Through A Scottish Prism is back with its analysis and views on the Holyrood election.

We should look back to April 27, a mere 10 days before the ballot boxes opened. John Swinney was adamant that only “Both Votes SNP” would lock out the English Nationalist Reform Party but also guarantee an independence referendum. Indeed, he said he would call a vote seeking independence powers on the first day of the Scottish parliament even if he failed to win an overall majority. This was conveniently leaked by his aides, ensuring Swinney’s escape clause of plausible deniability at a later date when he fails to live up to his promises.

Fast forward to Tuesday of this week, the second day of the new Scottish parliament. All those both votes cast and 17 Reform MSPs elected with them and the independence words are no longer needed; well, not until 2031 anyway. John Swinney couldn’t wait to tell us that he and the UK Prime Minister (for now!) Keir Starmer had spoken by phone “to extend his congratulations on the SNP election victory. We discussed the cost of living issues faced by the public and the election of the largest number of MSPs committed to Scottish Independence.” Then came the telling sentence: “We agreed to meet next month for talks.”

You will all have noted John first mentioned that they had discussed the cost of living issues, then almost as an afterthought he says, and BTW, we have a multi-party pro-independence majority! Something that he never mentioned throughout the campaign. Something that he rejected at his party’s conference in autumn 2025 on that occasion, 43 SNP branches had placed a motion calling for an all-inclusive independence plebiscite election.’ The SNP democratically rejected all notions of unifying the movement in common cause. Something that the UK PM can use to reject the very notion of a Section 30.

Also the “on day one I will prepare a vote for independence” has been replaced with “I will talk to the UK PM next month!”

Surely, we should expect on every occasion the leader of the perceived leading independence party to be focused on independence not the cost of living as a priority? Why are you waiting a month to speak to our colonial masters placeman about our liberation? It should never be relegated to an afterthought or an item further down the agenda.

Every day on every topic the independence word and future should be deployed. Two days into this new dawn a few things are evident. The SNP failed on every single one of its  election objectives. “Both Votes will lock out Reform.” Well that failed completely; the research shows the exact opposite. All those 600,000+ SNP list votes did was ensure 17 Reform MSPs were elected.

Both Votes would guarantee an SNP majority; indeed, only a couple of weeks out, he told the colonial BBC he was confident of a majority.

The third pledge was that on day one he would put in place a vote to hold an independence referendum. Now he tells us he will talk to Starmer next month. Of course, if the English Labour PM is removed and a new English PM installed, he might just have what he believes to be bigger matters to attend to than the bloody Jocks! “Send them some beads and a few mirrors!”

The truth of the matter was, as always, the same: “Both Votes SNP” is not about attaining independence, it is to ensure that no other independence party ever gets a foothold and becomes a threat to the devolution-loving Swinney SNP! The independence votes ensure a good life for a lot of people within the SNP. Actually, uniting and improving the likelihood of independence could bring that very lucrative gravy train to a shuddering halt. Not just inside Holyrood but also all those NGOs full of placemen and women.

As the famous phrase goes: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” 

I, though, think what is more appropriate on this third occasion of the Both Votes SNP strategy is that the following saying is prominent for the next 5 years: “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me” What do we say about fool me thrice?

This was the main topic of our election special podcast. The panel of Eva Comrie, Terry Howson, and Ken McNeil discussed this and all aspects of the Alliance To Liberate Scotland  campaign and goals going forward.