I’m finding all this indignant outrage and ‘poor us’ politicking from the SNP leadership really hard to stomach. It was their choice to prioritise Brexit over independence. Many of us were quite unable to discern what they hoped to achieve by this. Now wee what appears to be the outcome – Scotland being dragged out of the EU against our will and on the worst terms imaginable. What the hell did they think was going to happen?
Even before the EU referendum, it was perfectly obvious to those of us whose views are considered worthless by the SNP hierarchy that the only way to ensure the will of Scotland’s people was respected was to dissolve the Union. It was clear to us that the SNP’s posturing on the Brexit issue was pointless and to the detriment of Scotland’s cause. It always seemed plainly evident that the SNP was never going to have any influence over the final form of Brexit, far less stop it altogether.
Think for a moment how different things might be if the SNP had spent the last four years working on getting Scotland out of the Union rather than trying to save England from its own folly. Consider that the party which proudly proclaimed its ambition to foil the Mad Brexiteers lacked the ambition to defend us against the iniquities of British Nationalism.
Nothing has been gained. The policy of focusing all but entirely on Brexit while leaving the independence issue to simmer has brought us absolutely nothing. The mythical Brexit effect has yet to have any impact on the polls. After all that shmoozing with EU leaders they’ve struck a deal with the Brits that could prove ruinous for Scotland. It’s a massive failure of political strategy.
And still we are told that we must not question Nicola Sturgeon’s commitment to the Section 30 process. Nicola knows best! Have faith in Nicola! Time was when I would have gone along with that. But I am a realist. I have to go with the evidence. And, right now, all the evidence suggests that there is something seriously amiss with the Scottish Government’s strategic thinking.
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Peter A Bell 
We have this commitment from Ian Blackford made a few months ago
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I think that about covers it. If these events don’t light a fire under the SNP, then unfortunately, nothing ever will.
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If the SNP fails to deliver indy because it wants to save England…is it still a party of indy?
This was a once in a 300 year chance and ironically the SNP may have saved the union.
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He’s right though. He will let Scotland be dragged out under his will!!
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The worst is yet to come for Scotland this is only the tip of the iceberg. Westminster and the Unionist have big plans and the SNP and their weak leader has allowed this to happen. Our only hope is to get rid of Sturgeon once and for all and I hope Joanna Cherry will step in or at least challenge Sturgeon for the leadership. The FM fell apart when she lost 21 MPs and has never shown any interest in Independence since then. Well said peter.
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Not fair to suggest SNP had 4 years or so to push for independence & so 4 years wasted. 4 years ago was 2015 & we were all smarting from the No vote outcome.
The mandate depends upon being taken out of the EU. Now it appears we have that. It is therefore now that the SNP must act.
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The mandate never was contingent on Brexit. Get your facts right.
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I would say it has been 4 wasted years.
We had 56 SNP MPs out of 59 MPs for Scotland.
Much could have, and should have been done with those numbers of MPs in the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote.
Indeed, much could have been done before then.
But nothing has come of it.
All we are getting is this useless waffle, about having patience. About playing the long game.
We didn’t have the time for patience. We have no more time left. And the SNP leadership could easily have set about Dissolving the Union.Instead, they keep asking for something the UK Govt has no intentions of giving them. And in fact, in asking, they put themselves in the position of being a colony, and being servants of London.
That is not good enough.
Now we are on the way out of EU, and all the fine grand words has not moved London one wee bit.
Also,wanting to wait ’till the end of next year ,,almost for this fabled Referendum, is totally unacceptable. What use is that,then, when we have been dragged out of EU, despite all those promises form SNP they wouldn’t allow that to happen.. Well ???
SNP MPs should have walked out of Westminster, and stayed out
They had the numbers to cause a Constitutional Crisis in 2016.
So it has been wasted years, on their part, and Scotland has been left with nothing, at this moment in time, Being softly, softly, has gotten us nowhere.
I repeat what I have said previously, we need a new Party for Independence. True, it is most unlikely to take over from SNP at overnight, but we do need something other than just SNP.
IO am not too impressed with Patrick Harvie’s Green group, either.
.
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There never were the numbers to secure independence until very recently. Without the Brexit crisis, they might not have sccumulated for years. I’m all for Scottish independence, but if the SNP had gone for another referendum in the past 4 years and lost again (not unlikely at all), the independence project would have been, if not dead in the water, then at least on ice for a long time.
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You don’t seem to understand the purpose of political campaigning.
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Worried Peter. I am gravely worried. It seems Scotland is just being made invisible.
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@Big Jock
I know you don’t mean that. From reading your previous posts, I know you know Scotland was made invisible after 2014.
Some days you can just viscerally feel your reality evaporating before your eyes…knowing people sat and let it let it happen is what cuts the soul.
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SNP trying to be tricky by leaving Boris in place was always going to come back to bite them. Westminster is winner take all and the “winner” is always the one in power. Boris made them scared of an election so they gave him the whip hand. What a surprise – he used it.
I fear we are seeing a pattern. SNP’s failure to stand/act on their convictions and confidence to win the argument – and instead play Westminster games…Isn’t this their same failure on INDY?
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While it may be true, SNP didn’t support the late Boris No Confidence motion at the time, and I said then, it was a mistake, they by themselves, would not have got in thru the House of Commons.
However, SNP id try to get rid of B.Johnson, but neither Lib Dems (it was mostly Lib Dems’ Jo Swinson), or Labour gave them the support they needed.
But SNP have certainly not been afraid of us having a General Election.
It has been more Labour who have been afraid of that happening before Brexit is done.
As for SNP playing Westminster games, well, I would agree on that point
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@Gordon Keane
Sorry, but the SNP never pushed for an immediate VONC once Boris lost the house…sure, they wanted it after forcing Boris to get a Brexit extension. If Boris failed to have the confidence of the House (losing 6 votes) then his remaining PM is on them (Yes, that includes all the opposition parties) but the SNP played along trying to look calm – the mature one – and let the others off the hook. It never made its case.
SNP (L+LD) were all scared of an election if they themselves delayed Brexit and Boris could campaign on that. They were shit scared…hence the game to pin it on Boris. That was the whole point of the game. Which is weird because the SNP could have run the election as a full on INDY campaign with EU citizens still in the country..Heck, they could have even run a plebiscite in parallel if they didn’t want to use the election vote as a de facto referendum.
Now they neither have the moral high ground, or leverage….and lost.
Scotland looks to now be set to suffer the very worst Brexit. Smashed by a post Brexit Tory government needing cash, armed with Henry VIII powers and to make matters worse a sidelined toothless SNP.
I can only see one last chance to avoid the darkness, but history suggests Scotland is too timid to take it.
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The idea of having Joanna Cherry replace Nicola is like replacing charcoal with wood on the fire. Joana, in interviews about the Supreme Court hearing on Prorogation accepted the Sovereignty of the English Parliament of the UK over Scotland.
The SNP is no longer the Scottish National Party. It’s the British “Scottish National Party”, pursuing the cause of saving the British ( I.e. English) Kingdom from English self-harm.
I fear that the SNP will lose Scotland its independence fight.
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Peter, you have made your point ad nauseam and frankly your blog will be chasing interested people away by being boring. Can you bring yourself to inject some enthusiasm and vibrancy for the cause of independence rather than continual doom and gloom and a pointless campaign against the SNP leadership.
By your actions you reduce the likelihood of a successful Indyref2 by sowing seeds of despair among the non-committed.
Time yet for an epiphany if you will only give it a try.
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Thank you. Your participation is valued. Please continue.
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Peter the loyal protectors of Nicola and the SNP will decry you and threaten you with withdrawal of their financial contributions , they will EVEN accuse you of the horrendous claim of being an undercover plant or member of the 77th brigade , just as they are doing on a daily basis to Stuart Campbell over on WOS . What they will not do is analyse and disect what you are both saying to FURTHER the cause of INDEPENDENCE
They will not take into consideration the very many hours and years you both have worked tirelessly to promote and support our cause , the threats and denigration you have both suffered as a result of that ideology , but those efforts and sacrifice are forgotten in a heartbeat because you and Stu are questioning the dear leaders direction of travel
There is no doubt that the SNP are the best and only route to independence ( currently ) but independence belongs to ALL us Scots and if they are wavering they will be called out , anyway you have my support
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“There is no doubt that the SNP are the best and only route to independence ( currently ) …” I regret to disagree. I no longer see the SNP being a route to independence, unless it gets new leadership.
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