If the only purpose of a December UK general election is for the SNP to take seats from the Tories, or other British parties, then it is likely to be a triumph. But if you have more ambitious aims, then it achieves nothing. In terms of Scotland’s cause, the practical difference between the SNP having 35 seats and 59 is zero.
A 2015-style landslide for the SNP may be claimed to prove support for a new constitutional referendum and/or for independence, but Westminster doesn’t care. If there was a 100% turnout and every single voter in Scotland voted SNP, it would make not the slightest difference to the British state’s position. And the British political elite has all the power it needs to defend that position. They get that power from the Union, augmented by the No vote in 2014.
The British state can prevent Scotland’s independence being restored. And it can do so very easily. That is the reality of Scotland’s predicament. 59 SNP MPs with an indisputable mandate does not alter that situation one iota. Scotland’s independence will not be won at Westminster.
This is most emphatically not an argument against voting for the SNP at every opportunity. They remain the only party which can be relied on to govern well in Scotland and represent Scotland in the parliament of England-as-Britain as effectively as they can. The trouble is that they simply cannot represent Scotland effectively enough. The Union prevents it. The Union prohibits it. The Union was devised, and continues to function, as a device by which Scotland’s needs, priorities and aspirations will always be subordinate to the interests of the clients served by British political elite.
If you care about Scotland; if you care about our public services; if you care about democracy; then you must vote SNP. You must give the SNP the most powerful mandate possible. But you must also demand that the SNP use that mandate. You must demand that they focus on breaking the Union which denies the people of Scotland the full and proper exercise of the sovereignty which is theirs by absolute and inalienable right.
The SNP didn’t drag the people of Scotland along on its quest for power. The people of Scotland pushed the SNP to the vanguard of our fight to restore Scotland’s independence, maintain our distinctive political culture and preserve our national identity. They have a responsibility serve Scotland’s cause. We have a responsibility to ensure that they do.
Whenever the next UK general election takes place we all must put our best efforts into sending as many SNP MP’s to Westminster as possible. Our target should be 59. But it must be clearly understood by every single one of those MPs, and by the SNP leadership, that we are sending those MPs to Westminster for one purpose – to bring about the end of the Union!
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Peter A Bell 
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
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I cannot support a party that teams up with the Austerity enabling Lib Dems, There was no need for it, it will give us no advantage. Pull out all of our MP from Westminster, as you say they have no power. Watch Westminster shit it’s self when they have to redraw the numbers to win or lose anything.
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To be fair, the SNP are only tabling a joint motion. That’s a long way from teaming up. I agree that it’s not a good look. But let’s not make too much fuss. Tomorrow, the SNP may be forced to vote with the Tories.
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Swnson is not to be trusted, but what other way is there, to get a General Election just now?
That view, is a a bit like the anti royal dudes who refused to vote for Independence, because SNP didn’t specifically say they would end the Monarchy. As if not voting for Independence, would somehow achievement that aim, within in UK!
You will not any chance to end the Monarchy, before there is Independence.
But as I have posted elsewhere, and as others say, SNP must make this their pro Independence Election. Not use it to for a Section 30, and hope for the best.
It is time SNP went on the warpath (in a strident political way) to get Independence. They should have done that long before now, and stop letting themselves be dictated to, by Westminster.
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Don’t forget that 16/17 year olds and EU nationals won’t get to vote in the GE.
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“The culture tends to have a number of Gaelic influences”
Dorsai Series – Gordon R. Dickson. Also known as the “Childe Cycle”.
Sometimes sifi is where people with deep imagination can let it rip unbounded by “reality”.
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“But you must also demand that the SNP use that mandate. You must demand that they focus on breaking the Union which denies the people of Scotland the full and proper exercise of the sovereignty which is theirs by absolute and inalienable right.”
Peter we can DEMAND the SNP with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; it will have the same effect as Nicola DEMANDING the English government for a S30 Order.
“They have a responsibility serve Scotland’s cause. We have a responsibility to ensure that they do.” What do we need to do to ENSURE that they do? CAN we ENSURE that they do? You’ve written elsewhere about claims that, “There is no alternative”. It looks as if you’re saying that there is no alternative to the SNP. Does an alternative need to be created? CAN an alternative be created.
I’m not being belligerent; I’m expressing frustration.
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There is no alternative to the SNP. That is not a matter of opinion. It is a matter of absolute fact. If there were an alternative, somebody would be able to point to it. Nobody can.
It would certainly be possible to create an alternative to the SNP. But it would have to be pretty much identical to the SNP. So what would be the point? It’s taken nearly 90 years to get the SNP in a position where it can provide the effective political power that the independence campaign requires. It would be pretty stupid to throw that away now.
We don’t have time, anyway. It would take anything from 15 to 50 years to get a new party to where the SNP is now. The British Nationalists are unlikely to oblige us by putting their ‘One Nation’ project on hold until we sort ourselves out.
Replacing the SNP is NOT an option. What we can do is demand that the party uses the effective political power that we have given it for the purpose we intended. The more of us who join the party and vote for it, the more we are able to insist that the party focuses on the task of restoring Scotland’s independence.
Remember the lever analogy – the SNP is the lever by which Scotland will be prised out of the Union. Nicola Sturgeon is the fulcrum on which that lever moves. The Scottish Parliament is the solid base on which the fulcrum rests. The Yes movement is the force which makes the lever work. All these components are essential. All must function well together. At present,the problem is the way in which the SNP is using the power afforded it by Scotland’s voters. It’s our responsibility to correct that.
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Spot on Peter. Great comment. Thanks for that.
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Peter, the General Election is a distraction, a complete pain in the butt election. And one with potential downsides for the cause of Independence. The best thing to do with it is get it out of the way as soon as possible, and for that it’s unfortunately important that at the very least the SNP representation doesn’t go backwards, but if it stayed the same it woule be “peak SNP – Indy is over”.
So basically the SNP need to get 40 or more MPs, and what is needed is that Indy supporters hold the nose, put on breathing apparatus, take a deep breath – and go out and vote SNP.
THEN we see whether S30 is a mirage, and indyref2020 is a reality or a time-wasting promise.
As far as forcing the SNP to use their mandate for Indy Ref 2 – if that is actually neccessary – the only way to do that is to threaten to kick them all out on their backsides as promise-breakers – from Holyrood, where the leader Sturgeon is sitting (and the party is benefitting from Westminster short money).
But if the insidious unionist advice of not voting SNP in a General Election is heeded we can forget Indy in our lifetimes, or that of our kids.
And it’s also absolutely vital to have a great turnout this Saturday at 1.30 pm in G;asgow in George Square for the first Rally for 5 years that will see Sturgeon as lead speaker – or in fact taking any part at all. The SNP might be playing a game, unfortunately we need to play THE game too.
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