Graeme Spence is a founder of Vive Ecosse and an organiser for Indy X. He has a strong background in political campaign management, including roles as a former election agent and organiser for the ALBA Party, and as a former Chief of Staff to Douglas Chapman MP. Additionally, Spence has experience as a campaign organiser and architect for a Dunfermline MSP and recently headed a national leadership election campaign.
In todays episode we cover:
– Keir Starmer, Gordon Brown and Anas Sarwars constitutional intervention.
– International and domestic comparisons on the constitution and what we can learn.
– Stephen Flynn and Mhairi Blacks leadership takeover of the SNP MP group.
Available on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon via: https://anchor.fm/vive-ecosse
Since Indy X in Dunfermline, what progress do you think has been made in advancing the Independence movement?
It seems to me weāve quite patently gone backwards. I donāt think the most panglossian viewpoint possible would be able to sustain the view that things WERE NOT a messā¦
What has your group or organisation added in the last six months that should be featured?
Probably mainly Sorted and work around the care issue, though that might be considered a little more tangential
What next steps do you think we need to take as a movement?
Wait until there is different leadership. I donāt believe any new initiative is possible (certainly not one that will work) unless there is a leadership mentality which will allow it to work
If there was one key message you wanted to share and focus on, what would it be?
We need to sort our house first before we head off on any new wheezes. Until we are in something that, if you squinted, might look a bit like a fit shape for getting things done, we should focus on why weāre not in a fit state. There is no working mechanism via which to do this though.
Any other message or point you would like to make?
My biggest current worry is that there isnāt any remaining source of credibility which is recognised by all. I.e. there is no-one who could say āIāve booked a hall and not only will everyone come, everyone would be willing to at least consider committing collectively to what emergesā. So we donāt currently have any honest broker who could do anything about all of this.
On today’s episode we discuss the sacking/resignation of lan Blackford the SNP Westminster Parliamentary group leader, and then go on to have a chat about the Common Weal new book SORTED – a handbook for a better Scotland.
Available on Apple, Google, Spotify, Amazon via: https://anchor.fm/vive-ecosse
Taking a brief moment to pause and look back at November’s figures for the site, where we finally got round to giving it the full attention it rightly deserves, and the output it generates.
The purpose of ViveEcosse is to give a blogging platform relating to Scottish Independence to those who don’t really blog but have a voice or a topic they want to talk about. We hope first time contributors will jump back in and regularly contribute but sometimes it is a ‘message in a bottle’. Thank you to this months contributors.
While I’m in Paris on holiday, in a city and culture of holding government to account, with strong preservation of political and speech freedoms – it seems apt to share how successful November has been.
On the ‘Voices for Independence’ most popular list, we managed to crack into the top 10, placing 8th on the list for the last four weeks:
We also are sharing our internal stats, which have slightly different ways of recording, so we’re going to go with our server level ones. One set for our secure site (the vast majority come in this way) and our non secure site (older devices, some vpns) – we attempt to push all to the secure.
WordPress throws them all together for us.
Thanks for joining us folks! More great content in December.
Iāll try not to be too negative but realistically does this shuffle matter? Itās not hard to see why those in the SNP group are disappointed, thereās not even a failed strategy to point to – in effect there never was a strategy to fail.
Ian Blackford has been in with the Westminster furniture that long, the predictable faux outrage, the bore-fest questions, the fake āahaā moments.
The underwhelming speaker and the underwhelming chair occupier of the third party having theatrical disputes, likely rehearsed before hand, wink wink, nod nod.
I struggle to figure out what weāre losing, the mighty SNP MPs sent to Westminster to āsettle up not settle downā, seem to have gone meekly into the night. I think we once or twice got an expulsion – and a one time walkout to send some heat back to the Scottish papers.
What do we achieve down there? Whatās moved the needle? The polls are stagnated right where 2015 left them. What message has been sent? What was Blackfords leadership giving us?
What do the millions of pounds worth of staff, offices and accommodation achieve? Letās take a look at last week alone:
David Linden took a picture of his pile of letters, on top is a written paper response to an online survey.
āš» This weekās constituency casework letters all done and off to the postbox in the morning before another week in Parliament kicks off. pic.twitter.com/keRJ1t51xv
— David Linden MP (@DavidLinden) November 27, 2022
Tweeting it out proudly. In reality the tax payer picks up the bill for the photo stunt. First class postage obviously rather than the quick online form.
Could we not have used the entire SNP MP postage budget (circa Ā£6k a year each) and asked every constituent to give us their view on independence, sending the prepaid envelope results straight to Downing Street or the monarch?
Sure itās against the rules, but what will they do? Kick you out? What progress would be lost?
Onto another āStronger for Scotlandā warrior. Stewart McDonald, here being presented an award from the party leader.
What a fabulous night at @theSNP annual St Andrewās Day dinner. It was great to see members from across the country – especially so in such an important week. It was also a huge surprise to be presented with the partyās Parliamentarian of the Year award by @NicolaSturgeon š“ó §ó ¢ó ³ó £ó “ó æšŖšŗ pic.twitter.com/PBiPmUKB31
— Stewart McDonald MP (@StewartMcDonald) November 26, 2022
Presumably for never straying once from party lines, even ones in direct contradiction to the week before. Always loyally cheering on the absolute glacial pace of movement by the Scottish Government and the Westminster nodding dog society.
In fairness there are some exceptions, Philippa Whitford puts in an incredible Parliamentary shift and occasionally heads home in down time to aid the NHS. Joanna Cherry KC got that bored with lack of parliamentary action she took the government to court and booted them back into shape with a decisive win. Douglas Chapman roams around every open door of ambassadors, home and abroad, trying to either build support for independence recognition, or plug in a ferry route making new trade possibilities.
However the latter are all self starters – none of this was a Blackford strategy or idea. None of it was driven or demanded.
So Iām left looking for the impact of the Blackford leadership, Iām looking for what weāve lost, and I find very little. At school more than a decade ago I got forced to sit and listen to pontifications by boring old men in suits about god and the religious world, I became an atheist. Blackford much like Robertson before him was an utter chore, listening was painful and the output was nil.
Heās gone, off to join the other ex āgrandeesā – I wonder what the follow up to the mighty horse box of independence that Michael Russell trotted about with will be with Blackfords new independence focussed role.
However Iām left thinking, off he goes, big whoop.
