This week there were many stories that Through A Scottish Prism could have debated. We had resignations aplenty including the despot herself calling it a day. We had the good news that Fergus Ewing passed SNP vetting. We heard that the wife of the late English Nationalist John Smith had claimed over £30,000 in HOL expenses yet has never spoken once in 26 years of being a bought Jock in that undemocratic cesspit on the Thames!
We had the SNP holding a council seat in a by-election and of course there was Starmer and Lammy of “men can grow a cervix” fame trying to start a war with Russia. All of that we viewed as secondary to the biggest Scottish news in years. The Salvo/Liberation grouping announced that Scotland’s decolonization process has begun with the submission of Scotland’s case to the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization.
This is just early days in the process however it is a huge and positive step forward for our movement after 10 years of stagnation. We invited Professor Alf Baird to discuss with us the processes, the timescales and the possible outcomes over this bold move.
Later the panel of Allan Petrie, Phil Boswell, Eva Comrie and Lloyd Quinan give us their opinions on what this means for Scotland, its cause and its people. We ask if this can be the catalyst to bring about the much needed unity our movement needs. Can the SNP remain oblivious to this?
We know that no matter the success of the Salvo moves at the UN we need an electoral event to solidify any UN ruling.We have seen over the centuries how Perfidious Albion ignores international laws and democracy. This time we debate if even the sleekit Brits can avoid acceptance of Scotland’s legal and democratic wishes should the international community decide in our favour?
Join us in the discussion and please help us to spread the message regarding this monumental move. You can be assured the UK media in the Scottish colony and beyond will not be reporting on this. It will be down to us, the Scottish People to ensure our fellow Scots and the rest of the world are made aware of this legal challenge at the UN.
Saor Alba gu brath.
Excellent Prism. fantastic talk there, Alf. The panel and you spot on, Roddy. Lloyd is right that we need to be careful of the Uncle Toms in our midst when he spoke of the Catalans and Basques undermining, internationally, their own national movements. The SNP has done little else but undermine our national movement, and I would trust them just about as far as I could throw them.
One of the biggest issues of 2014 on the doorstep was the issue of legality. I was told so many times that Scotland had burned its boats legally with the Treaty, I was pulling out my own hair in despair. The constitutional issue has always been a huge one for me, and, after the Crawford and Boyle argument was mooted, it became an even more important issue. So many people, both south of the border and up here, and who should know better, are convinced that we were absorbed into a Greater England with the Treaty. Absolute rubbish! So much that we are subjected to by Westminster and Whitehall is ultra vires and illegal. Yes, a political result again would be the backup to the constitutional issue, and vice versa.
Our resources? Let us imagine that the oil and gas were ours alone, without Westminster interference: imagine what we could have done with those resources if they had been ours alone. Imagine that, as they began to wane and climate change began to become an issue, how much more quickly and efficiently we could have invested in our universities to find new energy resources and to convert them for long-term use. Why Scottish Unionists are so hostile to the realization of our own potential is a mystery to me; the rUK migrants, I can at least understand if not condone one bit, because they are self-interested. Scottish Unionists are cutting their off their noses to spite their own faces. The pooling of resources sounds fair until you compare the population sizes of the UK, and England will always claim the lion’s share.
Apart from that, there does seem to have been a concerted effort lately to not only talk down Scotland’s aspirations, but to actually punish Scotland and to de-industrialize on a scale only matched by the Thatcher era. Thatcher did as much damage to Northern England and the English Midlands as she did to Scotland and Wales, but, this time, both Scotland and Wales appear to be targeted to weaken their economies and destabilize devolution. The UK-wide framework was only ever meant to help England. Which brings us to another constitutional vote. Mr Salmond explained in 2014 that there simply had not been time to instigate a Scots-born and time lived vote, but, this next time, we need to be ready and the whole franchise worked out to be implemented on the day. I must admit that I have not always supported a limited franchise, but 2014 was an eye-opener and it should have been a hard lesson learned well.
Yes Lorn, a colonized people cannot afford to play fast and loose with their stolen sovereignty, which they must reclaim, and from who else but their colonizer.
Alf, will this process of getting self-determination for Scotland, affect the colonial status of Wales, do you think? Are UN likely to ask Wales if they are in a consensual relationship with England, especially given UN will know by then that England lied to them in the 50’s (1956 was it?) about the fact Scotland IS NOT in a consensual partnership with England or anything remotely like it? And that both Scotland and England were colonised mainly through military means? I’m sure Wales would appreciate knowing where they stand too with regards to UN’s thoughts, when the time comes that they give their decision re Scotland’s case.
I know this is about Scotland. But I’d like to think this whole case does something for Wales too, as I know a LOT of Welsh folks feel as we do, now.
Yes, there is nothing to stop the Welsh people similarly forming a national liberation organisation and petitioning the UN as Liberation.scot has now done. There is plenty of literature and evidence on England’s colonization of Wales (and of Ireland). What the people need do is acknowledge that independence means decolonization and recognise that the UN has a committee (C-24) dedicated to that purpose:
https://www.waterstones.com/book/wales-the-first-and-final-colony/adam-price/ioan-roberts/9781784615925
Thank you, Alf. Though I’m Scottish myself, I have many Welsh friends who are really worried about continuing to live under the austerity measures of WM. Some are frighted about their future and they need some hope. I’m sure your words will give them that hope – they’re watching & waiting to see how Scotland’s case progresses. But – I’m sure your words can help them prepare & show the way. I need to see if I can get hold of a copy of that book! I know a bit about Welsh history, having learned a little through doing my Family Tree. But I’d love to know more. Thank you again, Alf. Your response has been so helpful. 🙂
The popularization of the colonisation issue amongst the Scottish people and internationally! No wonder the metropolitan media and its Scottish ciphers have greeted the Liberation initiative with silence. Wouldn’t you too be forced to remain embarrassingly schtum, If your defence was patently riddled with time-honoured learned lies and baseless pro-colonial rhetoric?
Yes, it was an EXCELLENT show this week (it is ALWAYS good, but…) with the explanations of what is happening and easy to understand. Not so easy to accept – that we are being seriously wiped out as a people! But the positivity & the excitement to move forward, using liberation’s endeavours to start the process of Independence, is indeed a step forward in reclaiming our country. I hate to think what Scotland will become, if we don’t make this work. It seems we’re a long way down the colonial road! And it feels like we’re further than I think, given now our infrastructure is being torn down & other infrastructure WE DON’T WANT, is in the process of being erected (nuclear plants)! Not to mention Freeports.. We do REALLY have to get moving on Indy! And your Movement, Alf, is an brilliant ‘first step’! Thank you to you & all at Liberation.scot & SALVO.scot for putting in the hours and hours of research & study… WOW!
Thanks to Prof Alf for such a good explanation of the present situation & where the Claim for self-determination goes from here. A year for the final verdict? That’s a year to prepare! That’s a year to persuade, cajole, and get people signed up! Thanks Alf… thanks so much to the panel on the show, too! You’re thoughts are appreciated & made for, as I said, an excellent show! Your positivity & excitement will, I hope, infect a lot of people who weren’t sure what signing up to liberation.scot actually meant. Now they do. And just to say – your App sounds like it’s going to be VERY useful! You guys to are certainly putting in some hard work! Okay… LET’S DO THIS!
A jigsaw – perfect description, Roddy. Deliberately kept short – let me offer another potential piece by way of this extract from a F/book post of mine:
“The Declaration of a Sovereign Scot – its relationship with Salvo and Liberation? A question?
The Declaration Initiative began in 2020 – 2 years later Salvo appeared. In December 2022, and thanks to the late Ian Lawson’s blog, Sara Salyers and I made contact with each other – the thoughts we shared concluded with this comment from Sara:
‘ … if developments suggest that we should join forces later on, I would see that as a good thing!’
Are we now at a moment where, whilst different, and whilst maintaining those differences, should both initiatives now join forces?
The recent – hugely significant announcement – from Liberation, will perhaps begin to answer that question.”
(Extract ends.)
Consider:
Stage 1: For over 4 years now, individually signed Declarations have been lodged for safe-keeping (no more) with the Secretary General of the United Nations at the UN HQ in New York. Part of a continuous and still ongoing Stage 1 – averaging about 1 batch of signed Declarations each month over those 4 years.
Stage 2 has involved opening contact and correspondence with 18 individual UN Member States – all having a shared characteristic in that each was once a UK colony, but at differing periods, and where each by different methods eventually gained their independence.
Fact, 2 of those 18 are involved in C-24, but perhaps in a way more importantly the other 16 are not, but are more than fully aware of the Declaration initiative.
Final Stage: Not yet announced, but will be shortly – so if interested – suggest you watch this space.
However, please note one Salvo Hub is already taking part in the Declaration initiative.
That was a brilliant Prism Roddy with Alf Baird and the panel exuding exhilaration and positivity in moving forward
I posted this on twatter recently ,https://x.com/AX1git30069/status/1873409518828417384/photo/1
I had asked for assistance from anyone in getting it more widespread and downloadable for voters to fill in and send it through email or post to ALL their snp reps and John Swinney because I am not computer and internet savvy , I had asked (begged) Stuart Campbell to host it on WOS but he didn’t even respond, I also asked yourself in a comment but it appears to have disappeared
The only way to FORCE the snp to the table is to THREATEN their livelihood, some top troughers may make it through on the list vote but if their numbers are low the party may face bankruptcy and annihilation so their choices are limited
Can I suggest you write an article to accompany this and I will gladly publish and promote it.
Hi twathater.
It occurs to me that if you provide a link to a document that people can download then they will be more likely to download, edit, printout and send the letter.
As that will be a lot less effort for them than writing it out longhand by copying it from looking at their screen.
So my suggestion is to provide a .pdf file and a simple word document .doc
🙂
In Response to Mike Fenwick and his Declaration of a Sovereign Scot initiative, Mike Fenwick has put in the miles and the long hours of his initiative, and would like to thank Mike for his sterling efforts, regarding joining Mike’s efforts with Salvo/Liberation.scot l believe it can only make our case for Decolonisation stronger, both Mike and Sara Salyers should have a discussion on the subject,
Hear, hear, Robert.
Hear, hear! I agree, wholeheartedly! Mike has really put a lot of time and effort into his initiative and deserves kudos for that! And I’m sure that, if correlated & compared, we’d find a lot of signatures of Independence supporters that are not yet registered at liberation.scot and thus the actual member numbers could be quite a bit higher than the 17.5 thousand presently being suggested. I agree that combining Mike’s work with liberation.scot could make the case for Indy stronger and advantageous to each party!
I’ve yet to fill in one of Mike’s Declaration sheets, as I haven’t been able to get to any marches in a few years now, and I don’t think I’ll get there for awhile yet. But I’d love if there was a way to do it over my computer. (It’s not Mike’s fault I can’t get to marches to sign up – don’t want that misinterpreted). But would really like to do so & a digital method would be helpful, even if just a copy of a sheet is put up, to download, fill in & sent to you. Is it possible yet, Mike? Whatever, this Scot is grateful for your on-going project. Thank you, Mike.
And thanks to EVERYONE who is putting something into this project – liberation.scot, SALVO, Mike – Roddy… EVERYONE who has contributed. You’ve given us all hope & we sorely needed that just now. xx
My thanks to Robert and Lorn (above) for their posts, I hope they see that although I am using this post,so I may also offer my thanks to katielass42, and add these comments.
My first suggestion: Follow the link below and in particular scroll down to a post dated the 14th of February, the whole initiative has been built (very deliberately) in defined Stages – that post descibes the latest, and current, Stage. It also shows that a wider distribution of Declaration forms will be increasingly available all across Scotland, but now each will be numbered, another part of this Stage. There is method in my madness, honest.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070340354557
(Note: Somewhere on that page (with more scrolling than I would recommend) you will see what happened when both I and The National put download links on the internet – 1) they were abused within days, and 20 in about 10 days they were completely hacked – thus my touring of Scotland which continues – but now with help, thus that post of 14/02.)
Hope that helps for now – but via that link – you will find there is a lot more to come including a crucial final Stage!
One additional post from me – with a specific reference below to Roddy.
We have far more than hope imho – but it will take some, intelligent, strategic, tactical, hard graft – but the most critical factor a – Unity of Purpose – to regain Scotland’s independence.
For example, I suspect the ‘Campaigner'(?) App which Roddy has mentioned will have an important part to play.
Why do I say that? True in and of itself, but because of another post I made via the link I gave above, it reads:
“Remember when – Re-Framing – became a talking point?
When you see that a poll says it’s 50/50, here’s three simple re-framing thoughts.
As you walk somewhere/anywhere – on those stats – every second person you walk past is a Yesser!
As you walk down the street where you live – on those stats – every second house you pass is a Yes House!
As you drive somewhere – on those stats – every second vehicle you pass is being driven by a Yesser!”
Look forward to the App, Roddy.
Literally days away
@ a lurker TBQH I have produced a PDF file and a Word Doc file of the document but as I have said in my comment I am not computer or Internet savvy, I don’t know how to upload them to the Internet to make them available for download or for completing individually and sending them either through email to ALL the snp reps or posting them directly , I was hoping that the REAL independence sites would host downloadable forms at the side of their articles where anyone could access them, fill in their names and addresses to let the snp reps know that they are genuine voters and how angry and disappointed they are in the snp’s failure to progress indy and IF the snp did NOT acquiesce to OUR demands we will NOT vote for them, I know there are sites that irrespective of what the snp don’t do they will still vote for them but if we could get enough big numbers on the back of the SALVO Liberation.Scot Prism then enough FORCE might activate them
@twathater.
So an easy thing for you to do would be to register for a file sharing account.
Like e.g. google drive – most you have to pay a small monthly or yearly subscription for.
Upload the two files and set them to be publicly accessible.
Have a look at the Dropbox Free service.
Then, as a simple first step, you can add the URL link along with when you post a comment. 😉
Not too difficult even for a silver surfer like yourself!
Hope that helps. 😉
@ aLurker and Roddy thank you for that information I will attempt to get things moving