The words “Jim Sillars says” have come to resonate with me in much the same way as I imagine the words “inoperable tumour” might. Never more so than when he is right. One need not be particularly politically astute to foresee that the coming revelations from Alex Salmond will almost certainly cause the SNP leadership difficulties on a spectrum from considerable to catastrophic. One would have to be pathologically bitter and resentful to contemplate this prospect with anything like the drooling relish that Sillars exhibits.
I wonder only if those revelations “will gladden Unionist hearts” half as much as the publication – in the Unionist media – of another outpouring of bile from Jim Sillars.
But there’s no getting away from the fact that the repercussion of the ‘Salmond Affair’ are set to go on for years and impact the SNP and the Scottish Government at the highest levels. Rather than chortling gleefully in anticipation, however, I prefer to reflect on how best the independence movement might address an issue which has potential to do great harm to Scotland’s cause.
Of one thing I am certain; revelling in the misfortunes of the ‘high heid yins’ is about as counter-productive as it can get. We would do well to remember that, just as the SNP isn’t the whole independence movement, so the leadership is not the entire party. More than anything, the party is its members. For me, that is what has until relatively recently distinguished the SNP from the British parties.
How the coming storm – or volcanic eruption – affects the SNP in the medium to long term very much depends on how the membership deal with the situation. It also depends to a great extent on how the Yes movement responds. I fear the knee-jerk reaction will be to discard the sword. That, in my view, would be a massive mistake.
Babies and bathwater, folks! Let’s scrape the rust off the sword and discard only that. Let’s go further! Rather than discard the sword let us publicly declare and demonstrate our determination to restore and preserve the sword which we, the people of Scotland have crafted for our purpose – the honourable and essential purpose of restoring Scotland’s independence.
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Peter A Bell 
I just hate throwing the wean oot with the bath water as it entails considerable time to console said wean and to try to recover some semblance of trust…
Aye, let’s no go there!
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That is the key word, trust. It must be restored.
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Like when your dog poos on your carpet. Not to be relished, not to be ignored, definitely to be cleared up.
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Let’s give the sword a good clean. then sharpen it for serious use !
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Aye. Keep it clean, eh!
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I agree with the sentiment you are espousing Peter , but the very real quandary is how to get the person who is the absolute roadblock to your desired target to carry out your instructions
You have said that the membership is basically the enforcer , I have asked on many occasions if this is the case why have the membership not insisted or forced NS to accede to their demands
I am not a member of the SNP or any political party but I fervently believe in independence and I have questions , for a long time a elderly member of the SNP on WOS used to proclaim that the SNP were the most democratic party in the uk , that every member had 1 vote and ANY proposal in the branches could go forward if the requisite votes had been obtained
Questions
1 Are branch members happy at the direction of travel towards independence
2 If not are they showing their displeasure at branches
3 If they are , are branch officials informing the hierarchy of the displeasure
4. Are the hierarchy responding in any way or are they even taking notice
5. Are branch members happy that NS has SQUANDERED the numerous mandates that she has been given by not only the membership but the Scottish people
6 Are branch members happy that she is once again asking for ANOTHER mandate to go with the rest to hold a referendum that WM will refuse
7 Are branch members happy that there has been NO legal challenge to bozos or treezas refusals for a sect 30 for a indy ref , or NO legal challenge to the ICJ to PROVE Scottish citizens sovereignty and destroy WM inferred colonisation and sovereignty
8 Are branch members happy that there has been no movement that the next HE will be fought on a manifesto that if won by the SNP discussions will take place to dissolve the union
There are so many questions to be asked and answered but the main one is , if the membership are not happy with the direction of travel and they have made their feelings known , WHY is NS ignoring them , Why is she not paying attention , what exactly will it take for them to FORCE the SNP and NS to do what they were elected to do and how do they go about it
I’m like you Peter I don’t want the SNP to be broken up or the SWORD to be shattered but if NS and the SNP membership don’t act and act soon , I fear that no matter her statesmanship or empathy her electoral success will wane and a NEW party and fight will have to begin again
Sorry for the long post
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Well of course the best solution would be for the Party to purge itself of this crypto-Unionist and woke entryist infestation, then carry on to bright sunlit uplands. Even Sillars concedes this.
However, there is an election on the horizon and should the SNP members fail to act decisively, we are looking at five years of a Union-centric party in power in Holyrood no matter who wins. That is the reality. In that case the creation of an alternative to stand against a crypto-Unionist SNP is essential.
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