, economic priorities etc.
It should fully respect individual members’, and elected members’ right to hold and express views such as women’s rights and to campaign on them, Trident, economic policies, nuclear arms etc or whatever they like.
However, my view is that the Party itself as a collective unit should be officially neutral on those issues but members, and the elected members, should be free to express their own political views on these matters – as personal opinions. Not forced to toe an official party line.
The fundamental issue of Scottish independence should be the one issue that must be agreed in common.
There are some positives: the Party is not for kicking the can down the road regarding indy.
It has genuine supporters of independence instead of wannabe colonial administrators.
IF it’s going to be one member one vote, that would be democratic and can be easily achieved nowadays. Using delegates is old-fashioned and prevents grassroots democracy within political parties.
Election results herehttp:
http://www.electionpolling.co.uk/results/2021s
Great news , Kenny, Thankyou
We need something in the constitution that prevents “any” group from taking over, as seems to be the case now in most parties. You’d think blockchain voting would work, but even that could be circumvented by getting all your mates to join.
This sounds like typical separatists sour grapes from Alba politicians instead on SNP but a leopard doesnt change its spots. Kenny & Neale can hold each others hands in Westminster but nobody cares.
And the main person tactical voting came from Salmonds fan boys with their SNP1 Alba2 despite concerns to women’s rights by giving SNP more confidence in their strong votes.
And while we know Neale is Irish so doesnt consider himself British, Kenny and the rest of us are Scottish and British whether you like it or not. In geography, history and politics Scotland is part of Britain & to pretend otherwise makes you look like bairns having a hissy fit. Sturgeon and Salmond are two sides of the same coin but Sturgeon has it fixed so heads wins every time. The more grievance SNP & Alba have towards Westminster, the more Scotland will suffer. Lack of investment, lack of jobs and poverty/austerity caused by Scots running Scotland, not the English. Time to wake up, if you can’t beat them Join them, support Labour, Liberals or even Tories and start to help Scotland recover from Covid & Brexit by being better together.
@Dave Beveridge at 10:16
If it was a strategic choice that made sense, why not? I certainly wouldn’t do it on “fairness” or “ethical” lines. When you fight the British state, use their rules when it suits you and break them when it suits better.
The link highlights what the standard or norm is; your MP changing party is just part of the system.
When I vote for a party, unless they’re going to form the government, I vote for them as a signal of my support of that party AT THAT TIME (and it is just a signal because SNP are never going to have power at WM). I don’t get to withdraw my vote when, in the case of the SNP, I realise they misled me with “won’t be dragged out of the EU” etc. However, once they are voted in, you then expect them to serve their constituents as Members of Parliament, whatever party they are in.
To be completely honest with you guys, I’ve been turned right off of Scottish Independence by the SNP, who have now captured all of the major civic institutions in Scotland for their own political ends – and who knows what they are, but they’re not for me.
And I don’t really like the sectarian-style language that’s creeping into the whole debate.
We had a chance to do something special back in 2014, but it didn’t work out and now the whole ‘movement’ is completely rotten.
I’m out. Good luck with your Nationalism.
ohn McNab says:
12 May, 2021 at 10:01 am
You’re now there on a fraudulent basis. If you had a scintilla of honour, you’d step down, call a by-election in your constituency, stand on an Alba platform and let your constituents decide.
But you won’t, because it’s too comfortable
————-
Oh do piss off off Mc Nanab
With his name already on the ballot paper, he stood as an independent, and won.
After a period of suspension he was brought back into the SNP fold, and, in February, was made the party’s vaccine spokesman – only to be sacked within days.
Treated they guy like shit on a shoe.
He won as an independent won and he’ll do it again with Alba- Get it roon ye.
@somerled 10:28 I’ve never understood why the British in Scotland feel so threatened by Scots who don’t feel British. In 2011, the Census showed that “Scottish only” is by far the biggest national identity, not Scottish & British, or British. You could put Zulu and the Dam Busters on a loop and it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.
Here’s another example. Let’s say you arrive in the country from Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia, USA, or wherever. You get British citizenship a few years later. Are you now British in identity, or are you just British administratively e.g. you get a passport, can claim certain benefits, etc?
As a small, new party aiming to grow and expand, there is only one route open for Alba. It’s the route that all small, new parties must take if they want to generate attention and momentum.
In short, Alba needs to unleash hell; in other words, it must do everything possible to disrupt and undermine the SNP establishment. The free publicity on offer is too important to be sniffed at.
The recent election demonstrated that the ‘softly-softly’ approach doesn’t work for new parties.
Looking at the SNP’s vehement attacks on Alba in the run up to the election, it would be hard to make any sort of principled argument for restraint.
Alba doesn’t have the luxury of being principled or restrained on this though. The argument for doing everything possible to disrupt and hurt the SNP is based on the rational, not the emotional. On one hand, Alba generates publicity and attention, and on the other it weakens its most vicious and powerful enemy, the SNP.
A good start would be a press release on the scandalous prosecution of Craig Murray. A petition for once might also help here, allowing people to express the view that it is those who tried to imprison Salmond that should be handing in passports, not to mention those involved in the attempted cover-up, and calling for a full independent inquiry.
What Contrary says at 9.25am. We need to ignore the snp now, airbrush them out of our existence and our movement. Petty snarling will do no good, it merely hardens attitudes and causes heels to be dug in – all our energies now must be focussed on re-building the independence movement from the ground upwards. Positively.
Good post by Kenny as well. A good initial strategy to move forwards.
Career: Politician says:
12 May, 2021 at 10:31 am
To be completely honest.
Career Politician . Well your career didn’t last long then. Never mind.
SNP seemed to have systems in place but She/Her and she/her`s henchpersons just bypassed them and done/did what they wanted,
SNP is using the tactics of the transactivist and eradicating any dissent from within and without the party,
SNP have become a dictatorship,
`Dictatorship, form of government in which one person or a small group possesses absolute power without effective constitutional limitations.`
> there’ll be no vote before “coronavirus recovery” cedes
Well that’s not what the SNP web site says:
giving a clear mandate for a referendum, once the pandemic is over
source: https://www.snp.org/the-worlds-eyes-are-on-scotland/
With a large percentage of the population vaccinated and everything coming out of lock-down the pandemic sure looks over to me.
So I expect to see a lot of activity regarding the upcoming referendum over the summer months especially with the new cohort of MSPs all fired up over the prospect of independence.
I, for one, would be rather disappointed if that were not the case and I’m sure all those who voted for the SNP would be disappointed too and questions would be asked.
Don’t be shy. Hold them to account.
If one hundred thousand people in glasgow decide to commit a so called hate crime on the same day, what do you think will happen, if they commit the same so called hate crime every single day as a collective.
And the answer is…………. Sweet Feck all will happen
Until I see a quantified rebuttal of the headline GERS figure I suspect the wheels on independence will just keep spinning. Westminster plays a simple game – hide the truth and promote lies. McCrone & GERS are two sides of the same coin in that respect. What is needed is the reverse – highlight the lies and promote the truth. GERS is the perfect subject to do that with.
Verbal commentary on the unfairness/misleading nature of the GERS deficit is simply not enough. The Unionists have already started going nuts about the forthcoming GERS deficit. The misleading numbers need to be adjusted out and there is plenty to work with as things stand within the UK – the reduction in taxation on oil revenues, PFI costs (and possible revenue for the UK), rUK infrastructure (HS2, Crossrail) etc etc.
GERS doesn’t reflect the finances of an independent Scotland but neither do the GERS figures reflect things as they stand now with Scotland within the UK. They are a lie and that needs to be quantifiably proven to be so. Letting the headlines scream about a bogus deficit & rUK subsidisation of Scotland without a serious rebuttal is madness.
A corrected GERS would also be a good lead in to forecasting what the finances of an independent Scotland would look like. Trying to do this from the unadjusted UK GERS figures would be very hard. Too many people still think the GERS deficit is real and without a quantified alternate to argue against it, who can really blame them. Others however don’t place much value in the GERS numbers.
Two days ago this was the headline in Bloomberg –
Markets
Pound Surges 1% as Risk of Imminent Scotland Referendum Recedes
https://archive.is/dgyYW
So the UK hanging onto Scotland causes the UK £ to increase in value rather than fall. The markets clearly see Scotland within the UK as a positive for the UK. A bit different from the UK view of Scotland being an economic disaster according to their GERS figures.
One hundred thousand cases every day would have to be investigated, and statements have to be taken from here there and everything fecking where.
I have seen this tactic in action over 20 years ago, it worked then and it still works now, the system could not cope with it, its impossible, and it can be used against any bad laws that the corrupt SNP try to foist upon us
Sidestepping the puerile argument about the supposed obligation to stand down and trigger by-elections or not, if the 2 Alba MPs and ideally Cherry were to do this simultaneously at some point during the term it would provide an excellent pretext to reinsert Alba back into the public consciousness. Time it to exert maximum pressure or embarrassment on Sturgeon and even the corrupt MSM might do their jobs for once.
By-elections are very much a card in Alba’s hand, let’s put it that way.
Talking about gers and all that crap is just a side show, the reality of life does not always appear on a piece of paper, but certain agendas do, why give it oxygen by even discussing it
Remember, every single MSP and MP has to swear allegiance to the queen.
In the Scottish Parliament,
‘Any member who refuses to take the oath or the affirmation will be unable to take part in any other proceedings of the Parliament and will not be paid any salary and allowances until he or she has done so. If any member has not taken the oath or affirmation within two months of the day of their election they shall cease to be a Member of the Parliament (unless the Parliament agrees to extend this period).’
All our political problems start here.
I lie that goes unanswered can become an accepted truth
Tell the truth
and shame the devils
@Somerled
I reside on the island of Great Britain and the only passport I hold is the British variety, which I hope one day to convert to the Scottish variety.
That is where my ‘Britishness’ begins and ends. The rest you can keep, thank you.
Thank you Kenny and Neale. You are brave men.
@luigi – great comment near the start of the thread.
Alba is a glimmer of light in a sea of darkness. That so many cant see that is concerning but as each day goes past they will. Particularly concerning is the lack of support from so called freedom fighters for Craig Murray – before they’d have been going mad – and raging at the British state. Same principle apples when its their own. This is very worrying.
I had more fun and felt more respected, included and alive in the six weeks of alba that I ever had in the snp. Ordered an Alba flag and looking forward to the conference. And if any of the Nicola fan club slag me off for a flag – well they can get ye stuffed! They’ve carried plenty at the marches in the past.
“We’ll also seek to utilise the resource it offers through the ability to question and obtain information.” Go for it Kenny. Get the truth out there under parliamentary privilege. I’m sick to death of the sociopaths and money grabbers in charge of the party. Not a cats chance in hell they want nor could get independence anyway
Is gradualism forever or are you going to do something?
Dave Beveridge says:
12 May, 2021 at 10:16 am
I don’t feel totally comfy with it myself when folk in the constituencies voted for an SNP MSP and find they’ve now got something else.
In Neale Hanvey’s defence, he stood, and won election, as an independent.
So pro-indy parties could have had a majority of 59 (94 seats to 35), but they don’t because of playground arguments!
Time for independence supporters to get real and engage the real political foe. Or has the opportunity gone? You can be sure that Westminster has looked at the possible arithmetic. Might it legislate to remove the possibility?
The people will decide when the pandemic is over , not Nicola.
When were allowed to gather in mass groups. Then it is over. The first thing we should do is march on Bute House , declaring the pandemic over , and demand indy ref 2.
To me that time will come in August, unless there is a sudden increase in cases. If I have to go back to the office, then Nicola can bloody well get on with the referendum.
Well said Kenny and Neale.
As Iain Lawson has suggested, please consider making a Scotland representation to the UN to inform them that the majority of national list voters at last weeks election chose pro-independence parties, and also the election of a majority of pro-independence members of parliaments at Holyrood (and Westminster) at successive elections; yet still the self-government of the Scottish people remains blocked by both Westminster and the devolved parliaments with democracy denied to the people. And meanwhile political persecutions continue.
ALBA might also endeavour to have Scotland ‘listed’ for decolonization under the UN Charter, here: https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/c24/about
Thanks for the status update.
It’s unfortunate that we didn’t do better in the election, but as far as I am concerned, an alternative indy party that actually puts independence first, and is answerable to it’s members, remains vital.
As long as this remains true, you will continue to have my support and membership:
“A membership-based party where it’s the rank and file who decide policy and strategy, not executive diktat or select groups having greater influence than individual members.”
If it ever ceases to be true, as it has with the SNP, you will lose my support, as the SNP did.
I voted for Neale last time, in the face of SNP leadership obstructionism, and I will vote for him next time.
Thank you both for having the courage of your convictions. It’s a rare thing in politics these days.
Why can’t we introduce “Scottish votes for Scottish laws”? Since unionist parties are English based this would barr them from voting and debating on Scottish policies at Holyrood. No?
Thanks for this, it makes a nice change to have some positive news!
Michael B says:
12 May, 2021 at 11:05 am
So pro-indy parties could have had a majority of 59 (94 seats to 35), but they don’t because of playground arguments!
————-
Did you miss the election? That’s what Alba tried to do but a certain faction of the supposed yes movement mainly the new SNP rejected it because everyone else is wrong and they’re right.
Like a spoilt child in the playground the new SNP didn’t want to play.
@ Pogrom69 at 9:29 am
That was also the policy of the SSP, when ,Rosemary Byrne, Frances Curran, Colin Fox,Rosie Kane, Carolyn Leckie, Tommy Sheridan were in Holyrood , I believe they still have that policy,
Just No MSPs more is the pity
@ Michael B at 11.05
The 2016 Scotland Act contains provision for the Scottish Parliament to change “the system by which members of the Parliament are returned” thus:
a)”The Presiding Officer shall, after the last time when a Bill may be amended but before the decision whether to pass or reject it, decide whether or not in his view any provision of the Bill relates to a protected subject-matter and state his decision”
and
b)”If the Presiding Officer states under section 31(2A) that in his view any provision of a Bill relates to a protected subject-matter, the Bill is not passed unless the number of members voting in favour of it at the final stage is at least two-thirds of the total number of seats for members of the Parliament”
(https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/11/part/1/crossheading/legislation-by-the-parliament/enacted)
Changing the voting system is explicitly a “protected subject matter”. As ever, Westminster could amend any of this.
This is, of course, exactly where a “super-majority” applies and would have been really useful!
Further to my comment at 11.11:
On the basis of last week’s democratic voting outcome, which resulted in a majority of (list) votes and seats in favour of independence, the UN may be requested to consider Scotland’s people as independent, despite the inertia and reluctance (fear?) of the dominant National Party politicians, which is not an unknown feature in matters of decolonization.
https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/c24/about
“The Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence of Colonial Countries and Peoples is also known as the Special Committee on Decolonization, or C-24.”
Meanwhile In Westminser:
“The People of Scotland will not accept this Outrage!”
(Ian Blackford still pointlessly expelling air)
@ Craig P at 11:02 am
“In Neale Hanvey’s defence, he stood, and won election, as an independent.”
Yes but as I have stated many times, he couldn’t wait to go back after doing a penance.
And don’t anyone say he didn’t know about ALBA, that is of no relevance
He could have been like Margo McDonald
“The real guardians of progress are not the politicians at Westminster, or even at Holyrood, but the energised activism of tens of thousands of people who I predict will refuse meekly to go back into the political shadow.” Alex Salmond, 19 September 2014
They went back into the dark shadow of Nicola Sturgeon’s corrupt Scotland, and they’re still there. It will take a lot of energy and a lot more than a few cooncillors to bring them into the light.
Well, it’s a wee bit disappointing, but at least Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey are being honest about the limitations of working inside the Westminster cesspit. Having two Scottish Alba MPs walk out of Westminster won’t make much impact but I’d still like to see SNP MPs doing so – at the right time for maximum impact.
It’s sickening to see Scotland’s MPs meekly obeying Westminster’s anti-Scottish rules.
Could Kenny and Neale not take it in turns to loudly proclaim in the cesspit that liar Johnson is exactly that: a liar! If nothing else it might shame the SNP MPs into doing something instead of hot-airing the cesspit.
Even Parnell’s party had to give way to a harder-nosed Irish independence grouping. That is precisely what happens when the establishment independence party becomes a bit too establishment and a lot less independent. No voters need to be shown that they cannot get away with preventing our leaving the Union. They have no right in law or morality to do so, and that needs to get through to them. Pussy-footing is not working.
A new strategy for getting out is the only way forward, not more useless and pointless persuasion. Persuasion really worked on 6 May, didn’t it? They need to know that we will take our case to the UN if they continue to block, illegally in international law, any democratic means of leaving the Union, because court cases here will be a waste of time and money. Westminster sovereignty is unassailable, Holyrood is the creature of Westminster, and we do not have time on our side to draw this out endlessly.
Excellent letter in The National today from Andy Anderson on unity of purpose. Had the SNP done what the Unionists did on 6 May and stick a peg on their nose and encouraged their supporters to vote Alba on the List, we’d have had a large pro independence majority. I really think it had less to do with Alba and more to do with not wanting to actually do anything, no matter how much they splutter and posture. The Greens will hold the SNP in a hostage situation for every supporting vote, as the leadership must have known, so we can only conclude that that it is what they want, too. We cannot afford to let them get way with more stasis, at worst, and foot-dragging, at best.
Has queen nic made any statement about Israel?
Time to start boycotting that country…
https://www.ipsc.ie/campaigns/consumer-boycott
Somerled
Scotland didnt want Brexit but got it. Do you think that is democracy in action maybe it is for craven northbrits like yourself but for others it is an outrage that will never be forgiven. Indy is the only way.
Re robbo at 11.23.
Exactly my point. It takes two to tango. Let’s ALL stop the playground arguments.
Brilliant and reassuring. Thank you. Acting as a role model in WM as well- it’s how the SNP MPs should be working there.
Cenchos says:
12 May, 2021 at 10:54 am
Remember, every single MSP and MP has to swear allegiance to the queen.
—
The wearer of the Crowns has different obligations to the Scots than the other nations; pledging allegiance means different things in different places.
The Queen of England has no power in Scotland unless she’s got the right hat on.
Glad to see some adults with strategic vision finally enter the room.
To those griping about them no longer being SNP: MPs are not obliged to resign on crossing the floor. Neale Hanvey ran as an independent, in the teeth of Nicola (She/Her) ordering party members not to turn out for him.
And to the SNP loyalists demanding they give up their seats – be careful what you wish for.Your party leadership have impoverished your party. It’s probably the only reason they haven’t started a purge of heretics yet. The SNP could not afford to run multiple by-elections, although I certainly hope Alba will bear it in mind as a tactic in the future.
Unfortunately I suspect (but would love to be proved wrong) that the seemingly now ingrained tribal aspects of Scottish politics, added to the incredible ignorance of a close-minded electorate, means it is going to be a real struggle to make significant progress in near future, unless events of some description come into play.
After 20 years of the Holyrood election voting system it still allows the Parties a degree of manipulation and control as was yet again witnessed recently by instructing folk to use #BothVotesSNP, and when that is linked to a mix of dumbed down or tribal minded electorate it feels like pissing in the wind sometimes.
Debunking the worth of BothVotes SNP for Holyrood was relatively easy, but still folk weren’t receptive to considering alternatives, it’s gonnae be a load more difficult explaining how to use Single Transferable Vote / #VoteTillYouBoak for optimum benefit when it appears so many Indy supporters harbour such dislike for an individual that they are prepared to put emotion over logic and stifle what they supposedly ultimately want.
@ johnmc
TBF to Yon Blowhard, his continual hot air utterances are probably a small net benefit to renewable power generation, in that his regular emitted air disturbances assist the rotation of wind turbine blades located near to wherever said utterances occur.
It’s just unfortunate this small positive in facilitating us moving to a brighter, healthier, and more environmentally sound future is offset due to his wife running a fuckin Range Rover…
The criminal Garavelli given yet another platform at the Guardian to spout lies about Alba, I see.
“Those who aligned themselves with the former first minister seized on the SNP’s already-contentious plans to reform the Gender Recognition Act (GRA), so trans people could self-identify, as a wedge issue. They scorned the party’s attempts to increase the number of women, minority ethnic and disabled candidates for the Holyrood election.”
At least she gives the game away with “already contentious”.
John McNab says:
12 May, 2021 at 10:01 am
People voted for the candidate – not the party.
@Lorna Campbell 11:49am
Totally agree.
Re Alf Baird’s reference to the UN – on the 6th April 2021 a number of individual Sovereign Scots wrote, and lodged, the first of what will be a series of leters to the Secretary General of the United Nations in the following terms:
The Declaration of an individual Sovereign Scot
its purpose – to regain the independence of Scotland.
Context: The Nation of Scotland has a long history which can be traced back to 892AD. The sovereignty of the People was established by the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320AD and again in the Claim of Right in 1689AD. The Claim of Right to self determination has been reaffirmed many times including on 4th July 2018, when the House of Commons officially endorsed the principles of the Claim of Right, agreeing that the people of Scotland are sovereign and that they have the right to determine the best form of government for Scotland’s needs.
Exercising my Claim Of Right as a Sovereign Scot, I declare:
I do not consent to the terms of, nor the continuation of, the Treaty of Union established through the Acts of Union in 1707.
Inter alia, I adopt and rely upon the principles, and international legal recognition of Article 1 (2) – (Equal rights and self-determination of peoples) of the United Nations, and specifically the principle of self-determination and the right of peoples to decide their own government, and in so doing declare that I recognise the sole democratic legitimacy of the Scottish Parliament, and assert its primacy and permanence to act singularly on behalf of the Sovereign Scots whose votes alone establish and maintain its existence.
I do not consent to the terms of, nor the continuation of, the Scotland Act 1998, and all subsequent relevant Acts of like nature and purpose, and demand that any Oath of Allegiance to be sought from, and given by, a potential Member of the Scottish Parliament recognises the Sovereignty of the Scottish People in the following terms: “By this oath, I acknowledge that if elected as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, it will be as a result of votes cast by Sovereign Scots, and I do solemnly swear and affirm that my allegiance is, and will remain, to the Sovereign people of Scotland.
That this Declaration is made by an individual Sovereign Scot to ensure that Scotland regains its independence as a Sovereign Nation, and in so doing can secure its economic future to not only offer opportunities to its people but equally to provide for the welfare of its people by entirely legal and democratic means and without any form of outside interference, and in an international context to support the United Nation’s Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, by the removal of all nuclear weapons from Scotland.
Signed this day, the 6th of April 2021 in my name: “ “
To establish and confirm that I am resident in Scotland and of an age which entitles me to vote, I quote this unique reference “ ”, which is drawn from the Poll Card issued to me by the Constituency Returning Officer for the Constituency of “ “
Draft example ends … but this initiative has only started, there is more planned and to follow.
If I had any say in how ALBA operated, I would be making the party’s presence felt at all the AUOB marches, once they resume.
Since the SNP never bothers with them, indeed goes out of their way to discourage them, these could be a terrific recruiting ground for ALBA – a true captive audience from which to recruit.
Alistair White @ 9.30 am
“Is there a link or dataset behind the graphic? I know people will ask, verify and all that “
This from Kirk Torrance gives information re the graph ,
https://twitter.com/KirkJTorrance/status/1391487548778819589?s=20
.
Kenny and Neale , Thank you for having the courage to join the Alba party along with all the other candidates who stood for election . You got the list votes from this household and that’s after being Snp voters for 40+ years .
We know that the Snp will never push for Independence while Mr & Mrs Murrell are in charge .
If Wings is any sort of a barometer many Alba members/supporters back stabbed Salmond by saying that they would not vote SNP 1.
There were also quite a few cases where they campaigned against a sitting independent supporting member.
These folk cost Alba many list votes and were probably responsible for removing Salmond permanently from the political scene.
So, the first thing an elected would-be-MSP has to do, on pain of being kicked out of Parliament, is pledge allegiance to an unelected monarch? .
I suppose the process has some kind of merit as an illustration of the illusory nature of democracy.
Col@10.21
Re Scottish regional results have a look at Ballotbox Scotland on twitter or select this thread on Wings:
“The Taking of Holyrood” May 9th, scroll down to
meg merrilees at 8.30pm where I have listed all the regional figures.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-taking-of-holyrood-129/
They scorned the party’s attempts to increase the number of women, minority ethnic and disabled candidates for the Holyrood election
My first thought was, she lied in every word.
Most people are quite happy to vote for women (btw there’s not exactly a shortage of women in Scottish politics), minorities, or disabled candidates.
As long as they’re good.
Most people also want nothing to do with erecting some kind of woke caste system where useless grifters are elevated to the top of a list in defiance of democratic outcomes because they is black/disabled/a woman/a cis woman.
Because discrimination on the basis of race or sex or being in a wheelchair or whatever is wrong. Discrimination on the basis of political ability, integrity, and willingness to do what voters actually want is where it’s at.
Scotland isn’t a bigoted, racist, hateful society that’s in need of being scolded by beady-eyed halfwits such as Humza or Rhiannna Speirs or Dani Garabaldi. We’re not children and MSP’s aren’t our mammies, so they have no business telling us what to think and what opinions we might be allowed to express. We’re not the intolerant ones – they are.
gullane04@ 12.37
Did many ALBA voters cost AS any seats by not voting SNP1 – highly unlikely.
A better brain than mine can work it out if you need proof. The most important thing for ALBA was to vote for it on the list.
In most SNP won constituencies the majority was such that one or two, ten or twelve or even a hundred votes not cast for SNP1 would have made precious little difference to the result on the regional list.
The back-stabber in chief who had the most direct impact on preventing ALBA winning any seats was Nicola Sturgeon – the main reason most non-SNP1 ALBA voters had to spoil their ballot papers.
She denied ALBA any seats with her ‘both votes SNP’ call, removed the gift of a supermajority denying the possibility of an Indy ref anytime soon.
WHY? Because she is determined to remove Alex Salmond permanently from the political scheme at almost any cost.
One of the most obnoxious things any person can do is backstab their tutor and mentor because they think they are bigger, better and a great improvement on the very person who has taught them most of what they know.
Very sad, and Scotland is the loser.
Crazycat @ 11.27
If anyone knows the WM intricacies, that person is Alex Salmond.
Commentators throughout his long political career have said that the one person who knows Westminster procedures intimately is Alex Salmond.
I’m sure I read somewhere that when he was first elected, he used to spend lots of free time in the Houses of Parliament library/archives reading about procedures and almost obsolete tactics previous MP’s have used to get results – the most recent example of this was David Davis discussing ‘Salmondgate’ and Scottish political issues openly, and safely owing to WM parliamentary privilege, at WM a few months back.
Totally disagree with that article. This is one person who will not be giving yous my votes in relation to Westminster nor will i commit to any form of campaigning for yous either in relation to Westminster elections. No Scotnats have achieved *anything* there to date nor will you ever achieve anything of note. To quote Stuart Campbell on 18/11/11:
“Scottish voters know full well that there’s next to no point in electing SNP MPs to Westminster. Even if every single Scottish seat went to the nationalists, they would have almost no chance of achieving or influencing anything, since only twice in the last 50 years (and briefly on both occasions) has the entire block of Scottish MPs held the balance of majority at Westminster. Sending SNP members south serves only to dilute the party’s talent base,”
@gullaneno4 12.37am
Aw, mate….we can always rely on you to come on and display your tangential relationship with reality, huh?
Anyone predicting Salmond’s permanent removal from the political scene patently hasn’t been paying attention. Last time I looked Alba was, unlike the SNP, a political party not a cult: Alex can recommend whatever he wants but how members and supporters vote is a matter for them. I proudly declared I would never vote for Angus Robertson in Edinburgh Central. I will never vote for the SNP again in any election.
Your assertion that a minority of folk saying they wouldn’t vote SNP 1 & Alba 2 cost Alba list votes is asinine. Alba failed to reach its potential because it had too little time to establish itself prior to the election, because it was frozen out of MSM coverage and debate participation and because the lumpen pro-indy electorate bought into the failed “both votes SNP” mantra. Sometimes you just can’t kill a bad idea. Those who brought about the deeply dispiriting outcome last Thursday can now spend 5 years repenting at leisure as the SNP & Greens inevitably fail to deliver.
We’ll accept the apologies of you and other unreasoning devolutionists then. It’ll be a great pleasure emphasising how often we told you so.
@Stoker 1:08pm
Well said.
As suggested in the article, Sturgeon gives the game away by her feeble mantra that ‘recovery comes first’. What could that mean except that she accepts Scotland cannot recover under its own steam? That independence wouldn’t be a positive place which would do a far better job of recovery than Westminster. She defers to WM in all matters, and doesn’t want the responsibility of recovery herself.
How typical. She shies away from the tough stuff, but wants to retain the aura of leader of the country. Leader of a parish council which gives itself the airs and graces of national government. How very comfortable and convenient for her and her cronies, all the wealth and trappings of power, with a very limited set of powers, and the handy excuse of always being able to blame WM for the shortcomings.
In that situation, why would a timid and economically illiterate chancer like her risk the heavy burden of actual decision-making? Easy, don’t bother, but run an administration which can indulge in her favourite ‘progressive’ causes, issues in which she is far more personally invested than in the difficult stuff of economics, resources, land reform etc. She has demonstrated her illiterate and indifferent attitude to those subjects, and has perfected the art of absolving herself for all blame for the misconceived economic failures, educational failures and the cronyism which infect her regime.
And she can always wheel out her old favourite – bash Boris, safe in the knowledge that he will handily block any real progress towards independence, so that the two of them can carry on with the puppet show of denouncing each other and thus bolstering their ratings. What a racket! A political theatre in which they both get to play the hero/villain and keep pulling in the punters.
Men of honour would resign and seek a fresh mandate as Alba candidates.
Politicians and honour don’t normally go together, Charlie. They do like to compensate for this though, calling themselves “honourable” at every opportunity lol. 🙂
Wouldn’t it be neat if Alba also stood in England on a policy on independence plus decent social welfare, eg like in Scotland?
(eg Free Uni – think of all the young voters 🙂 )
With a suitable run up I reckon they’d pull enough votes that the English parties would all suddenly start supporting independence to get rid of Alba.
Thank you Kenny and Neale, as you say it was too early for Alba, though Alex Salmond asked us to give the SNP our constituency vote and Alba our list vote, the SNP did not return the favour which would’ve removed more BritNat MSPs at Holyrood and replaced them with indy minded MSPs from the Alba party.
Alex is definitely the better person between him and Sturgeon when you look at it that way.
The SNP has gotten its last vote from me, Alba is now my party of choice, a true Scottish independence party. Alba has five years to grow and it will, come 2026 Alba surely will have constituency candidates and that’s where my vote will go from now on.
Thank you for doing your best to liberate Scotland from Westminster’s clutches, our time will come.
To those of you trying to rehabilitate Neale Harvey, on the claimed basis he ran as an independent, playing the ingénu suits nobody. He was on the ballot paper as an SNP candidate, then due to a bit of injudicious Jew-baiting, the SNP had to be seen to be doing something, so he was suspended from the party.
The suspension came too late to change the ballot paper, so he was elected on the basis that he was an SNP delegate; he even maintained the party’s yellow colour as part of his campaign as an independent (sic). After a swift rehabilitation, with one bound he was back in the party’s warm embrace. Didn’t stop him posing for publicity shots in close proximity, let’s say, to the SNP’s delegate bloc, though.
To Wee Chid at 12.20; just you keep believing that. It’s really quite touchingly naïf. Let’s put it to the test shall we? Get Kenny to stand as a DUP candidate and see if the voters vote for the man, not the party.
Lorna Campbell says:
12 May, 2021 at 11:49 am
Even Parnell’s party had to give way to a harder-nosed Irish independence grouping. That is precisely what happens when the establishment independence party becomes a bit too establishment and a lot less independent.
Indeed, there is a historical lesson to learn there. The all powerful Irish Parliamentary Party, which had appeared to be unbeatable, got too comfy and non-confrontational and suddenly disappeared like snow off a dyke. Hopefully the SNP won’t make the same mistake, although history does have a habit of repeating. Well, with the birth of ALBA, the writing is on the wall if they don’t get their comfy asses into gear.
Hanvey!! Effing autocorrect!
Socrates MacSporran @12:27
A very good point. As the SNP has become a party controlled by an autocratic cabal that leaves its activists dispirited, it gives Alba the chance to get out there and recruit.
“Last time I looked Alba was, unlike the SNP, a political party not a cult”.
Hilarious!!
“I proudly declared I would never vote for Angus Robertson in Edinburgh Central.”
That worked well, didn’t it?
Socrates MacSporran says:
12 May, 2021 at 12:27 pm
If I had any say in how ALBA operated, I would be making the party’s presence felt at all the AUOB marches, once they resume.
Since the SNP never bothers with them, indeed goes out of their way to discourage them, these could be a terrific recruiting ground for ALBA – a true captive audience from which to recruit.
Indeed. If everyone who marched during 2018-19 voted for ALBA last week, we would have quite a few list MSPs by now I imagine.
“… it is legally possible for the UK Government to react to the passage of a Bill in the Scottish Parliament by making a reference and then persuading the UK Parliament to amend the Scotland Act so as to render the Bill invalid.”
…
“And the UK Parliament also has power to make laws for Scotland, a power which the legislation of the Scottish Parliament cannot diminish: section 28(7) of the Scotland Act.”
Lord Reed, then Deputy President of the Supreme Court.
Once again we are being conned. There is no road to independence via Holyrood or Westminster.
John McNab was a composite character formed from a Conservative MP, a banker and an Earl.
Our John McNab here is an establishment troll as well, and can get to fuck.
Charlie Farlington says:
12 May, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Men of honour would resign and seek a fresh mandate as Alba candidates.
It’s not an honourable system.
So fuck you.
@John McNab 1.36pm
More fool the electors of Edinburgh Central. Sadly there wasn’t a reasonable alternative. A spoiled ballot was preferable to voting for a piece of work like Robertson.
If you think Alba will be anything like the SNP you’ve obviously been on the Sturgeonade.
Is there anything actually preventing Alba standing down South? Aside from picking up votes from Scots down there, could also be sold to some of the other nationalists themselves; a step towards the English nats getting their own parliament, or the brit nats fed up subsidising whinging jocks.
But even if nothing else was achieved, it would certainly be reported in the MSN/ broadcasting media. And it would be funny as hell to see Alba being reported in the main news…then a news blackout “where you live”.
Charlie we see ya. – Will be an SNP plant. Resign Alba MP’s so we can elect another SNP stool pigeon , is what he means.
It would be great if a lot more ‘Independently Minded’ SNP MPs/MSPs were to join the ALBA Family and bring more pressure to bear on the wool gathering, slipper wearing, pipe smoking, pointless ( to Scotland) committee joining, Speaker of the WM House aspiring, dobbers in the Devolutionist Wing (Wishy-Washy Wishart being a [SUB] prime example.)
Meg says 12.55:
‘One of the most obnoxious things any person can do is backstab their tutor and mentor because they think they are bigger, better and a great improvement on the very person who has taught them most of what they know.’
Maybe it plays out like this:
As an avowed feminist, Sturgeon is ashamed that her rise to FM was largely on account of the mentorship and support of a man, namely Alex Salmond.
The dissonance between her own realisation of his mentorship and support, on the one side, and her self-proclaimed status and identity as a feminist on the other, can be resolved by the erasure of Salmond’s role in her rise.
This is done by the attempt s to re-cast him as a sex-predator, a ‘man-against -women’, which is a re-figuration easily palatable to feminism (or, rather, what Sturgeon herself perceives feminism to be).
This now lets her believe that she has attained power despite him, not because of him.
However, the fiction she has created is so fragile that it requires constant bolstering and amplification. No one can question it, even unwittingly, so Sturgeon surrounds herself with acolytes who can feed her own lie back to her on a constant basis. The boot must stamp on the human face forever, or the truth will out.
Any support for Alba is support for Salmond in her mind, and therefore a threat to her fragile fiction.
John McNab is a pointless, shite talking fanny.
Breeks, the language used regarding binding the Scottish population and nation to the treaty of the union is entirely hogwash, falsifying the reality of what took place in 1707,
The Scottish population were never in the Treaty of the union, never voted to be in the treaty of the union, objected and protested at the thought being in it. Never elected any representatives to go forward with joining Scotland and England in a union.
The actual treaty of the union is a limited contract between those whose signed up to it.
To be fooled by the language, and the use of language for entrapment has been our biggest shame.
If I am wrong with this analysis, you would not have retained you’re sovereignty as Mike Fenwick points out.
England would have confiscated it by now, It would be bound up so tight in the 1707 treaty.
It was not , and England’s politicians of the day preyed the had captured all of Scotland in their hands,
The biggest error they had made (and they realised this not long afterwards) was the speed in which they pushed everything through,[ The speed and secretly, without involving the rest of the population of Scots, ]
The treaty still stands,
But there is a distinction between whom knowingly signed the treaty and who did not,
entrapment is illegal,
Where are our votes or signatures on the treaty, better still where is our documented vote to elect these supposed representatives
ITS ALL HOGWASH. MAKE BELIEVE.
These so called representatives were business men, self elected for financial profit gain.
Who sold a country that did not belong to them, to England.
The country belonged to the sovereign Scottish people, whom were acknowledged as sovereign at that time in their country,
The financial sale and contract was then and still now illegal.
However even in this illegal sale, they did not gain the sale of the sovereign Scot, they had escaped by not including or involving the Scots under a blanket of secrecy.
The illegal sale of Scotland by those that received financial reimbursement, will have to be paid back to England by those whom signatures are on that bill of sale or their descendants.
Scotland belonged to sovereign people in their own country, the actual sale in law would be void and bring imprisonments,
To this day it is LEGALLY acknowledged that the Scottish people are sovereign, and we wish massive amounts of compensation in any future negotiations for the illegal sale of Scotland in 1707 and for misleading the Scots for 300 years to the present day and time into believing that they had been bought in a sale.
If the supposed treaty included the sale of the Scottish people, and England does not wish to release them without financial recompense to Scotland and its people, Westminster is dealing in open slavery.
That is your starting point in negotiations.
@Charlie Farlington,
you vote for the candidate not the party in UK elections,
hope that helps,
every day is a school day,
give a person a fish and they eat for a day , teach the person to fish and they eat for ever,
no thank you needed,
or apologies asked for,
glad to educate.
Today is the anniversary of the execution of the Edinburgh born James Connolly (Easter Rising) Connolly was so ill due to wounds from bullets from British soldiers that they had to tie him to a chair to execute him.
Abbreviated,
Scots are either sovereign right now, or we were sold as slaves attached to the sale of a country.
By law slavery is illegal.
England either has to make void the whole sale that took place in 1707. Without negotiations.
Or admit to the UN and the world it still holds the Scottish people as slaves which it payed for when buying a country in 1707.
And it wishes to continue binding the Scots and holding the nation of Scotland in slavery.
ScotsRenewables at 1.51pm
No I’m not, so no, I won’t.
Alzyerpal at 2.24pm
No I’m not.
Not much of the civic and joyous nationalism in evidence here, anyway.
There is an opportunity for a double squeeze on the SNP.
The Alba MP’s could get together with David Davis and other libertarians to get a motion in Westminster to change to the Scotland Act to legislate for the separation of powers of the Lord Advocate and the crown office.
This would place the SNP MP’s in an embarrassing position if they are told to vote against it. If they vote for it puts pressure on Sturgeon to comply before it becomes law.
We may want our MP’s to be more radical and disengage from devolution but for the foreseeable we are stuck with it. The politicisation of the crown office has turned us into a banana republic. It’s imperative that something is done about it.
The opposition at Holyrood could also present a motion which could place the SNP in an awkward position if they argue against it. Sturgeon is unlikely to give up the cosy arrangements she currently has in place voluntarily.
The independence of Scotland and its people does not lie with any political party that has no brain or cannot think differently or outside the box other than the mantras of Westminster and the Scottish government,
The focus should be on wether you were bought and sold with your country in 1707.
If you consider you were, England is running modern day slavery.
If you consider that you were not, you are sovereign.
James Che. says:
12 May, 2021 at 2:14 pm
ITS ALL HOGWASH. MAKE BELIEVE.
Yes. I agree. The Union as it’s presented cannot properly exist.
But the reason it does exist is because it has become the accepted convention, recognised Internationally.
That’s the point. Compromise the Union because it’s a Treaty that has been breached, augment that denunciation of the Union Treaty with an informed and well documented disassembly of what the Union purports to be, and persuade the International Community that the Union of the United Kingdom is unsound, and that the Constitutional sovereignty of Scotland expressly defined in the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320, ratified by the Pope and England in 1328 has NOT been superseded by ANY sound legislation or repeal, and thus remains extant.
With the Union recognised as a constitutional impossibility, the United Kingdom Treaty should fail, and it’s component Kingdoms revert back to their pre-Union status – Independent Kingdoms.
The World believes a lie right now, a fallacy which has been the accepted convention for 300 years, but a fallacy which doesn’t deserve Constitutional recognition.
Charlie Farlington says:
12 May, 2021 at 1:21 pm
Men of honour would resign and seek a fresh mandate as Alba candidates…
But Charlie, Men of honour did resign, the resigned from the SNP because it was the SNP who abandoned mandate after mandate to pursue Scottish Independence, and wilfully set out to wreck a pro-Independence supermajority which could have delivered it.
If Sturgeon and her TransActivists, who have hi-jacked the Independence cause to secure electoral mandates for their toxic and unelectable TransInsanity, if they had any honour, they’d be the ones resigning from the SNP, stop compromising and bedevilling Scottish Independence with their own science denying nonsense, and have the backbone to stand up for what they actually believe in, without blackmailing the Scottish Electorate into accepting their Transgender issues being forced upon them as the price to be exacted from them if they want a pro Independence government.
Where is the honour in that Charlie? It is political extortion. Blackmail. The SNP hasn’t a vestige of honour left.
I heard A.S. on BBC Scotland Radio mentioning Thatcher and Cameron as accepting of ‘majority’ votes for Scottish seats as the Convention for Independence being achieved
I’m afraid I have had enough of his obfuscation as much as Sturgeon’s. I have said multiple times on here over the years that I blamed Salmond for screwing up the road to Indy by diverting us down the ‘REF INDY’ con. Yes we started with low support which, on the back of this Website’s author’s WBB gave the ‘Yes’ Campaign a near miss. But the inevitable black ops did for the result.
But worse, a precedent was set and all focus has ended up on the emasculated talking shop at the bottom of the Royal Mile. Salmond knows far better than anyone that we have a majority of Scots seats at present…in WESTMINSTER…the place that Thatcher, Cameron et al always accepted that Sovereignty for both countries lay ( English sovereignty in Parliamunt and Scotland’s sovereignty in its people i.e. the Mps).
This majority has existed since 2015..right on the back of the ‘failed’ Referendum. But nobody, including Salmond, Sturgeon and Uncle Tom Cobley and all to the chance to seize that agreed convention base acceptance that Scotland could dissolve the Union. If we had done, our Civic based reoresentatives, msps and Mps could have convened a new Assembly to set up a new Constitution etc. and if they felt it was necessary ( which it is not) had a confirmatory vote by the public ( Scots residents only, with a minimum of 10 x years continuing residence).
Instead what do we have?…… a total roadblock and Unionist infiltrated, compromised and controlled bogus ‘Nationalist’ devolved mouthpiece accounting unit
To all those who appear to be saying this is somehow “dishonorable” What would you say to the numerous MP’s at Westminster who cross the floor at any given time in most Parliamentary terms?
Did you believethis when the clueless Labour, Libdums and Tories defected to the eminently forgettable Change UK, or the even more forgettable other party shortly before or after so forgettable I can’t remember and can’t be arsed to look it up.
It seems to me that these two guys are actually being honest to their convictions, and are not “gaming” the system at all, they are just playing by the systems rules.
“But with more MPs than Scottish Labour”
That’s because you were both elected MPs in the 2019 GE SNP landslide, and Scottish Labour’s share of the vote in that election was the party’s lowest since the 1910 GE.
Good to hear , even using strategies and publishing them to put pressure on the SNP to have to watch their flanks, as the public start asking them questions.
Like why can’t they pass the referendum bill ASAP. And fill the date for it to be held at the 2nd reading.
Also naive snp idiots telling you to stand down and get re-elected.
1. The SNP cannot afford 2 more bi-elections.
2. Both these seats were historically Labour seats and without serious campaigning could revert to Labour.
You stick with it Kenny
James Che,
“Slaves”, really? This sort of unbalanced rhetoric, historic revisionism and outright lunacy may be the reason you’ll never get your “Freedom” asyou would have it.
If I may you need to find reasons to persuade circa 1% of the Scottish electorate to change their minds, I’m not entirely sure howling at the moon will do it. Might not be the way things appear to you, but unfortunately for you it is the reality.
Somerled @ 10:28am
I hate to break the news to you but you are not Scottish and British, you are British and Scottish.
There’s a world of a difference.
For example, I’m a Scottish nationalist and you are a British nationalist, we are at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Well done to Kenny and Neale.
Anybody here who wants independence and who hasn’t joined Alba should do so.
We’re already in a battle and this should be considered a call to arms, metaphorically speaking.
Super majority wrecked, minority SNP delivered, another independence supporter jailed, the British policies of Northern Ireland are here.
In NI it was the nationalist – Catholic – republicans who had the police prosecution and judiciary turned against them Here it is supporters of independence that the aforementioned, plus the media, plus the senior civil servants arraigned against them.
There Rule of Law in Scotland is now broken and corrupt for all to see.
And Lady Dorian of the new Diplock courts, we shall see much more of this. manny Singh ( 1 month ) Stephen Thompson ( 6 months ) and now Craig Murray ( 8 months ) are but the start.
And it could have been Stu Campbell of Wings who was cautioned for threatening behaviour, or Alex Salmond who was acquitted, or Mark Hirst with no case to answer, or Sean Clerkin arrested in a dawn raid two weeks after displaying a banner at Edinburgh airport or even the Aberdeen AOUB march organiser who was cautioned by police.
Politically driven Police and Prosecution harassment and jailing are now part of the Scottish landscape, and they are our enemy. Consent and fairness is now gone utterly and we need to recognise these facets of governance for what they now are.
OT:
https://twitter.com/stovies5/status/1392444876487266309
Mr thms
Are you not happy with unabashedly pro independence MPs or is it important to you that they must be SNP MPs?
Republic of Scotland
Alba has 5 years to grow….
No ALBA has 1 year to grow – Scottish council elections next year, 2022 and in 2023 there is a General Election.
So we have to try and get ALBA councillors elected next year under their own Emblem and build the foundation for sending some ALBA MP’s to Westminster in 2023.
Let’s not forget the fantasy of a possible Indy ref in 2023/24..
This is the ladder that leads to a much better peformance at the Holyrood elections in 2026 – if there is still a Scottish Parliament by then!
Willie @3.21
when you read it condensed like that, it is a scary story.
Independence comes at a price and the bidding has just begun.
For everyone questioning the honour of MPs changing parties you need to educate yourself on what an MP is. From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)
Theoretically, contemporary MPs are considered to have two duties, or three if they belong to a political party. Their primary responsibility is to act in the national interest. They must also act in the interests of their constituents where this does not override their primary responsibility. Finally, if they belong to a political party, they may act in the interests of that party, subordinate to the other two responsibilities.
I put the important part in bold. An MP is a representative NOT a delegate. If the people elect a member of the SNP and they join the Conservatives I’m afraid that’s too bad. The person is supposed to act in the interest of their constituents, not the people who voted for them.
I’m sure there are lots of finer details and nuances to this as well as voter expectations. There are quite a few interesting references on the wikipedia page for that.
SOAPS, that’s all we are dealing with here , which politicians are good or bad, this is how you are controlled, by being locked into a directed line of thought. Going around in circles. Attached by an invisible umbilical cord to years of small time party politics. Same before elections as after elections Repeats after repeats.
Let us please try to get out the myre of small time politics which is holding us back, it’s keeping us in political lockdown. We are making our own prison in Scotland by repeating the same belittling gossip politics.
Get angry at how your being controlled to think in small circles, there is a reason why so many soaps are on the box, it’s subversive, it teachings are that you are in, a small spiteful world full of people attacking each other wether by love, hate or trying to get one over on you’re neighbours, or encouraging cheating on each other,
The deliberate purpose of soaps on the populations is scary, some people think they are real, and behave accordingly, in a like manner copying the thinking, and you cannot get more woke than emulating a soap in real life for politics,
Many people in Scotland are waking up, so many yet to even open their eyes and ears,
Think outside the box,
A lot of bullshit here about Cherry, she’s kept her heid well down since the wee witch booted her arse….don’t forget they’re sisters under the skin!
ALBA must be the nationalist party the SNP is not.
British nationalism takes no prisoners neither should the Scottish variety.
«A bare knuckle fight» is how the British see it, a contest delayed too long.
What we really need is some big protests about the amendment of the GRA and the bloody Hate Crime bill led by the two alba MPs and Alex Salmond who has plenty of leverage in the media.
Go get them on their attacks on women, children and the male gender Indy can wait till the electorate start to be more alert….as the Rev is wont to say.
The big women’s vote was for Nicolass and fuelled by an anti male grievance, that is the real big battle in Scotland, nothin’ worse than stupit wimmin in big groups!
@Lochside 3.00pm
The constitutional convention route only really works if you have overwhelming public support and are faced with unreasonable refusal by the “metropolitan” power to negotiate. Neither condition applies in Scotland’s case, so the international community would simply ignore any attempted independence based on there being a majority of pro indy MPs at Westminster or Holyrood.
The international community is interested in a clear majority voting in favour of independence in response to a clear question and mandate. They aren’t that fussed whether it’s via a referendum or plebiscitary elections. The expectation however (not just from 2014 but in relation to other analogous situations like Quebec and Catalonia in particular but also e.g. Montenegro) is that a referendum would be the first choice. If that is unreasonably denied by Westminster in our case, there would be a strong prima facie case to simply switch to plebiscitary elections.
Nobody abroad cares about constitutional conventions, the treaties of Union, the declaration of Arbroath or our millennium long history. They are perplexed that Scots voters lack the political cojones to tell Westminster rather than ask permission: either we believe we’re sovereign or we don’t. The international community won’t deliver our independence to us on a plate any more than they did so for any other nation.
The international community won’t accept independence via convention except in very exceptional circumstances: it’d be seen as UDI and make recognition immeasurably more difficult. We need to force the issue on a referendum and if the British nationalists continue to frustrate that mandate replace it with plebiscitary elections for every Holyrood and Westminster vote.
Positive direction Kenny and Neale.
I would though like to see a more robust reply to the unionist drivel that Scotland is stronger in the Union by reminding them that
given the population differential between Scotland and England it renders a Scottish voice meaningless. Two examples being the Iraq war and Brexit. We always get what England votes for.
I would also like to see a more aggressive and passionate approach when dealing with these people, we have been too fluffy for too long.
akenaton says:
12 May, 2021 at 3:48 pm
!What we really need is some big protests about the amendment of the GRA and the bloody Hate Crime bill led by the two alba MPs and Alex Salmond who has plenty of leverage in the media.!
The problem is that the media have been totally captured. I’m sure if more women understood about the self ID proposals and the repercussions they would not have voted for Sturgeon – It’s certainly what put me off.
Trying to get this through to people is difficult though because some of it is just so unbelievable that sane people think it is made up. Some folk still actually believe what they see and hear on the BBC and it is completely pro trans – even the kids channel has stuff about transitioning and on at least one game show, I believe, people are being asked to include their pronouns in their introduction of themselves.
Willie says:
12 May, 2021 at 3:21 pm
A measured and fair contribution from you as usual. I don’t know if you are following Butterstone School, but that is pretty bad too. Not the police this time, but Scotland’s public bodies. Teachers with a lifetime’s dedicated experience are worried about being removed from the teaching register for complaining about their treatment.
So, to outline a general theme from those hereon who purport to want “independence”, the Act of Union of 1707 is among other descriptions, wrong, fraudulent and not fit for purpose, while a letter to the then Bishop of Rome of 1320, requesting ratification of a mutuality pact between an alien and imported colonial ecclesia and a murderer, usurper and opportunist, surrendering sovereignty of the country the latter claimed to be sovereign of, is somehow more relevant?
And you wonder why nobody takes you seriously?
Andy Ellis says:
12 May, 2021 at 3:51 pm
@Lochside 3.00pm
The constitutional convention route only really works if you have overwhelming public support and are faced with unreasonable refusal by the “metropolitan” power to negotiate…
I suppose ultimately that’s true. What’s the point winning a definitive argument over sovereignty if the population doesn’t want to be sovereign?
But if it was down to me, I wouldn’t be jumping straight to Def Con 4 right away. I’d start in a slow way, just being awkward and difficult, and forcing the Union confront it’s unconstitutional anomalies and paradoxes wherever it concerns Scotland.
Don’t give Westminster an easy ride on anything. Dispute everything on Constitutional grounds, and try to force them to seek a resolution under International Law. (Spoiler alert – they won’t).
It isn’t to be awkward for awkward’s sake, but to educate the Scottish people about their Constitutional Rights and strengths, and give everybody time to get used to the idea. Then, when the “big one” comes along, the flat out disputed Sovereignty, it is just the culmination of a process which everybody knows was inevitable.
John McNab,
You are a Unionist and you will remain a Unionist no matter what anyone says, like that imbecile of a Labour politician who was adamant he would vote against independence even if it was beneficial to Scotland.
There is absolutely no point debating with that mentality.
John McNab says:
12 May, 2021 at 4:24 pm
So, to outline a general theme from those hereon who purport to want “independence”, the Act of Union of 1707 is among other descriptions, wrong, fraudulent and not fit for purpose, while a letter to the then Bishop of Rome of 1320, requesting ratification of a mutuality pact between an alien and imported colonial ecclesia and a murderer, usurper and opportunist, surrendering sovereignty of the country the latter claimed to be sovereign of, is somehow more relevant?
And you wonder why nobody takes you seriously?
The Declaration of Arbroath was written for the Community of the Realm… For the people in other words, and the Papal recognition was the International recognition of it’s day. The documents still physically exist, and there are Centuries of provenance confirming Scotland’s status.
Yes, I would readily assert that Scotland’s Constitutional credentials and Nation status are infinitely superior to the Treaty of Union. Scotland has it’s own Constitutional Birth Certificate which you can still physically touch.
How do we now take you seriously when you apparently haven’t even read the Declaration of Arbroath before aiming to discredit it? You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Good point “ Big Jock @ 1111 a.m.” “ When we are allowed to gather in mass groups then it ( pandemic) is over” . However, I strongly suspect that NS will continue to use the cover of covic 19 to outlaw mass gatherings for as long as she can get away with it , knowing full well that the grass roots Yes movement might very well swing behind ALBA as the the “ when we recover” mantra for INDY ref 2 is pushed further & further down the road . The “ sea of thousands of saltines” on the streets of our major cities pre pandemic could well in the future be synonymous with the “ Alba saltire” and perhaps NS well knows it . Our patience is now at an end .
I think Kenny and Neale would be better off using their parliamentary privilege and a bit of courage to expose sturgeon instead of leaving it up to the tories to do the heavy lifting. Slagging off their constituents is also not a good look and won’t win many hearts and minds. Kenny in particular as he sits in a pro UK seat and slagging off the majority means his career will likely be short lived. He won’t achieve much sitting on the sidelines.
And just for the record, the Papacy didn’t reside in Rome in 1320, but Avignon.
Lots of assertions by self declared proud nationalist foot soldiers about how they would assert scotlands freedom while only a few days ago they voted to keep scotlands neck under the knee of the corrupt sturgeonite cabal.
The only ones who voted for scotlands freedom last week were those who voted against the New SNP, the New SNP voters need to wind their necks in.
Mike Fenwick @ 12:26
“on the 6th April 2021 a number of individual Sovereign Scots wrote, and lodged, the first of what will be a series of letters to the Secretary General of the United Nations”
It would seem an opportune time to get Scotland ‘listed’ with UN C24.
Lest we forget what independence is:
Self-determination independence is decolonization, according to ‘The Special Committee on the Situation with regard to the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence of Colonial Countries and Peoples, also known as the Special Committee on Decolonization, or C-24’.
https://www.un.org/dppa/decolonization/en/c24/about
The treaty of the union legality is constricted by only a few questions.
Did England’s Parliament in 1707 consider it had bought the whole of the Scottish sovereign people with the country of Scotland, that would make it slave trading.
Did the unelected Scottish representatives that self elected themselves have a right to enter into a bill of sale of a sovereign country and people that did not solely belong to them?
Is the matter and issue still legally relevant? Only if Westminster thinks it still bought and presently owns Scotland and humans, captured in a bill of sale.
Would the sovereign Scottish people be entitled to massive amounts of compensation for the years that have passed in captivity under a bill of sale?
Where do negotiations start, aye
I like to read this blog, because it is written well. But not written with any nod to reality. Reading the text is like listening to a mad person in a pub telling you things you know aren’t true, but in a eye swivelling way that makes the hairs stand up on the back of your neck….
“when will the SNP ever learn that the British can’t be trusted?”
I think the right question we need to ask is:
“When will the SNP ever learn that Nicola Sturgeon can’t be trusted?”
If I managed to learn how Holyrood’s voting system works in an afternoon, and I am not precisely a technical whizz, a mathematician or statistician nor I am intellectually above average, anybody in the SnP leadership team from Nicola Sturgeon to elements of her praetorian guard in Westminster like Wishart, Smith, Blackman, Black, Blackford, McDonald and all those candidates to MSPs should have learned by now how it works too, particularly considering all the years they have been in politics and that they have been sucking from the taxpayers’ coffers a salary for acting as the representatives of the interests of the people of Scotland when, in the constitutional matters at least, they appear to be representing the interests of just everybody else, rather than Scotland.
I am afraid that from where I am standing I can see no other credible explanation for the deception of the SNP leadership and its useful idiots to demand SNP 1 and SNP 2 as the following two possibilities:
a) a strategy deliberately deployed to destroy every possibility of a supermajority, to push ALBA out to avoid serious scrutiny at Nicola Sturgeon’s dodgy stalling of independence, targeting of juries, females’ rights and children’s protective law barriers and to maintain the status quo in Holyrood by allowing unionists to enter by the back door. As it is today, Nicola Sturgeon is so allergic to independence that the only possible way one can see her as pro independence is when she is side by side to staunch and dyed in the wool unionists.
b) A shield for the potential rigging of the election. For the old cynical sceptical like me who, in light of the absence of an exit poll, the totally unnecessary and unjustifiable delay and move of ballot boxes to their counting place, the media blackout against Alba, the persistent attempt of elements of the british state in collusion with Sturgeon’s government and some dodgy accusers to push Mr Salmond out of politics for good, does not believe the list result of the election, the request of the SNP1+SNP2 might be interpreted as the way to justify publicly towards the electorate an abnormally low percentage (less than 5%) of ALBA voters among the SNP1 ones, when in a matter of hours since Mr Salmond launched the party, thousands of ex SNP members rushed to join the party and when survey polls published by this site and those reported by other outlets pointed to a higher number of SNP voters open to cast their second vote for ALBA.
Asking for SNP1+SNP2 was neither accidental nor a matter of ignorance. The average Joe in the street may have being fooled but Nicola Sturgeon and Alyn Smith knew very darn well what they were asking for with SNP1 and SNP2. They were asking the SNP voters to throw their votes in the bin. Why did they do it?
I couldn’t care less for Sturgeon and Smith’s motives. Whatever they were, they were designed to damage the yes movement and progression of independence. The question an old cynical like me is more intersted in finding an answer for is to know how many SNP voters actually fell for this bogus strategy and if there is an actual way of finding out.
As we currently stand, if ALBA has around 5000 members, 44,000 votes means that for every member only another 8 people voted Alba. It cannot be that difficult to track them down, particularly in this time and age of social media. In my household for example, none of us are ALBA members and yet the two of us voted for ALBA in the list. Only one voted SNP1.
As to why the SNP leadership (and the british state) did not want representatives of ALBA in Holyrood, there are many potential reasons:
1. Mr Salmonds declaration that if a supermajority was elected to Holyrood Alba would be demanding an immediate commencement of negotiations for independence might have frozen the blood in the powers that be’s veins.
2. fear that one of those ALBA MSPs could have used parliamentary privilege to expose the evidence Sturgeon’s government has been seemingly colluding with the British state apparatus in the form of COPFS, the civil service and the police to suppress from the public
3. to make independence conditional to toxic social engineering aiming to destroy females’ rights and the legal barriers that are keeping paedophiles and abusers away from children in Scotland and of course the destruction of jury trials so political stitch ups like the one Mr Salmond was a victim of can be successful next time and used on demand by corrupt governments to eliminate political opponents. Alba in Holyrood would expose all this.
4. To stop any of the ALBA MSPs to speak up for the utterly disgraceful politicisation of the Judicial system in Scotland which, under this FM is quickly becoming an arm of the government to shut dissent, to undemocratically and unlawfully force its ruling and to persecute political opponents.
How can we found out if the number of votes in the list we have been presented as “official” for ALBA are true or a deliberate under-representation of the support for that party
to deter destroy the party, to stop independence, to destroy the foundations of our judiciary and to force on us toxic social engineering?
One thing is true: Alba has managed in less than 6 weeks what Sturgeon and her praetorian guard of charlatans have not managed in 6 years:
to put the powers that on panic mode 24/7
That reaction alone should tell us which of the two is the real pro independence party. And it ain’t the SNP.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were people available on a deal like this –
Basic annual salary £81,932
Subsidised food and drink in Members’ dining room
Allowances to cover costs of running an office and employing staff
Allowance to cover cost of maintaining constituency residence or London residence
Food allowance of £25/day if staying in London –
with a bit of time and access to all the facilities at Westminster and who wanted to reduce corruption in Scotland. They could, for example, investigate and publicise the positions of the compromised Lord Advocate and the part played by Nicola Sturgeon in the spread of Coronavirus and the resulting unnecessary deaths.
@ Stephen P 2:44pm
From The House of Commons Code of Conduct and the Criminal Law:
‘Privilege does not provide a haven from the general criminal law.
4. It is not for the Committee or the Commissioner to decide whether criminal conduct has occurred: it is for the prosecuting authorities to make that case, and for the court to decide. As the Committee on Standards and Privileges has remarked, “the separation of courts and Parliament is a fundamental constitutional principle”.
and
‘The importance of the principle of prosecutorial independence goes, I hope, without saying. Few things are more serious for the individual than to be charged by the state with a crime; and few things more important to society than the effective enforcement of the criminal law. As the Appeal Court has recently observed, it is important, in the public interest, “that prosecutors exercise their judgment independently, robustly, forensically and objectively on the whole evidence available’ Lord Advocate James Wolffe, 2017.
@Morag 1:38am/01April WOS
‘I will never forgive her for all these deaths, many of which could have been avoided, nor for meekly repackaging Westminster’s lethal strategies rather than declaring Scotland was going to look after itself and using every legal trick in the book to achieve that. And if Boris had said no you don’t, you must let the virus in because I say so, what an advertisement for independence that would have been.’
In the interests of maintaining balance they could find out, and publicise, sanctimonious unionists who indulge in hair pinging, knee touching, sleepy cuddling or, heaven forbid, the unlawful leg-over?
We need an independent anti-corruption unit – AC1.
The list is endless. The first steps have been taken. Now we need truth, courage, audacity and spirit.
Andy Ellis..with all due respect…for someone who states he has a PHD in International Relations, I do not understand your continuing contention that the Act of Union which enabled the United Kingdom to be created and is eponymous with it throughout the world, cannot be used as the contract that Scotland and its representatives can utilise literally or metaphorically to rip to pieces based on the British convention of and reality of, what is universally defined as a representative democracy?
One that was instituted originally to contain both countries’ representatives from its creation.
Yet according to you, home based plebiscites and Referendums which cannot be legitimised as binding ( Ref Section 30, Scotland Act etc) in my opinion, because of the sovereignty deficient and subordinate nature of Holyrood in both Westminster’s eyes and the rest of International opinion.
An UK Election based on Independence first and foremost by Alba that won most votes would however be as clear a mandate for Independence as is possible. If you class this as plebiscitary, then so be it. But it is the only forum to enable that separation to take place. The International community would look totally suspect ignoring the decision of a constituent signatory of the UK’ constitution. Yet apparently recognising a fabricated Province’s existence ( N.Ireland) and concomitant International Good Friday Agreement?
Your constant allusions to Catalonia and Quebec’s experience of failed plebiscites, regions which are not and have never been separate sovereign states as examples of how the Westminster route is pointless, makes me wonder why you keep equating them with Scotland, an independent state approximately 600 years in existence prior to the Act of Union in 1707 and with almost identical borders to the present?
You state:
‘The constitutional convention route only really works if you have overwhelming public support and are faced with unreasonable refusal by the “metropolitan” power to negotiate. Neither condition applies in Scotland’….Well I object to the ‘metropolitan’ adjective as it means in this context the ‘parent state of a colony’ which we are not.I believe that it is possible to build a majority (anything over 50% ) to achieve support for Indy.
You further state:
‘The international community is interested in a clear majority voting in favour of independence in response to a clear question and mandate. They aren’t that fussed whether it’s via a referendum or plebiscitary elections.’
I’m intrigued how you know this? Craig Murray, now a political prisoner, would not agree with you at all and he was a diplomat who was involved in negotiating with international partners in matters such as maritime borders. I would take his opinion over yours any day, with respect.
You state:
‘The international community won’t accept independence via convention except in very exceptional circumstances: it’d be seen as UDI and make recognition immeasurably more difficult’
Again , you equate the recognised Sovereign path to dissolution
of the UK, by even our most bitter enemies..the Tory Unionists..as the equivalent of a region declaring U.D.I. Well if we do not have legal rights in Westminster. We cannot assert them in a devolved talking shop. No self respecting holder of International opinion would allow for that contradiction.
I don’t understand this attitude of constrained amenable conduct when it comes to dealing with Sturgeon’s and the wider snp’s behaviour towards AS , ALBA and fellow Independence supporters
Alex Salmond proposed an extremely sensible plan to garner a supermajority of independence voters to ensure and enable an argument for independence that was unassailable against WM ,
YET Sturgeon and her cabal IMMEDIATELY went on the attack with ONLY one aim in mind , to DESTROY AS and the ALBA party without ANY CONSIDERATION for the people of Scotland and the suffering they will continue to undergo from bozo and his corrupt WM parties , even although a majority of independence supporting MSP’S in HR would have added strength to ANY indy argument
Even now we still have imbecillic idiots like gullane4 and other sturgeon sycophants coming on here feeling triumphant and superior not realising that their great leader has fucked them and us up the arse for independence
“Alba is readying itself to push for independence”
What exactly was it doing before, then. And you guys wonder why you lose..
Mitch says:
12 May, 2021 at 6:19 pm
“Alba is readying itself to push for independence”
What exactly was it doing before, then. And you guys wonder why you lose..
Reply
????
Mitch, We are coming for compensation, for false entrapment, for buying and selling humans in the treaty of the unionist.
Breeks, I have read the letter of 1320, in both Latin original and English translation. It’s stuffed full of fanciful nonsense regarding an origin myth, and is most likely the first version of the ‘wha’s like us’ trope, but its basic thrust is as I stated. Irrespective of the papacy’s temporary residence at Avignon, the incumbent remained Bishop of Rome.
It most certainly wasn’t written “for the people” in any words, never mind other words.
John McNab…could you give us your considered erudite opinion on the Magna Carta and how a deal between the King of the soon to be defunct Angevin line and a bunch of Robber barons has any real significance to modern constitutional law other than the made up crap that passes for England/UK constitutional ‘convention’ bullshit?
James Che:
Irrelevant, pompous and incorrect analysis. Yes, that’s *exactly* why you lose. Thank you.
“that’s *exactly* why you lose”
Prove that we lost. Go on, make may day. Show here the exit poll that proves the results are trustworthy and the uninterrupted surveillance footage that demonstrates from 9:30 pm on the 6th May until the moment ALL the boxes (both days of counting) were handed to the counters, that those ballot boxes were not tampered with.
Well?
So thankful I read this piece AFTER finding that Stuart Campbell of Wings is leaving. Such depressing news. But now my hopes have risen once more. Thanks chaps!
Lochs idea at 9.01pm
No. Perhaps you might want to look up the meaning and application of the phrase ‘non sequitur.’
PS Wasn’t “constitutional convention” a Scot – ish thing?
Post at 6.47 am should read ‘Lochside’, not, due to my not checking autocorrect, ‘Lochs idea’ since this correspondent appears to be devoid of such.
‘John McNab’…Nisi credideritis, non intelligetis.
Lochside, this one’s for you. Look after yourself.
“But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.”
https://archive.ph/8knXF
Alyn Smith goes to all this trouble to arrange his magazines and stationery for his Very Important photoshoot, and forgets to wipe down his fireplace. Tut.
I’m sure he could claim some bear-sized tissues on his allowance.
There is a big definition between a country being sold for English gold,
and the Scottish people being sold for English gold,
if the people were sold in 1707 then it is the buying of human trafficking, and for Westminster to retain that position with vigour in 2021 ?
However if Westminster says it bought only a country. And that is what it retains today,
Then the Scottish people remain free from the treaty of the union.
To imply that the two issues must be joined together forever, is misleading in its very application.
As a Scottish person I want to know if the humans called Scots were sold with the country in 1707.?
I want to know is there paperwork or bill of sale for the humans that call themselves Scots in existence from 1707.?
I want to know if my family still come under a bill of sale by/from 1707,descending to present day time?
It beggars believe that any Scot would not want to know if their ancestors were included in a bill of sale with the country of Scotland.
As the question has to be asked did it only apply to one generation or are we modern day slaves by inheritance and entrapment?
Why would any one wish to block this obvious question that applies to the Scottish people and nation..
Why would anyone consider the question cranky, daft, or a conspiracy, unless they wish to DEFLECT from the issue and important point of wether the Scottish nation as people are still sovereign or bought.
The question asked is as to wether the treaty of the union included the sale of humans is a very reasonable and logical one if the said treaty is still applicable today,
you are either free and sovereign in 2021 or you were caught and bought in a bill of sale in 1707.
It might have been legal to trade humans for the profit in 1707,
I sincerely note that all slaves were released from slavery, when under legislation it was abolished in Britain in 25 March 1807.
It is not a question to be rolled up and disguised under the treaty of the union, entwined by years propaganda as to the captured position of Scottish people as a people. Or as a country.
The country was supposedly sold. Money exchanged hands to quote Robert burns,
“That treason thus could sell us, my auld grey head had Lien in clay, wi Bruce and loyal Wallace, but pith and power, till my last hour, I’ ll make this declaration, we’re bought and sold for English gold, such a parcel of rogues in a nation”
Were we the people bought and sold in 1707? Is it still alive, entwined in the treaty of the union?
Or are we free from the obligation of human trading in 2021?
The treaty of the union 1707 needs scrutinised, did its trade deals include selling the people of Scotland.
If it did, the treaty of the union, became illegal on March the 25th 1807,
Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey write: “In the end it was perfidious Albion not Alba as Labour and the Tories gave each other hauners – when will the SNP ever learn that the British can’t be trusted? They may write the rules but they sure don’t play by them”.
I thought they were in politics, not schoolboy games.
Thank you so much Kenny for your article yesterday titled ”Unisex public toilets are attack on women’s rights”.
We need more politicians with common sense and emotional intelligence like you in this nation.
Please, continue raising your voice to protect the rights of genuine women in Scotland.
would help in campaigning if the party was actually contactable, like answering email inquiries and a phone number when you don’t get an email reply. Basics like that are how you win elections.