While I was checking all the facts and figures for the article, I noticed something that genuinely startled me. The anti-independence Workers Party of Britain appears to be standing a candidate called Tom Flanagan in Alloa and Grangemouth. The reason that's significant is that when the Alba member Craig Murray was unveiled as the Workers Party's candidate in Blackburn, he announced that he was staying in Alba and was able to do so because the Workers Party would not be standing directly against Alba in any constituencies, and he was confident that he could persuade George Galloway not to put up candidates anywhere in Scotland.
In a comment on this blog, Craig drew attention to a quote from Galloway in the Daily Record as evidence that the Workers Party would not be getting involved in Scottish elections - well, that quote was clearly nonsensical, because the Workers Party website shows that they had already chosen nine candidates in Scotland by 30th April. The Alba constitution is absolutely explicit that a party standing anywhere in Scotland is defined as a party in direct competition with Alba. However, even if you ignore that provision, the Workers Party have now put the matter beyond all dispute by standing directly against Alba's Kenny MacAskill in Alloa and Grangemouth.
When I raised this issue before, I pointed out that the Workers Party was registered with the Electoral Commission as standing candidates in Scotland. For some reason there were people who flatly refused to take that point seriously, but it was always phenomenally unlikely that the registration would have occurred by chance or by accident.
I'll stress again that I have absolutely no problem with Craig Murray standing in England for the Workers Party. I think it's great that he's being allowed to do so, and he'll be a fantastic advocate for the Palestinian cause. But the issue is this. We all know what's been happening in Alba recently - that the leadership have been becoming more authoritarian, and have been insisting on loyalty from the rank-and-file membership, with 'loyalty' defined in a maximalist rather than minimalist way. If the rule book is being totally disregarded for a big name like Craig Murray, we really need to start seeing the same tolerance and flexibility extended towards "the little guy" (rather than the little guy constantly living in fear of what will happen to him if he isn't belligerent enough towards Eva Comrie, or whatever).
Any comments from the Alba leadership? I am a member of Alba and have a great respect for Mr Murray . However if the organisation subverts the constitution by allowing this situation to continue I will consider that to be a “bad faith action” by the leadership and will resign my membership. Sadly.
ReplyDeleteWhy is being an Alba member so important to him anyway its not like he gets any benefit from it. It's not a cost to him to stand aside temporarily.
ReplyDeleteAlba does not abide by their constitution at all. The constitution is whatever Alex Salmond says it is. Alba is a vehicle to provide expenses, staff and a platform for Salmond no one should be fooled into thinking it’s a party - it’s a facade, a painted door with nothing behind. Driven by Salmond’s ego.
ReplyDeleteIt also allows Salmond to pursue various vendettas.
Aye the SNP are the masters of vendettas and wrong doing. Sturgeon’s Scottish mafiosa.
DeleteAnonymous at 20.17 was me. Apologies for not showing my name.
ReplyDelete1017
ReplyDeleteWorkers party of Great Britain is pro British , pro collective. Surprised that ALBA would have been taken in by their promise. Of course maybe the leadership knew that this would happen all along. So were the members lied too? Statement required mr McEleny, gen sec.
ReplyDeleteAlba - a party whose sole MSP voted with unionists at Holyrood - with the approval of the party's leader! Alba - a party who has a member contesting a Westminster seat in an English constituency for another party which is putting up a candidate to contest a seat in Scotland which Alba is contesting! Somebody in Alba is obviously making up the rules as he goes along.
ReplyDeleteI know, but it’s extremely pale in comparison to Sturgeon’s SNP.
DeleteOf course, it's now coming to light that Sturgeon is Hitler's grandchild.
DeleteSturgeon is two FM;s ago. You must keep up.
DeleteThe post at 4.00pm was about Sturgeon. Please try and keep up.
DeleteSturgeon is still running the SNP. Wise up.
DeleteWell, this British party can only get votes away from Labour, definitely nobody from the SNP would vote for a party called British party
ReplyDeleteIt's entirely possible a 'soft' indy supporter who is disgruntled with the SNP could choose voting in this election as a protest against what's happening to Palestine, rather than a protest against Westminster.
DeleteAstounded you can remain in such a party James. I know you gave an explanation before of working from within to change it, but if A S just decides what he is doing and ignores the constitution there is a real problem. Initials B C.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, I was one of the people who thought James was exaggerating this issue a few weeks ago, but clearly he wasn't and I'll hold my hands up and admit that. It looks like Galloway has pulled a fast one to get Murray on board and never intended to keep his word. Realistically Salmond and McEleny need to tell Murray that he'll need to step down from Alba, at least for the duration of the election.
ReplyDeleteYup.
DeleteBut what happens if they don’t? Easier for all of them to save face by acting like nothing ever happened, and hoping “bigger people” do not notice.
Nah. If Murray gets elected under Galloway's banner, he can defect and be Alba's first England MP. Fun and games.
DeleteCraig Murray spearheading the dictatorship of the proletariate in Lancashire from his Morningside mansion because he got bored of the Lib Dems is hillarious.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the Alba party are hillarious as well.
ReplyDeleteMore startling to me personally is that I vividly remember crossing swords with this Flanagan fellow back in 2016, when the Labour right launched their failed coup.
ReplyDeleteHe was, it might not surprise you to learn, a very vocal supporter of Owen Smith. What a conversion, to say the least!
I can't think of Owen Smith without hearing "that's not leeeeeeeeeee-dership, Jeremy".
DeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteCraig, who I respect a lot, needs to resign his Alba membership asap.
Yvonne Ridley ought to do the same.
Is Ridley standing for the Workers' Party too?
DeleteNo, she seems to be standing as an independent in Newcastle, so it's less of an issue with her.
DeleteIsn’t Scotland big enough for these luminaries?
DeleteWhen you’ve got the balls to put your name to that comment, I’ll respond.
DeleteWhen you say Alba party you mean the Alex Farage or Nigel Salmond party
ReplyDeleteYeah Nicola Sturgeon was definitely evil though
My niece is a Computer whizz kid and she has evidence to blow this election wide open. Her friend Allanah saw a Post on Facebook proving that Sir Starmer is in fact a Soviet agent called Arthur Zembalist who was sent in to England during the cold War to undermine Nato. There are numbers on the Facebook Post so it looks pretty Convincing. We Should be worried.
DeleteWhat do mean “was” evil.
DeleteShe betrayed independence. That will not go away.
Does anybody know if the SNP battle bus is available for election campaigning, or it still in a polis compound?
ReplyDeleteThink they selt it to Angela Raynor. Price was to repeal the S35 on the GRR.
DeleteAttaching jet engines and rotor blades to it so they can compete with Starmer and Sunak jet aircraft and helicopters. Time the asset was released back to the SNP. Police Scotland is now Brit Police. Politicised to the core at the top.
DeleteBack to the theme of postal votes, and how campaigns have to be aware of the timings (a statement of the b obvious I guess):
ReplyDelete"After the deadline to become a candidate has passed (approximately three weeks before polling day), ballot papers are produced and printed. Yours will then be sent to you, in your postal voting pack."
which means about 2 weeks before, people will start to send them back. So any change in strategy will need to be done before that.
The converse of that, is that even if a strategy seems to be wrong there's many a rabbit pulled out of a hat - but more than 2 weeks before the date of the election.
So according to Craig Murray, "George Galloway has declared that he no longer will participate in the Independence debate in Scotland."
ReplyDeleteThat always looked hard to imagine (for Mr Galloway who could probably start a debate in an empty room) even if he had not been running candidates in Scotland.
Now that he clearly is, it's now even harder to imagine that Mr Galloway would resist participating in the independence debate in Scotland. All it would take would be for someone to ask about the rights of small countries' self-determination...
Still, it's not clear that Galloway's pledge was actually a condition of Murray standing for GWB, or just a contextual consideration.
And it was always hard to imagine a party "of Britain" would not stand in one of the founding countries of the UK.
DeleteWhen do you think polling for Alba will exceed the polling for Reform UK in Scotland or even actually trouble the scorers in the polls?
ReplyDeleteI’m actually hoping Alba’s fortunes improve, and the nationalist vote splits even more.
DeleteWell you can always hope, but there doesn't seem to be much to base that hope on does there?
DeleteOnly the facts Jerry. Only the facts.
DeleteI don't think they can. Alba clings to a toxic party leader based on his supposed higher profile, yet who runs away from constituency elections. The only viable replacement is someone who ragequit the SNP after losing a leadership election and recently blundered into voting against the SNP government out of spite, ensuring that she has zero appeal to SNP voters.
DeleteThere used to be leading poll questions like "would you consider voting for Alba" which got as much as 42% of SNP constituency voters in 2021 when the campaign was still starting up. I haven't seen one of those recently, but it would be a way to measure Alba's "hidden" potential.
Anonymous June 2, 2024 at 11:52 AM
DeleteYou mean the fact that Alba isn't polling very well, and frequently doesn't trouble the scorers, those facts?
Beats me why you engage with Britnat Jerry who pollutes this blog with his lies.
DeleteTalking of polls, I thought some of the Sundays would have "Brutal, Crushing, Torn Apart, WW3, Death Bomb Polls" but there doesn't appear to be any. Are the papers so broke they can only afford a handful of polls these days?
ReplyDeleteSNP to hand back £450m of unspent EU money. Ministers failed to spend 28% of funding allocated before Brexit.
ReplyDeleteWonder how they'll spin that into positive news?
Not true.
DeleteExplain how it's not true?
DeleteScotland has already returned €199 million from the funding pot, according to EU data, and has now failed to spend another €331 million that formed part of the six-year programme. Together they are equivalent to almost £451 million at current exchange rates.
In response The Scottish government said the figures “do not reflect the totality of spending” and that final figures would not be known until 2025.
That's not a great defence: The amount we've wasted might not be the same amount being reported. They haven't denied that vital money that could have been spent on our public services has gone down the drain.
Fake news.
DeleteAre SNP supporters like Trump supporters now?
DeleteNo. But we can recognise drivel when we see it.
DeleteBut the Scottish Government isn't even fully denying it, they're essentially just saying that the figure might not be accurate & won't be known until 2025.
DeleteSorta implies that it isn't drivel.
'Sorta'. Really?
DeleteClearly the SNP government believed Blackford when he said Scotland would not be taken out against its will. Therefore there was no need to spend it all before the Brexit deadline.
DeleteI think what Blackford meant is that he won't be taken out of Westminster against his will. Reason why he's asking all the unionists for a peerage in the House of Lords.
DeleteCraig Murray is a fighter for human rights and truth. He stands up to corruption and speaks out, even when it's hard. Because of this great work, it is only right that he should get special dispensation within the Alba Party and allowed to stand in England in order to highlight human rights abuses in Palestine.
ReplyDeleteAhh rite. Is that so.
DeleteSpecial rules for yer mates then.
Treat everyone the same is a far easier approach.
Cobblers. Plenty other people around doing that. I have to say the young man who chained himself to the goalposts at hampden got more publicity and with more dignity to raise the plight of the Palestinian state.
ReplyDeleteI finished off a box of Thorntons last night to highlight the plight of the Rohingya people.
DeleteThe sacrifices some are prepared to make are an inspiration to us all.
DeleteI'll be empathising with the First Nations of Ontario this evening as I tuck in to a bowl of lobster bisque.
DeleteI don't know what I'm having for my tea tonight but I'll shed a tear at the plight of Her Reverence Saint Paula Vennells, one of God's servant on Earth.
DeleteJames, have you put this directly to Craig or Alba leadership?
ReplyDeleteAlso, are you still on Alba NEC?
No, I haven't been on the NEC since October 2022. I'm currently on the Disciplinary Committee, the Finance & Audit Committee, and an ad hoc group which is reviewing the party constitution.
DeleteI dare say if I raised the issue with the leadership, they would say "if you want to lodge a formal complaint against Craig Murray, do X", which would completely miss the point because I don't want to lodge a complaint against Craig. I simply want the tolerance and flexibility that Craig is benefiting from to be extended to all Alba members.
“I dare say if I raised the issue with the leadership…”
DeleteConfirming that in practice seems to be the necessary first step, James, unless you can have a friendly chat with Alex Salmond the way Craig Murray did.
Necessary first step towards what? I'm raising the issue publicly, not trying to initiate a formal private process. I've now explained that twice, so if you didn't previously understand the point, I hope you now do.
DeleteI've deleted Keaton's reply to Jerry's deleted trolling simply to avoid confusion, because it would have made no sense out of context.
DeleteI don’t know if public debate among us small and ordinary folk is enough, in this particular case. It has to get noticed by those whose opinions evidently count a whole lot more than ours.
DeleteYou're underestimating the seniority of some of the people who read this blog. The issue will certainly be noticed, even if it's not acted upon.
DeleteHi James, I (Stevie) asked the initial question in this thread. Thanks for responding & also clarifying your position in bit more depth.
DeleteAnon from seven hours ago: I've deleted your comment, and you left me no real choice, but you were arguing on a false premise anyway. I have not "publicly aired" every issue I have with Alba. In fact I've probably aired less than 5% of the issues I have with Alba. Some of what has been going on in private has left me at my absolute wit's end, but I haven't written about it publicly because I'm bound by confidentiality rules. I have stuck rigorously to the rules at all times, and if you want to make false claims to the contrary, I'm afraid you'll have to take it elsewhere.
DeleteYo Jerry: £450m returned to what? Europe? 😝
ReplyDeleteAnonymousJune 2, 2024 at 3:14 PM
DeleteYes, returned to the EU, brilliant management from the SNP eh?
Returning things doesn’t sound like Brexit Britain to me. Sure the Treasury didn’t just pinch it?
DeleteMust stop reading the right wing Sunday Times and worst still believing what they write.
DeleteThe Times is a joke. I see they were doing a number on Labour today with Abbot to be given a peerage. The Times of old was a newspaper the Times of today is just an expensive Daily Mail. If you were to believe the tabloids, Putin should have died 15 times by now WW3 started and for us all to be dead under twenty feet of snow. Newspapers are not a source of information, they are at best entertainment and at worst pure propaganda.
DeleteSterling work by unionists taking the trouble to copy and paste unionist propaganda from unionist 'news' papers.
ReplyDeleteScotland, a land whose mainstream media is almost wholly owned and controlled from outside Scotland, and they think a propaganda piece coming out against the Government of Scotland is 'news'
Makes a break from The Ferries at least.
DeleteSNP Supporters = Our version of Trump supporters.
DeleteEverything they disagree with or shines their heroes in a negative light can just be disregarded as fake news and propaganda.
Anyone seen any Brit media report the Leven rail link opening or are they still focused on ferries or is it roads now?
DeleteThe 'mainstream media is almost wholly owned and controlled from outside Scotland'. That of itself rules out facile analogies with other countries who have control over their own broadcasting.
ReplyDeleteThe SNP and it’s members are turning in to a liability for independence.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it's the people of Scotland that are a liability to themselves
DeleteIf it wasn't for Salmond and The UK government's lies plus denying democracy Scotland would have been independent by now
We live in a country where laws are controlled and applied by a foreign country and our people do nothing
Anon at 9:58, embarrassing bullshit.
DeleteMoron at 9.58 Salmond held the only referendum to ask Scotland if they wanted to end the union. Sturgeon kept promising one and raising money for one but didn’t deliver one. Sounds like a scam to me by Sturgeon.
DeleteAgreed. It's why they need to taste defeat. It will reintroduce them to reality.
DeleteCameron granted Salmond a referendum because both of them knew it was going to be lost
DeleteFollowing that near miss the UK government under no circumstances were ever going to allow a far more popular leader in Nicola Sturgeon a referendum, because they knew she would win it
The supreme court judgement was the wake up call for Scotland to do something about the lack of democracy in Britain and Scotland did nothing, not Nicola Sturgeon, she handed the ammunition to the people and the people bottled it because Scotland is a country full of blame culture cowards demanding others do the job they won't, and people like Salmond live on that failure of society and keep conning them into believing he can do what she could not for his own gratification, he's a liar, and Alba is the culmination of that lie
Salmond blew his own cowardly lie by trying to get the third option included and Cameron gubbed him as agreed previously, that was the moment Nicola Sturgeon and the rest of the SNP would have happily flushed Salmond down the nearest toilet
Salmond is just another Farage or a Galloway
What a load of nonsense.
DeleteNicola Sturgeon never had any intention of pursuing independence. It's the only explanation for the daft folly of going to the Supreme Court seeking permission when everyone and their dog knew what their judgement would be and it has permanently prevented another referendum ever being a viable option.
Then following the Supreme Court judgment what did she do? Absolutely nothing, she just accepted it and then kept on with the strategy of: We just need to keep asking Westminster nicely until one day they eventually give in.
"not Nicola Sturgeon, she handed the ammunition to the people"
DeleteAren't leaders supposed to lead?
What exactly were the people supposed to do? As First Minister she was the one with the power to actually do something and should have taken bold action. The buck stopped with her, no one else. It's really quite something to try and blame the public for her failings.
The whole point of wanting independence is exactly because a devolved government is precluded from having the powers to call a referendum UNLESS the population of Scotland show a clear commitment that they are gagging for independence thereby giving the devolved government the clout to proceed in any way whatsoever. Sitting back and doing 'boo hoo Nicola didnae get it for us' is a lame duck excuse - the same one Salmond's aide said he used when he made Sturgeon the minister for a referendum 'in case it went awry'. So as usual, Alex had a wee wummin set up to be dumped with the consequences of his freelancing ability to walk away and play victim and apportion blame for his lack of focus and getting to the finish line. And so the usual 'it was a wummin what did it - poor me' - and he floats on to whatever his latest direction of interest is and everybody else clears up the debris field he leaves behind. Why he needs so many hand-maidens to prop him up - it's an enigma within an enigma! 'Her' failings? All on her own when there was a massive alleged Yes movement out there which instead of engaging with the public full stop and getting them warmed up to the notion of independence - for some reason spent 4 years following a bunch of auld men girning about 'when I was with the SNP' blah blah and oh that terrible SNP, that terrible Nicola Sturgeon. Give me a break! You took the lazy Susan option - same as 'Ach I'm bored with this now I'll move to television presenting' Alex. What IS Alba to Alex? Curious that the alleged political master strategist hasn't got Alba to the fore of the public conscious by now and got the public gagging for independence. Odd one that - but hey, just stick with the victimhood diversion narrative - it's aw that wee wummin's fault. She didnae gee me independence on a plate when I was that busy girning. Jeez.
DeleteI don't support Alba and wary of SNP but Salmond and Sturgeon were by far the best politicians were likely to see.
DeleteA shame acolytes from both sides mud fling when both should be revered, and we're feared by London.
The anti Salmond and anti Sturgeon brigade in the movement are nauseating as each other.
Anon@2:03, Congratulations! You win the award for the biggest load of drivel since the comments section was opened up.😆😄😄
DeleteHi James,
ReplyDeleteI'm curious about the background of these Worker's Party's Scottish candidates.
The All for Unity bunch were all obvious Nawbags. A lot of them had Hun backgrounds too, and i'm fairly certain many of those would have been dogmatically pro-Israel / anti-Hamas (by which they mean Palestine) etc now. David Griffith, for example.
This lot of candidates are obviously all pro-Palestine. What's their thoughts on Scottish Indy? I'm assuming the are also Nawbags, but not as rigid as the the all for Yoonity bunch. Anyone know anything about them?
I'm not voting them for the same reason I won't vote SNP : I am not a nawbag.
* I'm only interested in their backgrounds.
DeleteWhy?
DeleteSo you are just a bawbag then? All for unity is what they are britnats. SNP and its members want independence in Europe. Some of ALBA are like brexiters. Don’t want to be linked to the eu.
DeleteSome of these childish and sectarian words are not worthy of us in the Yes movement. Let's be better than this.
DeleteI think there's a lot of unionist trolls on here, trying to sow division amongst Independence folks...If you vote SNP or Alba or Green, I don't care. Stop the fallouts and drama,
DeleteIt’s incredible how Nats try to make Brexit a reason for having another independence referendum.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t vote for Brexit, but accept the Brexit referendum result, unlike Nats of course, who are unable to accept anything that goes against them.
Why oh why would we want to break away from our biggest trading partner by far, then try to rejoin the EU. The whole idea of independence is absolutely bonkers. Thankfully only a minority favour it.
You're a fud!
DeleteSo 'Nats' have to respect the 2014 result, but the Unionists who made all the empty promises and lies to win the referendum, dont? So it doesn't matter if you lied to win, its only the result that matters, and if Scots feel cheated or lied to, they are not to be given another chance to decide their future ever again.
DeleteIt amazes me how anyone of even remote sensible mind can ignore/pretend this didn't happen. MOD jobs, MOD contracts didn't happen, HMRC Jobs lost, EU membership taken away, increased super devo powers (powers removed and overuled in supreme court), lead UK ,dont leave UK, Pensions protected, cost of living protected, mortgages stable. ALL LIES.
So you have either literally been in a cave for 10 years, or you are simply a British loyalist, who is happy to remain loyal to another countries institutions, even when they lie to your own people and it is to the detriment of your own country.
Maybe a cave is the best place for you.
Anon at, 11:09, Nationalist propaganda bullshit.
DeleteIt is anon at 11.09 that is spouting nationist bullshit - Britnat bullshit.
Delete"It’s incredible how Nats try to make Brexit a reason for having another independence referendum.
DeleteI didn’t vote for Brexit, but accept the Brexit referendum result"
That's good for you personally but you don't get to decide what everyone else is prepared to accept! Nice story though.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
DeleteScots did vote 2:1 against leaving the EU. We are very likely to want to rejoin it just as strongly.
DeleteThere should absolutely be an EU Membership Referendum after Indy, though. In fact, Scotland’s constitution should require it, and for all alliances.
And Scots voted 55-45 to remain in the union.
DeleteIt’s still the same now more or less, despite years of the Tories and Brexit. That should tell you something.
Your dream is well and truly over!
So what you're telling me is nearly half the population support something but it's over? The closeness of the result proves it wasn't put to bed!
DeleteLol noone so confident than those who shout and bawl about it
So you are a liar as well as an idiot. You voted for Brexit. Your language gives the game away. You are just too stupid to realise it. A good troll needs to be intelligent. You are a poor troll, and a sad wee man. Get out in the sunshine.
DeleteMassive pole coming out soon. (YouGov).
ReplyDeleteI didn't know YouGov did Highland Games.
DeleteIt’s a general erection now?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile while younall argue here like peoples judean front/Judean peoples front.
ReplyDeleteThe yoon parties will make fucking gains and we will see free prescriptions, tuition fees , social policies... to help the poorest in Scotland all gone
And the people of scotland will be worse off for it.
I really really cannae be bothered wi bastrd fuckwit bawhied C**nts that fight amongst them selves and are selfish bampots. More interested in their views and sure they are right and otheres are wrong or are not pure enough in their pursuit of independence. than what is best for Scotland and its people.
FUCK OFF THE LOT OF YOU PARCEL O'ROGUES
A plague on all your houses.
Truly desperate stuff.
DeleteTbh I don't think that's the best way of convincing people to change their mind and vote the way you want them to vote.
DeleteIndeed! 🤣
DeleteThe plague will be on the Murrell household and its pet the SNP.
DeleteWhile I would not use just pejorative language I do agree that the side show of infighting between Alba and the SNP is counterproductive and only serves the Unionist cause and centre right politics that happily sweep away the bulwark the Scottish Government has put between Scotland and Westminster policy. These things help real people and they matter.
DeleteWhile some, no doubt, are independence supporters with a rather myopic scan on the political landscape others I think are not honest and are just trying to sow discord. Their dishonesty is to be pitied.
I'm just fed up to the back teeth of it all
DeleteIf independence is fucked because some think they are better than others then fuck off see what the future brings.
I'm not trying to I'm not trying to convince anyone as they are beyond that.
I'm just very very very angry that people are so short sighted.
I the benefits we all have in Scotland being lost.
On lots of things from independence to climate change I see selfish attitudes.
My confidence in rest of humanity being decent is gone!
"While I would not use just pejorative language I do agree that the side show of infighting between Alba and the SNP is counterproductive".
DeleteIt can't be said that Alba haven't tried though.
Since Day 1 they've advocated for a Constitutional Convention to unite the Yes movement, Asked they supporters to vote #SNP1Alba2 in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, 'Vote until you drop' in the Council elections, didn't stand in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West By-election, offered to work with Humza Yousaf to save his job after the Greens threw a hissy fit & they pushed 'Scotland United' for the upcoming General Election to an incredibly excessive extent.
There's only so many times an olive branch can be slapped away until you start thinking the SNP simply aren't interested in healing the divisions in the Yes movement.
I can agree that there's some dicks among Alba's members but the same can be said of any political party. Alba have offered several olive branches, all it would have taken is for someone in the SNP to go: Let's sit in a room together and discuss the best way forward.
DeleteBut instead there seems to be the arrogant opinion that the only form of unity on the table is for all Yes groups and Parties to just shut up and get behind the SNP without question.
Alba is a non event as a political force. It had a self declared purpose as a list only party. It has reneged on that. In a FPTP G E and in a Holyrood Constituency vote it performs only one function. It weakens the cause of Independence and provides the unionist BBC and MSM with a ready made narrative of a divided warring Indy movement. Alba will secure about 1% of votes. If any unionists get in because of them, they will never be forgiven or forgotten. They have already deliberately voted with unionists. And it is led by the most unpopular politician in Scotland. Astonishingly none of its disciples see any of this as a problem.
DeleteAnon at 6:32, I agree. A lot of people don’t seem to understand the potential damage Alba could do to the independence movement at the GE.
DeleteIt seems senseless Alba competing against the SNP in some seats.
So Alba are a non event likely to win 1% of the vote at most and led by Scotland's most hated politician, yet they could damage the independence movement at the GE.
DeleteThe mental gymnastics required of an SNP loyalist never ceases to amaze me!
Note to the Shrimp. It is Sturgeon who created all the disunity and still does to this day. Perhaps you should ask yourself why?
DeleteToo wee. Too divisive. Too unpopular.
DeleteOVERWHELMING THREAT TO THE INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT!
Pet SNP? Growing up is hard to do and you prove the point.
ReplyDeleteHamza Yusuf and John Swilley. Both hand picked by Nicola. You see that, don’t you? Wink 😉
DeleteIs Scotland a country? if the answer is YES then you must vote for the party that wants to gain full independence, and that is only the SNP and not any other party that wants Devo Max or Full fiscal autonomy or Independence within a British union
ReplyDeleteOnly the SNP stand for full independence with no ties to Britain's political system
Alex Salmond was the only one who wanted the third option, this was *never* in any SNP manifesto ever written by anyone in the party
At the time proposals were put forward with the expectation that they would not be accepted, thus allowing him to secure more critical concessions. For instance, by agreeing to the UK government's demand for a single-question referendum, he gained the crucial advantage of determining the timing of the referendum and the vote for 16&17 year olds.
DeleteIt was a negotiation tactic & he got what he actually wanted in exchange.
What he got was played by Cameron with the inevitable and disastrous result we all now have to live with.
DeleteDr Jim at 2.47pm look at The Shrimp.
DeleteHe is not a coward like you and posting under his WGD moniker. Nobody believes all that stuff you post about Salmond.
Redfield wilton is out.
ReplyDeleteWhat does its Scottish subsample look like?
Deletethe scottish sub sample is:
DeleteLAB 38%
SNP 23%
CON 16%
LDM 11%
REF 8%
GRN 3%
Other 1%
Umm. SNP 0 seats, None.
Deletehttps://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/usercode.py?type=scotland&SCOTCON=16&SCOTLAB=38&SCOTLIB=11&SCOTNAT=23&SCOTReform=8&SCOTGreen=2.98&display=AllChanged®orseat=%28none%29&boundary=2019nbbase
We're doomed Captain Mannering. Doomed I say.
DeletePresumably some of the SNP MP incumbents would have a large enough personal following in their own constituency to ensure this does not happen.
DeleteMost likely but judging by the Crowdfunders a lot of SNP MPs have put up not many of their supporters are willing to put their money where their mouth is.
DeleteBaxter’s electoral calculus is a load of bollocks. But the SNP do deserve a total wipeout, right enough. This is their 2015 moment. Learn or forever hold your peace.
DeleteScottish Skier on Wee Ginger Dug is an interesting psychological case study. Everything that has ever happened or will ever happen is a disaster for the Union.
ReplyDeleteSturgeon resigns? Disaster for the Union. Humza takes over? Disaster for the Union. Michael Matheson's expenses lead the news for weeks? Disaster for the Union. Humza resigns? Disaster for the Union. Labour win the GE? Disaster for the Union. The Rutherglen result is replicated across Scotland? Disaster for the Union.
I haven't made any of those up. He said that last one today.
I understand trying to keep morale up at a depressing time but come on guy, you'll have people questioning your objectivity.
Please watch your language anon.
DeleteHi IIS/flyboy or quackers.
DeleteU2 seriously believe Skier?
DeleteAs they used to be So fond of saying at WGD: TikTok
Brackets fighting so hard with my phone here! 😆)
Yougov mega poll putz SNP on 17 seats which is not too bad.
ReplyDeleteMoreincommon put snp on 35 seats which is very good.
Delete“Moreincommon” ????
DeleteName of polling Co.
DeleteAnon at 5:03,
Delete17 seats for the SNP wouldn’t be too bad you say!
Are you serious?
Yes if it'd be in the teens not too bad.
Delete17 seats would be the SNP's fourth-best result of all time. Disaster for the Union.
DeleteFlyboy, so the SNP won 48 seats at the 2019 GE. You say if they won 17 at this election it would be “disaster for the union” !
DeletePlease explain?
Of course the SNP are on the downward slope but the fact they'd remain second means the next time they're is a change....
DeleteIt's not going to be the Tories is it.
Is anyone able to look beyond the here and now lol
I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you’re 16 and new to politics mate 😉
DeleteDamn, if you needed further evidence that the SNP have no money left you only need to look at the Party Political Broadcast they've just released.
ReplyDeleteThey really can't afford anything better than John Swinney & Kate Forbes sitting in a room chatting to each other? What happened to the inspiring broadcasts from past elections?
I though it was very good to bring in Kate Forbes in that way.
DeleteThe message of the PEB was clear and will not quickly be forgotten by those who watched it.
Just saw it on BBC, it’s actually quite embarrassing tbh.
DeleteWho watches PPBs? Any of them.
DeleteThe message was clear. No need for fancy graphics. It'd all about the message.
DeleteAgree fully. It was a good broadcast which showed John and Kate working together.
DeleteIt was embarrassingly cringy. Two politicians chatting to each other with obviously scripted lines. They couldn't have been more unnatural if they tried.
DeleteWhy were they chatting to each other for most of it anyway rather than directing their message towards the viewer?
DeleteTwo politicians within the same Party agreeing with one another isn't a vote winner.
The party political broadcast is settling into the role. It is developing a consummate sureness of touch. It’s conference speech will not be long forgotten.
DeleteSome of the snp MPs have a strong following in their local area which will shore them up.
ReplyDeleteCorrect. Because until they ditch the boat and come aside, they’re down the creek without a paddle.
DeleteThe suring up is Humza’s settling into the rôle of has been, which Kate and all the rest of them shall be soon enough. .
In the queue in the local Co op next to the paper stand looking at the headlines and couldn’t help muttering morons. The lad in front of me turned round and looked at me. I said I was referring to the politicians in the headlines. He agreed. I said every election they promise the world and deliver nothing. He said I’m an independence supporter and was very active in 2014. Sturgeon is the worst of them. I said self serving politicians.
ReplyDeleteDid you really say that? Wow!
DeleteSimilar experiences here. Friends who voted no in 2014, and were Indy curious in 2020, are all categorically anti-SNP and anti-Indy again. They’re not really happy with anyone, but settling reluctantly for labour.
DeleteI would like to talk them out of being against both SNP and independence. But the two concepts are united as one for them. Indeed, their loathing for Salmond in 2014 was no small part of their unionism back then.
DeleteThey didn’t warm to independence the moment he was gone, it took Brexit to make them doubt. Something similarly massive will have to happen again to shift them at this rate.
The upside: they are in their late 30/early 40s, like me. So lots of young folks coming along to replace them. But I reckon we need to shift people like them, who have several determined yesser friends, To get the numbers we need any decade soon.
DeleteFlint - yes I did say that. I’m now saying shove your wow arsehole.
Delete