Sorry, Stew, but you're wrong again: no, I was not on the Alba NEC when the Nordic Model on prostitution law was adopted as party policy

Stew on Twitter: "I wonder if James Kelly knows that he was *on the Alba NEC* when it officially adopted the Nordic model as policy?" pic.twitter.com/UzD9dJe7IW

— Wings Over Scotland (@WingsScotland) May 22, 2025

For someone who is so insanely belligerent and abusive, there's an almost childlike naivety about Stew at times.  He genuinely seems to be asking whether I didn't even notice that I was on the governing body of a political party, or whether (the only other possible interpretation) I was on the governing body of a political party without noticing what policies that party was adopting.

Not that this makes much difference, but on the principle that "truth matters", I really must point out that the latest claim Stew is making is yet again false.  In fact, I was not on the Alba NEC when the Nordic Model became party policy.  It was adopted as policy on 11th September 2021, which was the first day of the two-day inaugural Alba conference in Greenock.  At that point I was not an NEC member, but merely a candidate for the NEC.  The ballot for NEC members took place during the conference and did not close until the end of session on the 12th.  The results were revealed to the candidates on the 13th, so I did not become an NEC member until around two days after the Nordic Model became policy.

I did not attend the 2021 conference because I live with a vulnerable person and Covid remained an unacceptably high risk (in my opinion it was irresponsible of Alba to hold a fully in-person conference at a time when other parties were not yet doing so).  However, if I had been able to attend I would have voted against the Nordic Model becoming policy.  I would have been on the losing side in that vote, but I would not have been in a minority of one, because I saw on the live-stream that at least one Alba member was brave enough to speak against the motion.

But having been outvoted, precisely what does Stew think the oddity of my position was?  Does he really think no-one should be on the governing body of a party unless they agree with every single one of that party's policies?  If he does, it's little wonder that he's always been unwilling to be a member of any party that is not called the Wings Party and is not led by himself on the "Il Duce" principle.

As I've pointed out many times, all anyone can do is find the political party that is the closest fit for them.  You're never going to find the perfect fit - there are always going to be at least one or two policies you strongly disagree with.  For independence supporters who oppose the Nordic Model, there's a particular problem, because the only major pro-indy party that actively opposes it is the Green Party.  My policy disagreements with the Green Party on other matters clearly outweigh my agreement with them about the folly of the Nordic Model.

In any case, nobody in their right mind is going to just crudely count up the policies they agree with and the policies they don't - some issues are more high-tariff than others, and independence has the highest tariff of the lot.  (Unless your name is Stew Campbell, of course, in which case gender identity politics is far, far, far more important than independence, or indeed than any other subject in the known universe.)  I do feel strongly against the Nordic Model, but that's always going to be a lower priority for me than independence - which is why, for example, I openly supported Ash Regan in the 2023 SNP leadership election even though she is one of the highest-profile proponents of the Nordic Model.

Nevertheless, I can assure Stew that the Nordic Model was very much on my mind when I was standing for the Alba NEC in 2021.  That's why, in the summer of 2021, I recorded a podcast interview with the prolific Canadian blogger Maggie McNeill, who is a semi-retired escort and perhaps the most eloquent critic of the Nordic Model anywhere in the world.  You can listen to the podcast HERE or via the embedded player below.

James Kelly · Scot Goes Popcast Episode 10: Maggie McNeill