Despite the SNP suddenly tanking in the polls due to another absolute fumble of legislation.
Today we’ve popped into the odd world where we’re back to attacking and de-selecting our own side in advance of future elections (the ones we’re apparently required to get over 50% of the vote on).
Keeping in mind, apparently all the ‘bad eggs’ had went over to ALBA already – we’ve managed to find another round of them. Which will happen on repeat until eventually the SNP lose an election and Sturgeon is removed as leader.
Stand up against Sturgeon in public or at conference – and – the ministers of government are dispatched to see you out it seems. Question it in private? To who? Her husband?
The 1922 committee may actually be laughable, in the Tory party, but at least it’s effective in removing prime ministers and party leaders when the moment demands it. The SNP have effectively nothing.
Let us be honest also, the legislation thats currently being defended, will be removed much like the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act, whether the ScotGov like it or not. Parliament can remove it quite easily.
However in that article, there is this hilarious line, as some sort of ‘smack down’.
If you’re standing as an SNP candidate at an election on a manifesto, you should stand on that manifesto and you should follow that through.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, February 5th 2023
So I wonder why there isn’t as much heat around another, more concrete manifesto promise? One that the SNP seem to have forgotten, or the First Minister has regulated to second fiddle.
Alas the outcome may be Nicola Sturgeon’s worst nightmare, an exodus of MSPs and MP’s to Alex Salmond’s ALBA.
The larger than usual smile on the former first ministers face in recent campaign pictures tell us that he has an incline his long term bets may be about to land.
Lets say the UKG said OK we’ll grant a section 30 order and the SG should hold that Ref in Oct 2023. All through the campaigning you would hear how the UKG protected woman’s rights and if Scotland become Independent Sturgeon and the SNP would enforce this bill back on the Scottish population. It doesn’t take a genius to realize the UKG is on a winner here opposing this GRR Bill. We really need to rid ourselves of Nicola Sturgeon as quickly as possible, I’m afraid she won’t go even if an opinion poll stated support for the SNP and Independence was on 5% and 95% for the Union.
To save Scotland and the SNP, the SNP needs to get rid of Sturgeon and needs a new leader to kill this bill without the UKG involvement and any new leader would have to state it wasn’t in the interest of women. Or mark my word in the up and coming Westminster election forget about winning a plebiscite election it just isn’t going to happen unless the two items mentioned above are done.
The Indy movement can recover from this if its done quickly and right, Sturgeon is a arrogant woman who has no place in politics never mind being the Unionist voice in Scotland. She wants Scotland to fail and I’m a afraid she’ll get her wish if she hasn’t already.
“The answer’s Nicola, what’s the question?”
is definitely running out of steam, but what realistically is next?
Well depends on your view of the world…
If you have invested everything in the SNP as vehicle to Indy, it’s hard not to get out an quietly push through gritted teeth rather than admit the vehicle is now a gravy bus that’s stalled.
I’d your rent or mortar depends on SNP then having the majority of MP seats, many councillors and devolved power at Holyrood is essential. You want the comfort of control.
Unpaid SNP member hold onto the comfort that ‘promised land of independence’ is just over the horizon and there’s a plan somewhere on how to get there.
Both the paid and unpaid are looking primarily at impact on SNPs future electoral success. So do they still think this hinges on Nicola? Depute Leader Brown made a weird comment about FM still being most popular leader despite the dramatic drop in ratings – I’m filing under ‘ostrich grasps at straws’. If you don’t admit there a problem, how do you fix it?
How many of the paid would really stick around if SNP were to lose power? Looking at Labour exodus to SNP in 2014/15 would anyone be surprised to an SNP exodus?
Where they disperse to depends on what Labour position on the constitution is going forward and what credible options there are for independence 🗳
A Labour neutral position, leaving constitutional future to the people to choose in a democratic referendum might just save them pre & post independence (assuming that’s how Scotland votes – take nothing for granted in democracy). Are they ScotLabour of a branch office?
Will SNP members, those who get paid and those who are the volunteer backbone, decide, time is NOT on FM’s side after all?
The FM’s intransigence shown over a supposed ‘minor administrative change’ has made this polished communicator into a blithering eejit who looks like she’d love to know where Boris’s fridge is with every passing interview or FMQ. Can you picture her negotiating independence when she trips over her political feet defining a man or woman??
What of SNP elected members?
Where I part ways with Graeme is on the only option for established politicians with serious profiles like Joanna Cherry is to join another party. I respect Kenny and Neale and they are making the right lives at Westminster but the circumstances pre HR 21 were very different to now. Alba’s supermajority strategy was the right one for May21 but I’ve seen little logical strategy since.
The 9 SNP rebels in Holyrood and Joanna, Angus Brendan and others are doing the right thing in THEIR party by working constructively to widen debate, not close it down. There is growing desire to take this back to grown up politics with real members debate – not the “rip roaring debate” of Alyn’s Smith’s imagination..
I was very heartened by the cross party sponsored Scotland (Self Determination) Bill raised by Neale Hanvey with 2nd reading on 24th March.
The timing could not be more contrasting as the Bill expands the debate and cracks open the stalemate by seeking a very public democratic response across the house on the people of Scotland’s fundamental right to choose our future and align with NI 7 year vote (long advocated by Vive Ecosse).
Contrast this to the previous weekend when we will have had the SNP special conference, constricting the future path for independence to a subset of Scotland who support Indy, join the SNP and can attend a conference on Mother’s Day in the central belt!
As for independence supporters, well we just want credible government who can walk and chew gum. Support Scotland through the hostile impact of Brexit UK while plotting an ambitious vision and strategy to get us out of it before we’re aw deid!
In the week we’ve seek Boris Johnson and Liz Truss try to make these ‘comebacks’ it’s a stark lesson that politics is all about timing.
I think for some, their time under the spotlight is now up. Scotland needs a new cast on centre stage as even the popcorn 🍿 is stale!
This will come as no surprise to anyone who has read my comments on this forum, independenistas can kid themselves on for as long as it keeps them happy, it’s not going to happen!
Regardless how much we want it, the notion evaporates with every mistake and attempted cover- up Snp/Scot Gov make!
I wouldn’t trust that load of incompetents to run a bath , far less auld Scotia!
Does anybody expect anything other than the polls showing people turning away from independence?
Those unfortunate snp stalwarts who still believe, I kid you not, that “the Nicola” and her cabal actually want independence, will probably still believe that the FM is indeed “a feminist to her finger tips”.
Sometimes you’ve got to face the facts that you’ve been lied to and taken for a ride – surely the penny will drop for these misguided folk at some point, there’s none so blind as those that will not see!
As for Alba, some who couldn’t make the grade in snp are now hoping to facilitate a good living by replacing the snp, a bit like Orwell’s “Animal Farm”.
Salmon has too much baggage, the electorate don’t want to know but those around him are using him to build their own careers and reputations, if they were real friends they be telling him how it really is, not massaging his ego.
What’s the solution?
Get the Tories out at WM, break up the stranglehold that Snp has at HR and have a Scottish Government that acts in the best interests of the Scottish people, not the party political dogma we’ve allowed it to become.
Snp destroyed by hubris.
Build trust with the people and then we’ll talk about independence!