The ALBA National Council have decided against an intervention in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by election.
SALMOND OFFERS “ONE LAST CHANCE FOR SCOTLAND UNITED APPROACH”
The Alba Party has urged the SNP to agree a single pro-independence Scotland United candidate as a prelude to an independence strategy for the General Election but have been rebuffed by the SNP leadership.
However, ALBA want to allow the SNP Conference delegates in October full opportunity to consider a Scotland United strategy for next year’s General Election. Thus ALBA voted to allow “one last chance” for Scotland United approach by not fielding a candidate in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by election.
Speaking after the National Council meeting at the Burnside Hotel in Rutherglen, ALBA leader Alex Salmond said
“The SNP leadership seem to think they can go it alone in Rutherglen and in the General Election. We have decided to stand aside at this by-election to give them the maximum opportunity to prove they can successfully fly solo. We believe that four pro-independence candidates already in a first past the post election risks handing the seat to the unionist Labour Party.
“We are also fundamentally opposed to this by-election taking place at all. By combining with the Labour Party to treat Margaret Ferrier with such disproportionate disdain the SNP have created their own problem in Rutherglen and should be now left to face it.
“We also know that there is huge support among ordinary members of the SNP for a Scotland United approach to the General election with all participating parties seeking a joint mandate to negotiate independence for Scotland as item one of their respective manifestos.
“However for this to succeed they will have to reclaim their own party from a leadership who have lost their way on both governance of Scotland and strategy towards independence. ALBA’s decision today offers one last chance for a Scotland United approach to prevail at the SNP Annual Conference.
“ALBA still stand ready to move forward with a Scotland United approach but now are also making preparations or a wide scale intervention across Scotland at next year’s General Election. To that end we have formally opened our General Election candidates’ list today”
Ends.
Four pro-independence candidates?
I can only see two.
According to the BBC from 4 days ago there are 10 candidates declared:
Gloria Adebo (Scottish Liberal Democrats)
Bill Bonnar (Scottish Socialist Party)
Cameron Eadie (Scottish Greens)
Ewan Hoyle (Volt UK)
Thomas Kerr (Scottish Conservatives)
Katy Loudon (SNP)
Chris Sermanni (Scottish Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition)
Michael Shanks (Scottish Labour)
David Stark (Reform UK)
Colette Walker (Independence for Scotland Party)
(see https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-66395472)
So SNP, Scottish Greens, ISP and SSP makes 4 who are ostensibly in favour of Scottish Independence.
Colette Walker (Independence for Scotland Party)
as long as Alba don’t stand, they are potential winners. If they do stand they have to reckon with the number of votes their candidate receives.
Better to let the SNP take the (well deserved) hit than be their fall guy.
If only the SNP had a strategist like Alex Salmond. The man is a political genius.
A smart , and the right , decision . As others say , let those who created the situation take responsibility for the consequences . Which look very much like the loss of a once safe SNP seat .
Good to hear ALBA are getting into gear for the imminent G.E . Given what I imagine will be limited financial resources ( if only they had a spare campervan to flog , eh ? ) to fight the campaign , I hope they can box clever and use what they have astutely . I’m sure they will .
Whilst not yet a fait accompli , we can probably take it as read the SNP – with it’s uncanny knack of doing the most stupid thing whenever possible , will not accept the logic – and from an Independence POV the ONLY strategy capable of lifting our cause from the enervating doldrums it currently lies in – of participating in a Scotland United campaign . Hard to see the ratings of the SNP improving in the time left before the G.E , more likely they will decline further , ergo , it’s imperative ALBA are well-positioned to – hopefully – benefit from the fallout , offering a clear , unequivocally Independence-focused alternative . Minus all the demented idiocies of * gender * sludge , which the SNP will be obliged to wade through come G.E related TV and MSM generally debates .
What a dire situation we’ve arrived at when the only ( Establishment ) Party that won’t be vulnerable to attack from interviewers on this subject is the Tory Party . Granted , Starmer The Non-Charmer has done a hairpin turn on the whole debacle , I’m pretty sure his cynical ( apparent ) change of mind and his * former * advocacy of TWAW will be used against him/Labour .
Though by no means a certainty , Labour still look likely to win the next G.E . It’s their turn – again – to clean-up the Tory crime scene . Trouble is having donned the white suits , gloves and masks of the Tories they will almost certainly contaminate the scene with their bumbling incompetence , render the evidence invalid and allow the perps to escape ; free to return in five years and finish the looting .How wonderful it would be if Scotland is free by that time , and can watch the whole mind – numbingly repetitive/unproductive Labour-Tory musical chairs farce with amused detachment .
Fiat .
The other aspect of the ALBA decision which some other parties could learn from is that the decision itself was made democratically by an open vote following vigorous discussion and respectful debate in the room.