Sunday, August 31, 2025
Too Wee, Too Poor, Too Sark?
Sark is a tiny British crown dependency off the coast of northern France with a population of only 500, and yet it has more political autonomy than the nation of Scotland. Technically it's part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, but that's almost meaningless because unanimity between the three island parliaments (Guernsey's, Alderney's and Sark's) is required for any Bailiwick-wide decisions to take effect. So effectively Sark is in control of all its affairs apart from foreign relations and defence - something akin to what George Galloway used to call "Devo SUPER Max", although in fact it's superior to that because Sark isn't even in the UK and thus enjoys a measure of sovereignty. I visited Sark on Tuesday, and recorded this quick video message to try to bring a new perspective to the perennial "too wee, too poor, too stupid" jibe.
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Scottish politics seeing some significant developments, three come to mind:
ReplyDelete1. Reform U.K. stuff. They are not right wing enough for Elon, he’s pushing an even more out-there party: Advance U.K. Elon can move votes 🗳️ over there, maybe not huge numbers but say if 3% Scots voters go to Advance then that’s directly off the Reform column. Whereas Nige now has a MSP he’s wary of this flank attack and has sent his troops even further right to head it off, weakening I’m his centre. In sum, upshot would likely be zero Advance MSPs (thankfully) and fewer Reform ones too. A double win :-)
2. Tories going max oil and gas North Sea recovery, sod Net Zero. That’s going to play very well where I live, in the NE of Scotland, and Reform’s march Right will help keep more moderate Tories on board too. Good news at last for them.
3. Other parties: Scottish Labour vote very shaky and susceptible to big Sultana Party losses, assuming that party finally launches and grabs what’s sitting in the table with their name on it already. LibDems seem to have some momentum, see that MSP defection Tory with the tartan tie and short hair. Greens look a mess to me, eg with Sultana Party challenge in mind, but then I always struggle to take a them seriously - their eternal panto reminds me of student politics. SNP just cary on with little change, a bit like the drive from Perth to Stirling a largely unending vista of as you were.
My advice to the SNP would be to go full on Oil & Gas to win back the NE.
I expect the Scottish Greens to put in a serious amount of groundwork towards some sort of alliance with the SNP post HR26. They will probably have fewer MSPs but that might not matter if they hold the balance of power again.
DeleteI doubt we'll see a full on Bute House Agreement again but Greer and Swinney are very tight so an unofficial alliance, at least, is on the cards.
You are Dave’s Francis and I claim my five pounds.
DeleteThere could be a protest vote for Reform what then?
ReplyDeleteI think that Reform now have two MSPs. It's hard to keep up with them.
ReplyDeleteIt must be terrible to live on Sark. Any small island has trouble getting attention from the Cooncil in Inverness, let alone the lobbyist-deaf ears of Holyrood…
ReplyDeleteAny small island? Gigha? Vatersay? Westray? Foula?
DeleteYou forgot to criticise CalMac in your attempt to pose as an islander.
Do people on your small islands really say "Cooncil"?
I wasn’t posing. I was pointing out the gaping gulf of sheer inequality between Sark’s rights and powers compared to any 500 Scots.
DeleteNow apply the ointment properly this time like the nurse told you.
I see you've failed to address any of the questions I asked, and have had to resort to a side-splittingly hilarious comment about ointment and a nurse.
DeleteI take it then, that your pose as an islander is fraudulent and your attack on Highland Council and the Scottish Parliament is yet another example of an Anglo-British Nationalist pretending to be disillusioned by Scotland's democratic structures.
Next time, have the courage of your convictions.
Humza Yousaf’s call for non-prosecution of peaceful folk protesting against the imposition by diktat of law aiming to shut down democratic debate through intimidation is well intentioned, but perhaps ill targeted.
ReplyDeleteRather than have a Scotland only approach to prosecution of supporters of Defend Our Juries, we should push for a Scotland only policing policy. Uniquely in the UK, Polis Scotland do not swear an oath to the Crown. Officers of Polis Scotland are beholden to the folk of Scotland, not UK, Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper.
Selective policing is not a new concept. In N.I., the marching season is just past, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland turns a blind eye to flute bands carrying the insignia of the proscribed, terror organisations, the UVF & UFF.
Of course, the Chief Constable of Polis Scotland is not Scottish, and her original oath makes her an instrument of Yvette Cooper (I’m not clear whether the Chief Constable took the Scottish oath on assuming her job, and if so, which oath takes precedence). It’s not even clear whether the Chief Constable even lives in Scotland (she didn’t for a time at least after starting the job). The whole idea of hiring an executive officer who doesn’t have a background or understanding of the Scottish constitution and law is farcical.
If prosecution rather than policing is to be challenged, then it should be approached under the principle that targeting of Palestine Action, and Defend Our Juries is incompatible with the Claim of Right.
Craig Murray points to a specific clause in Scots law: “the causing pursue and forfeit persons upon … frivolous and weak pretences, upon lame and defective probation, … is contrary to law.”.
Humza Yousaf’s appeal to the better nature of the highest echelons of the Scottish legal establishment is ill fated. They are psychotically ambitious creatures who march in lockstep with the UK permanent state. They lack fundamental humanity.
“ Of course, the Chief Constable of Polis Scotland is not Scottish…” - back to the purity testing, eh? Person X isn’t Scottish, what are they doing here? Kick me out. Etc. It’s not just England that has a problem with xenophobia, it’s alive and well here in Scotland too. Recall we are all meant to be civic nationalists, not the ethnic Blood & Soil ones. Get a grip.
DeleteBut Anon at 8.12 am's point was about the Chief Constable's particular oath, and its relevance to Scots Law, so nothing to do with where she comes from. Get a grip.
DeleteIf Craig Murray is for something then sensible folk should be against it whatever it is
ReplyDeleteAnon at 9.24 AM - "whatever it is" - What if he's for the freedom to post an opinion on a blog?
DeleteWell he's for stopping the massacring of thousands of women and children in Palestine. I assume you are for keeping it going.
DeleteAnon at 8:12 with long rant: TLDR.
ReplyDeleteThe reality is Reform UK are making the political waves just now. The SNP needs to wake up on the economic stuff and respond with its own pro-growth, pro-jobs policies. Otherwise we get left behind by Farage et al.
Their anti-immigration stuff is plain nasty. The best way to spit that bile out into the bog is for our party, the SNP, to have something tangible to Scottish voters to help lift the nation out of its current economic doldrums.
There's a whole lot of 'independence our way' SNP types getting very angry about Scots waving the Saltire.
ReplyDeleteApparently you have to be somebody who agrees with them or you're not allowed to display or wave your own national flag.
How these chumps think an independent Scotland will look is alarming.