On April 7, 1934, the SNP was founded. Eleven years and exactly one week later Dr Robert Mcintyre won the first ever SNP Westminster seat in a by-election. He won the Motherwell seat from Labour caused by the death of Mr James Walker, the former Labour member. The SNP had stood in 30 previous by-elections with little success. He was only an MP for three short months.The seat returned to Labour in July 1945 at the UK General Election. In his short time in Parliament, of course, he made no real impact, in fact no impact whatsoever.
The SNP had to wait another long 22 years before another by-election success. Winnie Ewing stunned the political world by storming to victory in the Hamilton by-election on November 2, 1967.
The first party to react to this stunning victory was the Tory Party of Ted Heath. At the Scottish Conservative Party Conference in Perth, on 18th May, 1968 he made the so-called Declaration of Perth. He promised a form of home rule as an answer to this threat from the Nats!
Sadly two years later at a UK 1970, General Election, Winnie lost her seat and the anticipated SNP breakthrough never came. The SNP won only one seat that of the Western Isles by the late great Donald Stewart. He held that seat for 17 years. The poor showing by the SNP resulted in Tories withdrawing their promise of Home Rule. Only when threatened with Scotland’s departure from the Union do we ever see any London concessions or at least promises about concessions. Murray Foote Vow anyone?
It also has to be mentioned that both Winnie and Donald had really difficult times at Westminster. With nobody to second any proposals, they were literally observers of England’s Parliament at work for England. Also in full view they witnessed the collusion and collaboration of all the other ‘Scottish’ MPs to England’s dominance over our nation.
In October 1974, the SNP broke through with 30.4% of the vote compared to Labour’s 36.3%. Thanks to the first-past-the-post system however, the nationalists only won 11 seats compared to Labour’s 41.
Again with Westminster scared that the Scots had finally realised that London Rule was detrimental to their well being. London quickly resurrected a commission and promises/lies were made. It was the Killbrandom Commission and it deliberated on Scottish and Welsh devolution, reporting in 1973. It was forgotten about until the SNP surge at the election. This report would heavily influence the devolution that Scotland and Wales voted on in 1979.
With the promise of Home Rule, the SNP was not disruptive and supported Harold Wilson, then Jim Callaghan’s Labour Government. A series of by-elections meant the Labour majority of three won in October 1974 was gone and it relied on SNP and Plaid Cymru to remain in government.(We should have extracted more!)
When in 1979 Westminster gerrymandered the Scottish Assembly Referendum with the undemocratic 40% rule the outcome was inevitable. Scotland was cheated out of its devolution. Yet again Perfidious Albion had reneged on a promise. The SNP in retaliation withdrew their support and shortly after the Labour Government collapsed.
This heralded in 18 years of Tory Government and the cursed Thatcher years. In conclusion the 11 SNP MPs between 1974 – 1979 achieved nothing. A lesson should have been learned, never trust Westminster, never trust the Labour Party.
It took another 36 years before the Scottish electorate finally did that and rejected Labour at the ballot box and sent 56 out of 59 Scottish SNP MPs to Westminster. The House Jock Parties all had one seat each.
In between times the period from 1979 to 2015 the SNP had from one to seven MPs at Westminster. Prior to the 2015 General Election, we had six MPs. It is fair to say that as dedicated and hard working as those 6/7 MPs undoubtedly were, they achieved very little, indeed nothing at all at Westminster in 36 years of attendance.
Not a single Bill, Amendment or Law has passed through Westminster in that time that has been proposed by the SNP. Each and every time they had been defeated by the English majority MPs and the treachery of Scottish House Jock MPs.
Let us be very clear on this, Holyrood only came into being because Labour believed they were untouchable at the ballot box in Scotland. It was there as a supposed bulwark against the Tories in England. 18 years of Thatcher and Major had taught Labour they needed power bases in Edinburgh and Cardiff. This was to ensure that unlike 1979-1999 they could not be completely marginalised again.
It had absolutely nothing to do with improving the governance of Scotland and Wales and everything to do with improving Labour’s chances of winning power at Westminster! If you understand that everything else makes sense. The House-Jock Parties are all about England. The Celtic votes are just to win that for them.
When Dr Robert Mcintyre won his seat in 1945 there were 71 Scottish seats. When the SNP returned 56 MPs in 2015 Scotland’s representation at Westminster had been reduced to 59 seats. When this SNP landslide happened, many of us in the movement were sure independence was imminent. However, we were quickly knocked out of our stride. The promises made in 2014 and put into the Smith Commission went before Westminster. The Smith Commission was announced by Prime Minister David Cameron on 19 September 2014 in the wake of the ‘No’ vote in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. All those promises in the Vow and more were to be enacted, allegedly as they say!
Just like Ted Heath in 1967, as soon as Tory PM Cameron saw the Referendum outcome the promises made were quickly forgotten and withdrawn. The Scotland Act of 2016 was a shadow of the promises made to the Scottish people. The SNP MPs promoted over 100 unsuccessful amendments to the Scotland Act. David Mundell, Tory, Ian Murray, Red Tory and Alistair Catmichael, Orange Tory joined forces with 530 English MPs and the Ulster Unionists to vote down every single one of those amendments. Even with 56 MPs out of 59, the SNP was unable to extract a single concession from Westminster. They were and continue to be powerless and ineffective. That is not a criticism of the MPs it is a fact of the system we have put them in, they are on to a hiding every day.
That is why today our Parliament in Edinburgh is in peril. The promise that Holyrood would be permanent and receive no interference from Westminster has proved to be yet another lie. This week the English Chancellor rode roughshod over the Scottish Parliament and directly funded some Scottish Local Authority infrastructure projects. Be assured all of these projects were recommendations from Tories, not from the SNP. It is unlikely the SNP were even consulted. Like you and me they probably only found out when Rishi announced it in the English Parliament.
Here is the sad reality, going all the way back to Dr. Mcintyre to the present day, we have achieved virtually nothing with our presence at Westminster. I cannot find a single Amendment, Bill or Law that has passed through thanks to SNP sponsorship. The only success has been the affirmation of, The Claim of Right.It was first reaffirmed in 1989 in similar capacity, recognised again, this time in Parliament at Westminster, on September 2, 2016, published in Hansard on July 4, 2018. Yet and here is the saddest thing in all this, the one success we have had at Westminster has never been used.
The Independence Referendum was as a result of a majority victory by Alex Salmond’s SNP in 2011 Holyrood Election. Westminster will never agree again.
Our democracy is in danger with the Internal Market Bill and an English Nationalist Tory Party determined to wrap Scotland and Wales in the Union Flag and make the Celtic nations regions of Greater England.
It begs the question, what is the point of sending MPs to Westminster when they achieve so little? We have nothing tangible to show for our efforts from 1945 to today. Indeed, in a proposal that is expected to sail through Westminster, Wales is to lose eight Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies and Scotland two. England will gain another 10 new seats at Westminster. This reduces the Scottish presence even further.The English dominance in this alleged Parliament of Equals is increased considerably.
It is not a Union of Equals and most certainly not a Parliament of Equals. When Scotland has to ask for permission to hold a referendum on independence and is being ignored over public spending decisions in Scotland then alarm bells should be going off in Bute House. That the English/UK Supreme Court can strike down Scottish Bills that our own courts and Presiding Officer have deemed in competence should be a warning.
We need to have a debate on whether or not our MPs should take up their seats at Westminster. Should we recall them immediately? Form a Citizens Assembly and withdraw from the Union? Declare the next UK General Election a plebiscite Independence Election?
Constituents can still be helped even if our MPs absent themselves from the Westminster debating chamber. It is, after all, just a bear pit that insults our representatives and nation daily. Every jibe at Ian Blackford is a jibe at us all. Each heckle is a heckle at Scotland. Every bray and cat call is Imperialism rubbed in the Scottish face. Why do we tolerate this disrespect to our nation?
The Senn Fein MPs are abstentionists their constituents if anything fare better than Scottish SNP constituents. Enshrined in the Belfast Agreement is a passage that defines ‘once in a generation’ as seven years. This applies to any Border Poll Referendums in Northern Ireland. In Scotland once in a generation means whatever number a House Jock or English, MP, decides on the day.
If any SNP MP wants to tell me I am wrong and we have actually advanced the cause using Westminster Parliamentary time, procedures and committees I would love to hear of it. I cannot find a single success or law sponsored by SNP in 76 years of attending Westminster! Maybe it is time to face reality! Maybe it is time we at least debated it? Scotland’s future is in Edinburgh not London.
I know the sitting MPs, and those with aspirations to be MPs will oppose such a notion. £82,000 pa. and expenses northwards of £200,000 is not to be sniffed at. Not forgetting the pension pot, eh Pete? However, truly what does the independence cause gain by participating in the cesspit that is Westminster?
The Facebook Censors
Unfortunately a number of pro Indy Facebook sites have turned out to be merely pro SNP sites and have blocked a number of bloggers, including myself. We have managed to frustrate these efforts to close us down through our readers sharing our articles and building our audience.Sharing in Facebook is very important and helps the Independence message to reach a much wider audience. In addition many have taken out free direct subscriptions. I very much appreciate this support.
When the SNP hard work and ultimate lack of progress is catalogued as above it becomes obvious that WM is not for us.
“A total waste of time and effort” is the only worthy description.
The only answer? WALK AWAY!!
Absolutely spot on yet again Roddy. As my father would say they have been a “waste of rations” down there and when I think of all I and others in the Yes Bus team did to, first of all, get Chris Law selected then elected, I feel a great sense of betrayal.
They need brought back and given a job to do and it is a sad fact that even if that job was sweeping the streets they would be doing more for their country than they have since the day they went down there.
Chris has been a massive non-entity since. To be frank, as someone who attended many events where Chris and the Blue Goddess was about, I have come to realise that the guys primary focus was self promotion. Totally self promoting. Another egotist.
PS Roddy, for some reason my “like” is not usually recognised on your site. But I see it was this time. I don’t know what the problem is. Can you help?
I shall ask my techie, I am useless.
Let us be very clear on this, Holyrood only came into being because Labour believed they were untouchable at the ballot box in Scotland.
It’s not quite as simple as that – the pressure came from the Council of Europe:
https://electricscotland.com/independence/uncommittee.htm
See these paragraphs:
>> The Council of Europe papers that are now becoming available reveal that the UK’s local and regional governmental system came nowhere near meeting the international norms, and indeed that the UK was regarded as being on the same level as Europe’s most democratically underdeveloped states in that respect.
The central point, made in ultra-polite diplomatic language with concealed fangs, was that failure to adhere to the CoE’s democratic norms would be “incompatible with membership of the Council”. In plain language, get Scotland, Wales, etc. sorted out or be expelled from the Council of Europe!
See also:
>> The Council of Europe papers that are now becoming available reveal that the UK’s local and regional governmental system came nowhere near meeting the international norms, and indeed that the UK was regarded as being on the same level as Europe’s most democratically underdeveloped states in that respect.
The terrifying point here is that, as we are no longer in the Council of Europe, and now Westminster can simply cancel devolution with no adverse consequences. The setting up of massive Civil Service units in Scotland, the rebranding of GB as UK, and the new Treaty of Union superceding 1707, all now make ominous sense.
Scotland will be wiped off the map as the SNP impersonate Nero
Gordon, are you sure about the UK not being in the The Council of Europe. When did the UK leave?
For clarity, these are my closing comments – The terrifying point here is that, as we are no longer in the Council of Europe, and now Westminster can simply cancel devolution with no adverse consequences. The setting up of massive Civil Service units in Scotland, the rebranding of GB as UK, and the new Treaty of Union superceding 1707, all now make ominous sense. Scotland will be wiped off the map as the SNP impersonate Nero
Ah – the moderator parsed it for me – doh!
Thank you.
Gordon, as far as I am aware (I have friends in the CoE) the UK is still a member. It has nothing to do with leaving the EU – completely different beast. If you know different, I’d like to see the info.
See here from CoE web site:
https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/47-members-states
Nothing can be achieved in Westminister, even by returning 59/59 SMPs. If memory serves, their sole impact was on an open vote concerning fox hunting.
That of course won’t stop the SNP from proclaiming these elections as critically important, as they depend on the short money like an infant to a mother’s breast. Westminister not only corrupts the SNP financially – modifying the party’s will to progress Independence expeditiously – but also institutionalises vain individuals into its empty pomp and circumstance, while the inherent fake theatricality of the place encourages the opposition to simply invoke the same Greek chorus of lamentation on repeat dial up.
If, in 2015, 56 SMPs had refused to take their seats, leaving Scotland represented by 3 incompetent Unionists, that would have created an Independence argument of not only domestic but international significance.
Interesting article but there is one clarification. The Kilbrandon (initially Crowther) Commission was set up by Harold Wilson in 1969. It finally reported in the autumn of 1973 and was ignored. After the SNP advance in the 1974 elections, the Labour government suddenly rediscovered it.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Commission_on_the_Constitution_(United_Kingdom)
Thanks for the info, article amended accordingly. It makes the Westminster double dealing even worse.
Gordon
Sorry but the UK is still in the Council of Europe. If your analysis was correct about internal UK governance you have to wonder how France has been getting off with its treatment of Brittany and Corsica for so long? Just asking.
William
Good point! I may have been mistaken about membership of the CoE, but their reaction to the Tories riding roughshod over the 1707 treaty and replacing it with their new Treaty of Union is unlikely to be a hurdle in the quest to incorporate Scotland into their new dystopian country.
You haver to wonder who exactly would stand by us if our own “Independence loving” government doesn’t.
Someone please tell me I’m wrong about that as well!
Bang on the money, Gordon Currie. It’s unlikely that devolution will be “cancelled”, though, not while the SNP can be kept on-side in its role as an active 5th column and, in turn, convince enough Scots to vote SNP 1 and 2. Cancelling devolution isn’t necessary; why decide to break sweat when, to date, stealth has proved to be so outrageously successful?
Another excellent article but don’t forget to be good to yourself. You have been ill and it’s important that you keep in good health and don’t overdo it.
You are spot on Roddy there’s no point to sending SNP MPs to Westminster, even more so now that they too have settled in instead of settling up. BY sending MPs to Westminster we are legitimising their parliaments rule over us. The Irish knew this, as you point out.
I recall when Blackford marched our SNP MPs out Westminster a few years back that the membership of the party actually jumped 5,000 within a week or so
Excellent analysis Roddy, showing how pointless it is and has been for Scottish Nationalist MPs to go south and take their seats in Westminster. In 2015 when 56 SNP MPs were elected, some Tories rightly expected such a majority to pull the plug on the union; instead the SNP’s carefully ‘vetted’ candidates opted to deliver their vows to Westminster and followed up with pointless ‘maiden’ speeches, preferring to take the Queen’s shilling than independence. SNP MP’s either totally misunderstand what a Scottish Nationalist majority of seats means, or are simply a bunch of unionist imposters, the latter looking like reality now.
People like Craig Murray who has the courage to pull the plug on the union treaty were rejected as SNP candidates, demonstrating that what we actually needed was a vetting requirement favouring such people who were committed to ‘settling up’ rather than ‘settling in’.
On Gordon’s point that the Council of Europe found Scotland “being on the same level as Europe’s most democratically underdeveloped states”, yes the fact is that colonialism always leaves an exploited country and its people ‘under-developed’, their development including their culture and language and so much more is broken and remains broken by colonialism (and ultimately perishing) until such time as the oppressor is telt whaur tae gae. Council of Europe has also repeatedly recommended the teaching of the Scots language tae aw Scots bairns, the latter ignored even by the SNP UK-Scottish administration.
Alf, spot on. Guys like you are needed
Much more than our self-serving
Westminster MPs
In June 2018 I attended a local SNP group’s ‘evening with’ event at Troon, where Lesley Riddoch was in conversation with Richard Walker, the then National editor. Part way through the evening, local MP Philippa Whitford walked quietly in and took a seat at the rear of the hall. She was newly arrived home from Westminster where Blackford had been expelled from the chamber by Speaker Bercow, closely followed by the entire SNP cohort. Proceedings were halted whilst Lesley quizzed Philippa on the walkout which was, apparently, unplanned and entirely spontaneous. Asked ‘what now for the SNP MPs at Westminster; should you all now come home?”, Ms Whitford’s reply was no, we will retake our seats and have agreed, under Blackford’s leadership to, “an ongoing programme of disruption to parliamentary proceedings” commencing with immediate effect. This met with applause, cheers and vigorous nods of approval. More than a few us in the hall that evening (and maybe even Philippa herself) believed we’d just been given early notice of the SNP at long last starting to use its limited influence at Westminster to have some effect. Sadly, the intervening three years have shown the ‘programme of disruption’ to be every bit as ethereal as Nicola’s much heralded ‘preparations for independence’. I should add that Ms Whitford is a woman for whom I have the utmost respect as both breast cancer consultant and politician. It’s shameful that the SNP can’t bring itself to make better use of her considerable talents.
I agree with you regarding Philippa though I am disappointed that as a world leading breast surgeon she has not spoken out about the mutilation of young girls that is proposed under GRA Reform and the Queer Theory her party seem wedded to.
I am sorry to be a bit of a curmudgeon, but both Roddy and Professor Baird are “havering” about the 2015 Westminster Election. Roddy says that he thought that independence had to be imminent when the SNP won the 2015 election by a massive landslide. Prof Baird says that: “In 2015 when 56 SNP MPs were elected, some Tories rightly expected such a majority to pull the plug on the union”. I am afraid not gentlemen. Any Tories fearing the end of the Union in 2015 were hallucinating over something unusually strong. According to Nicola, the 2015 election was never about independence. It was all about being Stronger for Scotland. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2015-scotland-32380783
William
Wow how arrogant are you to tell me that I am lying when I said I expected 56 MPs to advance and win the independence cause for Scotland. It would be equally bad if I were to suggest you have been sitting desperate to think of something negative to post because the truth is this the union has been on life support since September 2014.only subterfuge and a corrupted SNP and cult members has prevented it.
Hi Barrheadboy, I agree with what you are saying.
Our country of Scotland HAS got to get it together… NOW!
Topical tune (including the tune title):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTZoJ01FpD8
SCOTLAND
X
All that hard work since 1936 undone by Sturgeon in 6years – Sad!
Hi Barrheadboy, Westminster SHOULD be irrelevant, this much is true.
I have said much tonight, in other places, crazy guy am aye!
We need to get & go beyond Holyrood.
Tomorrow…
Or later.
Would it be timely and cool to share this one with you and the readers Barrheadboy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdxgNPb5xWo
Cheers and nite nite.
The Irish nationalists recognized the potency of the sign. Being in the London legislature acknowledges an «acceptance» of a certain status quo. Minority representation in a foreign assembly full of conceits.
The SNP’s presence has changed nothing. Taking the queen’s silver is the Judas aspect of this accommodation.
Totally agree with your (rhetorical)headline and and article. Why indeed bother with the theatre of memes, a place of lies and untruths?
Interesting to read through the manifesto of 2015 linked by ( a Unionist?). I argued with the W.O.S. deserters prior to their mass exodus to W.G.D about this very issue: why would we vote overwhelmingly on the back of a bent REF. for a ‘Nationalist’ party, specifically created with the purpose of dissolving the oppressive ‘Union’ and expect just more devolution, whether in their manifesto or not? . It was in the SNP’s founding constitution and whole raison d’etre for existing! Their hissy responses were that ‘it’s in the manifesto stupid’ or similar.
I expressed my consternation at this blind, supine loyalty to a ridiculous political act of cowardice. The logical outcome could only be total subjection to English rule. A whitewash of overcoming the last three remaining Unionist seats would mean S.F.A. to any future general elections. The proof of the pudding was the 2017 one where 1/2 a million SNP votes disappeared like snaw aff a dyke.
The logic is faultless. If we want Independence, we cannot ‘win it’ via a bent and asymmetric system weighted in favour of English votes. We can only win it by dissolving the Union by a collective declaration of civic Scotland either through a plebiscite or via the UN as explained many times by Alf Baird, Craig Murray and others of that stature.
That Sturgeon played the bogus Devo card joker back then and has been playing it ever since is a disgrace and shames us all. But with a media that relentlessly lies and obfuscates any attempts at truth of our subjugation combined with a hollowed out husk of a collaborative colonial administration masquerading as our saviours, it can be explained painfully as partly loyalty, for which Scots are famous, but mainly down to three hundred years of brainwashing at the deepest psychological level by the imperial English State.
Well the cognitive dissonance is dissipating. More and more are joining the enlightened but ( let’s face it) disillusioned minority Alba supporting patriots. However, the disillusionment is changing to one of grim determination to bring back the auld Scottish spirit of ‘wha daur meddle wi’ me’. That spirit will demonstrate itself on Saturday, when we march on the streets of Glasgow again to show the imposters at both Westminster and Hollyrood that we won’t get fooled again and that we will ensure that , very soon, their jaikets are on extremely shoogly nails!
The SNP have sold out to Westminster just like the parliamentarians did in 1707. Lots of them will try and convince themselves otherwise that they are doing a good job. I didn’t vote for them to do a good job I voted for them to get Scotland out of the UK.
They are not even failures as that presumes they tried for independence.
All very good answers frpm people with different Viewpoints, perhaps they would like to say
which category they would put themselves into ?
https://www.scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/comment/know-your-nats-handy-guide-25349004?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar&fbclid=IwAR0ygX93WlZDdQ9rJBflBZPOsswqc0U25t9wEj8aXZG0xcQDUKMTRnN7YTc
Attaching nonsense from thee Express shows you have wandered onto the wrong place. Uncle Jocks really should find their own place.
Well done though for showing which one you fit into Roddy.
and your pseudonym of Bobby is very apt!