It is our last show of the year and what better way to end 2021 than with Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond. Alex was our first videocast so seemed appropriate way to end the year. We look back at formation of Alba Party. The Holyrood Election and the advances, and successes since. We also look forward to the year ahead and Alba plans to advance the cause of Independence.
Later I am joined by Iain Lawson and Phil Boswell to discuss Alba and the year ahead. What can be done to reinvigorate the movement? What lessons can we learn from SF in Ireland? We also discuss why SNP Leadership are so ex ited about poll numbers for 2024 UK General Election when they have assured Scotland that with or without a Section 30 there will be an Independence referendum.
To be fair on the point about Ian murray being kept in by Tory voters he is a Tory in all but Party colours
Ian Murray and Alex Salmond saved the Heart of Midlothian FC.
He is a little sshit, a total unionist fanatic who didn’t even support what his union voted for in 2016.
Democracy doesn’t enter his way of thinking , a born hypocrite
A joy to hear Alex Salmond’s reasoned and intelligent conversation. What a contrast to the – Look At Me Me Me Person who calls herself a “leader”. Alex Salmond IS a leader. We are extremely fortunate to have such a man in Scotland. Here’s to a successful 2022!
And thank you to the other three exceptional “boys”! A really enjoyable programme.
Thank you we are grateful that you all support us.
Great prism Rodney, and so good to hear a true leader of Independence once again.. A Guid New Year tae Yin an A’
I just want to echo Jan’s comment.
Thank you.
Thank you your support is much appreciated.
Thank you all – the voices of reason in a quagmire of mud. Happy New Year to you and yours.
Thanks for all your efforts, Roddy. Also, thanks to all your wonderful guests throughout the year. And finally, thanks to Alex Salmond for bringing the Prism year to a fitting close.
I nearly met Alex once. Some may call it a missed opportunity. At the time, I definitely saw it as a missed collision.
Some 25 years ago, and the memory has never left me. I was walking along Linlithgow High Street at pace. When suddenly, out the corner of my right eye, a body bouncing out of the Bookie’s shop, heading straight for me. Well, in a fraction of a second, I managed to swerve the body. At the same time, feeling a hand on my shoulder. Then my brain identified who the body belonged to. So I quickly spun round, intending to hail “Alex! “. To see if I could shake his hand. But already he had made off at pace. I watched for a while, as the man disappeared along the pavement. The jaunty walk with hand in the pocket. Head cocked to one side. I thought, Hmm…. Must have bagged a few winners!
Let’s all look forward to Alex Salmond bagging a lot more winners, in the new year to come. All the best……
What a great show that was everyone impressed me with their views and complete honesty It was a great ending to a miserable year. Keep up your good work Roddy, and all the best for 2022
If Alex had not given up the reins of power we would all now be free. He is a true Patriot and will go down in Scottish history as one of our great leaders. The damp squid that replaced him in contrast will be condemned to the rogues gallery for entirety. The dark Queens reign is coming to an end, her intrigues are catch up with her, Karma will prevail.
Great show Roddy. I know you couldn’t/wouldn’t ask Alex during the live interview but it would be very interesting to know what he thinks has happened to or has changed Nicola Sturgeon from the keen young Independence protege he mentored for all those years before she became the leader of the SNP.
“wouldn’t ask Alex during the live interview but it would be very interesting to know what he thinks has happened to or has changed Nicola Sturgeon”
Aye, question of the year there,alright.
Alex the great hero? Hmm . Not quite. Remember, he got expelled from the party in ’79, in the good old days of the SNP. Why was that?……Because he wanted to form a socialist/communist group within the SNP.
Nicola Sturgeon is not the first to lose members of the SNP. Alex Salmond, MacAskill and the group 0f ’79 were the first…..all closet communists. Many of my friends and relatives left the party when Salmond and his clique were , astonishingly, re-admitted.
How have you ended up with Sturgeon? Alex Salmond put her there.
Why is everyone saying that Scotland has become like North Korea?,,,,,Easy to answer…….Because the communists have seized power in Holyrood.
All the bizarre events taking place in Scotland are straight out of the communist handbook on subversion and control.
I’ve seen and heard all this before….in the DDR, East Germany…….the laughably-named Deutsche Demokratische Republik.( German Democratic Republic)…..Now defunct….but not completely.
It carries on in the form of France/Germany and the EU(SSR)
It was an excellent show finale (for the year, I mean), having Alex bring 2021 Prism to a close. It’s always good to get his thoughts on how Indy is advancing (or not, as the case may be). He reminds me of an F1 racing driver (NOT that I watch that, but OH has it on) – careful, steady, but has the wisdom to recognise chances and the skill to take those chances as they present themselves. And I think he will. But its making Sturgeon take them that is going to be the problem..
However, great crack after the big interview. I was particularly heartened that Phil is now seeing things on what I regard as a more realistic plain. In the past, he has always been keen to defend the principle of sorting things within the SNP party itself, rather than leave. But I’d say he’s coming to the end of his tether with them too. In a way, that’s quite sad, as it means if such a staunch member & ex-SNP MP can’t find anything to defend anymore, there really is nothing left of the party we all supported, once upon a time. And I feel sad for him, b/c I remember how bad I felt when I realised in 2016 that NuSNP was not the party I supported all those years. BUT – you have to get to that point so that you can move on with more clarity. Sooo… But still… his use of the word ‘betrayal’ was indicative of his shift in thought.
You, Roddy, and Iain are a bit further along the path of having sucked up the disappointment & are moving on. It was good to hear what you had to say in view of Alex’s comments. And I was heartened by the banner at the end that you are already working on getting new people onto the show. EXCELLENT! I’ll be here watching & listening to their views!
Thanks to all the wonderful guests you’ve had on the show during the year!! Such intelligent, passionate, and hard-working people all wanting to get to grips with the issues of the day! Their enthusiasm, their determination & their GRIT has been so impressive! Thank you to every. single. one. of them! Ie David Henry, Eva Comrie, Neale Hanvey, Alf Baird, Denise Findlay, Michelle Ferns… just for a start! And last but certainly NOT least, a hearty thank you to our own inimitable GrouseBeater! All these wonderful people and more – THANK YOU! You all give us so much hope for the future! I wish you ALL a HAPPY NEW YEAR, and much ‘peace & plenty’ in 2022!!
Great stuff guys, I like Iain and Phil’s experience and realism, and let’s face it, words like betrayal should be used. I fear that all this softly softly wishy washy approach is going to lose it for us again. Why keep on about a referendum and S30 etc. We need to end a treaty of union and we need a better way. We keep circling around the SSRG and other efforts and a new body to take us forward. All these things are good but are they going to happen. How do we harness the old 2014 spirit, how do we get around the SNP roadblock. I am still unconvinced that anything is going to change. Can Alba make a breakthrough in the council elections, God I hope so. Sick the fk up with weak carrot soup!
Interesting discussion following on from the interview with Alex Salmond, and Iain is absolutely correct that the ALBA Party need to trap early and face their public with well considered policies and an action plan whereby they will be delivered. There is no shortage of contentious issues within our local communities at the present time, they must be addressed in a campaign which enlightens the public and brings them on board with the need to bring back accountability within local and national politics.
Phil Boswell’s characterisation of Sturgeon and Blackford as “ham actors” confirms their status in Scottish politics and his belief that they both want Independence is confounded by his fear they might “want more” says it all. Phil Boswell alluded tae it an’ ah’ll say it loud an’ clear BETRAYAL!
Wishin’ ye aw a Guid New Year intae 2022 an’ lets mak it a year o’ chynge a year fir ALBA!
I loved the final sequence where Iain and Phil really stood up. Name and shame Sturgeon. Kudos to Sinn Fein, and yes, we need Vision and Leadership. We know who it will not be.
A very enjoyable but, most importantly, honest debate.
Brilliant ending, BB. Just the right note. Auld Lang Syne says it all. We cannot afford to alienate SNP members because, if ALBA is to get anywhere, if the SNP is to be forced to get anywhere, if the ISP is to join us, and all the other pro independence parties, we have to work towards the same goal. In the end, it will matter not a jot how many parties there are, if they will just lend their allegiance to an alliance of pro independence interests. In both NI and Ireland proper, Sinn Fein will soon draw voters from all parties, and they will win on both sides of the border, eventually – sooner than we might think. This is how Irish politics have always played out: if you don’t get OFF your bahoochie and do things to help Ireland or NI, you will end up ON your bahoochie. The two comfy slipper incumbents at the moment occupying the Dail think they have diddled the Irish electorate and put a spoke in Sinn Fein’s wheel: far from it.
I got a powerful feeling there that Alec Salmond is cogitating away and that something will come of it. He is not closing doors, even though he must feel like slamming them in Nicola’s face, and one day soon, she is going to be glad of that. I do think she might want independence, she and her cohort, but they don’t want it now or anytime soon, or ever, if it can be avoided. It’s a nice dream, not something that needs to be realised, although the electorate has to be kept on side meantime, just in case. She is very wrong, of course, and she will find that out soon, I think.
Thanks again to all for the excellent end of year Prism show.
Inn-keeping with time… here’s a complimentary countdown clock for Auld Lang Syne:
https://www.online-stopwatch.com/makeyourown/0023010001.231828.01012022/Scotland-2022/
Where our Hogmanay 2021 meets with Scotland 2022.
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I’m afraid I can’t join in the celebrations in relation to Alex Salmond’s words or Phil Boswell’s words , I felt they were too accommodating and somewhat apologetic , Phil mentioned betrayal but somehow countered the impact by saying that he still believed Sturgeon and Blackford wanted independence , where is the evidence for that assertion Phil all I see is the exact opposite , he like others stated that there were still good people in the snp , I have asked repeatedly on numerous occasions on different blogs , where are they please name them , all I see is a shower of craven cowards EVERY ONE OF THEM allowing Scotland to be ransacked and pillaged while our children and elderly are kept poor and MORONS like wishart can BOAST about being the longest serving Scottish quisling in WM whilst applying for the speakers position and filling his bankbook
Phil also praised the Irish republican movement and their no nonsense approach to a united Ireland , so why is that approach not applicable to Scotland
I know that people shouldn’t disclose their moves to the enemy , but haven’t we all heard this hidden secret plan before , maybe even a few times , I just hope that Alex’s carrots are a bit more fresh than the snp ones , I noticed Alex never mentioned altering the franchise if there were to be a referendum which appeared to be high on his list , I find that very worrying as he was the one that agreed to the franchise in 2014 which arguably cost us independence
On the plus side I always find Iain Lawson’s no nonsense approach hits the mark and he is not frightened to call a spade a spade when it is called for , what WE have to remember is that politicians are human they are NOT some kind of gods , WE pay their salaries and WE expect them to work FOR US not AGAINST US , Sturgeon is NOT the messiah and neither is Alex
I would sincerely THANK YOU for your prisms and the efforts you constantly strive to do to forward independence , it may not appear so from my comments but your work is appreciated I just don’t want Scotland to suffer from more celebrity and cultist behaviour
It was fascinating to hear these reflections on the formation of the Alba Party and the future of the movement. If you need to process foreign language clips from similar political discussions, you can use this Free Audio Translator Online.