As many of you will know, the Alba Party faces a potentially existential threat from a new electoral alliance called 'Liberate Scotland'. In many ways this is entirely deserved, because some of the people involved in the alliance were previously well-known as Alba members but were forced out of Alba either by Stalinist "disciplinary" action (as in the case of Denise Somerville and Sean Davis) or by indirect means as a result of bullying or unjust treatment (as in the case of Eva Comrie).
It's not that I in any way expect this new alliance to be successful - in fact I think it will fail, because it's speaking "liberation" and "decolonisation" language that most ordinary voters will regard as other-worldly. From what I've been told (and this is only gossip that I've heard, guys, so don't shoot the messenger), the de facto leader of the alliance is Roddy MacLeod, aka the blogger and YouTuber "Barrhead Boy". If Alex Salmond didn't have what it took to lead a small pro-indy party to more than 2% of the vote in 2021, many will wonder if it's really likely that Barrhead Boy is the Messiah with the missing ingredients. But in a sense that isn't the point - this new alliance doesn't speak the language of the people of Scotland, but it very much does speak the language of a niche that was previously a crucial part of Alba's coalition of support. One of the reasons that Alba (or its alter ego Slanszh Media) had to set up its little-watched weekly YouTube show Tas Is Still Talking was because Barrhead Boy walked away from Alba in 2023 in solidarity with people like Eva Comrie, and he took his Prism show with him, which had previously functioned as Alba's de facto in-house broadcasting service. As far as I can gather, although Tas Is Still Talking has much, much, much higher production values than Prism (it's directed, after all, by the renowned 9/11 conspiracy theorist Zulfikar Sheikh), it has completely failed to supplant its more amateurish forerunner. Prism still has a much bigger regular audience, and I therefore think it's entirely plausible that Barrhead Boy will succeed in bringing across a substantial chunk of former Alba voters to the new alliance. If even only a quarter of former Alba voters make the switch, that could reduce Alba's share of the Holyrood list vote from 1.7% in 2021 to around 1.2% or 1.3% next year, and that could well be the psychological shock that finishes Alba off for good.
I won't be crying any crocodile tears if that happens. Over the last eighteen months, Alba has gradually revealed itself to be an absolute abomination. When I was still a member of the party, I clung to the hope and the belief that it could still be salvaged by bringing it to a greater extent under the democratic control of its members, but that proved to be utterly impossible. The ruling faction centred around Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh demonstrated that there wasn't any step, no matter how undemocratic, sleazy, corrupt or nepotistic, that they wouldn't take to maintain total control.
But however much of a relief it would be for almost everyone if the Alba shambles is finally brought to an end once and for all, I do think it's important that anyone toying with a vote for Liberate does so with their eyes wide open. It's an alliance composed of two parties (Independence for Scotland and Sovereignty) and one quasi-party or proto-party (Independents for Independence). Sovereignty's involvement will, I believe, become hugely controversial because they are generally billed as "the pro-independence answer to Reform", and therefore have policies that many will regard as straying well beyond the values of the mainstream independence movement.
Here is a selection of Sovereignty's policies, so you can make up your own mind -
* Citizenship of an independent Scotland would be based on ethnicity not residence. "Non-Scots" (exactly how this will be defined is unclear) who are resident in Scotland on independence day will be given residency rights, but seemingly not citizenship rights.
* Scotland would not be party to the European Convention on Human Rights. That is a fairly extreme position by any standards - the only European countries currently outside ECHR jurisdiction are Russia and Belarus. Is that the sort of club we want to join?
* "The church should continue to play its historic role in the provision of education, healthcare and care for the poor and needy." That is a very cagily worded sentence and I think it requires a proper and honest explanation. The church essentially gave up its historic role in providing education and caring for the poor more than a century ago when the welfare state was introduced, so the most plausible interpretation of the policy is that the welfare state would be radically rolled back and the church would be invited to provide a bargain-basement service to plug the gap. It's not clear whether only the one true Presbyterian Kirk would be permitted to do this, or whether those of us on the Papist side of the fence would get a look-in too.
* Divorce law would be de-liberalised to "encourage couples to stay together".
* Christian morality would become part of the law of the land. What form this would take is largely unspecified, although it's made clear that "usurious lending" would be outlawed in line with Christian teaching.
* Abortion rights would seemingly become more restrictive. (Because of my Catholic upbringing, I'm very conflicted on abortion and a pro-life agenda doesn't necessarily put me off, but I know it would be a red line for many.)
* "Economic migration" (otherwise known as migration) would be stopped. It would be as bald as that - it would simply be stopped.
* On the other hand, the Scottish diaspora would be given a right to return - implying a blood-and-soil immigration policy.
* There would be a pro-natalist policy, ie. to replace all the lost immigrants, couples would be cajoled by the state into having more children.
* LGBT rights (or LGB rights if you prefer) would appear to be under severe threat, because "marriage between one man and one woman" is identified as the bedrock of society.
* Net Zero would be abandoned.
* Medical care would seemingly only be guaranteed to be free in cases of "emergency".
* There's also some mildly eccentric stuff about high-altitude housing being built. Can we look forward to Goatfell New Town?
* The Nordic Model on prostitution law would be introduced. I know most Alba supporters would probably be OK with that, but I have to ask: what is it with right-wing parties and the Nordic Model? It's a policy rooted in classical Marxism, and yet right-wing politicians seem to be queuing up to back it. Maybe it's the only form of censoriousness they feel they can get away with these days.
Speaking personally, even if I hadn't rejoined the SNP in January, there is no way on God's earth I'd ever be voting for an alliance containing a party that wants to leave the ECHR - that would be an absolute dealbreaker.
I am a Christian and I reject this right wing nonsense. I am snp member and I believe in Scotlands independence. This is just more distraction from a right wing cabal who really believe in the rights of the few. Reject it outright.
ReplyDeleteThe polar opposite of Scottish Green policies then. I've actually no problem with most of them and a church led reset of Scotland's moralities is quite an interesting idea given the lazy, selfish society we seem to have become.
ReplyDeleteDitching net zero would be my first pick. The blood and soil stuff is obviously unworkable nonsense though.
Why is being an ethnically based nation for the birds? it is what Scotland is, not everything's based on money. If we weren't an ethnic nation there would be no point in the movement?
DeleteWHAT????
DeleteA bunch of radges.
DeleteNutters
ReplyDeleteCorrection James - the show should be called “Tas is still talking in her living room” 😉
ReplyDeletebrian wilson says we need 20K people a year of migrants, to make up the number shortfall for the growth and the conomy
ReplyDeletewe did 18000 abortions last year, mostly for bullshit reasons - no incest, no rape, no deformity, retardation, danger to life
- discuss
I thought you guys were pro women rights?
Delete"we did 18000 abortions last year, mostly for bullshit reasons"
DeleteWe used johnnies even more than that, and for even more bullshit reasons. We should ban them, we need more people.
if you want to know who you are, look at who your parents are
ReplyDeletewas the duke of wellington an irishman
was rudyard kipling an indian
- or new irishman, or a new indian
yeah, definitions can seem pretty selective.
DeleteSad to see the phrase "pro-life" being used. Which life? The correct term is "anti-abortion" or "anti-choice" although the latter is almost as moralistic as "pro-life".
ReplyDeleteThat apart, this shower sound nuts.
A very interesting and informative article. Sovereignty based on what you have described sound like a Scottish Taliban. Have you any source documents so I can do further research on Sovereignty?
ReplyDeleteRegarding your points re Scots not being familiar with the words Liberate and Decolonisation that is very true in reference to Scotland. The reason being all the media in Scotland is English based/controlled and the SNP have never made any effort to educate the people of Scotland on their true situation. Numerous opportunities to do so were ignored by the SNP.
Being taken out of the EU despite voting to stay in. The UK court denying Scots the right of self determination. Mandates for Indyref2 not happening and being called a " democratic deficit". Various other smaller matters.
There has never been democracy in Scotland as England has always had the power to override anything they didn't like. Did the SNP tell the Scots what that actually means - no. Just like Wales, Scotland is England's colony.
Interesting article by Robin McAlpine on the Hamilton by election. Well worth a read: https://robinmcalpine.org/could-the-snp-really-lose-the-hamilton-by-election/
ReplyDeleteYes, I thought that it was interesting too. I'd be despondent if Reform wins, or even comes a close second to the SNP.
DeleteThere's something fundamentally broken. I've started listening to the Ponsonby and Massie podcast and BP mentioned how the debate in HR on assisted dying had been a refreshing and open one because there was no party management nor tribal line. If the fash look like winning in Scotland then Labour, LD, SGP and SNP need to have a concerted effort to run them out of Scottish politics.
No surprise that McAlpine talks down the SNP. He has years of practice.
DeleteAnd endless material to work with.
DeleteYes he does have years of practice - but for all that he is always keen to emphasise that his expertise is as a political strategist - he strangles his credibility in that respect when he works himself up into what come across as very unprofessional juvenile knee-jerk rants when he plays a kind of attention-seeking 'I'm upset' almost spitting verbal fur balls at the speed of a freight-train at the top of his voice to a video camera. His instinct seems to be to go off like a rocket declaring outrage if the SNP say something which isn't in line with his policy strategy - which he defines as 'the SNP are not listening to me/us'.
DeleteI think the most unprofessional behaviour on video from Robin was when he was filmed saying something about - I think it was Humza Yusaf (?) when he was behaving like a childish little gossip saying to Salmond that, if was Yousaf he was referring to - didn't get support from his SNP colleagues over something 'because he doesn't hate Alba enough'. That was third party attention-seeking deliberate juvenile malicious gossip mongering - and whilst that kind of gossipy stirring behaviour can be welcome music to the ears of some kind of politicians who thrive on such nasty wee snippets - it displayed the kind of volatile untrustworthy characteristic of a cheap trouble-making gossip - and NOT the deep thinking reflective skillset required of a stable reliable 'professional' strategist who you would want in a professional public-facing accountable political party - particularly one currently in government. Too immature.
I would never say Robin McAlpine is a bad guy or doesn't come up with some really good ideas - but he goes off on one far too often and with too much, it would seem, emotional grudge and baggage - which he seems incapable of dumping in order to really listen or - more importantly - make a non pre-existing prejudicial assumption or emotion-based 'interpretation' of 'stuff'. Jumps in with both boots before giving something the reflective consideration it requires.
However, of course ReformUK have a chance for the Hamilton by-election. Farage is a very clever fellow, has enough data and Scottish journo and other Scottish anti-SNP influencers (with some I hear within the alleged Yes movement) advice enabling him and his colleagues and activists to have the nitty gritty skinny on all things Hamilton - and then other Scottish constituencies. He's no fool. He knows his audience and he is saying all the things scunnered voters of all shades want to hear - and it's working.
And he has the benefit of a Scottish journo and other media wolf-pack absolutely desperate to go full on with a classic media created Farage experience to change the face of Scottish politics. Massive media awakening, masses of clickbait, masses of attention from doon sooth media platforms giving Scottish media bods attention and exciting editors.
Don't be fooled that the other Westminster parties in Holyrood won't be excited about another Better Together opportunity to kick the SNP out of Holyrood. Scottish voters are lapping up Farage - and as the voter focus groups and data still show that independence will be a big turn off come the 2026 Holyrood election - and what they want to hear is total domestic policy focus - Farage can turn out to be the tsunami to bury the SNP and independence. And it won't be the SNP's fault. The media are making Farage for Scotland and Scotland might just decide we'll have a bit of that.
Shocked to read your summary of Sovereignty's policies - but not surprised, given the tone on video blogs and elsewhere for months. A Scottish Taliban indeed.
DeleteMcAlpine has difficulty spelling anyone's names right which is a bit off-putting. "MacSweeney"? "Mercedes Villa-Alba" ffs? I'm not sure if that one was supposed to be some kind of joke but I don't think so
DeleteMcAlpine is like Salmond, a fake wee jock loser, another "devo max" man
DeleteSo Liberation is just another dud.
Delete2013/14 was the most inspirational political campaign that I have been involved in in fifty one years of activism. In essence it was dead simple - self determination with a gently social democratic direction. Many thousands of us a could 'see' a democratic, inclusive and humane future in front of us for the first time in our lives.
Nicola Sturgeon's hijacking into self obsessed gender politics and bureaucratic control wrecked our mass movement after the 45%.
The SNP now offers to be pre Blair/Starmer Labour and the other alleged independence parties are doomed sects most with reactionary policy inclusions.
Our constituency SNP, on a low member ballot, selected a, to my eye, transparently self serving and 'led by the nose' candidate for '26.
I'll vote SNP to block the rise of Farage - which is the 'fruit' of our self inflicted shambles.
As for the future....?
Some hefty criticisms of McAlpine but we can do that about almost all commentators and politicians however, the article was still good. About the criticisms - isn't it important for any movement to have lots of different viewpoints? Isn't discussion the way we achieve better practice and better solutions? And, isn't it important that we recognise that we have to welcome Tories and Labour alike into the Yes movement - if we can't agree to differ on policies and social issues while sharing a belief in self determination then we will never gain independence.
DeleteDr Jim at 8.58am providing his usual helpful analysis - what a clown you are Jimbo. Swinney isnae even devo max.
DeleteI disagree. McAlpine shows no way forward but his own self appointed, look at me.
DeleteHave they anything to do with the Sovereignty Research Group, Salvo or Liberation.scot ???
ReplyDeleteOn the Independence issue, at the time of the Treaty of Union 1707, the English Kingdom (England and Wales) rebranded as "Great Britain" hence Lord Coopers remarks in the McCormick v Lord Advocate 1953 case and Lord Reeds recent remarks claiming the UK Parliament is Sovereign are both correct. The Scottish Kingdom and its Sovereign people was simply ignored. It is still extant though being administered by the English Crown. So when the union with Ireland came along in 1801 creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, this jurisdiction only included England Wales and Ireland, the Scottish Kingdom being entirely separate.
The Scottish Parliament was dissolved by Queen Anne, this being a normal process before an election is held for new MPs, there is no evidence it was extinguished. The MPs being rehoused in Westminster simply took the Scottish Parliament with them as a separate entity to the Parliament of Great Britain. This position is further evidenced by
an examination of the Treaty which indicates that voting rights were never specified and as the Sovereignty of the two Kingdoms were different the votes cannot be commingled, each group voting for their own Kingdoms position. Only when both Groups vote the same way would the vote bind both Kingdoms and then only for the specific subjects mentioned in the Treaty. All other non Treaty Subjects are decided by the votes of the MPs representing their specific Kingdoms.
I'm registered with Salvo/Liberation. Thanks for the reminder maybe time to look a little more closely.
DeleteNo they're an entirely different group.
DeleteSome of what Kelly says if true don't sound great or badly presented but as to other points, most countries in Europe have a right to return policy, Italy, even Ireland to an extent. Scotland like many countries in Europe are ethnically based nations, states like the UK aren't. Kelly sounds like he's using unionist arguments again when it comes to this. What next? the old unionist nutshell Scotland's not a real country. devoid of cultural understanding or historical knowledge as usual, how did these guys ever get a voice in the movement, with out Scotland being a nation based on ethnicity there would be no independence movement.
ReplyDeleteI'm a quarter Irish, so I'm not an ethnically pure Scot. What is this, the McNational Front?
DeleteI think you're in danger of suggesting a binary between culture & ethnicity + ethnicity isn't race - Scotland, like every European country, is a cultural & ethnic mix beginning with Picts & Gaelic Scots (whose origins aren't clear cut), then throw in Britons (Strathclyde), Vikings, Anglo-Saxons (Lothian), Norman's, Flemish,French etc etc. All of this & more creates & adds to Scotland's unique culture & languages.
DeleteUnionists are therefore wrong but their creed is imperialist & assimilationist, relies on suppressing difference & the dominance of a single culture (Anglo-Saxon/Norman). We should celebrate & encourage it.
"think it will fail, because it's speaking "liberation" and "decolonisation" language that most ordinary voters will regard as other-worldly."
ReplyDeleteA non self governing territory (aka colony) is
1. geographically separate from administrating power - which doesn't mean a separate land mass, merely a contained and clear border which Scotland has. Even Westminster acknowledges where Scotland ends and England begins!
2. possesses linguistic, cultural or ethnic characteristics - Scotland possesses all three.
3. its people lack a full measure of self government - not even arguable is it!
Put that way it's an ordinary voter will not only understand it but will have a hard job to argue against it!
So you're going to knock on a voter's door, and talk about "administrating powers" and "linguistic, cultural and ethnic characteristics", rather than, say, jobs, housing and heating? Do you not see how you're demonstrating my point?
DeleteI take your point but what independent country has called to arms over jobs, housing and heating before?
Deleteit kind of demonstrates the point Scotland is a halfway house type country. A country that wants indepedence isn't squemish about this posters points.
It's not "squeamishness", it's just lack of effectiveness. Wittering on about colonial theory rather than voters' actual concerns is the road to 0.4% of the vote.
DeleteAgreed, its actually one of the reasons (in a different way) people like Trump and Farage get traction. They speak *to* people. When we see left wing types talking about decolonisation, about trans inclusiveness and gender identity, this doesn't resonate. Same with approaching it from the other side. Someone like Trump or Farage says things like "we know you are hungry, we know you are struggling, and its all THEIR fault". They speak to real concerns in a way that people understand, and then lie about the cause to further their agenda. The response to that is to also speak to those real concerns!
DeleteFarage described brexiteers as stupid ignorant people that he wouldn’t choose to mix with. Is that speaking to people? Or is it cynical populism for ulterior motives? He was proven right as to their stupidity. They still voted for him.
DeleteWhy can these small parties not be nornal? I had huge issues with Barrhead Boy's ethnic nonsense, and he blocked me on social media rather than engage with the facts. Is it too much to ask that we have an independence supporting party who aren't evil?
ReplyDeleteAlba were meant to be a principled independence party that were not evil and look how that turned out?
DeleteAre you suggesting all independence supporting parties are evil? I would suggest SNP, Greens aren’t. Doesn’t mean they don’t get thing wrong as we all do.
DeleteEvil? A sense of perspective is surely called for. IDF are evil. Reform (and the tories) are scummy unprincipled chancers, but their inevitable failure at local authority level will I believe soon make enough people back off from supporting then. If only the BBC would take Farage to task, his private limited company grifting machine could be exposed, but he is their click bait poster boy and they won’t challenge his lies and his unfunded promises. SNP must at some point realise they need to have a clear out. In their present form I am inclined not to vote for them , and I have canvassed supported and voted for Indy for 49 years. Waken up.
Delete"womans right to choose"
ReplyDelete- is it a woman's (young, daft, hysterically bad at decision making) "right" to
genocide your people
coz that is what 1.4 births per woman does. Get yourself a spreadsheet and find out.
feminism, overall, will likely destroy western civilisation, something neither the mongols nor islam managed. Impressive.
young women need to have kids first, then career; biology, mother nature is a vicious constraint
the only way you can do this is to "stuff their mouths with gold" and give them the most generous tax, pension and welfare and educational and business grants ever seen, so they can "have it all" and have their 2-4 kids in their twenties, before they can head off to uni to become brain surgeons and the like. This is like hyper feminism.
- such policies will be impossible in anything other than an independent country as western elites all walk in lockstep for the mass immigration
You are Nappy Bonaparte and I claim my £5.
Delete"Women are nothing but machines for producing children."
- Talks about other people being daft and hysterical
Delete- Says that demographic trends are genocide
Okay J D !
DeleteWestern civilization, writes somebody who disnae know how to use caps! You are Liz Truss's Scottish cousin !
Deletewiping out an entire people is the definition of genocide
DeleteI see maths graduates are not well represented here
young women do the YOLO eat pray love nonsense then they hit 30 no husband no family no kids and start bleating about where have all the good men gone as a younger generation of dafties take their places in the clubs
women generally "only have one job" and in any other role their labour is non essential, basically mediocre when compared to men in any capacity; but their unique ability is the most important one
punctuation is a choice, a set of conventions, ee cummings was not much into it
pepper and salt it as you wish
QWERTYUIOPASDFGHJKLZXCVBNM
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"wiping out an entire people is the definition of genocide"
DeleteNope, that is simply untrue. The internationally accepted definition of genocide is the intentional destruction of a people in whole *or in part*.
https://archive.ph/7N7Uc
ReplyDeleteI don’t agree with everything any of the political parties say. I wouldn’t expect to. But Roddy’s correct about this one thing. The independence movement must unite for the single purpose of getting independence. By stoking division, you are playing right into the Remain Westminster’ hands.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but that's complete garbage. You're practically trying to make a fool of people by turning the truth inside out. Roddy isn't uniting the independence movement, he's dividing it. He's putting up *constituency candidates* against the SNP. Not even Alba are behaving as destructively as that.
Delete...but the SNP don't have a plan for independence except a Sction 30. They've had years of this. It's time for the YES movement to start pressurising our representatives about what they are going to do to get us independence. Surely, at some point, you have to say enough is enough.
DeleteWT - I said enough is enough in Jan 30 2020 after Sturgeon's surrender speech. I still don't understand why so many, more than 5 years later, still kid themselves on about the SNP leadership.
DeleteSNP baaad.
DeleteIFS agree. If they want my vote all they have to do is push for independence - but they don't and that's why there's such a disparity in YES vote and SNP.
DeleteUnity of purpose on one issue (ie independence) is one thing, cobbling together a coalition by committee with a party/group that's straight out A Handmaids Tale is a completely different thing.
DeleteRoddy is hardly the most consensual of people anyway, he promotes division & conflict whilst virtue signalling 'unity'.
I'm no fan of the SNPs version of 'unity' either which seems to me to be that they dominate & control everything but Roddy's version is a fake.