The phrase “When the facts change, I change my mind” is often attributed to John Maynard Keynes, though it’s also sometimes attributed to Paul Samuelson. This idea highlights the importance of adapting one’s opinions and conclusions in response to new information or changing circumstances. It emphasises intellectual humility and the willingness to reconsider established beliefs when presented with evidence that contradicts them.
This week in Scotland, two of England’s biggest English nationalists decided the Jockistanis needed to be put in their place. Sir Keir Starmer England’s Prime Minister was first to tell John Swinney and the SNP just who is boss in this union.Starmer has ruled out there being a Scottish independence referendum while he is prime minister.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25209775.no-independence-referendum-pm-says-keir-starmer/
He said, “nobody’s raising that with me as their first priority.” Well of course, not Keir you only have Britnats and Scottish collaborators talking to you.You wouldnt dare try to talk down to any true Scottish patriots.
What he also said about Swinney should make every supporter of Scottish independence sit up and take notice, “John Swinney has not asked me about holding a second independence referendum.”
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25210031.starmer-swinney-hasnt-asked-new-independence-vote/
Starmer has made it quite clear that he governs for England. He has claimed that Labour are “the true party of English patriotism” and said he has no time for those who “flinch” at the displaying of the St George’s Cross.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24268938.keir-starmer-says-labour-true-party-english-patriotism/
That is fair enough. Personally, I wish we had a leader in Scotland that was as forthright in his views about our nation. Unfortunately, we have John Swinney who ties himself to every policy and statement that comes out of Number 10. He supports British foreign policy in Ukraine, is silent about British involvement in the Palestine genocide.
Instead of distancing himself from British domestic and foreign policy, John embraces them and promotes them. His reward is to be slapped down in public by our imperial masters First Lord of the Treasury to give him his true English title Starmer in effect said, “Get back in your box Jockos!”
The second slapdown came from the man who may just be the next English First Lord of the Treasury, Nigel Farage. He has been branded a “dangerous clown” after hinting he would scrap the Scottish Parliament’s funding mechanism if he won power in Westminster. His grassroots in the ultra English nationalist Reform Party want Devolution scrapped, and direct rule brought back.
Remember, it is supposed to be a union of equals, yet the leader of the ruling party in England can decide on a whim whether or not Scotland gets to choose its form of government.His likely successor gets to choose how Scotland is to be funded and how much that funding will be. No such rules apply to England, only to the Celtic fringes.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25207571.nigel-farage-branded-clown-suggests-scrapping-barnett-formula/
If anyone is still in doubt about Scotland being a de facto English colony, give yourself a good slap in the face.
I hope the flying visits to Scotland by these two avowed English nationalists are enough to bring John Swinney and his party to their senses. Swinney is finding out what Neville Chamberlain found out in 1938 with his ” peace in our times.” You cannot appease your enemies, it will inevitably come back to haunt you.
John, playing the good little Jock and holding summits with three of the English nationalist parties to try and reach consensus on defeating a threat to the English status quo at Westminster from Reform. He even filed a complaint about Reform because he viewed an attack by Farage on Sarwar as racist. Hard to get your head around this in particular. Labour didn’t feel the need to make a formal complaint however, SNP and Swinney did! I just cannot fathom that, England’s difficulties,are Scotland’s opportunities John! Learn from the Irish, not Neville Chamberlain!
It seems supporting UK Foreign policy as regards the fascist regimes in Kiev or Tel Aviv doesn’t gain you any brownie points with the English imperialists John.
On the 7th May, John was telling the Scottish voters, “A Holyrood election will only lead to a second independence referendum if the SNP do “really well.”
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25141472.john-swinney-indyref2-possible-snp-do-really-well-2026/
Well the events of this week have sure scuppered that idea for the SNP. So John, I refer you to my first sentence, when facts change…
You still have time to call a Constitutional Convention of all the supporters, both political and civil, who support Scotland’s ancient Claim of Right to self-determination. Declare Holyrood 2026 an independence plebiscite election with a view to a UDI!
Pick up the phone, send out letters and envoys to all the pro-independence groupings. Unite our movement and country and let us become independent in May next year.
Alternatively, step aside, for there are others waiting in the wings ready, willing and able to take head on the challenge facing our country.We will not beg or ask for permission. Scotland needs to be liberated from English nationalist hegemony. If you are not up to the task, then leave right now! The people of Scotland are reiterating the words of our good King Robert, “Out of my way spider, we have work to do!”
Unfortunately for us, John Swinney will continue to do what he always does. Time the remaining independence wanting MSPs (are there really any left in Holyrood?) stood up and made their feelings known publicly and removed this (I’m struggling not to swear) person and the current cabinet of useless, selfserving yes people.
Great comment! Let’s hope Swinney even bothers to read it! I somehow doubt he will!!
PS can I make one suggestion for us all? We all should stop using the word union as if we believe it is one. I always say ‘so called’ Union to emphasise I do not think it is a union! We are an English colony – simple fact.
Good point!
Aye Alison.
Similarly if you say “this so called “union of equals”‘ then it leaves the listener with the question:
Is Scotland treated as an equal partner? : To which most thinking people would surely realise: NO of course not!
Just sling-your-hook mate and take your crew of chancers with you, would be my advice to Swinney. This particular simpleton, like Sturgeon before him, genuinely believes that he’s playing a vital role in the high-politics of the UK. Useful idiot, doesn’t quite cover it. The man is nothing less than a contemptible dupe, leading a Party that is bankrupt in every conceivable sense of the word.
It makes you want to see the SNP do badly in tomorrow’s by-election in order to put pressure on Swinney to do something about independence, or resign. The SNP will win it, however, and Swinney will gleefully take it as confirmation of support for his do-nothing-for-independence policy.
Agree Doug!! I hate to admit it but I can truly say I would be delighted if Reform won tomorrow if it were to instigate a leadership debate and make some dramatic change (for the better!) to SNP policy. If a new leader started to be aggressively working for our independence things would really start to change!
It will be an interesting vote tomorrow in the Hamilton by election.
Clearly, the Labour Party are hugely unpopular. Voters will want to give then a kicking. But equally many folks who vote and vote SNP would like to see them get a kicking too. Not being as unpopular as Labour, but unpopular to the extent that some voters have only been hanging on by the skin of their teeth for lack of an alternative, it might just be that being a by election, SNP voters might elect to vote Reform to send a message.
That would certainly rattle the SNP high command who would have to take the message. The underlying sentiment in Scotland is that folks want independence. and if the SNP is just going to be a devolutionist party masquerading as an independence which it is not, then there may well be a Reform message. It’s a by election after all, not a Hollyrood general election, why not have a free kick. i
f the voters don’t the SNP will take it as mandate to carry on the same.
So, will be interesting when the count is delivered late tomorrow night. Possibly a lot of SNP aghast faces in the same sin bin as their Labour soul mates.
Willie, I think the most telling number will be the turnout. I suspect SNP voters will not give Reform their vote they will just stay at home as has been happening every election from 2017 onwards.
You may well be right Roddy. As an independence supporter myself and in fact ex long term SNP member, I can fully understand how folks like me could just stay at home. But this is a by election with the election to Hollyrood proper next year, there might well be a message.
And not a bad message either. Set the stall maybe as to how next year needs to be or plebiscite election.
A Reform MSP would certainly, by my thinking, stimulate the independence leaning voters from their electoral slumber. But we shall see and yes, the poll will I too suspect be low, but that maybe just masks the SNP position since they may well have get out the vote data that Reform don’t have.
I’m so glad to see comments about the Hamilton Bye election because I’ve been in a real quandary about what result to wish for ( not being from Hamilton) and it’s reassuring that others feel the same. I’d came to the conclusion that the narrowest of wins for SNP with Reform being way above the red and blue Tories might shake the SNP into a ‘coup’ and getting more defiant, vigorous true independence leadership in place who are keen to work in harmony with all other truly pro-independence groups and parties and at the same time wake up the voters of Scotland to the prospect that Farage could very well be in number 10 next election . Feeling this has given me pangs of guilt as normally I’d want a landslide win for the SNP or any other pro independence party to boost the movement and the cause, but as stated by someone earlier, this would likely only validate the current course of inaction lead to a very dangerous complacency for next year. Brilliant comments and a brilliant article !! 🏴❤️🏴
As I have said the big number for me will be the turnout.The Yes vote has been staying at home more and more in GE last year over 750,000 stayed at home which is more than turned out to vote for the SNP
For those still up the Hamilton by-election result is now out and unpopular as Labour are they have won with the SNP second and Reform close behind in third place.
Fot the detailed figures these were Labour’s Davy Russell secured 8,559 votes, ahead of the SNP’s Katy Loudon on 7,957 and Ross Lambie of Reform on 7,088.
Now I know this was a by-election, that it was a low turn out, t this is certainly a message to the SNP and it couldn’t be clearer.
This was an SNP seat and they lost substantially to Labour with Reform close behind.
No doubt as today wears on the great and good will pronounce on the result But one thing is clear the SNP have been given the message. The people no longer trust them.
The result is in …….the Uniparty won – again . Not one of those candidates had a single word to say , let alone , a contrary view on the most important issue facing the people of Scotland , ie do you REALLY want to dragged into yet another war by the psychos in England ?
For the truly hopeless , freefalling snP the significance of losing THIS seat in particular should be screaming in their ears – it is , but they long ago chose deafness .
All those complacent ” it’s ( H.E ’26 ) the bag , relax ” assumptions look a whole less comfortable now . Every chance snP will be squeezed out by the other Unionist Parties . Ultimately , it will make no difference whether they are or not . Again , the Uniparty will win ; unless the Liberate candidates to pull-off a genuine shock , not this mock shock , where tweedledee * beats * tweedledum n all the Reform R Bad horses can’t put Humpty Swinney’s snP back together again