Sillars warns SNP that without a pact“many of its MPs will be swept away”
Former SNP Depute leader, Jim Sillars, has declared in favour of an electoral pact among independence supporting parties. He joins former Cabinet Secretary Alex Neil and current MPs Angus Brendan MacNeil and Joanna Cherry in speaking out this week in favour of the concept being considered favourably by the SNP. Writing today (11 June) for the Sunday Mail , Mr Sillars said;
“The SNP may have written Alex Salmond out of its history, but they would be well advised to respond positively to his reincarnation’s proposal of a pact, to field United Scotland candidates, at next year’s Westminster election –especially when a series of polls shows many of its MPs are going to be swept away.
“Around 45% of Scots voters want independence. In our first-past-the-post system that guaranteed the SNP massive victories in 2015, 2017 and 2019. But Nicola Sturgeon’s failure over a referendum, her mad coalition with the Greens, and the incompetent shambles the Holyrood government has become, has soured so many, their vote can no longer be had for the asking.
“This loss of confidence in the SNP is what the polls reveal. The former spearhead of the movement has been blunted. It is doubtful if Humza Yousef can sharpen it again to reap that 45% vote. The question Salmond asked, and answered, is how do you save the SNP, and with it, the independence movement from an electoral hammering?
“His idea, of all parts of what is now a split-independence movement getting together, with the present SNP MPs included, to stand as United Scotland candidates, was first floated in April, with my support. Now he has formalised it this month with a letter to the SNP. Are they big enough, sensible enough, aware enough of the danger they are in, to talk to him, because a United Scotland platform looks like the only way to re-capture that 45% and place those elected with their votes in a key position, for Scotland, in the next House of Commons. Why not give it a try in Rutherglen?”
Responding ALBA Party leader Alex Salmond said;
“Jim Sillars is one of the best political strategists ever in the national movement. His is a voice which will be heeded if the SNP membership are allowed to determine their party strategy over coming months.
“Not only is an alliance between the independence parties the only way to save SNP seats it is increasingly obvious that it is now the only way to have independence on the ballot paper full stop.
“The key objective of the YES alliance is for each participating party to have as paragraph one in their manifesto that they are seeking a mandate to negotiate independence with Westminster – to finally settle up not settle down.
“We must face new political realities. For the first time ever the concept of independence is now much more popular across Scotland than the SNP as a political party. And across the wider national movement an alliance between YES parties on independence has vastly more credibility than speculating about Westminster deals with a unionist Labour party on more devolution.”
Common sense. Let us hope the SNP leadership understand this.
Common sense is in short supply in that party!
Even the SNP will surely notice the thinly veiled “alternative scenario” implicit in Mr Sillars’ statement. It is an existential “alternative scenario” for the party.
I am not so sure. The title of my blog tomorrow ‘Humza couldn’t sell a drink to a man dying of thirst in the desert.’
You only have to read the comments on Twitter, Facebook and the Rag to realize the SNP is in real trouble. A year in politics can seem like a lifetime and trust me Humza track record so far its a wonder if anyone is still a member of the SNP, 4k in donations for the last quarter even Sturgeon new that the SNP needed membership and donations.
The SNP leader still won’t listen and how do I know? Its simple they haven’t listened in the last 9yrs so why now, the only option is to rid ourselves of Humza Yousaf and to do it as quickly as possible and end the SNP/Green deal for good.
Humza doesn’t even have the good sense to realize that hes been setup by the very people he calls friends.
Great comment!
Its the party I feel sorry for the SNP is still a excellent party its the people who have ruined it. But when its gone who’ll take the people who destroyed it, no one.
Enjoyed your show today, keep them coming.
What nationalist leader in any country on 53% would say no to working with the Tories if it meant achieving Independence, if your reading this welcome to Scotland and our leader of the biggest pro-Indy party is Humza Yousaf and yes he said and meant it. Now he wants to work hand in hand with the better together crowd but not the Alba party, yes in the background I can hear the twilight zone.
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man.
It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.
It is the middle ground between light and shadow,
between science and superstition,
and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.
This is the dimension of imagination.
It is an area which we call . . . the Twilight Zone.
You’re traveling through another dimension,
a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind;
a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.
That’s the signpost up ahead– your next stop . . . the Twilight Zone!
You’re traveling through another dimension,
a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind;
a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.
Next stop . . . the Twilight Zone!
You unlock this door with the key of imagination.
Beyond it is another dimension- a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind.
You’re moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas.
You’ve just crossed over into . . . the Twilight Zone.
As the next Westminster election draws nearer and nearer Humza Yousay will only get worse and I’m afraid it won’t be 20+ MP it’ll be all of them, he that bad and thing are that worse.
They will never join a YES Alliance with the @albaparty they would be too afraid of sharing power with a party that is totally opposed to GRR and the Stonewallian input on our children’s sex education but most of all the determination of the Alba Party and the wider YES Movement to totally end London Colonial Rule Pete Wishart would need to take valium along with several if not all of the SNP MPs.
The comment that the SNP will not listen to anyone, be it a Jim Sillars or Alex Salmond, or anyone else who would seek to unite the independence vote, is I think, an absolutely accurate criticism.
Maybe a small example but I recently spoke with a long term city councillor who I’d know for decades but had not spoken to in yonks having moved away. On learning that I was no longer a member of the SNP after 40 years our councillor went into hostile overdrive when I told him that I thought the SNP had lost its way, was focussed on the wrong things, had become undemocratic.
How could I think such a thing. Have you joined that scum bag Alex Salmond or that shower of bastards that call themselves Alba. We’re best rid of them was his tenor. And if your issue is the GRR our man was even more hostile. In my face he was sorry pal but I’m for equality and proud of it – unlike it seems myself.
Clearly Salmond, Alba, and others not in the SNP tent was the SNP’s mortal enemy, As part part of the Sturgeon woke set, independence was no longer the issue for him. Quite how pygmies like him, and I use that description regretfully, have swallowed the doctrine of the clique of control, I do not know.
Moreover, convinced that the current fall in SNP support was a short term blip, that the SNP were the god given chosen party of the people. we parted company on the grounds of good to see you, hope you keep well.
But you know what, there are many more like him in the SNP, and frankly, they need to be replaced with a coalition alliance for independence.
They do sound more and more like the Labour Party in Scotland, don’t they? Judging by the 2021 Holyrood election, the SNP will spend most of their energy attacking other pro-indy groups and leave the unionist parties to reap the rewards.