Over the last few days, several people have been asking how I fared in the SNP internal elections. As I explain in the video above, I'm pretty much certain that I've been elected to one of the four committees that I stood for - namely the Conduct Appeals Committee. So that will be a successful outcome, but I don't want to tempt fate by saying anything too definite until I see the official confirmation. I'll let you know once I'm 100% sure it's official. In the meantime, here are some photos of my time at the conference in Aberdeen (and as you can see, I made sure I got in a little bit of touristy stuff because I don't get to Aberdeen very often). I think we were all particularly impressed by the speech from the Deputy First Minister of Wales, Sioned Williams, and of course it was a landmark moment, because although fraternal addresses from a Plaid Cymru speaker have been a feature of SNP conferences since the year dot, this was the first with Plaid as the sole party of government in Wales.
Very good. A 15% chance once every five years is not good enough. Particularly when we know there is a strong likelihood of being fobbed off with a vague promise of 'more devolved powers' (and the likelihood SNP politicians would find that offer attractive).
ReplyDeleteStop lying.
DeleteLying? You're using that word incorrectly. You can't lie about something that isn't a fact, and none of this fact. It's a discussion about possible strategies and likely actions.
DeleteMaybe, 'Stop offering an opinion I don't agree with, here's a counter argument'?
Ok, your talking mince.
DeleteThat is not a strategy, it is a hope, and a forlorn one. We all know what needs to be done. It speaks volumes, in my opinion, that the current leadership are unwilling to do it. It is no surprise really, as J S pushed through a policy at the last election that ensured we have no current mandate based on any form of electoral process. Depressing. I very much doubt the 500,000 are going back to voting SNP any time soon. The usual suspects can spare me their "yoon" nonsense. They are part of the problem.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, that's not a strategy. I suspect it's only a hope in so far as John Swinney hopes it'll do as an excuse not to bother the important people with this independence nonsense. If the stars aligned and it looked like independence were to drop into his lap, he'd stand up so it could drop somewhere else.
DeletePhone the polis. You guys are good at that. WGD can sponsor you wasters.
DeleteYet another carrot muncher. Yum Yum.
Delete@9:59 You seem very confused. WGD is friendly to the SNP leadership. He's not going to sponsor people to call the polis on them.
Delete9.59 doesn't come across as very bright. I think he is trying to vary his "your a unionist" patter, but not very successfully.
DeleteThe current leadership don’t care about independence and as I’ve said before they dangle the carrots at every election and once elected do nothing about it.
ReplyDeleteWe see you ifs
DeleteNopes not IFS but your nom de plume should be NIFS.
DeleteFor goodness sake there is a blind man posting at 10.00am. This numpty is obsessed with me. It’s not me at 9.33am. Get yourself a hobby that disnae involve seeing me everywhere.
DeleteStop hiding.
Delete“ stop hiding “ says the cowardly anon hiding in the anon crowd.
DeleteGuess the thinking is that if they support Burnham enough to have UK negotiate our re-entry to EU, an indyref thereafter can be a return to the status quo ante of 2014, delicately spiced with most of the electorate having experienced peak British nationalism.. (albeit tempered with the knowledge that, but for Nigel Farage, we might never have gotten second bite at the cherry at all, nor realised how difficult it would be if the union played dirty, or our historic experience convinced us of same, regardless)
ReplyDeleteAny luck it's a catch 22 for Reform, & they'll need to call the loony left's bluff with a vote for UDI next Tuesday..
That's not thinking, that's simply hopeless hope.
DeleteA @9:38 not my concern but can serious Brexiteers take that chance? Englands travelling fans might even like the idea (or one where Le Pen & Meloni are running the show) so countering it with one they'd love, sacrificing the Scots to eliminate the risk of surrendering to Germany, maybe not as far fetched as it would have been pre COVID.
DeletePrisoners dilemma for Conservatives too, & for similar reasons, compounded by any that want back in being tempted to throw the next one, in hope of winning an England only GE thereafter (in sufficient time to renegotiate terms/ save their pound) !
Lara Bird actually comes across quite well on most subjects. I watched her talk eloquently and passionately on a recent Podcast for ten minutes without notes while quoting statistics, places and dates.
ReplyDeleteQuite a contrast to her colleague who spoke haltingly while reading a piece of paper clutched in front of her while this mother of two tried to assure us that she had XY chromosomes.
I wonder whether Lara Bird would have passed vetting in the days of the lavender Ceauşescu’s?
Even the BBC is beginning to drip feed expectation management on Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteRecent pieces have hinted that all is not a utopian bed of roses within the borders of the state inherited from the Soviet Union.
The BBC has run pieces where non-Ukrainian speakers under the control of Kiev complain about repressive policies restricting their freedom of speech.
The current regime in Kiev is resultant from a US State Department sponsored coup in 2014. It is a linguistically defined ethnosupremacist state which suppresses Russian, Hungarian, Romanian and Pontic Greek speakers within the expanded borders granted to it by successive Soviet leaders.
Putin kills anyone who comes near questioning his authority. How does his boot taste?
DeleteThe Times (Scottish edition) leads with “Hamas isn’t a terrorist group, claim Scots Greens”.
ReplyDeleteTo use a Dodgeballism, “It’s a bold strategy Cotton.”.
Greer and Co might have been better to aim for a more attainable target.
Why Hezbollah are a proscribed organisation in the UK utterly confuses me. How many Israeli civilians has Hezbollah killed in the last ten years in comparison to the Israeli military’s assault on Lebanese civilians? There are orders of magnitude between the two numbers.
Even Donald Trump said (I paraphrase) “You don’t drop a 2,000 lb bomb on a block of flats containing hundreds of civilians in order to kill one man.”.
The current “liberal” forerunner to become the next Israeli Prime Minister, Gadi Eisencot devised the Dahiya Doctrine. This explicitly calls for massively disproportionate civilian deaths in the southern Beirut district of Dahiya for every Israeli soldier killed.
I note that James has deleted a post supporting fascism in the Middle East. I am all for free speech but a red line has to be drawn somewhere and deleting a post from a Nazi seems to be it.
ReplyDeleteA nazi really. He/ she must be getting on a bit now.
ReplyDeleteSee that word reply - try using it.
DeleteA nazi really. He/ she must be getting on a bit now.
ReplyDeleteFrom the National: "Scottish Greens propose 'millennial railcard' funded by new air levy"
ReplyDeleteI suspect most of us will be deid by the year 3000.
Just checked - the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund now stands at truly astounding 2.25 TRILLION DOLLARS
ReplyDeleteFor a population of around 5 million, that roughly equates to a humungous
HALF A MILLION DOLLARS PER PERSON in Norway!
WOW!!!
Meanwhile the UK has...................S.F.A.
City of London done alright though. Scotland got the square root of hee haw
DeleteNationalist bull.
DeleteYeah.
DeleteAs usual, Scotland got shafted by London.
History repeating itself.
Always has been and always will be the case until WM is completely cut out of the equation.
Embarrassing stuff from the gullible fool@2:26pm.
Delete2.01 Surely you meant Scotland has sfa as all money goes to Westminster?
DeleteShut it, yoon.
Delete2.45
DeleteI was making a comparison between Norway's massive Wealth Fund and the UK's complete lack of one.
Of course Scotland got S.F.A because, as usual, WM frittered it all away mostly on SE Engerlandshire.
Th Norwegians at Jackdaw are about to find out that the English are Kleptomaniacs.
DeleteWhat's it all about?
Delete1.41. Aye because this is a pro independence site for Scotland and not a mouth piece for Hamas and their supporters
ReplyDeleteWell said.
DeleteIs that the Nazi posting again at 2.03/2.16.
DeleteThe independence context is that Westminster is supporting a genocidal, fascist, racist, ethnic cleansing, land grabbing ally called Israel. Scots are an oppressed people just as the Palestinians are. Just as many millions around the globe were oppressed by Westminster.
Ifs,
Delete“Scots are an oppressed people………..”
Oh dear, it’s quite incredible the nonsense you lot spout!
4:44pm,
DeleteIndeed.
Couldn’t have put it better myself.
My dear dear KC. It behoves me to point out that you and your compatriots in Clacton, Tewkesbury and Skegness generally have little idea of life beyond your little abodes. That's why your type generally vote Conservative or for the other wacky groupings that help make you feel manly.
DeleteKC popping out in the open from the anon crowd at 5.25pm to agree with himself. What a Britnat coward. Poor old KC is unable to put forward any case for Scotland being held prisoner by Westminster.
DeleteIfs,
Delete“………Scotland being held prisoner by Westminster.”
Oh dear!
Your comments are getting ever more ridiculous!
Please don’t tell me you keep a straight face when typing this utter nonsense!
My advice to you is to stop embarrassing yourself.
My thanks to KC for once again proving he cannae put forward ANY case for Westminster owning Scotland. As ever he just posts his usual stuff from his playbook “ rubbish “ “ bullshit” “ nonsense “ “embarrassing “ “ ridiculous” “ Nessie “ “ dearie me” “ you lot “
Delete“ dear oh dear “ etc etc.
KC is either a Britnat with limited abilities or a sad bot.
Serious question Ifs,
DeleteDo you, hand on heart, think Scotland will ever be independent?
If so, what is your estimated timeframe and by which means will independence be achieved?
In your own time.
As I said earlier Ifs, in your own time.
DeleteKC says he NEVER posts as anonymous but dearie me he has proved himself a liar at 3.22pm. Dear oh dear KC. Get a grip.
DeleteIt is a pro-indy site where the fascist racist apartheid genocidal actions of the appalling Zionist Rogue State of Israel are routinely condemned, as they should be by any decent human being.
ReplyDeleteZionist Israel is a blight on the entire planet and so is any dross who still supports that shite.
Fair enough, but what about the atrocities carried out by Hamas terrorists?
DeleteAs long as you also class the IDF as 'terrorists', we can have a conversation.
DeleteIf you don't, you can piss right off, pal.
What if I say Hamas and the IDF are both terrorist groups and to hell with anybody who says one is any better than the other?
Delete6:42, your comment is fair.
DeleteBefore the October attack - totally wrong Israel was still siting on land not there’s -in the West Bank, in Lebanon etcetera and Palestinians were being killed by militants.
DeleteThis 'conflict' has been going on relentlessluly since 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly moved from their homes/lands in 1947/48.
DeleteIsrael, since then, has relentlessly and illegally siezed and occupied various tracts of Palestinian land, relentlessly controlled food, water medecines and freedom of movement over Palestinians in Gaza and has killed many tens of thousands of Palestinians in the process.
Gaza has, rightly, been described by many international observers as akin to a concentration camp over that period.
If a people are relentlessly occupied, oppressed, controlled, periodically starved and deprived of water and medicines whilst their oppressors continuously steal their land and homes by ignoring and trampling over internationally recognised borders, is it any wonder that the oppressed population spawns some kind of 'resistance' to that oppression?
That kind of 'resistence' happens all over the world in similar circumstances - as with the French Resistence under Nazi Occupation and the ANC in South Africa under a brutal Apartheid regime.
Bit of free advice for brutal expansionist colonialist apartheid racist and genocidal regimes like Israel - STOP aggressively invading and ILLEGALLY occupying other folks' territory and you won't get attacked by some of those folk fighting back.
Aye.....as McCrone clearly stated in his 'secret report' an Indy Scotland would have been 'embarrassingly wealthy'.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Scotland would probably have been the wealthiest country in Europe per capita and in the top half dozen in the world!
The Conduct Appeals Committee is a potentially valuable body to hold a position in.
ReplyDeleteIn the event that malicious accusations of misconduct are levelled as per Morgan McSweeney controlled Labour, a principled, independent and level headed panel is essential.
Also applicable to the not particularly lamented ALBA where James was the victim of such underhand, factional shenanigans. Jame’s first hand experience should make him an ideal member of the committee.
Malicious accusations. Lmfao. Aye the SNP are squeaky clean there.
ReplyDeleteThe SNP are just another English Kill Switch on Scots Indy.
ReplyDeleteThere is some truth to the allegation that the present SNP leadership are both too timid and plan-less about achieving our independence.
ReplyDeleteBut where and who are the viable alternatives to them?
Some of the slop from the disastrous Alba experiment or some of the garbage who still follow that piece of turncoat trash Campbell?
Any ideas?
The Scottish Eradication of Israel Party, apparently. But there is hardly even a popular movement - it looks like most people are passed caring.
DeleteEh........I can almost guarantee that if you took a snap poll worldwide at the moment, you would either get a large majority for disbanding the Zionist State of Israel completely, or making it go back to its original post-war borders.
DeleteThere are mass movements all over this planet which are Anti-Israel and staunchly Pro-Palestine.
8.26 Sure you're not just basing that on people you know?
DeleteI can almost guarantee that if you took a snap poll worldwide you would get a large majority who know very little about Ukraine or Gaza and care even less. They care about fuel prices but have very little understanding of the situation in the Gulf.
I'm with 8.26 pm.
DeleteWrong.
DeletePay more attention to the international press and you will see that opposition to the Israeli Genocide in Gaza and support for the rights of the Palestinian People are massively backed all over the Globe.
Decent folk worldwide care deeply about the Gaza Genocide, make no mistake.
Maybe you oppose the genocides plural in Sudan etc. but you seem to have an imaginarary pet genocide to the exclusion of all others.
DeleteAnon ar 12.15. Where does he say he has a preferred genocide? In your own time.
DeleteI think that only a small minority of people take the SNP seriously on anything anymore.
ReplyDeleteAnd they take the Tories Reform Restore and the shell that is Scottish Labour seriously ? The recent election for Holyrood would suggest you’re talking a lot of shite with no evidence presented you Yoon Moron
DeleteYoon yoon moron moron seriously seriously
DeleteAnon at 7.39. You are certainly not thinking.
DeleteYeh just the majority of the people voting for them so that they have by far the largest represntation at Holyrood.
ReplyDeleteThe majority of the people are not currently voting SNP. They have lost some 500,000 votes. Largely due to the Gender shambles and the A S revelations, but also due to poor governance over the past five years, mostly under Sturgeon's watch. Interestingly the Murrell conviction has not had a damaging impact in itself, but there is no sign of change and no sign of the 500,000 coming back to SNP under current leadership.
DeleteThe majority of Scots are presently not voting for any one political party, same as in England, Wales and N Ireland - in fact the same as in most of the world - so your point is a bit moot.
DeleteBut parliamentary democracies do not require that to happen on any case.
They function by electing the party with most support judged by Parliamentary Seat numbers, which is why the SNP are now on their 5th consecutive term.
Also worth noting that, if HR operated the same FPTP system as WM, SNP would have easily won the majority of HR Seats in the last election.
Compared to the recent histories of all the 'Scottish' unionist parties in the last 19 years, the HR record is pretty formidable.
How many yoons are commenting on SGP these days, dressed up as Scottish Independence supporters but anti SNP? We see you!
DeleteAnon at 10.22. If you think that is what is happening you are part of the problem.
DeleteAnon at 10.10. Do you actually have a point to make? In response to a post, and not as a vehicle for you to talk nonsense? Gibberish would be a polite response to your first paragraph.
Delete10.59
DeleteI bow to your in depth knowledge of 'gibberish'
You seem to have taken a Diploma in just that.
Congrats, clown.
Should have gone to Specsavers.
Delete10.56 Spoken like a true yoon anti Scottish troll Westminster dog!
DeleteSo many silly people not understanding how elections and democracy works, even when there's an entire other country's government using disgraceful tactics to try to make sure it doesn't work
ReplyDeleteNot Russia's government btw, England's cabal of dictators
Next year we'll probably have people standing from the DUP and Restore UK in Scotland to try to outnumber the SNP
All here in Scotland by the grace and willing assistance of the English government who doesn't give a monkeys about which party wins in Scotland as long as they're English/British rule parties
Where do people think the money comes from to subsidise these Labour Tory Lib Dem Reform UK parties?
England has been unsuccessful at winning by democracy in Scotland, and they won't just shut us down, because the world is watching them, so they're now buying us out
Divide the voting population by the amount of parties available and the shared percentages have nowhere to go but down
More extreme right fascist scum strutting their jackbooted stuff in Glasgow.
ReplyDeleteThis human filth must be put down ruthlessly and quickly
They must be kicked off our streets and back into their stinking gutter. -
'The Glasgow branch of the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) was holding an event on the city’s St Mungo Avenue when a group of “around 20 fascists, wearing their black uniform and balaclavas”, attempted to storm the building.
Video shared on social media showed masked attackers trying to kick down a door to the venue.
The SWP Glasgow branch said in a statement: “On Thursday night, the twenty fascists charged against the venue where the event was taking place with the intention to storm and disrupt the meeting and attack participants, but they were repelled at the door. After failing to gain access, they retreated and left.'
These fascist scumbags are getting far too prevalent now.
ReplyDeleteFor decades, we decent Scots have managed to keep them on the fringes and sewers where they belong, but after Trump, Musk, Brexshit, Farage, Yaxley-Lennon etc... they have crawled out again.
As Stevie Flynn correctly stated a while ago, you do not try to rationalise or understand that type of racist fascist filth, you tackle it head-on and kick if squarely in the balls when you meet it.
You are far removed from any decency.
DeleteSays who?
DeleteYou, yoon?
It appears that the handful of people that comment of the more popular Scottish nationalist blogs that still exist are in the majority, hardwired to the Moon, (currently the half-Moon is waxing), and froth at the mouth like over excited dogs, with an unbridled hatred of pretty much anything that comes to their attention. It's not a pretty or inviting sight.
ReplyDeleteI have copyright over all mouth frothing references. I introduced it to reference to the absolute cretins on WOS. Do not use it without my permission.
DeleteI am not sure why James Kelly's blog has a comments section. It is not in any way informative. It's a few old men ranting without any purpose. They could all get together on a Facebook group and rant at each other.
ReplyDeleteYet here you are taking time to post? Why? You little silly Billy.
DeleteFilming yourself shouting at your phone and posting the rant-shorts on Tic Tok is way more 21st century. The algorythm will direct people to them when they search 'Scottish independence' and disappear down a doom scoll. That will influence people.
ReplyDeleteOh do shut up Mr Foulkes.
DeleteThe yoon comments are getting weaker and weaker and more absurd as they panic in their frothdom!
DeleteWhy is anybody who doesn't have an opinion on Gaza immediately called a yoon?
DeleteWtaf has Gaza got to do with Scotland's strategy for self determination?
Great to see the passion for Gaza on these Indy Blogs.
DeleteIt clearly demonstrates that Pro-Indy folk have an appetite for World events as well as for Scottish Indeoendence itself.
I notice on other discussion boards, that the common theme seems to be that those on the Right have introverted and insular views of the World and do not really care much about things outside that very narrow focus.
Those on the Left are much more internationalist in their outlook and are deeply interested in events abroad as well as at home.
The epitome of this, is the MAGA Movement in America whose entire World seem to end at their own borders.
They really have no interest or concern for anywhere else than the USA.
In our extremely interconnected Planet, such narrow Extreme Right views are both ridiculously stupid and very dangerous.
Basically.......informed and intelligent people look outward, while ignorant and dumb knuckledraggers navel-gaze inwards.
Lefties are often weak characters, they are easily distracted and achieve little. They are prone to moving from one anti establishment cause to the next depending on fashion.
DeleteFeckless and fickle.
Righties, like Trump, will completely ignore international law, international conventions, human rights, due process, any Constitution they don't like and normally, like Trump and Farage, lie through their teeth about everything.
DeleteRighties/Fascists are a clear and present danger to the Planet.
The idea that the SNP might one day hold the balance of power in a hung parliament, and negotiate a deal to hold an independence referendum is for the birds.
ReplyDeleteThe SNP is probably the last party Labour (or for that matter the Tories) are going to turn to in such circumstances. Plus no UK PM will ever want to risk being forever known as the person responsible for the break up of the UK. Cameron did it in 2014, because he thought there was zero chance of a Yes vote, but ended up getting the fright of his life. It’s very difficult to see anyone ever making that mistake again.
That's not the reason it's unlikely. A political leader hungry for power will do what the arithmetic dictates. The current Spanish Prime Minister did a deal with Catalan nationalists to stay in power.
DeleteAny fresh updates on how James did in the elections for his seat on the SNP party Sonduct Appeals Committee?
ReplyDeleteIt's Sunday.
DeleteThe Britnat KC is all over SGP these days posting as an anon. Like the SNP nicophants - just another coward hiding in the anon crowd.
ReplyDeleteFrothing isn't healthy for ye!
DeleteWrong once again Ifs, I don’t post as anonymous, unlike you who does it regularly!
DeleteIFSY!! Stop making K C looking less of a fanny.
Delete10.46am you just love telling people to STOP. You also love posting coarse violence filled comments. You are a very unpleasant person.
DeleteKC you are the person who posted as a number of fake independence supporters eg Tartan Tam, so you are a proven liar. Most Britnats who post on independence sites are deceitful liars. You have that in common with the unpleasant perpetual liar at 10.46am.
Both of you are cowards hiding in the anon crowd.
Where is the coarse violence IFSY? Oh you made it up. Liar and cretin. Take a break. You are not getting a free run at bad mouthing the SNP because of your hatred of N S. You will be called out whenever you do it. If you don't like being called out stop telling lies.
DeleteThe best fit graph on the Wiki page, Westminster voting intention is all the more reason to all but dismiss holding the balance of power as a strategy.
ReplyDeleteGraph with representative average of recent Scottish sub-samples plugged into Electoral Calculus prediction model.
Headline: Labour majority of 6 seats.
Lab 328, Con 117, RefUK 78, LibDem 56, SNP 46, Green 3, Plaid 3, other 1.
Labour wouldn’t even need a formal coalition to pass a budget. They could throw just about anyone a bone and sail through.
Reform UK are a busted flush. Nigel’s long overdue retirement beckons.
I don't agree with that. Burnham has only been PM for three months and is still in his honeymoon period. There are good reasons for suspecting Labour may slip back from here - and their position right now is scarcely commanding.
DeleteThat said, a hung parliament *in which the SNP hold the balance of power* is relatively unlikely.
Guessing about 6 of those are in Scotland, if pact to return to EU is only good enough for 46 SNP seats, so requesting a mandate for James udi idea (at a time of Holyroods choosing), over & above said pact, might be all that's required to swing it.
DeleteI think there are some crossed wires - the most I've ever said about UDI is that it perhaps shouldn't be ruled out as an absolute last resort, but it's not something I'm actively suggesting. If it ever did happen, it would be largely symbolic - it wouldn't attract international recognition or anything like that.
DeletePractical form of your October 14 proposal, especially if/when UK says no (or now is not the time), & MPs persuaded by the argument need held to account from the list
DeleteAndy Burnham comes in for a lot of criticism but I think he's doing a great job as Mayor of England. He just needs to tackle weekly bin collections next.
ReplyDeleteAnd bus shelters
DeleteAnd rats!
DeleteI see for the 2nd week running the Sunday National front page is mainly about Gaza. I think we all know the issues but I really believe the priority should be on Scots independence and reporting on current issues here. How about the Greens conference for a start or the rip off on oil and gas. Linked I heard the Greens on the radio pushing the tax on internal air fares and promoting rail travel. I don’t have an issue on the latter but hardly going to please those living in the western and northern isles were rail travel doesn’t exist.
ReplyDeleteThe SNP are all about things and people starting with "S".
DeleteThe Greens are all about things and people starting with "G".
The National has been taken over by the Greens.
DeleteAch there's always the Daily Record.
DeleteThe Greens have been taken over by maniacs
DeleteAnd absolute sexual deviants. Maggie Chapman, if true, was wanting to put literature extolling the virtues of polygamy into primary schools.Stick to tree hugging and leave our bairns to be bairns
DeleteDeafening silence from BBC over the YES SCotland movement being completely exonerated in respect of groundless allegations against them by the idiot Clerkin. It was prime time news when the allegations were made. Now complete silence.
ReplyDeleteNow you see it, now you don't. It's all a big con.
DeleteIt was some guy called Henry, his strings pulled by Campbell and Clerkin. Remember it was the Yes Movement they were having a go at not the SNP.
ReplyDeleteThe Alba Defensor silent protests seem to be gathering a head of steam.
ReplyDelete