In September the Alba Party decided to hold a live-in person Conference. The venue chosen was Greenock on the weekend of 11th & 12th September. Only a matter of days after this announcement was made by the Alba Party the SNP suddenly and without warning announced they would hold their ‘annual’ Conference on the same weekend. It would not be in person but a Zoom Call type Conference. SNP Delegates though had to stump up a hefty sum to participate. This angered many as there was no venue rental, and virtually no costs to hold this conference. I suppose though when you are £633,000 in a hole, needs must.
At that Conference as he has done for years now, Angus Brendan MacNeil attempted to get the SNP to discuss a Plan B strategy for independence.Sadly, for the fourth year running the SNP hierarchy wanted no discussion on alternative roads to independence. The Dear Leader had decreed sometime before her Gold Standard Section 30 Local Authority Electoral Roll Franchise was the only way forward. Boris Johnson could not ignore another mandate. Besides Nicola Sturgeon assured us she had time on her side.
As a life long campaigner for independence a few months short of my three score and ten I wish I could confidently say the same. Time is most certainly not on my side. Reading the SNP in house magazine The National, the public are meant to believe Indy Ref 2 is imminent. The latest date we have been given is late 2023. Carrots deployed it gives the SNP leadership around ten months before questions will be asked why no date or preparations are in hand.
As Alex Salmond demonstrated earlier this week no forward planning has or is being done to make this a reality.
He said Scottish Government preparations for independence are “paralysed on the starting blocks” after two Freedom of Information (FOI) responses shed some light on the work carried out so far.
The Government responses to the FOI requests indicate that no budget has been allocated, no estimates made of cost, and no briefings given to civil servants on how to move forward on a new white paper for independence.
This comes despite Nicola Sturgeon having said in early September that government work on a case for independence would begin “now”.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/19667233.nicola-sturgeon-panned-alex-salmond-lack-progress-independence/
This week The Alba Party announced that they would be holding their inaugural National Council in Dunfermline on the weekend of 27th November. This is the forum for the ordinary members and branches to voice their opinions and question the office bearers on topics of the members choosing. It is the democratic beating heart of the party.
As if by coincidence the SNP suddenly announced they will be holding a second Annual Conference only a few weeks after their last on line Annual Conference. Even more coincidental they are holding it on the same weekend as the Alba Party National Council. The reason the SNP cannot call their own National Council is because they abolished their own version in 2018. The leadership closed down that democratic forum to their members. They have also removed democracy from their NEC. It now is more difficult than ever for ordinary members to have a say inside the SNP. It is also virtually impossible to effect any change inside the party, but try you must!
What should also be noted by all the SNP members, and supporters is this tweet from Angus McNeil.
Yet again for the umpteenth time any discussion on routes to independence will not be debated by the alleged SNP Party of Scottish Independence. This is despite Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Alistair Jack, Douglas Ross and countless other imperialists all telling Sturgeon they will not allow her to have her Gold Standard Referendum. No amount of mandates will suffice.
That the SNP will not even allow a debate on alternative ways to independence should be revealing to even the most die hard devotee of Nicola Sturgeon. Nothing will change between now and 2023 to alter the English Tory view.
Now is the time for Nicola Sturgeon to call a Grand National Scottish Assembly. All the elected representatives of the sovereign Scottish people to be in attendance. Members of Civic Scotland, the Trade Unions, The Kirk, The Judiciary Then she must announce Scotland is withdrawing from the Treaty of Union. No more delays, no more excuses, no more whining at Westminster. We need action, not soundbites. During COP26 sounds the most beneficial time to take this action.
From being excluded Scotland suddenly becomes centre stage. Do not let this golden opportunity by pass Scotland. Act now and the entire Yes Movement will rally behind you. Delay or ignore and you will have possibly missed the best chance Scotland has ever had of leaving this accursed Union. Stop trying to play silly games with the Alba Party and face the big problem, Westminster intransigence. You alone hold the power to make independence happen. Make the move now before it is too late.
The “promise” of a referendum in 2023 will be to get the donkeys onside, once again, when then expected WM general election takes place in 2022. I hope Alba can build up support at that time because I’d really like to see Sturgeon’s lot fall like Labour did.
I doubt SNP will listen to you. They have become so inward looking and self interested.
I hope Alba can unseat there councillors, MSPs and MPs, then declare our independence.
Sturgeon has made such an arse of it, the only chance of Independence rests with a big uptake of voting for Alba.
A second Annual Conference you say. So, after 7 long years, the best that Nicola Sturgeon can do is copy Alex Salmond.
I think its patently obvious to many now (but not enough) that its not Westminster or Johnson or Gove which is stopping Scotland from ditching this rancid union, no its sturgeon the leader of a party whose remit it is to bring independence to Scots, that’s why we voted for her and her party in the first place.
What’s even more galling than Sturgeon betraying us is that bar one or two SNP MPs, the rest have hunkered down in their cushy salaried jobs watching from inside the party and Scotland nose dives towards the rocks.
Perhaps Sturgeon will take your advice – for her own sake. She must know that if she ducks once more she’s finished. The Alba Party will complete the job with a competent leader and committed politicians.
Now that’s wishful thinking!
Cult leaders never give up.
Great words Roddy, but I’m afraid Sturgeon has left the building. She’s off-ski, away tae the heady heights, where reality cannot intrude.
https://www.rt.com/uk/538507-scotland-oil-green-cop/
In my humble opinion she needs medical help
Totally agree, Roddy. What an opportunity for someone who is canny, committed to Independence and has the power to make a move. AS has the nerve and the acumen to take full advantage, but I fear NS will find an excuse to do nothing.
I could scream!
The worst thing that could happen is for Johnson to say get on with it. With 2014 questions unanswered , zero strategising and the local government franchise will take care of the rest. An unmitigated disaster without the GRA and hate crime garnish. Nothing less than a betrayal.
Now is the time for real SNP MPs , MSPs and any other elected officials to show themselves , this farce has gone on long enough and it is now getting past the point of no return for an Indy Scotland. Sturgeon Sturgeon and her crew have to be challenged from within , it is not a mutiny when the Captain has nothing in mind except how to avoid combat and have unquestioning support. Whether it is cowardice in the face of the enemy , failing to support other ships , injustice to the men or lacking the foresight that all leaders have to have , it’s all there and I’m afraid she is our own Captain Queeg. She has to go.
So still lots of whining about being losers going on , the SNP promised the last Referendum would be Once in a Lifetime /or Once in a Generation neither time period has passed yet so who knew ? People that don’t stick to their promised end up just not being trusted ever again. This was so well documented that the SNP published it in all the hard copies of “Scotlands Future” https://youtu.be/Kcd12WvV570?t=11
Angus McNeil knows very well there won’t ever be a plebicite Election , its complete lunacy and the EU itself would never accept it but Angus knows its another Lunatic idea he can sell to all the completely clueless rockets that beleive every single thing that they are told. If Angus was serious about anything he would leave SNP and move to Alba but he won’t because all that comes out his mouth is hot air BS , by making lost of noise about things that will never happen he is hoping he will keep his job after the next GE. (Cosy Slipper Pete Wishart will have no such luck as he only scraped in with about 6 votes last time , with Alba now in place Wishart and others are likely to be looking for new Jobs)
My god so many unionist tropes in one girning comment. Proof EU do not accept plebiscite election results? (Let me give you a clue PISH!) Plebiscite Elections are universally recognised method of democratic choice and nation recognition. The vast majority of nations that told UK to stick their evil corrupt empire up their hoop used such methods to escape the grasp of the mass murdering thriving Brits. As to the once in a generation nonsense, what individuals say in a election are sacrosanct? Where is the £325,000,000 for the NHS? Why are we not still in the Single Market? All said by Johnson during Brexit referendum. It should also be noted in the Good Friday Agreement the UK Government agreed ‘once in a generation’ equates to 7 years. So in future bring facts not unionist pish or do not bother returning. .