Monday, March 29, 2021

Don't let the Greens airbrush history: it was they (and RISE) who first pushed the supermajority idea

Although I and Allan Faulds of Ballot Box Scotland post about a lot of the same topics, I don't think I'd ever interacted with him before today, so I didn't fully appreciate that he and his fans expect his holy "project" to be treated with the kind of reverence that one might otherwise associate with Jesus Christ or the Bible. I think he doth protest too much, quite honestly. I hadn't actually accused him of bias - that was a straw man designed to deflect from the substance of my point, and nor had I suggested that a partisan stance would tarnish the reputation of his blessed "project". However, bias can come in the form of omission - if other parties are criticised but the Greens are not, that's a subtle form of bias.  That's exactly the point that is sometimes made about RT, for example - that Russia is the only country they'll never criticise.

Eventually (but only at someone else's urging), Allan did defend the Greens against the charge that they had tried to game the system in exactly the same way that Alba are now attempting.  But what he didn't address was the #SecondVoteGreen slogan used in repeated elections, which was explicitly intended to persuade people that they could maximise the impact of their votes by going for different parties on the two ballots.  Nor did he mention the pleading from leading Green supporters in 2011 and 2016 that SNP voters should switch tactically to the Greens on the list to artificially increase the number of pro-indy MSPs.  All of that is airbrushed from history, it seems.

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You can catch up with Episode 5 of the Scot Goes Popcast, with special guest Len Pennie (Miss PunnyPennie) HERE.

I also have two more constituency profiles in today's edition of The National - Cunninghame North and Cunninghame South.
Posted by James Kelly at 7:15 PM

5 comments:

  1. AdamMarch 29, 2021 at 9:01 PM

    From what I can tell voting for Alba (if people so wish) can cause no real harm based on what we have been told over recent months.

    *) What ever happens there is going to be a SNP Government, therefore the referendum bill will be put in front of the Scottish Parliament
    *) There is going to be a pro indy majority in the next parliament, therefore the bill will pass
    *) Once it has passed Boris (no matter what he is saying now) will accept the there should be a second ref and grant a section 30 (we have been repeatedly told this by SNP MP's MSPs)
    *) Due to Brexit /Boris / English Nationalism / population age makeup second ref would lead to a Yes majority.

    I fully understand why people might not want to vote for Alba, but can't honestly see where the narative that the Alba party is putting independence at risk being peddled by some adds up.

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    Replies
    1. John MuirMarch 29, 2021 at 9:11 PM

      I’m pro Alba myself, but I understand the concern is that Salmond being in the limelight highlights the splits in the Yes movement and undecided voters don’t much like the sight of that. He puts a lot of voters off, just personally. I remember this from conversations myself with No voters back in 2014. He’s Marmite.

      And until recently, he was off the radar. Some people liked that.

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    2. AdamMarch 29, 2021 at 9:24 PM

      I get that, but can't see it really stopping a pro indy majority. Even in the polls earlier in month when the SNP consituancy vote had fallen there was still a pro indy majority of 10-15. Now that Nicola has been fully cleared etc etc you would expect the SNP vote to rise back up again helping increase the pro indy majority which would counteract any slippage due to people not liking Salmond etc.

      Maybe I'm well off the mark but can't see the Alba party forming stopping a pro indy majority (which is the only requirement needed to pass the bill)

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    3. John MuirMarch 29, 2021 at 10:04 PM

      Bear in mind the point of a supermajority, besides an immense shift in the atmosphere of Holyrood and the independence narrative, is procedural. I believe you need 2/3rd of the chamber to vote to hold a snap election (there are other ways but they're messy). And that's exactly what a plebiscitary election would be.

      This does all come back to Plan B in case that section 30 is not forthcoming. There's every reason to be prepared. Issuing a section 30 and losing Scotland from the union would be a resigning offence for the prime minister, and an enormous upset for the UK as a whole. They will do what they feel they can to stop us.

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  2. William PurvesMarch 30, 2021 at 11:16 AM

    There is no such thing as a plan B. The Westminster Government has already conceded that the Scottish people are sovereign, NOT POLITICAL PARTIES OR GOVERNMENTS. The Scottish voting system is not the D'Hondt one. The parties MUST stand for first past the post. The other parties
    then get seats according to the amount of votes they have received. This could be the future Scottish government could use.
    Are Soar Alba setting out a manifesto for government so that people will know what they are voting for.

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