Although I first joined the SNP in 1968, I didn’t become active till the 1970s. Then I campaigned in Council, Regional, Westminster and European Elections. Our expectations in most of these contests in the Central belt where I lived was to beat the Liberals or Tories into second or third place. I have stood for Council a few times always as a paper candidate except on one occasion in 1979 as a serious candidate. Fortunately, for the voters, the council and the party, I came in second to a Liberal.
I have been an Election Agent, held every office in the branch and constituency except Convenor, Secretary or Treasurer. I wish I had a £1 now for every folk night, race night, dance and ceilidh I have been at to raise funds for the cause.I have sold tens of thousands of football cards and pontoon cards. I really would love to know how many leaflets I have delivered or how many doors I have knocked on behalf of the cause. I certainly have been told to fuck off more times than I have ever been offered a cup of tea. I have done car cavalcades, street stalls and numerous town gala days.
Back in the 1970s the Unionists and Labour supporters, in particular, treated us with disgusting disdain. They loved nothing more than hurling insults at us, Tartan Tories, losers, you only got 5% or whatever. You will never win a council seat, a regional council seat, a Westminster seat. Your leader is a fool.You are a fool. We will always beat you. Why don’t you just shut up we are not interested in anything you have to say. It was relentless, it only made us all the more determined.
They told us we would never get a Scottish Assembly or a Scottish Parliament. We would never win a council or form an administration. In 1979 when Labour sold out Scotland over devolution those that had betrayed Scotland mocked the result, even although it was their own policy and cost them to be out of power at their beloved Westminster for 18 years.
Having the Tories rule over us and destroy our industries and communities was preferable to Labour Party than ceding even devolution to Scotland. Some things never change, the Union and Party before Scotland and Scots, it is the House-Jock Parties credo.
I couldn’t understand them then or now. That attitude is so self-defeating to them and theirs. Is their politics, so tribal that they prefer a downtrodden nation as long as it is not an independent Scotland?
Who can forget that Labour Party dullard Jimmy Hood MP. He was, a typical thick as mince Labour stalwart. Mr Hood said: “Even if the SNP was right and there was a grand, great thing at the end of the rainbow for the SNP and its debate for independence, I would still be against it.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/lanark–hamilton-east-mp-3145300
How does a person of any nation think like that? It exemplifies the colonial mindset of the House-Jock Parties and the Uncle Jocks that fly under the banner of English based parties. Even if Scotland and Scots, were to be better off he would still vote against it! That spineless creature is dead, sadly there are many like him on the benches of the Labour, Tory and Liberal Parties. That is to be expected they have given their allegiance to England and its overlordship of Scotland. As the bard said, ‘But pith and power, till my last hour,I’ll mak this declaration;We’re bought and sold for English gold-Such a parcel of rogues in a nation!
It has never been better described. I have special disdain for those of Scottish birth that join, vote or represent those English based parties. What kind of person acts against their own nation of birth?
No, you won’t ever win a council seat, well the SNP did and more than anyone else. Today there are just under 400 SNP Councillors throughout Scotland as well as another 23 Alba and other independence supporting councillors.
No, you won’t ever get an Assembly or Parliament. Well, as we all know in 1999 the Scottish Parliament reconvened.
No, you won’t ever be the largest Party at Holyrood and ever beat Labour. In May 2007 after the Holyrood Election the SNP under Alex Salmond became the largest party with 47 seats, Labour had 46.
No, you won’t last a full term as a minority government. Well, they did and made such a grand job of it that the people of Scotland rewarded them with a majority in the next election.
No, you won’t ever win a majority at Holyrood, it is impossible.Again they were wrong that is exactly what Alex Salmond and the SNP achieved a landslide ‘impossible majority with 69 seats.
No, you won’t ever have a referendum.Well of course, we know that in September 2014 we did indeed hold a referendum. We didn’t win but Alex Salmond took us to within five points of freedom.
No, you won’t survive as a, party after losing the referendum. As we all know in the election of 2015 the SNP won 56 out of 59 seats.
Every time they have told us No you can’t /won’t /don’t.The Scottish people have proved them wrong. Sadly now for independence supporters, it is not the Unionists, saying, No, you can’t. It is the SNP and their supporters, saying that to other independence supporters of The Alba Party.
No, you won’t ever win a Council seat or control a council. No, you won’t ever win a Holyrood or Westminster election. No, you won’t ever win a Westminster seat.
I am truly able to say I have seen and heard it all before.The youngsters of SNP and their grifters that arrived post the referendum trying to tell us all these same things is a waste of their time and ours too. Like the vast majority of the 6,000 members of Alba we know what it takes to win. We know how to campaign and win. We know how to fund raise and win on a shoestring. We know that Scotland depends on us to finally break the Westminster link. While the SNP faithful attack independence supporters the House-Jocks and Tories are ready to dismantle Scotland’s democracy. Now we have Nicola Sturgeon siding with the union to stop peaceful, lawful protest outside our Parliament! When asked the question ‘Are you British?’ she answers, ‘Yes I am!’
As Nicola Sturgeon concerns herself more with Stonewall points and getting four year olds to change their gender the patriots of Scotland are organising. While Pension Pete eyes up that English Speakers Chair, the independinistas of Scotland are planning to remove English rule from Scotland. Pete better say farewell to his Tory hunting and shooting pals. There will be no room in the New Scotland for that nonsense. The land will be put to the use of the people not the privileged. So be you Unionists or Sturgeonites don’t tell us No, we can’t, because be assured Yes, We Can! and We Will!
Brilliantly up-lifting article, Roddy. Thank you.
Great stirring stuff for a Sunday morning Roddy.
‘We know what it takes to win’. Yes and the economic consequences of Brexit will increasingly show that, but the economic reasons for independence run much deeper and wider than just Brexit. The problems with the UK’s economy are systemic and long term. Electricity is just one example.
UK –
‘Gas prices surged by more than 70% in August alone, and the shock has sent energy companies and heavy industrial firms out of business. Households could see energy bills jump by as much as £400 in a year’.
‘In the UK, the gas price increase has led to record electricity market prices too, because the UK relies on gas-fired power plants to generate almost half its electricity. Low wind speeds have reduced the UK’s renewable energy generation, and a string of problems at UK power plants and a major cable connecting the UK to France have forced market prices higher.’
https://archive.is/1ojL9
Scotland –
‘Provisional figures indicate that in 2020, the equivalent of 97.4% of
Scotland’s gross electricity consumption was from renewable sources’.
https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/statistics/2018/10/quarterly-energy-statistics-bulletins/documents/energy-statistics-summary—march-2021/energy-statistics-summary—march-2021/govscot:document/Scotland+Energy+Statistics+Q4+2020.pdf
‘Scotland is also a net exporter of electricity, and in 2020 31.8TWh of renewable electricity was generated in Scotland. This is the equivalent of powering all households in Scotland for almost three and a half years.’
https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/renewable-energy-scotland-SAC-report/index.html?utm_source=committees.parliament.uk&utm_medium=referrals&utm_campaign=renewable-energy-scotland&utm_content=organic
Yet despite this, the price of electricity in Scotland will now jump and act as a subsidy to the UK due to rising costs that affect our neighbours. To run salt in, Scotland is also charged a huge amount to connect to the UK electricity grid – https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E8BqSA8WUAYT2qe?format=jpg&name=small
Despite having the financial means to invest in long term energy provision (and much more besides) before such a situation arose, the ‘UK’ chose not to – https://archive.is/AH2hT
Ian, agree wholeheartedly.
I only wish the 2014 No voters are getting the message now.
2014 fighting spirit💪Wonderful!!
Here’s James Hood along with his fellow Parcel of Rogues
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8e3jzjradqft578/Parcel-of-Rogues.mkv?dl=0
Roddy … love the article. ..
Ian … Great information was only talking about that yesterday…. and the mince that is Scotland being linked into the English grid 25 years ago
Great piece. SNP are now the ones mocking and jeering those who put independence at the forefront. The Holyrood exclusion zone move says it all.
The fundamental difference between the political class and the YES movement is in who they are fighting for.
Those in the Independence fight are doing it for other Scots and the Scots to come. They are doing it for those not yet born. They are doing it to give people a better future.
The political class live in the short term world of the Party position and influence.The Party is the centre of their World.
The Scots awakened in 2014. We do not want New Labour replaced by NuSNP. We don’t want a select few telling us what we want.
We want a fair society shaped by the Sovereign People of Scotland.
Hood and Sturgeon are not that different. Their position is to “tell” instead of “listen”
Politicians are supposed to represent – We The People. Strange how easily they forget that.
I think the mindset of Sturgeon is much, much worse than Hood. She destroyed Democracy within a Party. She detests debate and of people giving an opinion. An FM who is more interested in her reputation than the Citizens of Scotland is a serious obstacle to a better future.
One day we will have those who put Nation before Party and self.
Well said that man, Alba it is for me, I shall not vote for Sturgeon the Betrayer of Scots again, as for unionist parties at Holyrood I’ll never understand why they are allowed to stand in Scotland, when they have a foreign countries interests at heart. Anyone remember the (Willie) Bain Principle.
Back in May,after voting Alba, I quietly wondered for a few days if I had done the right thing. It was not to last. Hearing a succession of bitter, twisted and toxic attacks from certain SNP politicians and members who ought to have known better quickly convinced me 100% that I had done the right thing. Hell mend em.
Great article Roddy, tell me how we get the message out? I post all your Iain’s, Bruce’s articles on facebook. I’ve had one like, and that was from a friend who lives in England. How do we get it through the Sturgeonites thick brains that the SNP party is the party destroying Scotland’s quest for independence. We will be free. Saor Alba.