It isn’t difficult to understand why Alyn Smith is so anxious to steer discussion away from independence and the process by which it will be restored to Scotland. It’s easy to see why he wants to talk about the conjectural policies of a hypothetical SNP administration in an imagined future rather than the process by which that future might be realised or the strategy by which that process might be implemented.
He casually dismisses the referendum which in all circumstances will be essential to the process of restoring Scotland’s rightful constitutional status. He disdainfully sweeps aside any and all alternatives to the Section 30 process as unworthy of consideration. He declines to address the frustration with SNP strategy on the constitutional issue which has led directly to people seeking magical solutions to a political problem.
Of course, Alyn Smith insists that he’d be delighted to discuss these matters. But he chooses not to do so because they are “not that interesting to anyone but us”. By “us” he presumably means party members and the rest of the Yes movement. Apparently, we are not important enough for him to engage with. Why would he trouble himself with the nuts and bolts of process or the complexities of campaign strategy when there’s a crop of glittering generalities and elegant soundbites to be harvested in talk of policy? Why focus on the difficulties of the journey when you can paint whatever picture of the future might tempt your present audience to choose your vehicle?
He is delighted to discuss process having just airily rejected the idea of that being “anything other than a Section 30 Order”. He is delighted to talk about process. Just not with anybody who recognises the critical importance of following a process that actually connects to the desired outcome. He is delighted to talk about strategy. But not with anybody who has actual ideas about strategy.
Alyn Smith doesn’t want to talk about process lest someone ask how the Section 30 process to which he is wedded might actually work – as in take us to a referendum and/or the end of the Union. He doesn’t want to discuss strategy lest he be asked to account for the mistakes, missteps and missed opportunities of the past five years.
Mostly, he doesn’t want anybody pointing out that while he is chasing the “centre ground of middle Scotland” he risks losing the core support of the Yes movement; lured away by opportunists seeking to exploit frustration with the SNP for the sake of personal and/or partisan agendas which reduce Scotland’s cause to a mere marketing device.
Am I alone in noting the jaw-dropping contradiction to which Alyn Smith himself seems totally oblivious? He rightly states that “independence is not a luxury, it is essential…”. But given this acknowledgement that independence is the prerequisite for everything that we aspire to for Scotland how might we explain Alyn Smith being so uninterested in the “how” of restoring Scotland’s independence?
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Peter A Bell 
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
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“Lured away by OPPORTUNISTS seeking to EXPLOIT frustration” , I think that sentence is quite insulting and disengenuous Peter , from what I gather it is NS and the SNP who are EXPLOITING and OPPORTUNISTIC in USING independence supporters to further entrench themselves for a further 5 years in HR as the SG
They are exploiting and BLACKMAILING the YES support KNOWING that OUR options are severely restricted if we VALUE independence , yet they brazenly continue to IGNORE the SNP membership and independence supporters vociferous opposition to their REVILED policies whilst bozo and his circus freaks continue unabated to DESTROY democracy
You continuously highlight and deride the incompetence of sticking rigidly to the NS sect30 lunacy , yet when ordinary people are being FORCED to look for alternative avenues to SAVE OUR DREAMS of independence you demean and denigrate their efforts , I respect that you are a SNP member and you dearly WISH for independence under SNP leadership , but we and you have to realise that Nicola Sturgeon and the wider hierarchy are NOT the party you first joined to get US independence and looking forward that distant horizon is getting farther away
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They aren’t alternative avenues.
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The gravy train is just far too lucrative for many our representatives to give up but patience has ran out for many of the old hands within the Nats. Loyalty to a cause means nowt without action and results. It is self evident that the SNP’s timer is running out of sand and it needs to take action now or it will be trussed up by the legal niceities of the Union and go the way of Scottish Labour. We need those members and representatives within the SNP to grasp the nettle but personally I fear the worst. In my opinion Alex and other major actors need to retake the stage and bring our nation home.
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When I heard Alyn Smith’s ‘Cher colleagues..’ speech I thought we were potentially looking at a future leader of the party and he would be at the front of the fight to save us.
But he has simply fallen into line with the Sturgeon paralysis.
I agree with the previous commenters, Peter. Don’t scatter-gun those looking outside the SNP now. One day you might find yourself joining them.
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Ten months to the election. Things can and probably will change rapidly . Those that have straight- jacketed themselves into obsessive righteousness. It’s fine, we will not judge.
At this point I have an open mind about my second vote but one thing is certain the Greens will not be getting it.
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