I am still reeling from the Supreme Court judgement. Not by the actual judgement, that was wholly predictable. I am stunned at the SNP reaction or should I say inaction in the aftermath of the decision. It now seems that Ms. Sturgeon and her inner circle were caught unawares by the judges deliberations.
It was apparent from the moment Ms Sturgeon gave her first interview to the British media she was totally unprepared for the outcome delivered. Was she the only person in the entire UK to be caught out this way?
She said she would ask the SNP’s national executive to convene a special party conference in the new year to discuss detail of the de facto referendum plan, and in the meantime the party would launch “a major campaign in defence of Scottish democracy.”
By Sunday even the in-house uber loyal National newspaper was urging haste, not more delay.
I have never believed the hype around her being a captive of the British spooks. She is in my opinion just not capable of seeing the big picture or of strategic thinking or basic planning. It is a classical case of someone promoted way above their abilities. Being a second in command is probably her zenith. Delivering the message is her forte, thinking what that message should be or implementing the policy is beyond her competence.
Not just in this instance has that been apparent, look at all the missteps in her tenure. It is obvious to anyone that has held a serious position in commerce, the military or politics she is neither a strategist nor a person with an eye for detail.
I know for certain other political parties held informal and formal meetings prior to the judgement to formulate their responses to any outcome! Positions were debated and agreed, the messaging likewise and the messengers too. Others were told if approached by the media refer them to such and such, only say the bare minimum. Meanwhile, numerous SNP MPs, MSPs officials were all giving different answers to the same media questions. Confusion reigned!
While the SNP were dithering and offering a vague we will hold a meeting to decide our position now that the ground has moved, sometime in 2023. Others had already booked venues and within minutes of the Supreme Court verdict were already attacking the lack of democracy and advertising the date and location of a special conference and inviting the public to attend too!
We have been told for years now to Wheesht for Indy, Nicola has a plan! Those of us that disputed this were of course, attacked and abused by the Nicola fan club. Even now there are still many banging the Wheesht drum. Cognitive Dissonance is an epidemic in those that still believe the Sturgeon has a plan myth!
To me what is obvious is that she reacts to the moment and the topic of the day. She never seems to see the pitfalls or upsides in her populist pronouncements. Today, I can announce… a not for profit state owned energy company, free school meals for all children. I will call a Scottish Constitutional Convention! All initiatives said to meet the moment none of them ever planned or implemented properly if at all. Usually said by Nicola to fill the moment at conference, to get some applause or just said to get out of a tight spot. All later just disappear without warning. I have accused her before of being a bandwagon politician. #Metoo #Peoplesvote #transrights #Ukrainewar.
She told us after the December 2019 election she would call the Constitutional Convention she didn’t do that, so how can we be sure she will call this Special Conference next year? Answer we don’t know! As we say in Glasgow, “she says more than her prayers that one!”
All of those topics she jumped headlong into without gaming the consequences or properly assessing the different outcomes. It gave her a ‘today’s limelight and momentarily relevance without thinking through the consequences of her actions.That it seems is all that matters to her, not how it will be seen or what will be the fallout. Is there an upside what is the downside. It seems nobody in the SNP hierarchy ever says, What if?
On #metoo we know what she attempted to do to get a moment in the headlines. We have to ask did she ‘game’ all the outcomes? It wouldn’t seem so, again after a court gave her a decision she neither wanted nor expected she was caught unprepared, I surmise she had written a wonderful speech about the personal agonies she had endured when she took the difficult decision to try and falsely imprison her mentor and “friend.” All about her of course! When the court threw out the absurd charges, she then compounded her stupidity with more idiocy. She denied, she lied. She blamed others, she couldn’t recall, she would have to check her diary, her notes, she wasn’t even there, nobody told her. Lie after denial, after lie! Maybe in Bute House it should be known as #me,me,me
Had she been a thinker, a strategist she could have turned it all to her advantage. Post verdict she could have expressed her delight that her friend had been found innocent of all charges. She then could have said much as it pained her to do this it was imperative in the interests of justice she had no alternative. The kudos that would have flowed from that would have made her Saint Nicola of Assisi. The upside would have been immeasurable the downside, non-existent! Her stature would have been raised to god like status. There would have been no split in the movement or party. There would be no Alba Party, no ISP. She would also have had the best politicial brain and political strategist in the UK in her team. Indeed, I expect we would be independent by now!
#People’s Vote in England yet another huge error of judgement. Instead of spending nearly three years traipsing around England trying to reverse the democratic will of the English people she should of course, been using the chaos and feelings regarding the EU to advance our cause. However, it got her more limelight and on the big telly in England! What she nor her ‘advisors’ (I use that term lightly!) thought about was how it played with the SNP/Indy base.This further split the movement between those who wanted to take advantage of the chaos in England to push the case for Scottish independence and those from the Wheesht for Indy mob!
#Transrights This has to be the biggest mistake ever! It is now obvious nobody in Sturgeon’s inner circle played Devil’s Advocate when this insanity and biology denial was being proposed by Stonewall and Mermaids. Even now with the UN Rapporteur exposing the dangerous flaws in this legislation, Ms Sturgeon keeps on regardless. Just yesterday for the first time ever she finally admitted, Self-ID could indeed be a danger to women and girls! Apparently women’s concerns are valid after all! Will she though halt the Bill? All it took was one woman to call her out and she reacted in the moment admitting after the years of denial that yes some abusive men might use the legislation to get access to women! Her characteristics exposed again!
This admission was once again her showing her for the moment characteristics! She reacts in the instant never thinking long term or strategising all the possible outcomes.
#Ukrainewar The independence movement has always been a peace movement. Like our Irish cousins neutrality and unilateral disarmament have been tenets of our movement. We have always adopted that position in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Serbia in all conflicts we are resolute.In the case of Serbia in 1999, we openly condemned the UK and NATO action. Our then leader knew he would incur the wrath of the jingoistic English media and elite. Unlike our present SNP leader, he was more interested in what was right and what was wrong as opposed to gaining popularity in England!
Alex Salmond criticised Britain’s involvement in NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia, describing the bombing as an “unpardonable folly.” He was right as events since have shown! The foreign media praised him, and his bravery for speaking out, as expected the English/UK media vilified him.
,https://www.irishtimes.com/news/bombing-unpardonable-folly-says-salmond-1.168443
Our FM’s character cannot abide criticism or dissension. She instead played to the popular Russophobic jingoism in England. She not only joined in the warmongering she agreed to £65 mil of Scottish taxes being sent to finance the Ukrainian war machine. With a few exceptions this runs contrary to the wishes of independence supporters. She chose English approval over the wishes of the core support.
Everyone one of these controversial areas of policy have divided our movement. It begs the question which of these topics #metoo #transrights #peoplesvote #Ukraine actually has a direct bearing on our quest for independence? The answer is, of course, none of them. Not one of these policies edges us even an inch closer to independence. In reality they have all damaged and delayed our move towards independence.That cannot be denied!
Indeed, each and every one of these divisive initiatives could only ever benefit Nicola Sturgeon, never Scotland. None of them assist Scotland in extracting itself from the undemocratic British union! Even then each of these matters has been badly handled. No strategic thinking has gone into these topics. Everything it seems is done on the hoof! That is not good enough for our cause. We need a strategist, not a populist especially one that doesn’t know what is populist and what is toxic!
It all reminds me of the saying, Piss poor planning, makes for piss poor performance!
The only plan that Sturgeon could have had in place was to prevent Scottish independence and destroy the yes movement. Alternatively, Sturgeon is totally useless as an independence leader. Nobody can be that useless so I think she does have a plan and it is to prevent independence.
Either way she should be long gone by now.
Has she made a correct call on anything at all ? If she was simply incompetent then the chances are that there would be a few correct calls on various issues along the way. This record is beyond incompetent, it cannot be anything other than consistently making deliberate wrong and damaging choices. This does not necessarily mean that she is somehow under the control of the british state, but it does mean that the decisions being made are deliberate. Next case in point, decision (pre 2023 conference on the subject) to use the next Westminster election as a de-facto referendum, with the dual success criteria of a majority of seats and votes cast. And the result of the de-facto referendum will determine , no, not our independence, but merely the right to hold a referendum, FFS.
If that is not a deliberate attempt to fail to deliver anything at all, then I don’t know what would be. The whole “leadership” cabal needs to resign, right now.
“Today, I can announce… a not for profit state owned energy company, free school meals for all children. I will call a Scottish Constitutional Convention! All initiatives said to meet the moment none of them ever planned or implemented properly if at all. Usually said by Nicola to fill the moment at conference, to get some applause or just said to get out of a tight spot.”
There there was the “not for profit Scottish Energy Company” that never saw the light of day , just a big another big pronouncement at Her keynote speech at Conference to keep Her subjects worshipping. All kneel at the Court of Queen Nicola. https://youtu.be/8Y14nLy_kjY?t=26
Best analysis and assessment I have read – history also helpful. Thank you
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/thai-temple-left-without-any-monks-after-they-all-fail-drug-tests/ar-AA14JKLF?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=56391f2f1ffe4649b47c345fd16b97ca
Perhaps we could write our own similar headline “SNP left without any point for existing after SNP politicians all fail Independence credibility tests” ?
She talks a great job, but at-the-end-of-the-day, she’s just plain-lazy at every imaginable level. The ideal figurehead for those pulling the levers behind the throne, whoever they might be.
I call for a vote of no confidence.
How embarrassing we as a nation have allowed this charade to go on for eight years.
🐼🐼🏴🏴
No, there were no plans whatsoever, except to cling on to power at Holyrood, I’m afraid, Roddy. By 2015, the SNP was well on the way to being totally captured. By 2016/17, the ‘woke ‘parasitical infiltration was complete. From 2015 onwards, there was little to no chance of regaining our independence under the SNP. We will not get independence unless we understand what it is we are up against, and that is that the SNP, Holyrood and Scotland were all chosen quite deliberately as the starting point for the assault against the UK as a whole, albeit the Tories at Westminster did attempt to bring in GRA reform but were unsuccessful owing to the outcry. Three distinct groups exist within the SNP/Green coalition: a) the devolution-in-perpetuity/go-slow merchants; b) the ‘cosy slippers’/golden pension merchants; and, c) the wokerati/’trans’ warriors. All three combine to prevent independence from happening, but, while the first two elements can be ‘persuaded’ to an extent by the threat of losing their seats, the third element is immovable in its game plan. Independence is not going to happen until these people are dragged, kicking and screaming, out of the party, because, essentially, they are the real stumbling block to independence and will do what it takes to see their agenda through to the end – which is to ‘queer’ our society and turn everything on its head. Removing Nicola Sturgeon and her high heid yins will do little to stop their march. They have parasitically infiltrated every public institution and every public service, even the police and civil service, teaching unions, et al. Their tentacles have spread outwards to every conceivable part of our society – and still so few actually see what is happening. Most people want to be decent people, and they simply confuse the transsexuals/body dysmorphic (a handful) with the bulk of this movement, the ‘trans’ warrior activists, men’s rights activists and porn-sick fetishists who want to remove all female spaces and rights. Behind them are the billionaires who are looking to extend their money-making enterprises into all areas of technological/pharmaceutical/prosthetic/medicinal/pornography, etc. industries, which together, and often, individually, outdo the military industrial complex, which these billionaires also have their fingers stuck into, as well. This fight is an existential one for both women and Scots, and for Scottish women who want independence, it is a double whammy of adversity. If we don’t unite against this vile takeover, we are all finished, and life will become one endless Pride Rally and rainbow flags as far as the eye can see. That so many people still don’t get it, both amazes and deeply worries me.
The SNP’s lack of preparedness for the so called Supreme Court decision is hard to take.
The “we’ll talk about it next year” ( among ourselves ) stuff is nothing short of a F*** You to independence supporters.
You’re quite the nasty wee conspiracy-theorist…arent you Mr. McLeod.
MacLeod actually, and I think the phrase you meant to write was truth teller!
If you can identify a single inaccuracy I will correct it.
Bet you can’t!
Dead easy actually but you don’t have the guts to publish it.
“It now seems that Ms. Sturgeon and her inner circle were caught unawares by the judges deliberations”
It was already published in the Scotland Act 2016 that the SNP signed that matters of the Constitution lay with Westminster alone so are you seriously trying to suggest the whole SNP organisation and all its Lawyers and Sturgeon (A Lawyer Herself by profession) didn’t already understand this ?
Of course Sturgeon and the whole SNP knew this but the they have been promising pretendy refs every year since 2014 , so this year with it wearing a bit thin they had to put the blame on others for it not happening after all. Sturgeon and the SNP’s favourite Aunt Sally to take the blame of course had to be WM by forcing the issue to the Supreme Court to produce the only legal answer possible that the SNP and Sturgeon already knew anyway, but instead of them taking the blame as always its WM’s fault and the gullible multitudes in the Yes movement all start gnashing their teeth at WM instead of the SNP. What really should be happening is the Yes Movement understanding the law instead of trying to deny it and start asking themselves why Sturgeon and the SNP ever allowed it to go to the Supreme Court in the first place because the only outcome was always known. It wasn’t the Yoon’s the SNP and Sturgeon were trying to manipulate.It’s only a matter of time though till the penny drops and the wider Indy Movement finally understands they were deliberately Lied to by the SNP.
” Sturgeon knew, long before the court published its decision, what it would say. The Scotland Act is quite clear on where the power to run a referendum lies.But the First Minister got what she wanted out of this charade. She got fuel for the nationalist grievance machine.” https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/dishonest-rhetoric-just-shames-nicola-sturgeon-euan-mccolm/ar-AA14AMio?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=85e62b2ee21d41bcb706d9e22baf0230&fbclid=IwAR0k5J632BvUBCl8KtG9Ov5kdVZLydf6ao-c-14o3mtK87r93KWji1wN31g
https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-first-minister-is-a-liar/
Anent the increasing concern about the SNP’s stuttering progress towards independence, I wrote to my constituency SNP MSP suggesting a change of policy and leadership.
The tone and absence of content in his response shocked me – not what I expected from my Member of Parliament.
Perhaps others may judge whether my answer to him was warranted.
E-mail to MSP
As one of your constituents, and a former member of the SNP, I have campaigned actively for you and local council councillors and candidates in recent elections, all on the understanding that you were committed to, and would work for, the restoration of independence to Scotland.
The reason that I am no longer of the party, which I joined in 1997, is because of the patent lack of preparation and strategic action on the part of the SNP leadership and its elected members, coupled with the “reforms” of the party’s structure and policy formation.
Regrettably, responsibility lies at the door of the party leader, in whom I once confidently placed my trust. MPs and MSPs must share that responsibility, in as much as they continue to accept Ms Sturgeon’s misdirection.
Following the First Minister’s lacklustre response to the recent London judgement, it is clear to an increasing number of voters that the SNP is simply not up to the job and that the cause of independence is hopelessly compromised.
For the sake of the country, and for the party entrusted to be the flagship of its independence, I urge you in the strongest terms to replace Ms Sturgeon as party leader and First Minister.
MSP’s response
Alba are currently polling at 1%, and have no elected elected MSPs or Councillors .
The 2 MPs are extremely unlikely to be re-elected.
I can’t agree with your suggestion .
My answer
I acknowledge your very prompt reply to my recent e-mail. However, I was appalled by the obvious contempt with which you treated my communication. In short, I was disgusted that any MSP could reply to a constituent in such a manner.
You made no reference whatsoever to the content of my e-mail; instead, you gave your opinion on the electoral prospects of the Alba party.
Nowhere had I mentioned Alba. I wrote as a constituent, no longer a member of your party but a voter in support of it (as were the vast majority of those who terminated their memberships} and a long campaigner for independence.
As it happens, I agree with your assessment of Alba’s electoral prospects as they stand today , bearing in mind that it took eleven years for the SNP itself to secure an MP, and that at a bye-election with the seat lost again after a few months. It was a further twenty-two years before the party managed to repeat another short-lived bye-election success. But I believe that the impetus stimulated by Alba will certainly gather momentum in the coming months.
It is a matter of considerable regret to me that it was felt necessary by the wider independence movement to create Alba and the ISP and to spawn a number of pressure groups such as SSRG, the Scottish Currency Group, Salvo and Liberation as well as many on-line publications to compensate for the perceived shortcomings of the SNP.
The SNP is identified by the mass of the electorate as the party of independence, but for an increasing number it is losing credibility. My dearest wish is for the party to recover its soul and fundamental purpose and demonstrate by its actions that alternative actors are redundant.
Your reply to me indicates that this is a forlorn hope, and that the quality of many MSPs at Holyrood leaves much to be desired. You, personally, have certainly forfeited my vote and I am sure that this will be the response of those with whom I share this correspondence. I find it hard to believe that you are blind to the scale of disenchantment with the party and the fact that your tenure as an MSP, and that of your colleagues, is most likely to be very short-lived.
Scott,thank you for your comment. The reply you received was truly shocking and sadly indicative of the once great party we all supported and worked for tirelessly, some of us over decades. They have now become an obstacle to our independence, not a vehicle for it!
Roddy apologies – my original had paragraph spacings. Please delete.