Fade to black

It occasionally happens that in sheer exasperation I write something which on reflection says more than I intended. And is more true than I supposed. Or should I perhaps say, contains truths that I wasn’t consciously aware of. Over the last 24 hours or so – although not continuously – I have been involved in exchanges on Twitter with some of the more blinkered and bigoted Alba devotees. Which makes no change whatever from being involved in exchanges with SNP loyalists. There is literally no difference in terms of attitude. Like religious fundamentalists, both claim to have exclusive possession of The One True Way. Neither of them do, of course. But neither will be told. Neither will listen to any argument that so much as hints at a questioning of their faith-position. The frustration that this engenders in the handful of political realists struggling to be heard amidst the clamour of competing faiths occasionally provokes a comment which says more than was intended. I have two examples.

So long as half the Yes movement is pursuing foolish fantasy Scotland’s cause is lost. But you’ll be happy enough. Because you’ll blame them just as they’ll blame you. I’ll curse the whole idiotic lot of you.

It only struck me afterwards how true this is. For the dolts and dullards on both sides of the SNP/Alba divide the constitutional issue has ceased to be the central concern. Their ‘campaigning’ – although I am not comfortable thus glorifying their inane squabbling – has become entirely about doing down the other. If it had been an engineered situation then I would have been in awe of the engineers. Because it is classic divide and rule with an intriguing twist in that it works to the advantage of both sides in the real constitutional battle – the Scottish Government/Parliament and the British state. while the Alba/Salmond devotees and SNP/Sturgeon loyalists are busy scratching each other’s eyes out so both are blind to reality, Sturgeon and Johnson alike just get on with doing things their way. Which, needless to say, spells disaster for Scotland’s cause.

But they don’t care.

I’m seriously wondering why I bother. The bigots on both sides of the SNP/Alba divide are determined to fuck things up so each can blame the other. The voice of reason stands no chance.

It wasn’t until I’d written that and read it that I recognised how true it is. Just as the British political elite seeks to fuck things up for Scotland so they can blame the Scottish Government and/or the Scottish Parliament, so the two main factions that have rent the Yes movement asunder are both perfectly content to see Scotland’s cause lost in order that each can be proved right about how the other is losing Scotland’s cause.

Obvious madness, of course. Patent insanity. But that’s what faith and fantasy will lead you to. Once you let go of your grip on reason and reality there is no limit to how far or how fast you might drift away from both.

Just as obvious is that the voice of reason stands no chance amidst all this. There simply is no space for it.

Which makes my efforts a waste and me redundant.

Fade to black.

---

If you find these articles interesting please consider a small donation to help support this site and my other activities on behalf of Scotland’s cause.