There was a time when a formal association between the two main British parties – even at the North Britain branch level – would have been unthinkable. But that all changed in June 2012 with the formation of Better Together / Project Fear. That set the precedent. It is now not possible – or, at least, not sensible – to discount the possibility of a Grand Alliance of British parties in the Scottish Parliament.
Such an alliance would be justified in terms of a shared British Nationalist ideology which readily overcomes the already uncertain political differences between the British Conservative & Unionist Party in Scotland (BCUPS) and British Labour in Scotland (BLiS).
A nightmare scenario ~ PETER A BELL
Asked yesterday if he would do a deal with Labour after the Holyrood 2021 election, Douglas Ross said he would “work with anyone and everyone” to get his policies enacted.
Douglas Ross slammed for ‘desperate’ coalition offer to Labour
Peter A Bell 
This is the risk that so many in the independence movement ignore when they announce that they will not vote for the SNP in next year’s Scottish election. SNP MSPs will not be replaced by other independence supporters, they will be replaced by those whose main objective is the maintenance of the union. A reduction in support for the SNP is likely to result in a unionist coalition with Douglas Ross or Richard Leonard (Dumb and Dumber) as First Minister. If that happens, we can say goodbye to independence for decades, if not forever.
And please don’t bring up the ever diminishing possibility that we could get a shedload of list only independence party MSPs elected. I’ve now lost count of the number of these parties who’ll be standing in the election, splitting the small number of votes between them, likely ensuring none will have any impact.
Beware of what you wish for.
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Leaving aside that most of the new independence-focused parties are list-only, so not in competition for SNP seats (the SNP can’t win sufficient list seats to make a difference), at what point would you consider the SNP to be unelectable? You are clearly happy with:
making ordinary parents criminals for disciplining their children;
unreasonably restricting free speech;
allowing men into women’s changing rooms
since these are things the SNP have done or plan to do. Independence is the end we all want, but when does the means of achieving it become too much? At what point do you say, “That is too much!”?
My vote for an SNP constituency candidate depends on where they stand on “Hate Crime” and “Gender Recognition” – if they agree with either or both, they don’t get my vote, because freedom and safety of women are more important than independence to me. My list vote will go to another independence party, preferably the ISP.
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Angry Weegie I read and post occasionally on your blog , I constantly hear the wheesht for indy crew demanding that people hold their noses and vote for the SNP as somehow it will be all our fault if the unionist parties defeat the SNP by not turning out ( voter apathy) or not voting SNP in the FPTP but voting A n other indy party on the list . everyone INCLUDING NS and her hierarchy KNOW what is causing the dissent so WHY isn’t Sturgeon doing what is being demanded of her by the electorate , it is a NO BRAINER , ditch the GRA and HCB until after independence , MOVE forward on indy with a plebicite HR election in May or before that , JOB DONE
Instead she is literally BLACKMAILING INDY SUPPORTERS , vote for the SNP with it’s abhorrent policies which severely impacts on OUR females safety and security and a fantasy referendum to be held on some future date which she isn’t even prepared for .
Make NO mistake Angry Weegie it is NOT independence supporters who will cause the unionist parties to gain control . it is Nicola Sturgeon’s intransigence and her sycophantic acolytes who are refusing to see and act to SAVE the independence cause
The ability to sort the clusterfcuk RESTS WITH STURGEON
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Independence supporters shouldn’t need to be “blackmailed”. Unless they are profoundly stupid they will realise for themselves the absolute necessity of voting SNP at every opportunity. It’s your vote. It’s your choice. But FFS take responsibility for your own choices. Nicola Sturgeon isn’t casting your vote for you. Nor is she standing behind you at the polling booth with a gun to your head. If you CHOOSE to vote in such a way as to let the British parties take control of Holyrood YOU are to blame. Nobody else.
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At Peter A Bell ” Unless they are profoundly stupid they will realise for themselves the absolute necessity of voting SNP at every opportunity. It’s your vote. It’s your choice. But FFS take responsibility for your own choices”.
I can assure you I do take responsibility for MY own choices and I also know the consequences of NOT voting for the SNP and the risk that entails , I also know that I have voted consistently for these arseholes and independence is getting further away despite the rise in indy support , you are quite content in denigrating and ridiculing people on the same side as you who are attempting to force YOUR party and members to wake the fuck up , I use the term BLACKMAILING for that is what it is and you and Sturgeon are both indulging in it , you both use it as a guilt mechanism (if you don’t vote SNP you’ll get a unionist gov and we will all suffer the consequences of that) so instead of FIXING the problem, Sturgeon , just BLAME voters who are sick of her shit and can’t vote for HER LUNACY.
STOP blaming people who have choices, BLAME the ones who are fucking up those choices
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Nobody is forcing you to vote as you do. It is your choice. It remains a cold hard fact that only the SNP is placed to provide the effective political power that is required to restore independence. Therefore, if you choose not to vote SNP then you are choosing not to vote for independence. And if you seriously wanted to get the party back on track then you’d join and stand with those who are actually doing something and not just whining about the SNP.
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Peter – I will be following reports from the SNP conference at the weekend with hope, but I don’t really believe that the ordinary members will get anywhere against the NEC. If you do manage to regain control from the current group of single-issue, anything but independence, cliques, then you’ll hear me cheering from my wee corner of Fife. It probably won’t alter my decision to vote for one of the other other indy parties on the list, but it will make my decision to vote for my SNP candidate easier.
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We will be electing a new NEC. Voting for one of those “indy parties” really is wasting your vote. But it’s a faith thing. So no point in arguing.
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The ELECTORATE , we the voters have been left in this dire situation because you and most snp members have assured the indy electorate that NS has this grand plan that can’t be revealed for REASONS
YOU have been excoriating in your contempt for her insistence on the S30 adherence which I totally agree with, YET your and many others , members and non members objections have been totally ignored and dismissed, how has being a member with his own blog who devotes his every waking hour to the cause of independence changed Sturgeon’s mindset or urgency to SAVE our country from the ravages of WM . I admire your commitment to your party and I genuinely hope for your sake and Scotland’s that the conference can be a turning point , that the cabal who are destroying and obstructing democracy in your party can be removed and that Sturgeon realises that the revolution has started and she is FORCED to make moves to independence
If that happens then I and many others may feel comfortable in voting SNP
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I gave my fingers and toes crossed for you – I genuinely hope the ordinary members get your party back.
Regarding faith, the maths disagrees with you. The number of seats the SNP need to get in most regions just to win one list seat is prohibitive, assuming they win the constituency seats. To win more than one list seat per region is statistically very improbable. If you haven’t looked already, the ISPs YouTube channel illustrates it perfectly for several regions, with more to come:
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCoPfiieineY9mXIouQzBBXw
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That should be “… have my fingers and toes crossed …”
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It is a great big slow motion train crash. I tried to read Pat Kane’s review of a book my major thinkers and commentators about the future of Scotland after the pandemic. If these are Scotland’s major thinkers, then we are fucked. Most are not up to thinking about the reality of the British state. It’s very depressing.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
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Not really sure if I am surprised that parties opposed to the SNP’s main policy are going to cast their differences aside and “unite” and do what “Yoons” do… form a Union.
can you really expect them to anything else.
Indeed on the Yes side of the fence prominent bloggers are doing the exact same:
“I will support any group or organisation which genuinely seeks the restoration by democratic means of Scotland’s independence. I may not like some – or indeed any – of the people involved. I may not agree with some – or indeed any – of the policy positions taken. It is enough that we share a desire to see our nation’s rightful constitutional status restored. It is even better if we also share an awareness of how precarious Scotland’s predicament has become and how urgent is the need to defend our democracy.”
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