A very strange yet telling fact occurred earlier this week. The NEC of the SNP rejected an amendment to conference, supported by 50 of their branches. The amendment was to debate ‘routes to independence.’ It seems unfathomable that a political party who tell us their raison d’etre is independence would reject such an opportunity to debate its core principle. Below is the SNP Constitution as a reminder to those who rejected the amendment and to those who continue to ignore what is being rejected.
Imagine if you will the Reform Party rejecting the opportunity to debate immigration at their annual conference. Can you even contemplate the Tory Party rejecting the opportunity to debate tax cuts for the rich or reducing the welfare budget at their conference? If I knew what the actual core of the once great Labour Party is, I would give an example including them. Apart from aggrandisement and a seat in the Lords, I am at a loss to understand that party.
To add to the rejection of the amendment, Swinney and his party decided this week to have a debate at Holyrood on “Scotland’s Right to Decide.” I have to say this performative nonsense really annoyed me. The cynic in me believes the only reason for this debate was to deflect attention away from the betrayal by the party’s leadership and NEC. It was as if to say, no, we really do still believe in independence; why else would we debate the right to decide?
We already know we have the right, backed by our very own Claim of Right. This stunt at Holyrood was a deflection, nothing more. However, just to insult the public further, after rejecting an amendment to discuss independence, the same body approved a motion to ‘Abolish the Scottish Office. ‘Again, this is an attempt at another sop to the membership, a meaningless piece of gesture politics. This motion will, of course, be passed with no dissent. Then what happens? The answer is simple: nothing. The UK will reject any such attempt at this childish gesture and tell the Jocks to get back into their box and be quiet!
To add to the pretence, the SNP launched a new fundraiser: ‘£100k To Win Hearts And Minds.’ At the outset ,let me make it clear, this time the SNP did not add the ring fenced statement! Instead, after 3 years of constant evidence from opinion polls that support for independence is over 50% without a campaign, the SNP leadership have deployed the old,Soft Nos BS. Again this is just another deflection point to try and cover their rejection of the amendment. Remember this, there are no coincidences in politics, only moves on a political chessboard.
The reason is simple; Swinney rejected the amendment on ‘Routes to Independence’ because he knew it would pass at conference. No matter what road to independence the conference chose, John would be under pressure to implement that strategy. John is a devolutionist and that amendment would end the party’s devotion to devolution and force him to act on independence.
Much to the relief of the unionist strategists Swinney once more kicked the independence can down the street. At the same time by his independence gestures of a meaningless couple of debates he leaves the unionists with a big stick to beat independence! The Union is in safe hands with John!
I do not know how many more times the SNP leadership have to demonstrate to their members and supporters before the entire edifice collapses and the support for them vanishes.
This is the main topic of our podcast this week. I am joined this week by Eva Comrie, Ken Mcneil, and Phil Boswell. Other topics to get our attention are; The Reform Party walk out, the Unionist petition to close Holyrood, and Andy Burnham and his ministry of truth.
Just listened to Prime Minister Burnham on BBC Kuensburg 9.08am where he says ” it not fair that people in England, unlike elsewhere, people do not get free personal health care ”
He then goes on to talks up the NHS before going on to talk up hard choices for taxation. No doubt that is why NHS England is being abolished and the forty two English health boards restructured to form around a fourteen Integrated Care Units to be part of a Department of Health and Social Care.
What does it mean here in Scotland where we are supposedly responsible for health care and where uncannily Big John of the independent mind has announced a similar plan whereby the fourteen health boards are to be cut to two – and where a department of Health and Social Care is apparently to be created.
Concomitantly Big John of the independent mind has also announced that Scotland’s 32 local authorities are to be chopped to 5 supra regional authorities, with a halving of the number of elected councillors. Not quite sure how less elected representatives on these supra regional authorities is going to add to democracy. Indeed one wonders to what extent this will form part of the UK of the regions – and bye bye Scottish Parliament.
Anyway, Burnham, whilst saying its not been a great decade says that Britain is the best performing economy in the UK.
Well you could have fooled me with that one. But hey hoe, with Big John Swindle of the independent mind at the helm, what can go wrong.
SNP is NOT the party that it was set up to be. It is a devolutionist party at best and a pro-English dominion party at heart. The fact that they have, since gaining its first actual Scottish gov majority in the RECONVENED National Parliament of Scotland, continued to use English statute instead of Scotland’s full inherent constitutional rights says it all. To be fair though, many Scots overlook this fact too assuming Holyrood to be a NEW devolved Parliament and thus kept strictly under English statute (a breach in and of itself) but that is NOT what Holyrood is. It is the RECONVENED National Parliament of Scotland with all the power and authority that the original pre-treaty Parliament had. A distinction that is as said, overlooked.
Likewise, the vote to abolish the Scottish Office demonstrates a lack of true understanding. The Scottish Office is an ENGLISH government department. Scotland cannot abolish it as it is not a Scottish gov department. Folk make the mistake in assuming it is, Scottish due to its title but it represents England’s position to Scotland not the other way around.
Scots need to peel back the layers of default and ask the real question of both Scottish and English government, upon what authority? England are a defaulting party. They have no authority over Scotland. Scot gov are constititionally abdicating. They need held fully to account. No excuses, no deflections, just raw unadulterated honesty. The Constitution, treaty and international law are there for our use yet very few exercise their rights under them. Perhaps because they do not know them. That is by design. There are routes available and it is good to see the branches calling for this discussion. Now they need to go further and hold their party and gov to account.
Btw 15 days left of the 60 day period of silence.
Gayle, The SNP isn’t a party anymore. It has NO internal democracy and this is how Scotland would be run under the SNP.
If I saw Bwana Swinney wearin his workin trewsers, going down to B&Q to buy the fencing materials for the ring fence.
I would know Bwana’s onto a caper, onto a big score.
Oh, Who are we Porridge Wogs…
I’m sure there’s UN rules or guidance regarding eligibility to vote,which should be noted.
My own view, on residency.
If you weren’t permanently resident here before the devolution vote (late nineties),then naw ye cannae. You knew you were moving to a Nation moving towards independence.
The large diaspora in England, that are courageously integrating, if their not resident in Scotia, no again.
And we’ve all met them…
having a Scottish Granny, is a polite way of saying. I’m proper English, with 3 proper English Grandparents. No
I don’t recall Nickla’s saviour gettin too hung up on Democracy.
Her Holiness Lady Thatcher never bothered with that shite.
A granted Referendum…
Is a Rigged Referendum.
Oh no, not again !!
Well, as a result of that poll re Farage becoming P.M, the SNP will now expend ( waste ) even more of their meagre supply of energy on screaming about the horror of such a scenario: because anything that * could * make Independence more likely must be strangled at birth. If the diddies were remotely interested in fulfilling their party’s original raison d’etre they would be hoping Reform do win the next G.E. Of course, what they will do is continue using Farage/Reform as – like Eva said, a bogeyman to help them get reelected; so they can carry on doing nothing that in any way helps the cause.
I have the sense – hope – that this and their other * cunning plans * may be losing their utility as vote-harvesting ploys, though that remains to be seen. Even if those ploys do succeed to some extent, I reckon the SNP’s abysmal record – really, in every area of governance – will be such as to see them lose the next S.E.
Much as I detest the presence of ALL Brit Unionist Parties in our Parliament, Reform, by their, admittedly performative, ‘ Walkout ‘ the other day, have shown more desire to shake things up than the SNP have in the 12 years of post-Salmond governance: in the process that Party has garnered a great deal of MSM attention, giving them the opportunity to get their views across to the general public they would otherwise not have had.
Compare that with the almost total silence that emanates from the SNP presence in W.M. They do nothing, so there is nothing to report. ZZZZzzzzzzz