When the kick hits the floor
Posted on
April 21, 2021 by
Rev. Stuart Campbell
We imagine people may wish to read the Alba Party manifesto.
It can be downloaded by clicking the link above. Had we formed our own party it’s pretty much the manifesto we’d have written, and we especially endorse the gorgeous pooch on the front.
(In a hurry? Tl;dr below.)
Like the idea of a Festival of Scotland!
Impressive though I’d like to see a commitment to a higher pension and lowering of said pension age….maybe missed a wee trick there.
Quick off the mark! Not even on the Alba Web site yet.
There’s what a real independence party looks like. With good sound ideas and a total commitment to indy running through those ideas.
Live broadcast with Alex Salmond was ‘frozen’ on both Facebook and YouTube. Is this North Korea?
I like that & would be promoting it if I could spare the time. Unfortunately Now Scotland has to come first but I’ll be there next election Alex 🙂
Finally, a set of policies with some vision and clear aims!
Very powerful message. The British and Scottish establishments and their media chums will do everything to prevent people hearing about it though. They were blindsided, caught on the hop when Salmond suddenly announced he was back three weeks ago and have been struggling to regain the initiative ever since. They are still working on a strategy and will continue to deliberately blank ALBA until they have a proper plan. Tine is running out for em lol. This will get dirtier and dirtier up to and beyond polling day. PANIC!
Scotland today makes North Korea look like Switzerland.
That’s brilliant and definitely gets my vote.
That’s a pretty solid manifesto. A lot of good stuff in there and some joined up thinking on investment bank, climate, jobs, housing etc. This is what’s been missing from Scottish politics since 2014: a real plan for an independent country.
Now *that’s* what I call a manifesto as opposed to some wishy-washy “HOPE” thing I saw somewhere.
A manifesto that embodies “work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.”
Like everything Alba does, seems to have technical issues!! Can’t download!!
SNP1 ALBA2
Fight the case for WASPI women is one of my favourites alongside free school meals, Convention, Citizens Assembly,…all of it, tbh.
Sports and gym facilities free to under 18s.
I like this, the kids in particular have had a shit time with nobody doing their job to look after their interests, they’ve borne the brunt of the restrictions.
Very good overall, and a complete contrast to the SNP’s message of weirdo authoritarianism and wheeshtery, Anas Sarwar’s bland Same Old New Labour vapidity, the Tories’ continued obsession with referenda, the Green Party’s desire to feed children to a subterranean cannibal clown that emerges every 27 years, and whatever Willie Rennie’s pointing at today.
Tony hay, good comment,
It would make considerable sense for a pension age of 65 years say, as I have noticed that many people are not able to carry on working in older life due to arthritis, cancers and many different ailments that affect older people in general.
While the young are going through education only to find no employment positions as they are still being held by the older generation, this means the young have very little money to themselves and no confidence of their place in society.
Perhaps it would also be a consideration to bring back old fashioned apprenticeship whereby the young earn as they learn,
The pensioners pensions that were spent on other priorities by Westminster, thus causing a large pension deficit, might in scotland be saved for the purpose it was meant for,
many pensioners payed all their lives to uk government out of their wages to look forward to their retirement thinking they would be secure in older age just when it would be needed,
Only to find the goal post keep shifting for retirement age, and pension pots had been raided,
How will the young of tomorrow think and cope with the pension steal if it continues,
Today’s Pensioners are starving themselves so they can have lighting, heating or pay their rent.
Meals on wheels is long gone, so has careers popping into check on pensioners,
The older social system worked, it was the uk government that has been destroying it for a good number of years now.
You payed in and you got out,
Nothing about Hope, Pronouns or Demagoguery??? Which until 3 weeks ago, along with trying to overturn Englands democratic choice to leave the EU, were what voting for an independence party in Scotland actually meant.
Sooooo nice to actually have something to vote for.
Impressive Manifesto with a lot of potential for the future.
BUT, 400Mb…!
Don’t they have ANY savvy IT/web folk to get it down to a useful size, I could download Noah’s Ark quicker than that.. 🙂
Graf Midgehunter,
400 Mb is surely a mistake? That’s massive.
Tony Hay:
Perhaps re pension ages etc but as the statement at the beginning of the actual manifesto says they ‘make no claim that it is all-encompassing’ but it’s a fine start for a new party imho.
Mark Boyle says:
21 April, 2021 at 11:27 am
Like the idea of a Festival of Scotland!
Me too, and they get bonus points if they hold it the same time as the Edinburgh Fringe in any other part of Scotland except Edinburgh. My preference is Dundee, ehh.
On the whole a sensible, comprehensive and well thought out document. Really quite comforting for this old unionist, I see light at the end of the tunnel and feel much less scared all of a sudden. Thank you, Alba.
James – Today’s Pensioners are starving themselves so they can have lighting, heating or pay their rent.
This is why we should get off the “green” bus, which is on one of the many roads to serfdom, and exploit all of Scotland’s natural resources for the benefit of Scots.
Electricity and fuel should be insanely cheap. We’re a rich, technologically advanced country that’s full of lovely hydrocarbons. If we’re worried about carbon dioxide, and there’s no reason to think Scottish CO2 emissions make any measurable difference to the global climate, build some new atomic reactors and/or plant forests to offset the use of cheap natural gas through fracking / clean coal.
People shouldn’t have to hope for government handouts to be able to pay their winter fuel bills. People shouldn’t be priced out of car ownership. People shouldn’t have to live in some of the smallest (and expensive!) new build housing in Europe because it’s “green” (actually it’s more to do with kickbacks from greedy developers).
Scotland is a rich country, we should be devising ways to ensure everyone benefits from that. Not just the few.
My Mum and aunts will give a sigh of relief and a big Yes for this:
” 8.The strongest defence of women’s rights and single spaces proposing a Citizens Assembly to reconcile the search for equality with the hard won rights of women. ”
SNP on the Constituency Ballot Paper
ALBA on the Regional Ballot Paper.
Didn’t see how big the file was as I downloaded it but it might be a bit bigger than expected due to pictures? Pure text files a lot smaller.
Alba is the genuine independence party with the brainy folks too.
The SNP is just a party machine being steadily remade in the image of its demented leader.
The Greens are about as committed to indy as Mexicans are committed to playing cricket.
Scotia Future is a political minnow.
At last a manifesto that’s clear and precise and what a lot of people have been waiting on . Time to vote for Alba on the list and get them into our Parliament .
Just a reminder about this , let’s get Chris into Holyrood .
“ Help Elect Chris McEleny to the Scots Parliament “
link to crowdfunder.co.uk
PENSIONS: Alba proposes raising OAP pensions to at least equivalent of Western European standards. UK allocates 5.2% GDP, France allocates 12.1%. That would make an enormous difference. Alba will also campaign for WASPI women and oppose any plans to raise pension age beyond 66.
(The manifesto is 57 pages long, and there is a LOT of great stuff in it) ?
Like the idea of a Festival of Scotland!
Me too, and they get bonus points if they hold it the same time as the Edinburgh Fringe in any other part of Scotland except Edinburgh. My preference is Dundee, ehh.
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Like that idea but being from Dundee I would, but a I think a joint Dundee/Perth arrangement could work both cities have a lot to offer
I particularly like the idea of a festival to promote Scottish art culture etc, as part of this unfit for purpose union Scotland’s culture has been suppressed
Meanwhile Sturgeon has reiterated that the SNP governments priority after Covid is the economy, and that’s what the next five years will be spent on, no mention at all of independence.
Of course as we all know the economy cannot recover to levels before the pandemic, simply because Brexit won’t allow that to happen, so in essence Sturgeon is kidding herself and duping us in the process.
Breastplate says: at 12:13 pm
“Graf Midgehunter,
400 Mb is surely a mistake? That’s massive.”
—————
Massive..! It’s Trump Tower size.
The Rev’s link by clicking on the image goes to “We transfer”
link to wetransfer.com
401Mb…!?
Ot but related to Scotland, see the daily telegraph suggesting that England should have its own parliament, ( I thought they had) they run Ireland, Scotland and Wales as if England was the controller instead of a United Kingdom.
But if it happens is just one more thing they would have breached the 1707 treaty of the union with. Like evel,
Go for it Westminster give us another good reason to state the treaty of the union is now not recognisable as the original treaty.
WTF is with that link?
Scratch that “WTF”, I’ve figured it oot!
Just downloading now, not had a chance to read but Rev’s highlighted bullet points sound terrific. A real tonic for the soul.
Even the Festival is a great idea. Folks won’t remember, but I was talking about a Cultural Festival with European Nations and Foreign Press invited to Scotland to provide an alternative news media to the lousy BritNat Press way back in 2014.
But it’s a big Yes from me. All of it.
Even a second Chamber – I’ve talked about a Constitutional Senate before…
Yes to a written Constitution too, – though I want to read it first.. lol
I hope somebody takes a picture of Sturgeon’s girding features when she reads it and suddenly remembers the wonderful job she was given six years ago, and realises how much time and opportunity she has squandered.
Keen to fight the case for the WASPI women but, like all the other parties, absolutely nothing suggested to help mitigate their circumstances. Everybody wants to spend money on the youth but nothing on the folks who got little opportunity when they were youths and are now being robbed of the promise to retire at 60 – along with around £48,000 in pension.
Shame really you cannot vote for that manifesto in the constituency vote. Alba has so many braw list candidates they could easily find the people. I suppose that is the idea for the long-term (I hope).
Finally! A party manifesto with some imagination and courage.
There are a few more things I would like to see, but this is good, and covers some really important topics.
More than happy to support and vote for this.
This is more like it. Sound policies and steps towards independence. Sound policies for investment in renewables and our economy more generally. Immediate proposal for observer participation at the Nordic Council and early participation in EFTA AND EEA.
A commitment to protections for women and children and older folk.
And not you will notice any reference to the all absorbing current focus of the SNP on the needs of the LGGTIQQ+++ communities who are the current absolute priority of the SNP at present.
Well done ALBA.
Johnny Martin says: at 12:23 pm
“Didn’t see how big the file was as I downloaded it but it might be a bit bigger than expected due to pictures? Pure text files a lot smaller.”
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The original photo files may be quite large, but for their use on websites or for downloads you need to reduce the data size down to smaller amounts without loss of quality. In Photoshop or similar programmes it’s dead easy. That way the article, or whatever loads like greased s….!
Most of the photos on the Web are in KB size.
Text is only vector data so no problem.
Tony Hay again:
Just reading the manifesto actually and, though not stressed in the TL;DR, Alba has actually got a pledge to raise pension levels to ‘the equivalent of Western European standards’ and oppose any moves to increase pension age above 66 by Westminster if there are Alba MPs there.
Page 42 of 57 in the manifesto.
A grown up set of proposals, lots of good ideas and politically adept proposals. EFTA is the obvious route out of the brexit malaise, EU membership can wait. Norway is doing very well inside the SM and CU.
Contrast that with the dayglo toddlers’ ramblings that is the SNP manifesto, full of vague, uncosted feelgood promises which will be forgotten very rapidly as they spend all of their time on Nikla’s pet project of trans rights and hate crime.
As for the SNP claiming the economy is the main priority – it’s a bit late for that, when your ineptitude and economic illiteracy has wasted hundreds of millions on pursuing private vendettas, corruption and lavish payments to your cronies. The mismanagement of resources, the refusal to tackle land reform, the wishy washy green policies, the kowtowing to corporates – neoliberalism is the mantra of the Neu SNP.
Alba have people who are serious about independence and economics. The SNP just don’t come across as serious about either of these, just wave about politically expedient catchphrases and airy promises in order to garner your vote.
No wonder suppression of Alba in the media is all the SNP have. They would be embarrassed in any serious debate.
That’s not a manifesto, it’s a roadmap.
SNP X (Constituency)
Alba X (List)
Red, happy to agree with you, we have very good resources but at the moment hardly any of the are held by Scotland,
When the registration/ companies, of our resources is checked it not only England that comes up, but India, China, America , etc, pretty much every one but Scotland.
A land tax would be good,… , and perhaps a maritime borders tax so any revenues from oil, gas, wind turbines, fisheries, and war ships using our waters would fill the Scottish bank for the people of Scotland, nothing to drastic, but sensible.
What was that you said earlier about being so tired of being lied too?
REF:- link to comresglobal.com
“It has been brought to our attention that there was a weighting error in the first three of our Scottish voting intention polls for the Scotsman, that were published in December, January and February respectively. Subsequent polls in March and April did not suffer from the same error.
Instead of weighting by likelihood to vote at the correct step, the step was missed which meant that weighting was in fact turned off for our independence and Holyrood voting intentions. The tables have been corrected and the updated figures are summarised below.
We would like to apologise for the error, and thank the BPC for their co-operation and patience while it was fixed.
link to comresglobal.com
Just a reminder that the ALBA party have their first party political broadcast tonight .
On Stv at 6.25 pm ,
On Bbc at 6.55 pm .
a) ALBA will be the champion of Scottish pensioners
To this end, the ALBA Party pledges to make Scotland the best place to live in for our older people. This includes raising the state pension entitlement to at least the equivalent of Western European standards.
To fulfil this pledge, we will need all the economic, health and legal powers bequeathed by national independence. We also recognise that to implement such a target will take time. But ALBA is determined to set this goal as a matter of respect for Scotland’s older people, who have made the Scotland we live in.
Comparing state pension remuneration between countries is difficult because of the different pension systems in place and fluctuating exchange rates. Perhaps the fairest comparison is to look at the share of national GDP allocated to pensions. In 2015, the equivalent of 5.2% of UK GDP went into public spending on pensions, compared to 7.7% in Spain, 7.9% in Germany and 12.1% in France (source: OECD). This is clear evidence that the UK is short-changing its pensioners.
While Scotland remains trapped inside the UK, ALBA’s elected members will fight to improve the pensions, living conditions and care of our older people. ALBA MPs at Westminster will oppose any plans to increase the State Pension Age beyond 66. We will campaign for the rights of WASPI women.
Thanks guys for pointing out that pensions are mentioned in the manifesto,after indy,women’s rights, the pension issue
should be front and centre….but I’m relieved that the pensions issue is being addressed.
Well done to all those involved in giving us fresh hope for the future.
I was already SNP/ALBA
This just reinforces that it was the right choice.
‘Alba will do everything in its power to shake up the cosy politics of Holyrood…’ That should put the frighteners on the other parties.
The Nordic Council proposal is good to see. Scotland is the only close neighbour of the Nordic countries that doesn’t have formal links with the Council.
The word “hope” occurs exactly once – I’m disappointed.
“committed”, “propose” and “progress” don’t appear at all. Surely that can’t be right.
Unless my computer has trouble digesting that 420MB.
A Scottish National Renewables Corporation. Excellent. Out greening the Greens with something that is economy building as well. While the Greens preoccupy themselves with wokeism.
Gid stuff Alex and Alba party. No more of this she/her he/him nonsense from SNP and Greens.
We don’t care what you want to be known as NS or Patrick Harvie.You’re a man or woman, end of!
I’m looking forward to Cosyfeet’s comments on the Alba PPB.
The BBC making the Alba manifesto launch only the sixth from the top story on their Scottish politics web page.
Good to see the shareholding on wind farms or 30MW and over. It stops private equity running away with the family silver but leaves smaller operators who are more likely to be people like farmers and community groups free to enjoy the benefits of a little free enterprise.
Joined up thinking at work.
Just waiting for the first flying monkey to complain that there isn’t enough about the rights of women with beards and penises.
But what does he have planned for vapid spoof number-one James Wolffe, vapid spoof number-two John Swinney and vapid spoof number-three Leslie Evans?
AYRSHIRE ROB says:
21 April, 2021 at 1:34 pm
Gid stuff Alex and Alba party. No more of this she/her he/him nonsense from SNP and Greens.
We don’t care what you want to be known as NS or Patrick Harvie.You’re a man or woman, end of!
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Couldn’t agree more it’s time we stopped pandering to these gender obsessed morons and called a spade a spade sex is binary you’re either one or the other and you don’t get to choose which one you are nature makes that decision you don’t have to like it but you got to live with it.
It’s time to fight back we’ve pandered to them enough and let them call us whatever names they like
Excellent! I’m voting for that.
SNP 1 ALBA 2
link to holyrood.com
“Members at the trade unionist conference said Holyrood “should have the power to hold a referendum on Scotland’s future and should not require UK Government consent.”
Actual ” HOPE ” backed-up with totally relevant policy proposals and clear , unambiguous commitment to Independence and Women’s Rights . Excellent .
As for the blanket MSM exclusion of ALBA , the infantile naysaying of the NSP ( Nicla’s Soporific Party ) spoiled brats miffed because the adults have interrupted their playground antics ….
Fuck them all .Whatever happens in the H.E , the resistance has begun and will only grow as more people become aware of what ALBA represents and contrast it with the bland platitudes , endless prevarication and caustic mindset of the existing – alleged – pro-Independence Parties .
Onwards and Upwards my friends .
Great Stuff – Let’s get behind this.
Absolutely bloody delighted that there is nothing to appease the shapeshifting wokeratti (all twelve of them)
Free school meals for all? Taxpayers loving that.
Sterlingisation, still. No timeframe, means no true indy.
Development land tax won’t presumably affect anyone acquiring private land for private use – like the current land barons?
Maintain the CTA? You can’t maintain something which you are not already separately part of. That would need the agreement of rUK and ROI.
EFTA will mean Free Movement/Shengen. That will necessitate a hard border with England/rUK no matter if a custom union was agreed.
Stuart MacKay says:
21 April, 2021 at 1:32 pm
The word “hope” occurs exactly once – I’m disappointed.
Maybe didn’t say it much, but my god, it’s delivered plenty.
I keep coming over all emotional. Anger and sadness at time wasted and all the pish “she’s” put us through, but elation that the dying embers of 2014 have just had a load of fresh fuel thrown on top and the bellows are beginning to puff once again…
I genuinely hope all the SNP faithful have been given enough food for thought and are now feeling more than a little shortchanged with the SNP manifesto. There is still time to get YES boilers up to full steam in time to deliver that 2/3ds Supermajority… in spite of Sturgeon’s anti-ALBA rhetoric.
I might be wrong, but it feels like the ground beneath her feet is shifting.
@ Red – 21 April, 2021 at 12:20 pm
“Electricity and fuel should be insanely cheap.”
Why?
If it is, it will be pissed up against the wall. Homes heated to tropical temperatures. 400 BHP Yank muscle cars in every driveway.
I see no justification for splurging our natural resources away because we want to be rich now. In hardly any time at all, we will be gone and future generations will be here and needing those resources.
I am not at all happy that my grandparent’s generation cleaned out the fish from our coastal waters. With a little management and less greed, they could have still had comfortable lifestyles and those natural resources would still be there for us today.
If you think a small country is going to get freedom to disregard climate change, then you are deluding yourself. China and the USA might, as may North Korea, for obvious reasons. Scotland could, but not from within the EU, and if it did so outside of the EU, it would probably be seen as an international pariah.
I’m increasingly drawn to a suggestion I’ve seen floated on a number of occasions, of the incorporation of a box at the top of all ballot papers issued in the UK that allows voters to mark ‘None of those below’ and in the event that this achieves the most votes, the election in that constituency has to be rerun, on the proviso that none of the original candidates listed are permitted to stand again. Might get more folk out to vote, giving a truer picture.
Good clear ideas and a lot to be happy about.
The National has acknowledged the launch but it has slipped down the pecking order behind Express like gems as ‘Watch Nicola give insert random name a pasting’ or ‘Tory gets a lesson from insert random SNP drone‘
Remind me, they do want independence don’t they?
What’s the timescale?
john Main @2.37pm.
Don’t you realise that Scotland is swimming in energy sources, yet there’s widespread fuel poverty in the country. People don’t want to leave the lights on 24/7, well most don’t, they just want affordable energy especially in the Winter to heat their houses and keep their children warm.
We’ve never controlled our energy or its costs, its time we did for the good of our own people.
That looks like a fine Spaniel to me, but there’s not a shred of evidence to say that it’s a male Spaniel or a female Spaniel. In fact, there’s not a shred of evidence that it is a Spaniel…it might be a Schneuzer or a Terrier or a German Shepherd.
Peter A. Bell@ 2.42pm.
What do you care Peter.
Remember this.
” I shall not be joining Alba Party, which is no more the party of independence than the ‘New SNP’. “
A 400MB PDF?! Think I’ll just stick to the TLDR version.
Beautiful.
Peter A. Bell,
No doubt the timescale will not meet with your approval, whatever it may be.
But perhaps I’m being unkind, what timescale would you suggest?
C’mon Peter, surely your not going down the road of the yoon who is asking for exact details of every policy and when and how everything is going to happen after independence. Whatever happens will happen because the govt in charge will decide. Once the independence is gained the SNP will likely implode anyway(If they don’t before the election). There will be then be new elections.
I’m more concerned about policies that weren’t in manifesto’s that I voted for like the GRA being rammed down everyones throats.
There’s a new wind blowing in, big moves in small steps X.
John Main says:
21 April, 2021 at 2:37 pm
@ Red – 21 April, 2021 at 12:20 pm
“Electricity and fuel should be insanely cheap.”
Why?
If it is, it will be pissed up against the wall. Homes heated to tropical temperatures. 400 BHP Yank muscle cars in every driveway.
If that’s what people want, good for them. Poverty is a straitjacket. Life is for the living. It’s not your place to tell people they’re not allowed to have nice things.
I see no justification for splurging our natural resources away because we want to be rich now. In hardly any time at all, we will be gone and future generations will be here and needing those resources.
There’s no shortage of natural resources. We have centuries worth of clean coal. We find more oil and gas whenever we look for it.
We should have an abundance mentality, not a scarcity mindset. The hair shirt we’re being sold as “green” is just misanthropic malthusianism with a woke rebrand.
To hell with that. Scotland should choose wealth and freedom, not want and restrictions.
If you think a small country is going to get freedom to disregard climate change, then you are deluding yourself. China and the USA might, as may North Korea, for obvious reasons. Scotland could, but not from within the EU, and if it did so outside of the EU, it would probably be seen as an international pariah.
As a nationalist, I don’t actually care what other countries think about us. I care about my own people, the Scots. If the EU wants to turn itself into an LGBTQIA+ friendly version of East Germany circa 1957, that’s their problem.
400 Mb? Is that a video you’re downoading? The pdf is only 38Mb – and a damn good read. They have done some excellent work right throughout the entire manifesto.
Breeks @2:37pm
You took my (sarcastic) comment too literally. The manifesto is an impressive document in the sense that all the aspiration was wrung out of it and replaced with cold, hard, policy and action. I’d loves to have been a fly on the wall in the editing sessions with Alex going “WTF is this ‘we are committed’ nonsense, delete it, NOW!!!”
The front cover tells you everything you need to know about the other parties – it’s a stroke of genius and shows a lot of careful thought went into this document.
Alba manifesto is starting with the people, what is not to like. Of to a flying start, and It runs circles around any other manifesto in uk.
Glad to see woman’s pensions and decent pensions being discussed for all. This should have always been natural if a government takes it of your wages all your working life .
It has been one of the biggest scams and promises against the last working generation by uk goverment,
Extpanding on my earlier idea on revenues from a maritime border tax with some discretion, could these revenues be used to provide Scotland with coastguard and custom and excise vessels, this is possibly a way to reduce drug trafficking into Scotland.
Some finances may go to keeping our beaches clean or ensuring that any pollution is kept under control for the benifit of fish and birds around the Scottish coast.
Alba has made it possible to see a better future and a better way for Scotland, and now my mind wont stop running out of control thinking on how we can sensible change the bad for the good.
Oh to be on the other side in an independent Scotland
Won’t be long now before the Sarwar Suicide Squad (SSS) and their supporting act, the Nicola WooWoo Volunteers launch a full throttled attack on WOS and the ALBA Manifesto. 🙂
It’s only 3 Weeks left to save the Yoonionists from decimation and the SNP’s 4 year martyrium at the hands of Alex in Holyrood.. 🙂
IOW, how can a Manifesto have so much sensible, well thought out policies leading to an independent, modern, rich and well run society in Scotland..?
Hmmm.??
Not sure why the Rev’s link is leading to a 400MB download, but here’s another link to the ‘We Transfer’ page which offers a 39MB-sized PDF of the manifesto:
link to wetransfer.com
Gotta say it Dan Hardy, I find it a bit weird that folk put up the argument about a hard border with England as some kind of draconian obstacle to Independence.
Please don’t interpret that as being anti English, but more that having a formal border between two Nations is a completely rational and desirable thing to have. I genuinely don’t see why people think it would be a problem.
The “threat” of a hard border feels like an obsolete argument meant for Northern Ireland which somehow got diverted to Scotland. I honestly don’t think the issue is as highly charged or inflammatory as you think it is.
I have family in Dumfries and Galloway, one in Gretna, a stones throw from the Border, and they don’t care about having a hard border. It’s just not a big deal.
So, unless England is proposing to dispatch a troop of Morris Dancers and a big brass band to shut a big iron gate to emulate the strutting peacock charade adopted by India and Pakistan… a hard border doesn’t feel like any kind of a threat.
Oh man, 4 weeks old and already we have “what’s the timescale”. At present it’s the 12th of fucking never. This is a programme to be fought for in the next Parliament, not a programme for government. That’ll be the SNP. What’s their plan Mr. Bell? Give it a rest.
Timescale currently is 16 days till May 6th. We’ll take it from there.
Rev Stu Why a Ginger Dug ?
Stuart MacKay says:
21 April, 2021 at 3:07 pm
Breeks @2:37pm
You took my (sarcastic) comment too literally….
Yes I did mate. I’m sorry. I did think it was odd from you, but I very much did get the wrong end of the stick and you have my fulsome apology.
@Republicofscotland 2.49 pm
As a founder member of Alba, I can only say (speaking personally and not on behalf of the party) that in response to Mr Bell’s stated intent not to join the party, it is another piece of good news.
I’m getting the impression listening to the BritNat media, that they’re giving the gender obsessed Green party in Scotland sneaky wee airtime slots to encourage us to vote for them.
Of course its my opinion that the BritNat media is trying to bolster the Greens against the ALBA party. The Greens are pro-Self Id, GRA etc, and along with the SNP will try to find a way to implement very unpopular gender policies that will impinge on real biological women’s safe spaces and their rights.
We must remove as many Greens candidates on the list vote as possible, for in doing so we remove Sturgeons enablers at Holyrood when it comes to pushing through genderwoowoo policies
Vote ALBA on the list vote to hopefully achieve this, lets try and isolate Sturgeon.
Captain Yossarian says:at 2:48 pm
“That looks like a fine Spaniel to me, but there’s not a shred of evidence to say that it’s a male Spaniel or a female Spaniel.”
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You’re not up-to-date are you, it’s clearly gender FLUID.
Sorry, couldn’t resist..
Andy Ellis @3.20pm.
Andy.
Bell might as well be the Reverend I.M Jolly, he’s forever bitching and whining, infact I find the man’s articles depressing to read.
The ALBA party doesn’t need that kind of negative vibe.
“The “threat” of a hard border feels like an obsolete argument meant for Northern Ireland which somehow got diverted to Scotland. I honestly don’t think the issue is as highly charged or inflammatory as you think it is.”
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Personally I’d love a hard border nothing could bring a smile on my face more than driving down the A1 and approaching Berwick signs saying “You are approaching the English border please have your passports ready”
Breeks,
Absolutely no need for apologies from a man of your standing.
Got my slimmed down version and pleased to see all the lackluster, evasive and non-committal “if”, “may”, “should”, and the like is completely absent from that version too (so the search wasn’t telling me lies).
What an embarrassment the SNP manifesto is in comparison. Looks like some aspiring political writers might need to re-consider their options. For example, from their blog post entitled “What we’re doing for workers”
We want Scotland to be the best place to live and work and do business. COVID has highlighted that too many people are still stuck on exploitative contracts, often zero-hours, with little security – which is why we will put Fair Work at the heart of our recovery. Without the powers of independence, we are limited in what steps we can take…
we are limited in what steps we can take says it all really. A failure of imagination, a failure of leadership, a failure to the people of the country they are supposed to represent.
On Wings it looks like Peter A is currently a Bell without a clapper.
Cheer up Mr B.
Agree plenty there I can support.
As an O/t, I’m sat working from home & listening to music through the YouTube Music app – free if you put up with adverts.
Every 3rd advert today has been from Anas Sarwar the new leader of Scottish Labour, the rest have been artists trying to promote their songs.
That must cost a fair whack to have that level of campaigning with someone like YouTube.
There haven’t been any other Parties amongst the adverts at all in the past year (though I’d only expect them to do so in these last couple of weeks before election day)
Regarding the energy costs debate, you can set 2 prices if you own the process from start to finish – cheap internal use & expensive export. But I fear that would lead to us needing “Liberated” by coalition forces, like those on the Arabian peninsula tend to experience.
Republic of Scotland @ 3:21pm:
Of course they are trying to bolster the Greens because they can see the maths.
Last Panelbase had the Greens on 9% and Alba on 6%, and predictors say each get around the same number of seats as their 5.
These percentages allowed an SNP falling short of a minority to pal up with the Greens to stymie moves to go for independence quickly.
If you reverse these numbers and and Alba had 10% or so and the Greens 5%, then the only pro-independence party that could get the SNP over the line to a majority through confidence and supply or coalition (haha, likely and I don’t think!) would be Alba.
If it’s accepted that, by and large, the Greens and Alba are trying to fish in the same pool of voters, i.e. pro-indy ones, to get list votes then it also stands to reason that if Alba succeed in gaining 5% or so more of those voters, it is likely that at least some of them are folk deciding not to vote Green (some might also have been planning to vote SNP on the list too).
Therefore, Alba success is likely quite closely tied to Green collapse and the media knows it.
Something else that will be giving them the fear is that the Greens have tended to poll a bit higher in the run-up than they eventually do. With the increased focus on folk using their second vote to vote differently this time that effect might not occur as it has in the past. But I doubt the media wants to bank on this.
That ‘late slippage effect’ might afflict Alba as well, but we don’t know till people vote and I doubt these folk want to bank on it.
So, push the Greens as hard as we can will be the mantra.
I had leaflets through the door at lunchtime from Labour, Tories, SNP, Greens and the family party (who they?).
More positivity and sense in that summary than all those leaflets put together. Fair cheered me up. Lets hope the good sense is catching.
Graeme Hampton @ 3:39pm:
Don’t know terribly much about the Scottish Family Party, although they did have a party political broadcast on the telly last week.
Slight fly in the ointment in the form of the ‘Act of Union’:
“That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England shall upon the first day of May next ensuing the date hereof and forever after be United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain And that the Ensigns Armorial of the said United Kingdom be such as Her Majesty shall appoint ….”
See those words …’forever after’…’One Kingdom’ ….?
So,Indies … it appears that ‘we’ are as conjoined as Siamese Twins, and so require mutual agreement to a risky separation operation. Without mutual consent, a unilateral declaration of independence would of course be seen as tantamount to a declaration of civil war, so how are you going to ‘sell’ the idea to rUK? I see nothing in the Alba manifesto to tackle this problem.
Vote Alba/SNP and vote for Civil War?
Coo!How thrilling, but madness of course!
Tone is probably Adam ‘It’s the Law’ Tomkins.
The manifesto is Fine. Personally I’d like to see some kind of advocacy for a Scottish First Amendment or other constitutional protections of free speech, but we can cross that bridge when we come to it.
The PDF table of contents needs polished up though, and the whole thing compressed (38Mb?).
I also think some of the tech savvy wokeistas in the Yellow-Greens are DDOS’ing Salmond’s home broadband. The only question in my mind is whether they’re doing on a voluntary basis or co-ordinating with Yellow-Green party HQ, or some other woke NGO in that nebulous rats’ nest of public/private organizations that seems to de facto run the country at the moment.
“Don’t know terribly much about the Scottish Family Party, although they did have a party political broadcast on the telly last week. ” ————————————————————
They actually have commendable objectives (at least in my opinion) totally against GRA etc and in particular TRA ideology being taught in schools trouble is their anti indy
@Tone 3.44 pm
The UN consists of almost 200 independent states. Most of them were at some point part of other larger states or imperial possessions of other states.
If “ forever after” wasn’t just something in fairly tales, the Holy Roman Empire, Austria-Hungary and the USSR would all still be in rude health no doubt?
Self determination is a jus cogens in international law. Feel free to Google it. Happy to help!
Johnny Martin @3.37pm.
Thanks Johnny for that interesting summary.
Tone
They said the same about the Empire.
It is only just over a 100 years since Sweden said the same about Norway or 40 since the USSR said they owned E/Germany.
You have obviously never read the UN Right to Self Determination.
70 years ago we had 50 Nations. Can you explain how that got to nearly 200?
Nothing is fixed if the people make a choice. The sergeant will not be happy with you tonight at the debrief.
Daddy Bear in the National newspaper today attempting to shoot down the ALBA party’s stance on the EU, which is to join EFTA.
Of course Smith earned a very healthy crust as an SNP MEP before Brexit, so I suspect Smith will be eager to get his insanely over the top genderwoowwo snout, back into the EU trough as soon as.
Whoever came up with the manifesto front cover is a marketing genius – love it. AS calls it the political underdog shaking things up, puts all other boring manifesto front covers in the shade. Get that cover shared far and wide Scots love an underdog.
Haven’t read it yet but am sure it’s the dog’s bollocks.
Meanwhile the barking mad she/her must be chasing her tail on trying to get on the front paw. Mibbie she should’ve put Pete’s magpies on her front cover!!!!
I read an interesting article today, in which (NIP) Northern Independence Party, based in Northern England is closely watching to see if there’s a indy majority at Holyrood come May 6th.
(NIP) wants to breakaway from England and form the country of Northumbria, the founder claims the party’s ranks have swollen since Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham gave the speech on how Westminster didn’t really care about the North of England when Covid was at its height.
The party’s founder added that the independent nation of Northumbria would have more in common with an independent Scotland than it would with London.
link to en.wikipedia.org
Scottish Act of Union
“and forever”
Given current UN legislation on countries wishing to decolonise, I doubt if any international court would allow those 2 words to block Scottish independence
@Johnny 3.37 pm
It’s odd that it hasn’t occurred to the hard of thinking Scottish Greens that if only their party weren’t captured by such a bunch of sophomoric, science denying misogynists they’d be cleaning up on the list. There are many folk all over Scotland who would be natural Green Party voters if it weren’t for their current extremist stance on TWAW & gender woo in general.
Instead the party loudly tells anyone who won’t accept their deeply regressive and a-scientific faith based mantra that they are not welcome in the party. Fine: they’re not welcome to my vote either.
Alba has to be a game changer: whatever the result of the 2021 election, we have to ensure that over the next 5 years it becomes a real force. We should aim to gut the clueless Greens and consign them to the electoral fringe they deserve. Meanwhile, we position ourselves to challenge the SNP in constituencies as well as the list for the next elections. The remaining sane folk in the SNP will soon tire of Sturgeon’s tartan Peronism when she and her cult fail to deliver on their promises.
PS The words “and forever” were included in the 1801 Irish Act of Union
“His Majesty having been pleased to approve of the foregoing articles, it is enacted, that they shall be the articles of union, and be in force for ever, from Jan. 1, 1801;”
“Forever” in Ireland was about 120 years
Don’t wish to be unkind, or carping, but super smart question, Peter A Bell.
What timescale do you cerebrally enquire.
Sixty eight days, three hours and ten minutes. Trust the answer meets with your question. But if it takes a little longer I trust that you’ll understand it was a tricky question you were asking.
And I’ve a question for you. Timescale for what?
TheSNPLeftMe says:
21 April, 2021 at 3:54 pm
’70 years ago we had 50 Nations. Can you explain how that got to nearly 200?’
How did it happen? I see no explanation as to how it could happen fro Scotland in your manifesto.
As I said, it is clear that the Act of Union declares that Scotland and England are actually One Nation. Splitting up is equivalent to separating siamese twins, and is a big undertaking. As the weaker partner dependent on subsidy, and with a corrupt political and legal system, surely a Scottish party proposing unilateral independence would at least dilate on the massive issues to be overcome. But Alba does not.
In the absence of any meaningful engagement with issues arising from likely outcomes of the election, perhaps you could oblige:
1. Alba gains sufficient seats to form a majority in coalition with the SNP. Given the statement that the SNP will not cooperate, what then? How can such a fractured partnership achieve anything?
2. Alba does not gain sufficient seats, and has to be subservient to a coalition (or even a single party)that does not reckon on an Indyref2, what then? Status as another single issue loony-party, continuing to play politics as a hobby?
3. Even if Alba achieves an Indyref2 and it is held, and won, what will be the policy towards an inevitably large minority of the Scottish population that does not want it?
I would find your answers a useful addition to the Alba manifesto
re Ben Madigan’s comment on the Irish act of union and subsequent independence.
Ben, how much blood was spilt? And, would you wish the same for Scotland?
The one in the red suit will be spitting buckets of venom.
link to caltonjock.com
This is very much her modus operandi with respect to every political topic she gets involved with: You’re either with her or against her. The last time she publicly maligned a popular pro-Scottish independence blogger as a transphobe and got exactly the same reaction. She maligned his 56k followers as being “part of the problem”, a huge portion of which belongs to her own political party and share her political ambitions. She’s very much of the view that if you don’t agree with her, then its because you need to reflect more. In my view, she’s a toxic extremist. And for all her qualms about not being reduced to her reproductive capacities, she wasn’t above using her miscarriage to garner up sympathy for herself and get her sycophants to go after a man she couldn’t have a reasoned discussion with.
No Tone I do not want to see any blood spilt in Scotland’s struggle for Independence.
My only point in my 2 posts was that “and forever” are meaningless words in the context of treaty duration.
They will not prevent Independence, as you seemed to fear in your post at 3.44
Fishy wullie @ 3.50
Re the Family Party..
Met them at their stall in George’s Square a few years back….they said they were for Indy and Christian values,let them get as far as telling me about reversing the Abortion laws then I walked away.
They basically want to legislate for a Christian lifestyle based around Kitchen ,Kids and Kirk for everyone …. lovely people ( that’s scarcasm too Breeks 🙂 )
Here’s the Video without problems
link to facebook.com
holy cow. Blighty’s finest are up and about today btl.
if it is not too late i would like to see a commitment to ensuring that any nhs services that have been privatised are brought back
under nhs control without compensation
Well it looks like it’s going to be the battle of the free stuff.The only problem for Alba is that the SNP are odds on favourites for another term.
I see quite a lot of the ISP manifesto in there – energy company, central bank, currency, education, EFTA / Nordic Council /Council of Europe.
boris says:
21 April, 2021 at 4:39 pm
link to caltonjock.com
What a strange article and person.
She is strikingly attractive, highly intelligent
Not sure if Jock is being ridiculously kind or taking the piss.
“My experience of university was that rape culture was commonplace and male sexual aggression was normalised
Press X to Doubt
Hyper heteronormative shows of masculinity by young men in their late teens and early 20s fuelled by lots of alcohol and a need to perform in front of friends
Remember, this is spotty students in the QMU she’s talking about, not the Red Army’s 1945 tour of Berlin, lol.
The rest of the dossier is the ravings of a deranged harpie and/or her gelded, manbunned sidekick, who have probably never experienced any genuine hardship in their comfortable, cossetted lives, shrieking PoMo word salad about imaginary -phobias and -isms.
Gies peace.
@Johnny Martin says: 21 April, 2021 at 3:42 pm
Don’t know terribly much about the Scottish Family Party, although they did have a party political broadcast on the telly last week.
It’s the latest front organisation by the obnoxious David Robertson of the Free Church of Scotland (the man so crap the SDP wouldn’t have him as a candidate – preferring a certain Charles Kennedy, after which he left them in the huff) in his latest Gallowayesque quest for fame – Richard Lucas is the titular head, but not the real power behind the throne.
Robertson ran Solas with a certain Gordon Wilson, dedicated to taking the Wee Free and Christianity in general back to the Dark Ages. Its spokesman used to be Lucas (ex-UKIP and a number of other “patriotic” parties …)
They got into trouble for not filing proper expenses papers after election campaigns, with the Lib Dems shedding crocodile tears about this law never being enforced properly – which considering their stunt at the last general election of running a fake black press party in order to double their spending limit in certain target seats took some gall even by their standards.
Tony Hay @ 11:28
I agree we have the lowest pension in Europe. I think a trick missed. Raising the state pension would certainly be a vote winner as every other government seems to ignore this. The silver brigade could bring in quite a few votes…myself included
@Liz
I read their manifesto online some time ago and it definitely said they were against independence although I don’t see it now so maybe they’ve had a change of mind or taking a neutral stance but they’re solidly against trans ideology which is probably the attraction for me
That’s a braw piece of writing. An inspiring roadmap to being a normal country. Well done to all who contributed.
I like some of the stuff in this manifesto but no carbon based economy no civilization. The narrative on climate as on most politics is false. Citizens Assemblies come from “Common Purpose” ” the same people who are working Nicola Sturgeon.
Mark Boyle says:
21 April, 2021 at 5:20 pm
@Johnny Martin says: 21 April, 2021 at 3:42 pm
Don’t know terribly much about the Scottish Family Party, although they did have a party political broadcast on the telly last week.
It’s the latest front organisation by the obnoxious David Robertson of the Free Church of Scotland (the man so crap the SDP wouldn’t have him as a candidate – preferring a certain Charles Kennedy, after which he left them in the huff) in his latest Gallowayesque quest for fame – Richard Lucas is the titular head, but not the real power behind the throne.
Robertson ran Solas with a certain Gordon Wilson, dedicated to taking the Wee Free and Christianity in general back to the Dark Ages. Its spokesman used to be Lucas (ex-UKIP and a number of other “patriotic” parties …)
They got into trouble for not filing proper expenses papers after election campaigns, with the Lib Dems shedding crocodile tears about this law never being enforced properly – which considering their stunt at the last general election of running a fake black press party in order to double their spending limit in certain target seats took some gall even by their standards.”
Strange that Robertson now lives in Australia ya fud.
Still, just what is your problem with Christians? asking as an agnostic atheist btw
I love how ALL these unionist supporters come on this website and attempt to disparage and denigrate ANYTHING to be said or hinted at to show Scotland and her people in a positive light
No one I have ever seen, heard , or spoken too has said that Scotland’s independence will be a walk in the park or there won’t be sacrifices required or there will be lots of hard work needed
But and here’s the thing I am 70 years of age and have lived under some rat arsed governments in my time and there was very little recourse to hold them to account or punish them for their rat arsidness because Scotland didn’t matter to them we were just another profitable asset , it didn’t matter whether it was liebour or tory they LIED with impunity
So ALL these cringing , frightened unionists PLEASE point out to me the benefits of the union , you are all willing and eager to point out the possible downsides to independence how it will IYO make us all poorer and how it will be a failure
BUT in your demonising and denigration of Scotland’s fiscal and social situation you never take cognisance that apart from the last 15+ years of SNP the previous 300 MISERABLE YEARS was under WM GOVERNANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY, so tell us again how Scotland cannot do better
Very good manifesto, but like others have said maybe missed a trick with reducing pension age. The mantra however being spun by westminster is that people are living longer. Bollocks! Yes my mums post war generation lived into their eighties, but i defy anyone here in their late 50’s early 60’s to say they dont know of any friends/family who have’nt died of cancer (1 in 3 people now) before they even reached pension age. Westminsters ideology, work till you drop or your body is worn out.
Tone says
There was a lot of blood spilt
I have no desire for this to be BUT if push comes to shove I don’t mind donating mine!
Refreshingly free of the woke agenda.
Hopefully Alba will agitate to get those woke policies that have made it into law repealed.
GEORGE White says:
21 April, 2021 at 5:05 pm
“……a commitment to ensuring that any nhs services that have been privatised are brought backunder nhs control without compensation”
Ask your local GP partnership what they would think about that idea …
Would have liked to see Free Public Transport for all,
covers numerous issues from environmental to social mobility to tourism,
Luxembourg already has free public transport and a lot of major cities are planning to have it,
won`t be long before Uber starts eyeing up public transport.
SNP 1 – ALBA 2
shite – andrex
Re: The Scottish Family Party
AFAIK they were set up by Richard Lucas formerly UKIP in 2017.
David Robertson, as others have said, lives and works in Australia and snarks from afar these days. I don’t know of any connection between him and the SFP.
Ben Madigan says;
“says:
21 April, 2021 at 4:39 pm
“No Tone I do not want to see any blood spilt in Scotland’s struggle for Independence.
My only point in my 2 posts was that “and forever” are meaningless words in the context of treaty duration.
They will not prevent Independence, as you seemed to fear in your post at 3.44”
My only fear is that Scotland will sink further into a slough of despond.
I would be happy for Independence when Scotland has reformed its corrupt political and judicial system, has a functioning economy not reliant on handouts, and has a proper health and education systems, and has solved the drug problem
I see little evidence that Alba and/or SNP are serious about achieving any of the reforms needed to make Scotland an internationally competitive and valued neighbour.
Frankly, Scotland is a basket case, and really needs to move from Dependence before tackling Independence
@Daisy Walker says:
Mark Boyle says:
Like the idea of a Festival of Scotland!
Me too, and they get bonus points if they hold it the same time as the Edinburgh Fringe in any other part of Scotland except Edinburgh. My preference is Dundee, ehh.
Be adventurous! Can think of a few amazing locations. If it comes off, I’ll happily provide the venue FOC ?
link to natwestbusinesshub.com
Re the Calton Jock article.
This from it.
“Nov 2018: Scotland became the first country in the world to include compulsory LGBTI issues in school curricula, after the government accepted in full a report from Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) outlining 33 recommendations on how to tackle LGBTI bullying in schools.”
“Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney said that state schools across Scotland will be required to educate pupils on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues, including LGBTI history,”
Yet I bet its not compulsory to teach Scottish history in Scotland’s schools. Under Sturgeon and her Green party enablers, Scots children are being brainwashed, and force feed at school, genderwoowoo policies under the guise of equality.
These force fed policies at our children’s schools must surely be leading to healthy intelligent children coming home and saying to their parents that they feel that they’re in the wrong bodies, when infact if it wasn’t for the SNP/Greens genderwoowoo teaching in schools the children wouldn’t give it a second thought.
I get the feeling that the SNP/Greens are attempting to destroy the family unit.
We would not have expected anything less from a party led by Alex Salmond.
But mark my words.
This brilliant manifesto will be completely useless if the SNP-Greens get a majority.
Blindly following the SNP1 / ALBA2 mantra will lead to an SNP majority.
The ALBA MSPs will be jeered at by both the SNP-Green and unionist MSPS.
A supermajority is only good if ALBA holds the balance of power.
Do not blindly elect the corrupt lying criminal SNP candidates.
SNP 1 constituency vote IS NOT NECESSARY for ALBA’s chances of getting List seats:
Paul Cockshott says,
“There is a misaprehension that failure to vote SNP 1 will affect the number of Alba seats. It will not. The number of Alba seats depends only on the percentage of votes Alba gets on the list. Failure to vote SNP 1 just alters the number of SNP Tory or Labour constituency seats. If Sturgeon loses to Sarwar then that does not affect Albas number of seats, provided Alba gets some 6% or more on the list. If the divisor for the SNP falls by 1 that for Labour rises by 1 in compensation. The voting system is cleverly designed to give proportionality i n a way that is independent of which parties win in the constituencies.”
‘crazycat’ has also posted something similar.
Vote wisely, not blindly.
Unfortunately this nose holding and voting SNP 1 seems the only game in town. I agree with the above. Vote wisely !!!!
Tony Hay
Well spotted Tony lowest pensions in Europe at present plenty of older folk would sit up and pay attention to the promise of increased pensions.
They did miss a wee trick there but I like the rest of it to be fair.
If Scotland is a ‘nation’ and has the right to self-determination, then we encounter one of its obvious drawbacks – the inability to resolve matters when more than one ‘nation’ has a say over the territory in question.
Many people (including Scots), believe that there is a British nation, not just a British state. If you are mentally considerate enough to assume they may have a point (and a right to that) does the British nation therefore not have just as much of a right to national self-determination as Scotland?
If so, shouldn’t everyone who belongs to the British nation get a vote, not just those in Scotland?
To quote elsewhere (Centre on Constitutional Change (Based at the University of Edinburgh, its current fellows include academics from the Universities of Aberdeen, Cambridge, Cardiff, Stirling, and University College Cork.)):
“Since many seem to believe in the principle that large and distinctive areas, such as Scotland and Catalonia, should be able to unilaterally determine their own futures, then perhaps this is the rule that we should urge states to adopt. But notice that this argument for the “let the disputed area decide” rule is parasitic on people’s belief in that rule; it cannot justify that belief.
If there is a deeper argument for why, as a matter of principle, it should be left to Scotland, Catalonia or any other region to decide its future, the argument remains mysterious.”
Good Party Political Broadcast from ALBA.
Alex reiterating the stuff he got done as FM and explaining the voting system again for those at the back! No badmouthing, no weaselly ‘nothing’ statements buying time.
Job done.
twathater says:
21 April, 2021 at 5:36 pm
“PLEASE point out to me the benefits of the union”
Given the state of Scottish Politics, Judicial, Education & Health systems, and the drug problem, plus dependence on subsidy from the likes of Wales, NI and England, the idea of Independence before these issues are addressed is a cruel joke on the Scottish people, played by professional politicians. I may remind you that the majority of your countrymen actually decided to reject a call for Independence.
There is no way that Scotland can sustain independence until and unless it reforms to be a worthwhile neighbour.
The only way that these reforms can be made is via continuing support from the rUK in terms of cash and political will, to back the hard work and sacrifices that will be needed. As the Tories are currently in power,and can deliver the cash and support,it makes sense to vote Tory, if only for the tactical benefits.
I may remind you that Scotland has many of the problems of erstwhile ‘Red Wall’ Labour strongholds of the North, and these areas have seen the light. In the eyes of the average Scottish voter, the Hartlepool election must represent the clearest possible signal that the current UK government is serious about helping the economic reform.
Incidentally the finagling of the Scottish voting system can only, at best, result in a fissiparous Alba/SNP cockpit, and so has zero chance of achieving the needed reforms to make Scotland FIT ENOUGH to handle independence.
In sum, it is as plain as a pikestaff that the ONLY institution that can help Scotland achieve a worthwhile Independence, is to vote Tory!
Dan Hardy says:
21 April, 2021 at 6:28 pm
If Scotland is a ‘nation’ and has the right to self-determination, then we encounter one of its obvious drawbacks – the inability to resolve matters when more than one ‘nation’ has a say over the territory in question.
That is the problem. Why does england have more of a say?
Many people (including Scots), believe that there is a British nation, not just a British state. If you are mentally considerate enough to assume they may have a point (and a right to that) does the British nation therefore not have just as much of a right to national self-determination as Scotland?
Where is the proof of this ‘british’ nation?
If so, shouldn’t everyone who belongs to the British nation get a vote, not just those in Scotland?
To quote elsewhere (Centre on Constitutional Change (Based at the University of Edinburgh, its current fellows include academics from the Universities of Aberdeen, Cambridge, Cardiff, Stirling, and University College Cork.)):
“Since many seem to believe in the principle that large and distinctive areas, such as Scotland and Catalonia, should be able to unilaterally determine their own futures, then perhaps this is the rule that we should urge states to adopt. But notice that this argument for the “let the disputed area decide” rule is parasitic on people’s belief in that rule; it cannot justify that belief.
If there is a deeper argument for why, as a matter of principle, it should be left to Scotland, Catalonia or any other region to decide its future, the argument remains mysterious.”
The fact is that one well established nation, not region,should retrieve its sovereignty from an undemocratic union.
Nowt mysterious about that.
Jason Smoothpiece says:
Tony Hay
“Well spotted Tony lowest pensions in Europe at present plenty of older folk would sit up and pay attention to the promise of increased pensions.”
_______________________________________________________________
Pensions are paid by the taxpayer/NI contributions of today, from the whole of the UK (reserved powers, not devolved).
How are we going to even fund the current pension level, never mind raising it for future pensioners, when we can only draw upon, at best, 2.5 million contributors (Scots taxpayers)?
Bear in mind, some 45% of Scots don’t even earn above the personal income tax allowance, so some of them and certain benefit recipients get credits for NI – clearly, funded by the remaining taxpayers.
Twathahter.
I assume you have had your first Covid jab. You would still be waiting if an independent Scotland was in the EU.
Paul
“Where is the proof of this ‘british’ nation?”
________________________________________________________________
Seriously? That’s not even worthy of an answer.
Dan Hardy,
You can believe the U.K. is a frog in a tutu if you want but it doesn’t make it so.
Whether some people believe Scotland is a part of little England or not is immaterial, what matters is a majority decision of the people of Scotland.
Westminster has already conceded the ground that it is entirely up to the Scots to determine their own future in the 2014 referendum and there’s no escaping that.
So, to summarise, Nicola’s priority is to brainwash malnourished kids whilst Alba wants to feed them. And I think we can apply that across all age groups.
Basically the SNP is saying “fuck off and die in whatever way you like, corona, drugs, poverty, whatever, as long as you accept our weirdo crackpot views on gender, etc.”
Can you imagine these screwballs with real power? But, wait. That’s the trick. That’s the con. We think they’re all screwballs… maybe that’s what they want you to think.
When you see politicians acting irrationally, always assume there’s money involved, usually going into secret trust accounts offshore.
If offshore banks could talk…
The Alba PPB was very good.
I’m concerned that as yet we have received no literature whatever from Alba. We’ve had Royal Mail deliveries from all the other major parties (and the Family Party) plus hand delivered leaflets, but nothing from Alba. Those who have requested postal votes have now received their papers and in some cases returned them without having heard anything from Alba which must disadvantage the party. Why nothing through Royal Mail?
Tone, has it occurred to you that Westminster has had a 300 years chance at sorting the problems you mention, in fact it has only added to them by borrowing and building up trillions of debt, not Scotland’s doing, as we have not had control of those particular purse strings,
We did not have much say in bailing out the big banks in the 2008 financial crash either, wasted money.
We have never in those 300 years made a decision to be in just about every war that rages on this planet, we have been forced into those wars due to being joined in a union to England’s decision making, including the Iraq war,
If we are attacked we will defend, but we as a nation and a culture are not warmongering,
And if Westminster and America have their way, antagonising and ramping up war with China, Syria, Russia, etc,
It won’t be Scotland you have to worry about, because if your to old to go to war, they will accept anyone else in your family, as long as they can make money from arms deals or gain mineral rights in another’s country, who cares about the humans that die,
Well we do,
Virtually every political party promises the Moon and more just before an election and seldom delivers afterwards.
What makes people think that Alba are any different?
I’m actually seeing parallels with the Lib Dems here.
Well that was a grand broadcast by Mr Salmond. Good start along with the manifesto.
OT.
Impressive inefficiency with the postal voting system, seeing as the fuckin ballot papers don’t fit in the supplied fuckin envelope without requiring extra folding, and thus unfolding in the counting process!
Very nice dog on the front.
Mist001 – why do you post here? You are obviously not interested in Scottish Politics or Scotland.
Do you get you kicks by being negative or are you paid?
@Red 21 April, 2021 at 12:20 pm
“Today’s Pensioners are starving themselves so they can have lighting, heating or pay their rent.”
There is a reason Alba haven’t included increased pensions ie they have done their Homework link to fullfact.org
“Electricity and fuel should be insanely cheap. We’re a rich, technologically advanced country that’s full of lovely hydrocarbons” The Scottish Government doesn’t own Energy companies so aren’t in a position to give away energy for Free and i’m pretty sure Sturgeons “cheap Energy company” collapsed as it couldn’t complete with other resellers in the market.
And strangely even with the SNP in Scot Gov for 14 years it seems that many of the Scottish Windfarms are actually owned by Offshore Registered Companies how on earth was that allowed to happen or is it merely the Scottish Political Elite feathering their own nests for their future retirements ? link to webcache.googleusercontent.com
“If we’re worried about carbon dioxide, and there’s no reason to think Scottish CO2 emissions make any measurable difference to the global climate” ah Energy/CO2 exceptionalism, very good. I’m supposing China are saying the same thing maybe because on a World population basis share they aren’t the worst offenders either. Your clearly no friend of Greta.
“People shouldn’t have to hope for government handouts to be able to pay their winter fuel bills. People shouldn’t be priced out of car ownership. People shouldn’t have to live in some of the smallest (and expensive!) new build housing in Europe because it’s “green”
“(actually it’s more to do with kickbacks from greedy developers)” Where is your evidence for this , do you actually have any or did you just make it up ?
Dan Hardy @ 6.53
‘How are we going to even fund the current pension level, never mind raising it for future pensioners, when we can only draw upon, at best, 2.5 million contributors (Scots taxpayers)?’
– Current pension levels are paid at UK level, so if you have any worries about their funding, I’d suggest writing to Boris Johnson as it’s his government that has to pay them. Scots tax payers have paid funds into UK public pensions and they will continue to be paid by UK authorities.
Secondly, you do realise that smaller populations require less funding ? Just because it’s a smaller figure doesn’t mean it’s worse.(I know it’s a basic fact.)
And if you still believe it’s a non-starter, then just how angry are you at Westminster that Scotland finds itself so disadvantaged under their economic policies ?
Third, you should also realise that the amount of pension is not important, it’s the buying power that it affords. A pension of £1000 per week is crap if a loaf of bread costs £1000, but a pension of £10 is great if the price of a loaf is 10p.
The cost of living in Scotland is not comparable with large parts of England.
Lastly, regarding tax, you also realise that poorer salaries are taxed less in Scotland and higher salaries taxed more than in England and indeed, other parts of the UK ?
Raising public pensions funds are a matter of tax policy. If you are to have coherent worries or complaints, you have to understand a much bigger picture than the one you present.
Ps, I liked Scotland’s idea of having a ship as a floating hospital to save lives,
I also think it atrocious that all different countries are on about saving the planet, and yet the biggest elephant in the room is the total destruction of humans, animals, trees, shrubs, creatures big and small, land and sea by bombing and war,
Does anyone know if alba has started leafleting anywhere? All iv got is snp, labour, tories,greens, libdems who are closet tories and a letter from willie rennie…all ended up in the bin didnt even bother reading. Im in east dunbarton and no sign of alba. I wont be voting for snp, didnt vote for them last time never voted for english parties as they have never been for scotland. Hope to christ (not religious) alba wins enough seats to get into holyrood or scotland will not be a country worth living in, i can see folk leaving me being 1 of them.
Very interesting Manifesto.
That’ll do me for my List vote.
@ TheSNPLeftMe
Are you an arse or something? My desire for Scottish independence has been clear to everyone since I first arrived here. Clear to everyone but you, apparently.
The difference between me and the majority of posters here though is that I don’t follow the cults of the SNP and the cult of Alex Salmond. I don’t buy into fantasies easily. If Alex Salmond told everyone here to jump, almost everybody would ask ‘How high’? That would be their only question.
If Scottish independence is going to happen, I want to see it happen properly, not on the basis of a half arsed manifesto written on the back of a fag packet. That applies equally to the ALBA and SNP manifestos.
The Alba manifesto is a good first draft and enough to get an Alba 2 from me in May. But definitely some weasel words in there:
5. “A proposal for a written constitution …”. I am struggling to understand why that could not have been written as “A written constitution …”.
6. “Free school breakfasts and lunches …”. Really? I read this as an admission that the chances of parents being able to get and retain sustainable, adequately paid employment in the independent Scotland are slim to nil. People used to be mostly able to put food on the table for their own kids. When did that become impossible?
7. “… an interim position from which to negotiate EU membership or a long term proposal depending on the view of the Scottish people.” And how that view is to be expressed is left unsaid. The EU from which Scotland was taken no longer exists. Scotland should only join the politically and financially impoverished EU that exists now after a referendum on the re-negotiated terms and conditions. They will be significantly worse for Scotland, won’t allow the new Scottish currency to be retained, and the people therefore need an unambiguous say in the decision.
Other Measure 2. “Recognition for role of black taxis …”. WTF? Somebody with a mini-cab business sneak that one in?
Other Measure 5. “Reframing public sector purchasing and procurement …”. I don’t see how that would be legal within the EU.
Other Measure 8. “Hold a festival of Scotland in 2023 …”. An easy aspiration considering Alba will be in no position whatsoever to deliver this. Maybes in 2027?
Some obvious missing subjects, such as defence, NATO membership, climate change goals, taxation, ECHR status, and role of the monarchy. If these are to be considered mostly unchanged after independence, a statement to that effect would clarify.
But as I wrote at the start. Good enough for Alba 2 in 2021. Needs some work for Alba 1 in 2025.
Tone says:
21 April, 2021 at 3:44 pm
Slight fly in the ointment in the form of the ‘Act of Union’:
“That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England shall upon the first day of May next ensuing the date hereof and forever after be United into One Kingdom by the Name of Great Britain And that the Ensigns Armorial of the said United Kingdom be such as Her Majesty shall appoint ….”
See those words …’forever after’…’One Kingdom’ ….?
I’ll see your ‘forever after’ and raise you an ‘undisturbed in perpetuity’, as declared by Dowager English Queen Isabella, in the Edinburgh Northampton Treaty of 1328. The same year as the Pope recognised the 1320 Declaration of Arbroath.
” …that Scotland, so defined, “shall belong to our dearest ally and friend, the magnificent prince, Lord Robert, by God’s grace illustrious King of Scotland, and to his heirs and successors, separate in all things from the kingdom of England, whole, free, and undisturbed in perpetuity, without any kind of subjection, service, claim or demand.”
Where is all the SNP 1 and ALBA 2 mob tonight?
Browsing through the supermarket newspapers tonight, and not a peep about Sturgeon and her Frankenstein policies.
The Yoon media definitely have her back.
Don’t mention the war.
Hi Tone at 4:26 pm.
You asserted,
“As I said, it is clear that the Act of Union declares that Scotland and England are actually One Nation.”
You are SO wrong! Nowhere, in the Treaty of Union, 1707, does the word “nation” appear! (Except as part of the word “determination”.) YOU even quoted the words below in an earlier comment!
Article 1 of the treaty states,
“I. That the two kingdoms of Scotland and England shall, upon the 1st day of May next ensuing the date hereof, and for ever after, be united into one kingdom by the name of Great Britain”
Note the use of the words “kingdoms” and “Kingdom”.
Just because you want to believe the fiction of a “British Nation”, doesn’t mean the rest of us have to take your word for it.
Scotland is a nation.
England is a nation.
Wales is a nation.
Northern Ireland is a province.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is what it says on the tin. It is NOT a nation.
Mist001. 7.36
Genuine question Mist.
What would you be looking for in a Manifesto that would keep you happy?
@ Patrick Jones
One that was actually honest and kept its promises.
This is applicable to ALL UK political parties, not just Scottish ones.
@ Breeks
Tone also seems to have overlooked the aspect that the Treaty has been broken pretty much since its creation, in that no constituent part of the UK should have an economic advantage over another.
The Kingdom of England’s population was approximately 5 times greater than the Kingdom of Scotland at the start of the Union, yet it has been allowed to grow to approximately 10 times greater over the course of 300 years of this “equal” union.
Divergence in population numbers over a few years may have been acceptable if political measures were then implemented to correct any disparity, but no significant measures were ever implemented to redress the imbalance, which clearly highlights a willful ignoring of aspects of the Treaty.
Obviously it’s a great list they’ve put together … but any party who have zero chance of actually being in power can say whatever they want in their manifesto.
The important thing is the indy super-majority. The rest is just … whatever …
More on the ‘self-ID’ issue…
Two quotes from the link below:
“Those statements amount to a candid and striking account of an attempt to influence government policy on a highly controversial issue, by way of striking private deals among politicians over a document that was not made public.
It was also against Commons rules on transparency, in the judgement of the Commissioner. She ruled that the ‘private’ report should have been published promptly after it was shared with people outside the APPG.”
and
“But this isn’t really a story about such points. This is about tactics. And the tactics people use to promote an argument can tell you something about the quality of that argument. If someone isn’t prepared to argue their political case in public, to win over the public to their cause, what can we conclude about the strength of that argument?”
link to spectator.co.uk
Further on my last comment…
“In news that will surprise absolutely no one, John Nicolson, Stewart McDonald and Hannah Bardell are all officers of the AGGP highlighted in this article as operating against the rules.”
link to twitter.com
Tartanfever
“The cost of living in Scotland is not comparable with large parts of England.”
“Lastly, regarding tax, you also realise that poorer salaries are taxed less in Scotland and higher salaries taxed more than in England and indeed, other parts of the UK ?”
_______________________________________________________________
By current pension level, I was referring to the amount received. Or is it another indy wish that the remainder of the UK pay extra state pension to existing Scots pensioners? And I know this is also a basic fact – that if you wish to give people more money (in the future) from a system with 12 times less contributions and contributors, that money has to come from somewhere. And the Scottish population is ageing, so more older people, less taxpayers in the future (hence why Nicola wants EU freedom of movement again). Go on, test that grey matter as to who will be footing the bill if we are indy?
I lived in the South-East and I can assure you that my council tax bill back here in Scotland – which contains my water bill, are both higher, for a smaller, lower valued property. And that’s on a frozen bill and in a land apparently abundant with water. In fact, I have a hydro plant within 500m of me!
Scots pay 1% more income tax than the rest of the UK on anything over £25,000pa – hardly Hollywood wages. Those on 19% (the majority according to Nicola, so in less than minimum wage jobs and likely to be on tax credits and/or income benefits)- the ‘poor’ as you refer to them – are therefore a whopping £21 a year better off thanks to it. Though off-set that against whatever else it costs the remaining taxpayers in the assistance they receive.
Yeah. You ain’t convincing me.
Dan Hardy says:
21 April, 2021 at 6:56 pm
Paul
“Where is the proof of this ‘british’ nation?”
________________________________________________________________
Seriously? That’s not even worthy of an answer.
________________________________________________________________
I think it is, and you should answer it easily, if it exists.
Tartan fever…
Could you get by on 150 quid a week? And to get that you need full NI contributions which is what 35 years.
Patrick Jones says:
21 April, 2021 at 7:42 pm
“Where is all the SNP 1 and ALBA 2 mob tonight?”
Yes Patrick, the fanatics no show is conspicuous by their absence.
Probably crawled up their own arses.
Your question might draw them out.
Fishy Wullie @ 5.23
It was a few years ago I met them Wullie ( 2017 ) so they might have had a change of heart over Indy , or else the guy I spoke to picked up on what I wanted to hear … who knows.
Nevertheless ( and well done you for takin the time to read up on them ) while they might be anti the Gender nonsense they are pretty much anti everything else too.
They seem to want an imagined Scotland from the 50s and while living by Christian values if you have them is fine ,this lot want to make it the law that everyone does.
They want a ChristianTheocracy for Scotland , if not the whole of the UK..
It sounds like they’ll be makin hay with the Gender Woo Woo to try and get a foothold…but these are not good guys they are right wing nut jobs.
Anyhoo can’t see a thing wrong with SNP 1 and Alba 2 🙂 delivering what most of us here want from our politics and there’s no chance of retrograde clerical power in that option either.
Funny never hear Greta talk about the obvious warmongering nations, or about taxing the massive companies that make plastic,
Just the low paid worker or pensioners have to pay for the plastic bag at the check out,
It’s just to sensible to suggest that these companies stop producing these items or they will be fined thousands of pounds and taxed heavily,
Saving the planet people can seriously get back to me once they can balance the contradictions of war and saving the planet,
Meanwhile I ,ll keep planting the trees I grow for free, rescuing every animal I come across, and picking up the litter that ruin our beaches and countryside that an awful lot of people are to lazy to put in a bag and take home to their bin.
Stop you’re local council from hiring so many unnecessary vehicles, make them reopen Council CA sites without appointments so people stop dumping rubbish in lay-bys ,beaches and the countryside. stop politicians from driving around in big gutzsy chauffeur driven cars and covering massive amounts of air miles, most meetings can be made via Skype or the internet as was proven during the covid pandemic,
Climate change, save the planet, huh, until it makes coherent sense I tend to believe a lot of this is back door stealth tax and a way to control populations, stop attacking the poor and vunerble, start with the big offenders, the ones whom expect you to follow the rules but avoid them themselves.
I’m still an SNP member (just), but this has got my second vote, & it probably would even if I was living in a place where SNP might actually need the second vote. What’s *brilliant* about this list is that the majority are good AND related to Scottish nationhood and independence.
Clever, inspiring, invigorating, shrewd. Roon them, Alba. Roon them.
@SilverDarling says:
21 April, 2021 at 5:59 pm
Re: The Scottish Family Party
AFAIK they were set up by Richard Lucas formerly UKIP in 2017.
David Robertson, as others have said, lives and works in Australia and snarks from afar these days. I don’t know of any connection between him and the SFP.
The Ayatollah Robertson only moved to Australia in 2019. He’s always liked surrounding himself with wee acolytes that will do his bidding from near and afar without question – ask anyone about his antics with the Wee Free’s media dept where he got anyone who wasn’t one of his buds kicked out.
Lucas is a nice enough bloke (despite the politics), but no way would he have the bottle to run a party or get up to the stuff he’s publicly spouting these days without some Big Dog in the background. Trust me, if Robertson threw a stick Lucas would go chasing after it before he’d the chance to shout “fetch!”
Still, at least he’s not as bad as that other ex-Scottish Kipper, Otto Inglis – dear oh dear, if you knew the half of it!
Insightful, well thought out, forward looking and, most importantly, aspirational and inspiring.
@ mags at 7.35: “has Alba started leafletting..”
The postal one started yesterday and has reached W Ross today.
leafletting by volunteers here in North Highlands has been going on for several days. If you can help in your area you can volunteer on Alba Party’s site or there may be a local area facebook you can comment or message on.
Alex needs to justify this SNP 1 suggestion.
I will never vote for the SNP, I am finished with them.
So Alex, tell us why you think we should turn a blind eye to Sturgeon’s plan to drag Scotland back to 1930s/40s Germany?
here’s the archived copy of that Spectator article Brian Doonthetoon mentioned
link to archive.is
@ BDtt & Daisy if reading 😉
Mention of McDonald, scroll up to previous tweet for added Sparling.
link to twitter.com
The British – what an elitist race!
Loud mouthed and pushy they’re all over the place,
Patronising us with false bonhomie,
Polluting our stock, undermining our economy.
Down with Westminster and the BBC!
Suppress their Royals and the licence fee!
Ban their puppets, the Lords, and the City
As an offensively foreign identity!
It’s time Hadrian’s Wall was refortified
To pen them in a ghetto on the other side.
I would go further. That nation
Deserves Union flagellation
And discrete disunification.
We must not flinch from decolonisation.
(And await legal termination.)
P A Rodie
Hi mags at 7:35 pm.
You asked,
“Does anyone know if alba has started leafleting anywhere?”
I know that former SNP activist ‘wee Dundee Annie’ is leafleting all the areas in the north-east of Dundee that she used to do for the SNP.
She reads WOS all the time but never comments. (So, I’ll probably get a phone call about this name-call.)
BBC Scotland “The Nine” has started another Alex Salmond trial tonight.
The polling info for ALBA must be good when the BBC go for gutter broadcasting once again.
Thanks Dan,
Nightmare.
Very interesting article by the Spectator too with regards the secret lobbying by the trans group.
If you have a look at that group’s web site, there are about 50 -60 MP’s and lords on it from all the different parties.
Including Lord McConnell, and Fluffy.
KitKat Black is there, and Alyn the Odius.
Call me a cynic, but I smell money, and lots of it.
Re Alba Leafleting – good zoom meeting tonight for Fife and Mid Scotland – so yes, its started. They have the leaflets.
Contact Alba for your local area details.
Here’s a link for a more manageable compressed 40mb version
link to tinyurl.com
Couple of paragraphs from the Spectator piece sum up the translobby insidiousness,
`Among the advice the Dentons (massive law firm)/IGLYO document offers campaigners is to ‘get ahead of the government’,
to tie trans-rights objectives to the more popular issue of gay equality and, above all,
to ‘avoid excessive press coverage and exposure.’
and later,
`But this isn’t really a story about such points. This is about tactics.
And the tactics people use to promote an argument can tell you something about the quality of that argument.
If someone isn’t prepared to argue their political case in public, to win over the public to their cause, what can we conclude about the strength of that argument?`
link to twitter.com
Despite a ringing endorsement from… David Paisley John Nicolson was rejected by his Alma Mater for the position of rector.
What a shame.
Brian Doonthetoon says:
21 April, 2021 at 7:59 pm
More on the ‘self-ID’ issue…
This bit says so much about the entitlement and lack of self-awareness of elected officials:
Blunt also told the Commissioner: ‘Publishing the document before the Government’s public response… would have undermined our political strategy.’
Those statements amount to a candid and striking account of an attempt to influence government policy on a highly controversial issue, by way of striking private deals among politicians over a document that was not made public.
Politicians have, without most people noticing, congealed into their own distinct class over the last few years. They no longer see themselves as elected representatives of the public interest, they think they’re a priestly caste of enlightened betters, there to do unto us whether we like it, or voted for it, or not.
It’s bad enough when failed lawyers and former shop stewards (if there are any left in the Labour Party) go feral. But increasingly, the political class draws people with absolutely zero real life experience of ever having held down a real job with real responsibilities, run a business, or raised a family.
They’re morally self-righteous Eloi lecturing us Morlocks who pay for their ego trips.
Humza Yousaf has no business being a Justice Minister, he’s too thick to understand what he’s doing and his work experience of answering phones in a call centre in no way qualifies him to make our laws.
Derek Mackay had no business being a Finance Minister, he’s too thick to understand what he’s doing and his work experience being a professional politician from the age of 12 in no way qualifies him to spend billions of pounds of our money.
Rhianna Spiers or whatever her name is has no business shouting her mouth off and lecturing adults about politics. She’s a daft wee lassie who’s been floating around university for the past decade, she needs to gain actual life experience and the modicum of empathy and maturity that comes with it before she has anything worth listening to.
We really need better people in politics, because the ones we have are an absolute clown show and most of them wouldn’t get hired at McDonald’s. With Alba we have the chance of getting some grown ups back in the room.
@ Red at 9.56 ” need better people in politics…With Alba we have the chance…”
You are right about Alba. I might have to alter my plan of not allowing career politicians by limiting them to one term only!
Mist001 has made the choice to live in France and then post telling those who live in Scotland what is acceptable, wise or practical.
If you don’t live here, if you don’t pay taxes here then your opinion has the same worth as that of a Kent Tory.
Dan @ 7:53 pm
“the Treaty has been broken pretty much since its creation”
A treaty can never be cast in stone for eternity for the simple reason that its relevance and import is inevitably bound by time and circumstance. Any treaty will only ever be upheld insofar as it serves the national interest. Here there is the age-old argument of ‘alliance-determinism’ which assumes both effective international law and honorable alliance partners; However “experts in international affairs would count these as among the most naive hypotheses imaginable” (Hamilton and Herwig 2004).
The Treaty of Union is clearly no longer in Scotland’s national interest (if it ever was) and our alliance partner has acted anything but honorably over the entire period of the alliance and before.
Out of respect for Joanna Cherry, I hope Angus Robertson gets pummelled.
Dan Hardy says:
21 April, 2021 at 2:36 pm
Free school meals for all? Taxpayers loving that.
Sterlingisation, still. No timeframe, means no true indy.
Development land tax won’t presumably affect anyone acquiring private land for private use – like the current land barons?
Maintain the CTA? You can’t maintain something which you are not already separately part of. That would need the agreement of rUK and ROI.
EFTA will mean Free Movement/Shengen. That will necessitate a hard border with England/rUK no matter if a custom union was agreed.
Dan I think all of these issues can be addressed.
You don’t think most Scots will want pay a bit of extra tax for school nutrition ? . Speak for yourself. Alba will we will revisit the tax base with land and other economic rents taxed. We will
Cut waste and favouritism in funding too.
Re Sterling stop gap. We we can’t do it overnight but we have a plan. It’s a transition.
We can negotiate CTA and Schengen given our border situation.
Mags
We have certainly been leafleting in West of Scotland. I have been doing Bishopbriggs for our candidate Delia all week.sure it’s happening elsewhere.
de brus says:
21 April, 2021 at 7:58 pm
Obviously it’s a great list they’ve put together … but any party who have zero chance of actually being in power can say whatever they want in their manifesto.
The important thing is the indy super-majority. The rest is just … whatever
The Road to Independence is being paved with what the others are not:-)
The school meals is the most important item there as far as I’m concerned
@7.42 Patrick
They are probably doing some real campaigning like Alex Salmond with real people
And like Alex saying X for SNP in constituencies and X for Alba on the list
Red @ 9.56 .
Yes ! to all of that .
I’ve wondered a lot of late about the poor calibre of the current political class ( and as you say , they have indeed morphed into a very distinct class , irrespective of political hue , they are virtually indistinguishable in their vanity , arrogance and remoteness from ” ordinary ” people and life , with only a relatively few exceptions ) is much different from previous generations .
Trying to think of UK a Gov that could be considered honourable , genuinely socially progressive and not in hock to any particular vested interest .
The only one I could think of was the Attlee Gov , which effected significant beneficial change in a short space of time , but didn’t go far enough in my opinion – abolishing the HoL and further decoupling the Monarchy from affairs of State , for example .
The Wilson Govs ushered in some positive changes though were perhaps beneficiaries of the wider cultural zeitgeist – the ” Swinging Sixties ” etc , rather than the instigators of root and branch transformation of political and social mores .
I won’t bother even considering the successive Tory Govs we’ve had inflicted on us .
That said , I think the current generation of politicians are worse than previous , at least , there are fewer of substance , integrity , imagination , motivated by a genuine desire to improve the lives of those they represent , rather than their own self-advancement… eg… Alex Salmond
@ Geoff Anderson
Fuck you, the guy who owns and runs this site doesn’t live in Scotland either, but I don’t see you saying anything about that.
That’s because you’re a coward who knows that you’re likely to get banned if you criticise The Rev. You’re a big mouthed coward.
An independent Scotland is going to become a failed state pretty quickly if it’s populated by fuckwits like yourself.
Vision fills this manifesto built on foresight, hindsight and insight: the SNP would do well to adopt many of these measures but that would require foresight, hindsight and insight…
So now the unionists are looking at losing the Scottish Elections they ( Adam Tomkins) are proposing “a more robust” way of holding Scotland in an unpopular union.
Gosh they make Xi Jinping and President Putin look like a wishy-washy liberals.
Certainly it was not that long ago a conservative proposed that sending Scots to the Caribbean to be sold into slavery was a good idea by Cromwell and a good answer to the West Lothian question.
You voted wrong so we will ignore the result and you will be punished.
Sort of makes you blink.
STV Scotland Tonight “Flagship”Scottish current affairs programme. Colin McKay grills Sarwar which was just theatre. So then is it focusing on Westminster? Is the Scottish angle Mr Toad Blackford featured blowing smoke. Two English based commentators one a lobbyist and the other Sonia Sodha a woke warrior from the Guardian , both clueless and adding nothing added.this package apart from the two prattling heads was on the ITV English National news.Why are we getting it as part of a Scottish programming.
This programme is a disgrace. STV are falling Scotland.but just as the SNP have bankrolled the unionist press, they have pumped government advertising into STV. So Alba needs an independent commission on Broadcasting reform as well.
John
O/T Nicola on Peston, if you want independence dont vote for Nicola !
I have placed my vote and I did vote SNP/ALBA but it really grates to vote for someone who has absolutely no fucking interest in independance.
Obsfuscation should be this sharletons middle name, why can she not just say independence is my priority to save my country from tory chicanery and I will do everything in my power to work with other parties to make Scotland free, so sorry to have my naive hat on tonight,its so easy in my eyes to achieve the goal but NS has NO interest in setting my country free, I truly admired her in the early days but now feel like an idiot for trusting my thoughts and loyalties to what I thought was her cause.
The people of Scotland have and are being badly let down by someone who is incapable of making a decision,very sad.
@Jontoscots20 21 April, 2021 at 10:31 pm
“Dan I think all of these issues can be addressed.”
They can’t be but you clearly don’t understand why.
“Sterling stop gap. We can’t do it overnight but we have a plan. It’s a transition.”
Nope its a delusion NOT a plan and Salmond knows it, its why he steadfastly stated the only good postion for Scotland was to be in a full Currency Union throughout the 2014 campaign, both Stelingisation or a New Currency is ruination for anyone holding a Mortgage in Scotland which legally have to be paid back in UK£. I’m disappointed Salmond hasn’t stuck to his previous statement because a New Currency and Sterlingistion are Vote losers as is adopting the Euro that would turn Scotland into Greece Mk2.
“We can negotiate CTA and Schengen given our border situation”
Well now we can see you live in LaLa land , the EU doesn’t negotiate on these issues, Northern Ireland is only treated as a special case because of the Historical “Troubles” everywhere else has a hard Border on the outskirts of the EU without further exception.
Mags @7.35, was leafleting with others for Alba on Arran today.
@Ron Maclean 21 April, 2021 at 8:39 pm
“It’s time Hadrian’s Wall was refortified”
Hadrians Wall is wholly in England
I really wonder about some people and how easily they are fooled and don’t realise it I suppose it’s really hard to change your mind even if it’s proven beyond doubt your previous opinion was not just misguided but totally wrong ,it must be hard to admit that especially in public .
The resident Princess Nicola supporters on WGD are showing such hatred and showering venom and spite on Alex Salmonds head the only SNP leader who actually made sure Scottish people had a vote on independence not just spoke about it made sure it happened ,
some even suggesting he lost on purpose aye the weight of the world on one mans shoulders how the fk one man could throw a vote is beyond rational thought and from a truly deranged mind.
Right now Scotland couldn’t handle independence , no plans in place ,institutions unable to handle running a chip shop , the setting up of full devolved power’s would drown the people in charge of running this country ,with 2nd rate politicians and the woefully inadequate heads of these organisations what could possibly go wrong
The folks over the rainbow in La La Land would like life to carry on as usual nothing really changing just gabbing away like auld sweetie wife’s they have got so used to spouting the same shite for the last 7 years it’s like a comfort blanket Princess Nicola can do no wrong , the failed lawyer that’s right that’s why she hasn’t taken a well paid job in some legal practice because no one would hire her
@tartanfever 21 April, 2021 at 7:31 pm
” Scots tax payers have paid funds into UK public pensions and they will continue to be paid by UK authorities.”
This is not true the SNP’s owm 2013 White Paper on Pensions in an Independent Scotland made clear that if there was a Yes Vote responsibility for paying all pensions for people living in Scotland at that time onwards would fall to only the Scottish Government. Money paid into Nat Ins in the past was paid out to pensioners at the time in exchange for rights to a pension when their own time came, those “years rights” are all that would be transferred as there is no “Pension Pot ” for Government pensions.
Sarah – my preferred method of getting rid of useless career politicians would be bringing back the ancient Greek custom of ostrakismos.
Robert Hughes – definitely. Re: HoL reform / Alba’s plan for a second chamber. Why not just draft people at random like with jury service?
Any randomly selected group of Scottish citizens is going to have a higher collective level of honesty, integrity, and the GOOD kind of diversity – different perspectives based on valuable life experience – than any competing group of professional politicians.
If it’s a good enough system to make decisions in murder trials, it’s a good enough system to provide some much needed oversight of Hate Crime Bills, GRAs and the like.
Don – both Stelingisation or a New Currency is ruination for anyone holding a Mortgage in Scotland which legally have to be paid back in UK£.
This is simultaneously a brilliant and stupid point.
You’re right that the law, at present, requires mortgages to be paid back in GBP. What you fail to understand is how very easily that law can be changed by a sovereign Scotland.
So this sounds like a terrifying problem… for the banks. What a shame, eh? Poor bankers, never catching a break.
adopting the Euro that would turn Scotland into Greece Mk2
The Euro and its consequences have been a disaster for the European nations, and it’s time to take back control from international bankers.
Don the EU can negotiate on anything if it chooses to especially if has some affinity for the negotiating nation. Scotland has a lot of diplomatic capital and the Catalonia issue probably necessitates a longer transition to EU membership if our people still wish to in the future.. Given our border with Brexit RuK who knows? You obviously think you do but It’s all up in the air. . Yes there will be issues with currency and the Euro but I think these are workable positions. I think we all the same thing though your tone suggests you just want to appear to be in the know. The old mortgage chestnut shows you clearly are not. . By the way I am someone who barely voted for Indy in 2014 because I wasn’t convinced of the economic case. I am much more convinced that we are tackling these questions now.
“why can she not just say independence is my priority to save my country from tory chicanery and I will do everything in my power to work with other parties to make Scotland free…”
If she said that, it’d be another lie.
The fact is that SNP policy on indyref2 is the same as the Tory’s policy in de facto terms — no independence referendum unless Westminster says so. Both parties agree on that.
And because they both agree on that, Sturgeon was able to marginalise her own grassroots core support and play party politics, with the State media giving her a very easy time as a reward (for selling us down the river).
It’s all about Nicola now, winning elections, and lining pockets.
What’s clear is that this was her plan from day one. Anyone with a functioning memory and even half of a brain can see that she did everything possible to distance herself from the Yes movement and grassroots the second she became FM.
That plan only makes sense if you know you’re going to be at loggerheads with your grassroots in the future over core issues (i.e. independence) which means she has been faking it since day one.
Nicola Sturgeon is a Unionist.
Don says: at 12:14 am
@Ron Maclean 21 April, 2021 at 8:39 pm
“It’s time Hadrian’s Wall was refortified”
“Hadrians Wall is wholly in England”
——————
Sounds good to me – Scotland expands that bit further south, the Geordies will love us.. 🙂
To those folk bleating about all the problems an Independent Scotland will have please gie yer heids a shake.
Countries have ended long term agreements in the past and have had to deal with the consequences and they have done so without any of them running back to their former partners asking to reverse their decision. Every single problem mentioned on here can be dealt with. If we have to install a border check, so what? It is not that big a deal. Millions of people cross between Canada and the USA every year
An Independent Scotland will be different, many things will not be the same Thank God
Robert Graham @12:34
When looking at the blinkered, non acceptance of facts from the WGD followers, Frantz Fanon explains it beautifully:-
” Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief they will rationalize, ignore, and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with their core belief.”
The reality that WGD followers and others can’t face is strangely positive;
Support for independence is polling at around 50%. That’s not only remarkably high in a country where the whole MSM (including the colonial state broadcaster) is vehemently opposed to independence, it’s probably about as high as it can possibly get, give or take.
We can only guess that with a more impartial and fair MSM, support for independence would be upwards of 70%.
Further to that, the reason we can confidently expect support to rise dramatically if/when there is a referendum, as it did in 2014, is because something resembling democracy breaks out during a referendum campaign; instead of meekly swallowing the crap that the MSM systematically forces down throats, people actually think about things, debate, and arrive at their own conclusions.
That, of course, is why they are so scared of a referendum. They know all that stuff better than we do. They know the UK Union is held together by their propaganda. And they know Nicola Sturgeon is basically a gift from God as far as preserving the Union is concerned.
Ditch Sturgeon and replace her with just about anybody that isn’t a self-serving sociopathic weirdo, and the Union is on its last legs.
In many ways we have never been closer to independence. That’s the part that hurts when I watch her rancid little lying face go on about gender crap.
@ Don at 12.14
Ron McLean’s post was a parody (hence the way he signed it off) of the poem “Friendly Fire” by James Michie, infamously published in the Spectator in 2004, under the editorship of Boris Johnson.
It is that which refers to the refortification of Hadrian’s Wall.
FFS somebody do something about the size of that
had a quick look at the SNPs at 75 as opposed to 50 odd pages and it’s 1/32 of the size which is still bloated for viewing online. Have they just uploaded a version that should be going to a printers?
@ A2
Try this one:
link to wetransfer.com
New Comres independence poll out.
Yes 45% (no change)
No 48% (+3%)
I mean seriously!
A. Bruce says:
22 April, 2021 at 1:29 am
Robert Graham @12:34
When looking at the blinkered, non acceptance of facts from the WGD followers, Frantz Fanon explains it beautifully:-
” Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief they will rationalize, ignore, and even deny anything that doesn’t fit in with their core belief.”
Funny thing is, I frequently wonder whether I’d have to plead guilty to that very frailty.
For the life of me, I cannot understand what worth people see in Nicola Sturgeon, and equally, I cannot understand the visceral dislike some Independence supporters have for Alex Salmond.
I can detect no substantive foundation for either belief.
I can readily attribute some of the hatred and mistrust of Alex Salmond to the constant denunciation he receives from Unionist media and BritNat Establishment, but surely to god, genuine Independence supporters can see right through that. When all is said and done, he is their bète noire. But for that ‘manicured’ false perception to resonate amongst genuine Indy supporters, is really pretty inexcusable.
Thus I wonder, is it me? Am I the one being blinkered and suffering from denial?
So you have to be objective, and I say it once again, in Peter Wright’s Spycatcher, they way to determine a spy’s loyalty cannot be determined by any singular event, no matter how damning it might appear. You have to audit the “whole”, go through everything, and compile a credit and deficit ledger of the good versus the bad, the intelligence gleaned versus the intelligence sold, and the balance revealed by that ledger is the basis of your conclusion.
That is the basis of my judgement when I say I can detect no substantive foundation for either the brilliance of Nicola Sturgeon, nor the infamy and dislike for Alex Salmond.
I would actually go much further, much, much further, and say there is considerable objective justification for those perceptions to be reversed.
Sturgeon’s actions and decisions since taking over leadership of the SNP are truly lamentable, posing some extremely profound and troubling questions, and there is only so much which can be put down to jaw dropping incompetence,
Overall it is excellent.
I echo the early comment above about the level of state pension.
Ireland, much to my astonishment, have now nearly twice the state pension in Scotland / UK. Twice!
How in the name of fuck did a country that was seen as our poor cousin just a few decades ago manage to surpass us so quickly and so badly. Double FFS…
(Oh yeah, they are independent, I forgot.)
So a clear commitment to getting Scottish pensions to Irish levels would be a huge vote winner. Huuuuge.
Not only that, it would be a huge vote winner in the exact demographic that YES traditionally struggles. The over 65’s.
Finally it is not only a huge vote winner – IT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO AS WELL.
@don
That big multibillion euro bill the UK agreed with the EU, but fussed about in public, is the most likely scenario. The UK is liable for the pensions, and at the time the agency accepted that in writing. However as Scotland intends to have her own currency, and to potentially join international organisations which may impose rules on pensions in future, then the best solution is for the Brits to agree a sum in lieu of their liability and transfer responsibility to Scotland. They agreed to do that viz EU pensions. So there is precedence. Private pensions are paid by the annuity providers. Those are paid wherever the retired person resides. All Western European nations without exception, pay state pensions. Scotland will be no different.
Breeks. 6.57
I wish pricks like you would make your minds up.
First you slag the fuck out of Sturgeon and her whole government, THEN, in the very next breathe, you tell us to go out and vote the very same Bastards back into the very same jobs.
You are a hypocritical waste of space.
If you REALLY want change, then the last thing you would do is Vote these useless perverts back into power.
So take a hike with your sanctimonious shite.
Just don’t vote for the SNP, that is the only way you are going to see REAL change.
I know you won’t see the fruits of that action until the next election, but there’s no other way.
The cancer of Sturgeon has to be cut out, otherwise it stays put, growing worse by the day.
If you vote SNP 1 or even worse, SNP 1 and 2, then all you are doing is kicking indyRef2 more than a decade down the road.
Clyde Radio, another English Right wing media outlet
runs through all the Scottish Parties plans for the day
and of course leave out ALBA.
I wonder if questioned they could advise on how many members
the party has to have before they will concede that they exist?
This is a party with MP’s already in their ranks.
A party with more members than the Lib Dem’s
A party with higher polls than UKIP after one month.
Breeks,
There’s a few more factors to throw in which are are connected and all complicate the pattern:
Propaganda – the parallels with Blair have been mentioned here quite often but I do believe that this is the SNP’s and definitely Peter Murrell’s playbook for creating a “revered” leader. It can’t be too difficult to do as plenty of regimes and democracies indulge in it.
Plenty of people are invested in wanting Sturgeon to be a good leader. If you want group X to gain more representation and finally somebody from group X gains that position people have a strong interest in making that person look good. It’s why Barack Obama was never going to be a bad president and while President Hilary was longed for by so many but fortunately for the rest of the world her crookedness overtook people’s ability to ignore it.
The secondary effect of people wanting a leader from group X is to demonise the competition. I think some of the dislike of Salmond can directly from the possibility of him being threat to Sturgeon. Being white, middle-aged and male didn’t help – however I don’t want to over-emphasise that but given the general climate it contributed to the dislike and still does, though I think the effect is fading.
I think the cognitive dissonance card is over played. People are a lot less rational, objective and self-aware than they’d like to be. A lot of the dissonance can be explained by simple social dynamics. If I throw my social “credit” begind Sturgeon and she turns out to the weak, incompetent, backstabbing, waste of space she is then that makes me look bad and brings into question my judgement and hence my position in the company I keep. People will do everything to avoid that happening which is why you see them doubling down on a position in order to try and ride out because admitting failure of judgement results in permanent damage.
It’s all interesting stuff however i think that human beings are lot simpler than they first appear and a lot of the trouble with trying to explain why things are is that we over complicate things. Since we’re a social species everything more or less boils down to gaining and maintaining status. We’re simply baboons with nice clothes.
Mountain shadow says: 22 April, 6:53 am
“New Comres independence poll out.
Yes 45% (no change)
No 48% (+3%)
I mean seriously!”
Simply because there is no one, and I mean no one in the Scottish Parliament fighting for Independence.
Out of sight, out of mind.
And there are people willing to vote the SNP and Greens back into power.
Rinse and repeat and you will get the same outcome, it’s not rocket science.
Sturgeon will be glowing at those figures, that suits her just fine. Another cushy five years.
I still need to read the full manifesto but everything I’ve seen so far looks good, very good.
On the last extra point on disabilities – it’s funny how I was contemplating just the other day that the current Holyrood building should be abandoned in favour of somewhere more in keeping with having a CENTRAL seat of power. I think the capital should be central, to Scotland. Investment would then be more evenly distributed through the country and the residents of Edinburgh would get some respite from excessive house prices and renting.
How about the Gleneagles hotel was appropriated for the new parliament, and the old Edinburgh Holyrood building was appropriated as a new Remploy (it’s so long ago they did away with it, I’m not actually sure that’s the right name – you know, the company that enabled disabled people to work in a safe environment and retain some dignity,,, I note no political party has suggested reinstating this) factory, was what I thought.
Gleneagles is a perfect location, it has a golf course right there, so you can entertain other world leaders (for some reason they all play golf). And disabled people that normally can’t work can have a used (one previous owner) interesting building where they can get stuck into productive work.
That’s that sorted.
I thought during my one-hour ration of BBC radio Scotland news this morning we’d just be getting the news where they are, American news seems to be the thing, with a passing mention of a Scottish GE, but they did have some garbled comment about Labour tweaking some existing hand-out in their manifesto. Then lo! Kenny McKaskill was allowed on for Alba – he did well, though it wasn’t really discussion about the finer points of their manifesto, unfortunately (‘why did you leave the SNP?’ And ‘is Alex Salmond appropriate?’ Were the main questions, easily answered sensibly by Kenny). He got in some good key points, hopefully sparking some people’s interest anyway. Every vote counts! (I know radio Scotland doesn’t have a big listenership).
Nick Eardley of BBC does not appear to know there is an Alba Party. Time for him to do some catch up.
Geoff Anderson says:
Mist001 has made the choice to live in France and then post telling those who live in Scotland what is acceptable, wise or practical.
If you don’t live here, if you don’t pay taxes here then your opinion has the same worth as that of a Kent Tory.
________________________________________________________________
Really, Geoff?
You say that on this site of all places? You’re a prime example of the utter hypocrisy many Nats show.
You’re ranting on a blog written by a Scot who lives in Bath, Somerset, and has for 20 years.
Jeezo I had heard of (but never read) that caltonjock site before.
Seeing that hilarious hagiography of Rhiannon Spears I now know… I never will.
What a toe-curling embarrassment of a piece that is.
I skimmed it as it was reeking of sookybum licking pish so bad it burned my eyeballs.
@Gordon
Postal vote returned
SNP/ALBA selected
You can rant all you like but it is done!
Further to my post above, I forgot I planned to start using Alex Slamond’s description of ‘the Scot’s Parliament’ – note that’s the term he always uses, and it’s a clever one, it describes which parliament he’s talking about, at the same time as making it clear it’s Scottish and belongs to the Scottish people! That is, it distinguishes it not by location (Holyrood) but by the Scottish citizenry ownership of it. So replace all my references to Holyrood above with Scots Parliament, and it should be in Gleneagles.
Mac
You need to read a few more CaltonJock posts. That was as far from a hagiography as I think it’s possible to get.
Spear is Sturgeon on steriods and then some. That post was a warning in mile high letters that the jokes about the SNP turning into the Khmer Rouge are actually prophecies.
Footsoldier
Going round with the leaflets I’m surprised how many are just not aware of Alba, there’s serious work to be done.
Contrary. In Nigeria they had the same idea, put the capital dead in the middle of the country in a vain attempt to unite the different factions, north/south tribes/religions etc.
It’s a desert, no one goes there, all companies by rote have to have an office there but the real hub has always been and will be Lagos, no getting away from it.
Gleneagles was built for toffs and landed gentries, they still have “balls” there tickets 40 Guineas a pair ffs! They also have a purpose built railway station with direct route to London so the “city folk” could have easy access.
If you want a prime example of colonialism that has to be it, an elitist playground for “royalty”
5) A written constitution
7) EFTA
9) A new scottish currency to be introduced at an early date
following Independence with sterling still used as a duel
currency over a period of time
George Galloway, shut th
Mac
“Ireland, much to my astonishment, have now nearly twice the state pension in Scotland / UK. Twice!”
______________________________________________________________
The maximum Irish state pension for a single person is E248.30 per week. The new UK pension will be £179.60. That’s a difference of £34.56 per week- not remotely double.
Irish state pension: Workers have to contribute an average of 48 contributions per year for 43 years to qualify for the maximum old-age pension entitlement. In the UK, you have to contribute for 35 years.
Ireland’s NI equivalent (PRSI) contribution is 14.75% as opposed to 12% in the UK. Ireland has raised retirement age to 68 by 2028.
Oh, and, the Irish income 20% tax band starts from 0 to E35,300. For a single person, it’s 40% over that (from only £30,000).
As the Irish Times stated: “We have five people of working age for every one person aver 65. In 30 years’ time that will be just two workers for every person over 65. Will the PRSI system generate enough funding to cover the pensions that need to be paid out? Referring back to IFAC’s report last year, it made the stark observation that public spending will begin to rise above the amount of money that the State is bringing in to the exchequer.”
There you have it.
Shamy Dubs – exactly! The elitists will agree to it because they are ever so important (to themselves) and the infrastructure improvements will benefit everyone – it’s time we brought in proper connectivity to Scotland and reinstated lots of the railway networks. Gleneagles it is. Do we have deserts in Scotland? We have some wild untamed areas not accessible even by road, but Gleneagles is hardly that – and it has prestige that’ll make the arse-lickers want to be seen to be going there. Close to the old seat of power too. It’s a winner, telling ye.
Spring in my step this morning – off to do some leaflets.
Wee tune in my head also, think yous might know it…
ALBA/CALENDONIA
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU CAN SEE
CHANGES THAT HAVE COME OVER ME
THESE LAST FEW WEEKS – BEEN FULL OF HOPE
SCOTLAND WILL BE FREE
MAX THE YES BY VOTING ALBA
AND OF COURSE THE SNP
INDEPENDENCE NOW FOR SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND WILL BE FREE
MAX THE YES BY VOTING ALBA
SUPER INDY MAJORITY
INDEPENDENCE NOW FOR SCOTLAND
SCOTLAND WILL BE FREE
A wee swatch through the manifesto of Alex’s Last Big Adventure and no obvious mention of the hated council tax (©?SNP) which he promised to abolish in 2007, then a generation later, in 2011.
Has he changed his mind like he has on the EU? Have those particular rocks melted with the sun?
I think we should be told.
Ok Stuart, my mistake, I’ll give it another go… maybe I’ll get past the first few paragraphs without retching this time.
Sorry I always forget the exchange rates.
Irish State Pension – €248.30
Uk State Pension – £137.60
EUR/GBP FX rate 2020 – 1.125
Irish State Pension – £220.71
So instead of 80% higher it is ‘only’ 60% higher.
Little, poor, Ireland… 60% higher! That blew my mind when I first found out.
Yeah, yeah, but jam tomorrow, new pensions, blah blah… you were only shamed into it by Ireland (bless’em). lol.
How can anyone that want’s Independence for scotland not see the clever tactic of voting SNP and Alba, its been laid out for you on a plate.
Anyone that understands this tactic and tells us not to vote SNP at all is not an Independence supporter in my opinion.
If the SNP where not able to win on the 6th of May, we have a unionist government in power in Scotland, what will then happen is self evident, London takes over again, and they will start to load the dice so you can’t even lift it to get a chance at getting a six
Breeks says:
“There is still time to get YES boilers up to full steam -“
Of course, if the Greens get their way, those boilers will be scrapped for being contributors to global warming.
Gordon says:
22 April, 2021 at 7:26 am
Breeks. 6.57
I wish pricks like you would make your minds up.
First you slag the fuck out of Sturgeon and her whole government, THEN, in the very next breathe, you tell us to go out and vote the very same Bastards back into the very same jobs.
Because oh great genius, I am not voting for Sturgeon, but for the 60+ SNP Constituency seats which is the necessary compliment to 20+ ALBA list seats to give the Scottish Parliament a 2/3rds supermajority so it can hold a plebiscite election at any time, and on it’s own prerogative. Has the penny dropped yet?
The No1 obstacle to achieving that objective is the imbecile Sturgeon, a feckless idiot who I’d throw into jail in a heartbeat.
The No2 obstacle to achieving that is the critical mass of brainless twats like Gordon who can only think in monochrome and who are possibly going to blow it for Scotland big time.
GOT IT YET? Thickhead.
It is not just the Irish pensions that put us to shame. They not well beating us on GDP per capita basis as well.
Not sure this link will post intact and working. Pretty shocking.
link to countryeconomy.com
We always point to Norway but really, seeing Ireland take off as well really drives home the benefits of being independent (and especially from the UK).
John McNab.
You raise the issue of the Council Tax. The removal and replacement was resisted by a majority unionist coalition and Salmond’s government was unable to get legislation through the Scots Parliament.
You of course will remember that well – the Salmond government losing the vote was a big thing for the unionists.
In relation to the EU he hasn’t changed his mind as you suggest. What he has done, post our exit from the EU is postulate the proposal of entering an interim arrangement to join EFTA – EEA as a prelude to re-entry with the EU.
This makes eminent sense. A sensible pragmatic policy given where we are.
Your comments are therefore I’m afraid an attempt to mislead readers. But I for one am not mislead. I recall the lost parliamentary votes on Council Tax abolition and I understand the policy proposal about EFTA – EEA that’s now being made.
Trolling with misinformation I’m afraid Mr McNab.
Mist001 says:
21 April, 2021 at 10:55 pm
@ Geoff Anderson
Fuck you, the guy who owns and runs this site doesn’t live in Scotland either, but I don’t see you saying anything about that.
Reply
Mist001 comparing himself to Stuart Campbell.
If the quality of Stuart Campbell’s post were on a par with yours there probably would be no ‘Wings Over Scotland’ or if there was it would be just be one lonely guy posting his totally unread blog on the internet.
I’m pretty sure posters would be pointing out more than just the fact that he doesn’t live in Scotland.
paul says:
21 April, 2021 at 8:13 pm
Dan Hardy says:
21 April, 2021 at 6:56 pm
Paul
“Where is the proof of this ‘british’ nation?”
________________________________________________________________
Seriously? That’s not even worthy of an answer.
________________________________________________________________
I think it is, and you should answer it easily, if it exists.
_______________________________________________________________
How about your passport?
How about the national armed forces?
How about the British nationality Act?
Founding member of the United Nations and formerly a member of the League of Nations?
The clues are their, pal.
Using your argument, you may as well claim the USA is not a nation,also.
And for all those mouthy gobshites unhappy about voting the corrupt bastards back into office, in case you hadn’t noticed, some of us here on Wings have been getting it in the neck for months / years trying to get the SNP to dump it’s corrupt and rotten bastards so the good people of Scotland didn’t have to vote for them.
If you have a grievance about the integrity of the SNP leadership and candidates, take it up with the Wee Ginger Dug types, the talentless Pearl clutchers who won’t hear a bad said against the High Priestess of Wokeramma.
We tried to tell you, and tell you when there plenty of time and cause to act and get rid of them so they wouldn’t taint and compromise opportunities like an SNP/ ALBA supermajority.
the best laid plans….
dont count your chickens….
many a slip between cup and lip.
Remember it took the Irish 800 years to get the British out, and then not altogether.
For many, the case for independence has still to be made and they are of the generation that will exercise their vote for the «safety» of the status quo. Paradoxically, Brexit and the Covidism may make that more likely.
The SNP has wasted opportunities «gu leòr mhòr». Like the fabulous Arab Spring expectations were raised only to be dashed for lack of chutzpah and political imagination.
There is no such thing as belt & braces, failsafe, no risk independence.
Robert graham , stop visiting the WGD site – it no longer belongs to Paul . There are half a dozen nodding donkeys agreeing with each other and decrying ALBA, Stu, anyone who suggests an alternative view and especially Alex Salmond.
At no point do they entertain the possibility that they may be wrong or ill informed. That makes it a closed minded , smug talking shop where everyone else is wrong but them.
Debate? No . Exchange of ideas – No .Welcoming different opinions – No- and that was never the thinking Mr Kavanagh’s intent.
To me that is a devastating wrong as Scotland needs all those who aim for independence to be able to help , communicate and enhance the debate , not shut it down no matter how revealingly disagreeable it might be.
Dan Hardy. 09:17
You are referring to a state and the trappings of statehood, embassies, army etc.
There are three distinct nations on this island but only one state administered from Whitehall.
The American usage confuses nation and state.
Uk State Pension – £137.60
Is the old state pension, its now
The state pension increase will be brought in from the week beginning 12 April 2021. People over the age of 66 on the full state pension will see an increase of 2.5% to their weekly sums, equating to a weekly rise of £4.40 on £175.20 to £179.60.
Scotland’s problem with the Greens is that the latter would reduce the number of pensioners at a stroke. We’d all be dead from hypothermia the first winter following the Greens’ scrapping of gas boilers.
Housing stock is the problem. New houses don’t seem to be built very well, whatever their level of insulation, while granite buildings (like mine) are difficult to insulate effectively.
When I’m eventually required to scrap my gas boiler and install a heat pump (which uses much cooler water, and which I can’t anyway afford), I’ll need to heat my house around the clock a day to stay warm, which I also can’t afford.
Of course, once I’m dead, my complaints will have ceased, so that’s alright, then –
Yet still poor poll showings from the Alba party!!
John McNab at 8 42
Good to see a unionist now saying a GENERATION is only 4 years.
I was happy with 7 years as per Good Friday / Belfast Internationally agreed timescale, but why turn down an offer of 4 years from the unionists.
Let’s get off our knees and get Scotland like every normal country making our own decisions.
They will not always be easy decisions but at least they will be our decisions.
So 1st SNP X 2nd ALBA.
Supermajority to get things moving.
Mac says:
Sorry I always forget the exchange rates.
Irish State Pension – €248.30
Uk State Pension – £137.60
EUR/GBP FX rate 2020 – 1.125
Irish State Pension – £220.71
So instead of 80% higher it is ‘only’ 60% higher.
Little, poor, Ireland… 60% higher! That blew my mind when I first found out.
Yeah, yeah, but jam tomorrow, new pensions, blah blah… you were only shamed into it by Ireland (bless’em). lol.
______________________________________________________________-
You’re using the ‘old’ UK state pension as a comparison.
That required 30 years of contributions – not 43 like the Irish. What effect do you think 13 years of extra contributions would make?
You totally ignore the fact the Irish also pay almost 3% more in contributions, in addition to income tax from 0 and at a higher rate from only £30k. For that reason, most Irish do not have and cannot afford any other pension source.
You also totally ignore the fact that even in Ireland it is recognised that within the next 25 years, the country will have higher state pension expenditure than the State brings in.
Like Greece, Ireland will find that pension jam today means no jam left for tomorrow.
I’d love to get more pension. Who wouldn’t?
The posts above regarding the Irish state penson vs what Westminster provides intrigued me, so I did a bit of digging.
The site Numbeo has comparisons of data that are contributed by real people (or consumers as we are now termed). Some interesting comparisons were summarised as:
Consumer Prices in Edinburgh are 9.81% lower than in Dublin (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Edinburgh are 22.75% lower than in Dublin
Rent Prices in Edinburgh are 41.69% lower than in Dublin
Restaurant Prices in Edinburgh are 0.30% higher than in Dublin
Groceries Prices in Edinburgh are 10.15% lower than in Dublin
Local Purchasing Power in Edinburgh is 8.14% higher than in Dublin
When you factor in that rent and groceries are the major outgoings for most pensioners, that Irish pension doesn’t look like it would go any further than what we get here.
(Not that I wouldn’t still like more pension, of course.)
Breeks
Your plan to vote 60 SNP MSPs back into power (plus whatever amount the Greens get), is going to do what exactly?
Your plan sounds more deluded the more you say it.
They already have those numbers in Holyrood, and the Polls are in reverse.
The SNP are not Interested in Scottish Independence.
They need to be voted out of office, NOT voted back in.
HAS THE PENNY DROPPED YET?
THICKHEED!!!
By the way Breeks, howz that brainstorming plan of yours regarding Joanna Cherry?
You were telling the world how she was going to lead the way and March through the gates of every International Court around the World and demand Scottish Independence.
Turns out she’s another fuckin Dud.
Another Westminster trougher, who’s already getting measured up for her Ermine Coat.
You talk a lot of boring pish who is best ignored.
You’re a fantasist who must not be taken seriously.
John H says:
22 April, 2021 at 9:31 am
“Uk State Pension – £137.60
Is the old state pension, its now
The state pension increase will be brought in from the week beginning 12 April 2021. People over the age of 66 on the full state pension will see an increase of 2.5% to their weekly sums, equating to a weekly rise of £4.40 on £175.20 to £179.60.”
And they have robbed WASPI women of up to £48,000 to pay for it.
Mitigate the bedroom tax, fund tuition for students, provide baby boxes but do nothing to mitigate the situation of women who find it difficult or impossible to continue working after 60 – when they were promised they could retire.
SLABs deputy branch manager Jackie Baillie has been caught out lying on her campaigning leaflets by promising the over 75s a free tv licence, if SLAB is elected to government at Holyrood come May 6th.
TV licensing is a reserved matter for Westminster, SLAB has no powers over it.
“SLABs deputy branch manager Jackie Baillie has been caught out lying on her campaigning leaflets by promising the over 75s a free tv licence, if SLAB is elected to government at Holyrood come May 6th.
TV licensing is a reserved matter for Westminster, SLAB has no powers over it.”
So is the bedroom tax, but the Scottish Government has managed to IN EFFECT abolish it in Scotland. I don’t know precisely what Labour are saying but it would seem that the same principle could apply.
Mac
CaltonJock is kind of hard to read for the exactly the reasons you found. Generally the posts are best described as “edgy” – a fist in a velvet glove. If you can find the ones on James Goldsmith and in particular the one that refers to Princess Diana you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Sharny Dubs @ 8:20 am
“Going round with the leaflets I’m surprised how many are just not aware of Alba, there’s serious work to be done.”
ALBA posters on aw ma windaes, fore an bak, in a busy street. Nae bather.
On the matter of Scots Parliament location and “Gleneagles was built for toffs and landed gentries”, interesting to note the ALBA manifesto suggests a new use for the auld Royal High School building on Calton Hill, and which should have been the Scots Parliament.
You want equality then equalising state pension ages for males and females is just that. If WASPI women want to be treated as a special group then why shouldn’t males who had to wait to 65 to enjoy the munificence of the state pension not claim for the delay while females drew their pensions at 60?
That’s equality for all.
So Breeks
Can you explain the maths to me and forecast Party numbers for me?
Explain how this “Supermajority” is going to work.
So, say for instance ALBA get 6 MSPs, how is this “Supermajority” going to win us our Independence?
In your own time, of course.
Dan Hardy
I don’t know where you’re getting your facts fro, but I’ve been working in Ireland for 20 years and became eligible for a full state pension after 520 full time contributios, I.ev10 years
Latest You Gov poll shows a 27 seat Pro Independence majority.
Greens seem to be the big winners.
State pension £179 per week
‘Affordable’ Housing rent £100 per week
Heating costs £20 per week
£59 per week for everything else.
That’s a very tight budget considering £59 is the cost of a pair of shoes.
I’ve told this story a few times over the past four months: seven years ago, a whistle-blower told the Scottish Government that one of their new school buildings was being built wrongly and would start to sink; he was sacked and they carried-on regardless. It has been sinking ever since.
The Scottish Government and one of our big city councils have covered this-up for the past seven years. The whistleblower has been deprived of the means to make a living and so took his case to the Institution of Civil Engineers a week ago. Already, more has been done in the past week to investigate this school than has been done in the past 7-years and I am not exaggerating.
An example of why Holyrood doesn’t work. Would this happen anywhere else in the world? If the answer to that question is ‘yes’ then my next question is: where else?
Don,
Sorry to burst your bubble old bean but in an independent Scotland there will be new rules, laws and regulations.
There will be much in the way of negotiations and you shouldn’t allow your superiority complex to distort reality regarding mortgages or anything else for that matter.
gullaneno4 says:
22 April, 2021 at 10:16 am
Latest You Gov poll shows a 27 seat Pro Independence majority.
Greens seem to be the big winners.
Reply
Does that mean SNP both votes is being rejected?
Gordon says:
22 April, 2021 at 10:12 am
So Breeks
Can you explain the maths to me and forecast Party numbers for me?
Explain how this “Supermajority” is going to work.
Away and read the Scotland Act genius. I’d give you the direct link, but you come across as a bit of wanker so you can go find it yourself. 😉
Then you’ll need to find somebody to explain it to you of course.
According to Captain Why ? from Starship Negatron it’s official ..
Scotland is the worse country in the world , possibly in the entire history of the world : nothing good ever happens , ever has or ever will happen in The World’s Worse Country .
OK ” Happy ” now Mr Positive ?
Given the latest news on the indypolling, these questions are significant.
1- Will the pro-Indy faction accept another result that shows the majority of Scots are in fact Yoonies?
2-Will they accept the result with good grace, or will they continue to antagonise their fellow Scots as well as their Welsh, Northern Irish and English neighbours?
Mac says:
22 April, 2021 at 9:06 am
It is not just the Irish pensions that put us to shame. They not well beating us on GDP per capita basis as well.
We always point to Norway but really, seeing Ireland take off as well really drives home the benefits of being independent (and especially from the UK).
________________________________________________________________
Means tested healthcare access, not an NHS like we pay for.
Pay for your rubbish collection.
‘Rich’ Ireland was bailed out, including £4 Billion of UK taxpayer money. Can’t recall Norway needing the same.
Take a read of a further explanation/exploration of the inflated GDP in Ireland, from the OECD. Basically its because low taxed multinationals moved there, but they incorporate their income derived from outside of Ireland as if originating in Ireland.
link to oecd.org
Robert Hughes – If you don’t complain, if you refuse to complain, then pretty bad things can happen…..agreed?
Why do you think Alex Salmond has been complaining, and is still complaining?
Our complaints are, in a way, very, very similar.
Gordon Currie says:
Dan Hardy
I don’t know where you’re getting your facts fro, but I’ve been working in Ireland for 20 years and became eligible for a full state pension after 520 full time contributios, I.ev10 years
_________________________________________________________________
You’re either confused (must be getting a non-contrib portion if you only paid in 10 years) or just flat out lying.
link to gov.ie
Breeks
You’re starting to show your teeth, and you were always the diplomat.
The mask has slipped.
Because you know you are howling in the wind.
Nobody can hear you.
Or probably, nobody can be arsed listening to your shit anymore.
Glad to see the gloves are off.
Now we know where we stand.
Re recent polling:
The Greens and SNP apparently doing well.
Independence support apparently slipping.
If all correct, are voters simply taking their cues from these milquetoast-on-Indy parties and concluding that independence isn’t a priority?
And can we assume that – in a circular fashion – these two parties will conclude that ‘the electorate doesn’t think it’s a priority, we are only doing what they ask in ‘deboosting’ it and this is obvious because we as parties are more popular than the idea’ post-election?
I’ll ask and answer – yes, they will.
And so I would suggest that, if independence is more popular with you than these parties, you have a good think about whether they deserve your vote.
Breeks aka MR NASTY.
Tone,
Are you onside for an independence referendum now? That’s excellent progress.
Democracy is one small step for man but one giant leap for a Yoon.
Hurray for a Yoon landing, well done Tone.
Gordon says:
22 April, 2021 at 10:51 am
Breeks aka MR NASTY.
Says the gobshite who’s opening line is calling me a prick.
Think you got that one for free did you? Away and cry in your Buckfast. You’re on the invisible list now. Cya!
Dorothy Devine says: at 9:26 am
“Robert graham , stop visiting the WGD site – it no longer belongs to Paul . There are half a dozen nodding donkeys agreeing with each other and decrying ALBA, Stu, anyone who suggests an alternative view and especially Alex Salmond.”
———–
As I still possess a sense of humour, I sometimes have a look in to see what Nics fans are up to. Dorothy hits the button.. 🙂
BUT, if you haven’t mastered the techniques of scrolling – don’t go there.
Every time they “reply”, the thread gets thinner and thinner so that whole posts become long lines of vertical words which go on forever..!
A masochists paradise. 😉
So, Gordon, do you see yourself as a wolf. Part of a pack trying to separate one from the herd.
You are as clueless as you are dim. Pick tactics that are not blindingly obvious and which have been used here a lot recently. It’s tedious to have to wade through your nonsense. You could at least try to be entertaining.
Tone says:
22 April, 2021 at 10:35 am
Given the latest news on the indypolling, these questions are significant.
1- Will the pro-Indy faction accept another result that shows the majority of Scots are in fact Yoonies?
2-Will they accept the result with good grace, or will they continue to antagonise their fellow Scots as well as their Welsh, Northern Irish and English neighbours?
Reply
What result are you talking about?
Last month the the majority of Scots were ‘Independence Supporters’ and the ‘Yoonies’ were a minority.
Ruby says:
State pension £179 per week
‘Affordable’ Housing rent £100 per week
Heating costs £20 per week
£59 per week for everything else.
That’s a very tight budget considering £59 is the cost of a pair of shoes.
______________________________________________________________-
Ruby,
Presuming the individual on £179 pw has no other pension income, then they will be receiving housing and council tax benefits and likely some others would they not?
The Irish person on a higher state pension, but with higher living costs, will be in the same boat.
Are Labour saying they will pay for TV licences for everyone over 75 regardless of income.
Everyone over 75 years on pension credit gets a free TV licence from the BBC.
I see Breeks, arch sturgeonite and Wee Ginger Dog fanatic is on sparkling form today still polishing the SNP1 turd.
When are these fanatics ever going to understand that if you for for corrupt criminals you get corruption and criminality? Mind you, Breeks knows that, It’s all about protecting the SNP for him, party first and country doesn’t even get a look in.
highseastim. Don’t let polls which are designed nd timed to demoralise genuine Independence supporters dictate your mood. I choose to get off your my arse and campaign.
Dan Hardy
As the social insurance conditions are very complex you should apply for a State Pension (Contributory) if you have ever worked in Ireland and have any social insurance contributions paid at any time.
To qualify for the State Pension (Contributory), you must meet both of the following conditions:
you must have entered insurable employment before you turn 56 years old
you must have at least 520 full-rate social insurance (PRSI) contributions paid since entering into insurable employment. (If you turned 66 before 6 April 2012, you need 260 paid full-rate contributions)
This is from the link you posted under how to qualify! I must admit I was astonished.
For clarity, the full rate contributions are weekly…
Gordon Currie says:
For clarity, the full rate contributions are weekly…
________________________________________________________________
Aye, 10 years to qualify FOR a state pension – NOT to receive a FULL (Irish) state pension as you previously claimed you were getting.
As I said. You’re clearly confused by your own pension situation, or lying. No surprise you’re ‘astonished’ therefore.
Rev @ 11.02am.
Archive showing 503 so I cannot archive the story right now, but yes it would appear you are correct.
Baillie said.
” We can create a fund to pay for TV licences for the over 75s or that can be used tor digital connections to keep in touch with loved ones. All about using the powers of the parliament.”
Looks like I owe Jackie Baillie and apology.
link.
link to thenational.scot
After watching this person and her disgustingly foul video I hope all right thinking Scots tell her to do one. What an unpleasant piece of work.
Dan Hardy
So tell me, have you ever worked in Ireland? I set my company up there in 1999 (.ie is an Irish domain name) and have recently retired. Why on earth would I lie about something like that?
I receive €248.30 every Thursday, I’d attach a screen grab of my bank account if WkS allowed this.
Dan Hardy
FFS it doesn’t even say FOR a state pension,it says for State Pension Contributory which is exactly I receive
You can’t even get your own references right
@ gullaneno4 at 10.16
The Greens are not a pro-independence party.
They are a pro-referendum party.
Lorna Slater has just this week explicitly said that independence is not their priority, and that unionists concerned about the environment should vote for them.
Their constituency candidate in Ettrick, Roxburgh and Selkirkshire is promoting “#Both Votes Green to stop the SNP”.
(link to twitter.com)
– though I am struggling to believe that’s real. The woman in the picture is definitely their candidate, though.
Given that, it would be difficult for them to then participate in a “pro-independence majority” in the parliament – all the unionists in the Borders who supported them would be as fed up as LibDem voters were in 2010.
Still can’t find a single SNP member who can disagree about Alba policy.
All the SNP have right now is the ability to muster a pretty radical misogynist youth wing who are scouring social media for posts by Alba members to share on platforms like reddit. They are trying everything they can to avoid discussion, it’s frankly laughable.