On the eve of her historic announcement about how exactly she will deliver her promise of an independence referendum in sixteen months' time, Nicola Sturgeon has been reported as saying that the Scottish independence movement has now also become "the Scottish democracy movement", due to the attempts of Labour and the Tories to stop a referendum that people have already voted for. A few critics have suggested that this is rather troubling mood music, because if Ms Sturgeon was genuine in her stated determination to hold a 2023 referendum without a Section 30 order, she would just get on and legislate for it, without according undue importance to the unionist parties' futile attempts to thwart it. There have even been a few dark mutterings that maybe she isn't even serious about holding a referendum next year, and that what she is actually doing is preparing the ground for the SNP to pitch itself as the "pro-democracy party" in the 2024 Westminster election.
Please, please, please, I beg of you, ignore this corrosive cynicism. If Nicola Sturgeon's words appear to be consistent with a stunt intended to boost SNP support in 2024, you can rest assured that is purely coincidental, because as we've been told again and again, a referendum is definitely going ahead in 2023 - "no ifs, no buts". The SNP aren't even wasting a split-second of thought on strategy for the 2024 election, because they know we'll have voted for independence by then, and the election will thus be an irrelevant sideshow as far as Scotland is concerned. And let's face it, even if by some billion-to-one chance the SNP end up reneging on their promise of an October 2023 referendum, SNP activists still wouldn't be powerless to do anything about it because they could always come over to Alba en masse at that point, but I'm quite sure it won't come to that because the referendum is definitely on.
Roll on our guaranteed independence referendum of October 2023. Signed, sealed, and tomorrow it will be delivered. There'll be no more "next steps" or "shortly" or "in due course", because this time is the real deal. Prepare to be impressed.
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SCOT GOES POP #Referendum2023 COUNTDOWN CLOCK
There are just 465 days until the earliest possible date for #Referendum2023 (5th October)
There are just 486 days until the last possible date for #Referendum2023 (26th October)
(Note: the Countdown Clock calculations assume that tradition will be maintained by holding #Referendum2023 on a Thursday.)
Of course the problem with Christmas Day is that, after the anticipation of Christmas Eve, you remember you're almost certainly going to be disappointed by your underwhelming presents, you've got to eat sprouts, there'll be a massive family fall-out and the Queen's going to be warbling on about something or other.
ReplyDeleteAs I think you've stated before there is no going back now for Sturgeon and the SNP. If she reneges on indyref2 she and the SNP are toast. My political foresight is usually as much use as Jewish foreskin but I really believe tomorrow's statement will be the most crucial of her political career. Even if it's a case of doing what she'll do purely to protect the SNP's future, and independence is secondary, she'll have to proclaim something which even the most biased media indifference cannot ignore.
ReplyDeleteOr is it my turn to be cynical?
It would add a bit of drama if the Parliament could play The Final Countdown as Sturgeon came down the steps to take her place in the Scottish Parliament tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't trust her to walk my granny safely across the road never mind deliver independence.
Aweright James, top tune, let's see if Nico Sturgeon also calls a DATE tomorrow for our future Independence DAY, maybe it'll be 553 days later like last time, keep the pressure up, cheers Cactus.
ReplyDeleteSo what time tomorrow (today Scottish time) does the country’s greatest FM since Alex Salmond make her announcement? 7:30am on GMS or is she going to be a heretic and announce it to Parliament?
ReplyDeleteI hate that song. A bit of Manfred Mann's 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 would have been better and then I wouldn't have that god awful Europe tune stuck in my head.
ReplyDeleteFor the next item on your playlist may I suggest The Wonderstuff with “Don’t let me down gently” apart fae anything else, it’s a cracking tune.
ReplyDelete