Shepparding pro-indy votes can't work unless you're actually trying to win independence

Tommy Sheppard's column in The National suggesting that an SNP defeat in the general election would be the 'end of the journey/conversation' on independence is both fair comment and infuriating.  It's fair comment because we know what will happen if Labour win in Scotland: the media and the London political class will declare the independence issue dead, merrily dance on its grave, and will not deem even an SNP Holyrood victory in 2026 to be a resurrection.  After all, the argument will go, if "now was not the time" for independence or a referendum when the SNP dominated Scottish representation at Westminster, how can it be the time when unionists once again are ascendant in the "national parliament"?

But it's infuriating, of course, because Tommy Sheppard himself played a pivotal role in ensuring this general election is not about winning independence, with an amendment calling for more devolution instead, and yet is now lecturing independence supporters on how they have to unite behind the SNP to keep independence alive.  There's also an argument that he's being irresponsible in the language he's using, because the chances of the SNP actually pulling their election chances out of the fire are getting slim enough that we have to think about whether his words will be recited back at us as "once in a generation" were.

If it's any consolation, he's largely wasting his breath, because the SNP don't win elections by begging for pro-independence votes in a pro-independence publication.  As I pointed out in my previous post, by reversing Nicola Sturgeon's de facto referendum policy, and by reversing it quite as thoroughly as they have done, they've effectively set themselves the task of winning the general election without the pro-independence vote being galvanised.  I see no sign yet that they've recognised that reality or have fathomed a way of pulling the feat off - assuming it's even possible at all.

This is not a counsel of despair, incidentally, because I think the obvious point is that the SNP need to revisit the decision they made last autumn on the role of independence in their election strategy - and they have the time to do that.  They also need a unity SNP Cabinet and an advertising campaign to discredit Keir Starmer.  And, for the absolute love of God, they need to swallow their pride and not stand against Angus MacNeil, who is the only pro-indy candidate who can possibly stop Labour in the Western Isles.  From memory, there's a precedent of the SNP not standing in Orkney & Shetland in a general election and backing a local autonomist movement instead, so it's not as if they'd be breaking some iron law by standing aside.

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