You were warned! (UK could bypass Scottish Parliament in devolved areas, MSPs warn) Even before the first referendum it was obvious that the British establishment considered devolution to be an experiment which has not just failed but seriously backfired. There was already considerable opposition to tis experiment when it was first embarked upon in an effort to stem the rising tide of Scottish nationalism. The moment the SNP formed its first Scottish Government in 2007, Holyrood’s fate was sealed. The SNP landslide in 2011 merely made the eradication of Scotland’s distinctive political culture a matter urgency.
It was never a question of whether Scotland could survive as an independent nation. It was always a question of whether Scotland could survive as a nation without independence.
It should now be clear to even the most blinkered among us that Scotland cannot continue to have a distinct national identity and political culture within the UK. The British state will not tolerate distinctiveness. The British have spent the eight years since the 2014 referendum preparing for the full annexation of Scotland and the imposition of direct rule from London – albeit by way of a puppet regime installed in Queen Elizabeth House. The SNP/Scottish Government has spent the last eight years doing absolutely nothing to prevent this. The British Nationalist project in Scotland is almost complete. Our elected representatives haven’t even hindered that project.
But the Yes movement has failed every bit as much as the SNP. We have let Sturgeon get away with far too much. We should have been in there kicking arse two or three years ago. Instead, half the Yes movement or more just gave up on the task because it seemed too difficult.
To salve their conscience about abandoning Scotland’s cause they created a plethora of ‘projects’ and a raft of political fantasies so they can pretend to themselves that they’re still fighting for independence. They’re not! I may be the only one prepared to tell them this because I am in the happy position of not giving a fuck. But unless you are on Sturgeon’s back 24/7 you are not fighting for Scotland’s cause. Unless you are part of a mass popular campaign to force the SNP/Scottish Government to act as Scotland’s cause requires, you are not fighting for independence. You’re just putting on a show.
The people don’t have power. The people have strength. But the people only have strength in numbers. That’s why ‘divide and rule’ works so well. In combination, we have massive strength. But we need the machinery of democracy if we are to convert that strength into effective political power ─ the power to effect change. Like it or loathe it, Sturgeon and the SNP are crucial components of the only democratic machinery available to us.
We are not using our strength, so we are not taking the power that should be ours. Power left unclaimed doesn’t go unused. Someone will seize that power and use it for their own purposes. When the people allow that to happen, they must seize back that power. They must combine to be strong enough to wrest that power from whoever has usurped it.
This is how democratic politics works. If you strip away all the wheeling and dealing and concessions and compromises and dodgy goings on, there you find the essentials of politics just as I have described. It is at that fundamental level that the people operate. But only if they have the knowledge of how to combine.
If we want independence we have to be able to put at least 10,000 people on the doorstep of the Scottish Parliament loudly demanding action. And do so as often as it takes for however long it takes. We will not achieve this unless we reacquire the knowledge of how to combine.
You have been warned. But then, you were warned before.
In democratic countries, knowledge of how to combine is the mother of all other forms of knowledge; on its progress depends that of all the others.
Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
Peter A Bell 
“UK could bypass Scottish Parliament in devolved areas, MSPs warn” … who woke them up?
It’s already well underway with Brexit as the catalyst. 1) Northern Ireland Protocol 2) Internal Market Act 3) Bill of Rights 4) Retained EU laws Bill 5) Financial Deregulation (the most significant and ultimate target behind Brexit!)
And as the ultimate UK backstop – Scotland’s Achilles Heel:
Section 28(7) of the Scotland Act preserves the unqualified power of the UK Parliament to make laws for Scotland.
Anticipate that Section to appear when we hear from the Supeme Court – it did the last time the Supreme Court were asked to rule.
October 2021:”Section 28(7) of the Scotland Act preserves the unqualified power of the UK Parliament to make laws for Scotland. If any provision of an Act of the Scottish Parliament purports to modify section 28(7) of the Scotland Act, it will contravene section 29(2)(c) of that Act, read together with paragraph 4(1) of Schedule 4 to that Act, and will therefore fall outside the competence of the Scottish Parliament.”
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All pretty much as anticipated, Mike. It could have been avoided. But Nicola Sturgeon is averse to confrontation and the Yes movement is too busy with other stuff to do the necessary stuff. So, we’re fucked. I just wanted to make the point that the Yes movement has to shoulder a large part of the blame for the way we have come to be fucked. We could have … Ach! What’s the point, eh? The fantasists will blame the SNP while the SNP loyalists blame the fantasists. Both lots will deny their own culpability and so be content. Scotland shall remain fucked.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
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Its probably even worse than that …
Referendum super majority bill.
😦
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Also foreseen by many.
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Fear and awareness the DUP are losing on the trajectory towards a Reunited Ireland lie behind Ian Og Paisley’s proposal of a supermajority for Referendums . Gerrymandering votes is always a Unionist Way to maintain power
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Don’t ask me the year but I went through for an Edinburgh march, maybe 2017? it was the one where the organisers claimed 200,000, the other side went for 40,000 and comparing it to Murrayfield I’d say 80,000, maybe 100,000. Let’s say 100,000.
Now then, one of the organisers tried to hijack this as some protest which would march through Princes Street regardless of what the polis said. I wouldn’t have taken train and bus through from the West and stayed overnight (in a hostel just off the Royal Mile) for that. THAT extreme takeover idea was resisted and common sense and normality took over. So you had 100,000 people supporting Independence. People with different views about, well, just about everything. I talked to a fair few.
Basically speaking you can think of active Indy supporters as a Normal distribution in erms of statistics. Take any view and there will be around 2.5% hold one extreme view, and 2.5% hold the opposite extreme view. Whereas the 95% in the middle might go to one view of the other a bit, but not a lot. It’s not important at all compared to the unifying theme – Independence itself.
So if you had a proposed march which pandered completely to one extreme you’d only basically have 2.5% support. Of those 100,000 that represents 2,500 at most.
The current extremes postulated on this website are “We can’t stand Sturgeon”, or “We’re with Nicola, heart heart”. Have a march totally dedicated to either extreme and you’re only likely to get 2,500 maximum – and since people aren’t stupid even a fair few of the 2.5% would likely stay away since on a normal march or rally they’re in the company of some of the other 97.5% and respect their opinions.
“If we want independence we have to be able to put at least 10,000 people on the doorstep of the Scottish Parliament loudly demanding action.”
If those demands include chants of “Sturgeon must go”, “The SNP are traitors”, placards With “We have let Sturgeon get away with far too much.” it’s never going to happen. Never.
I support Independence. I am one of the 95% that are in the middle. I don’t worship Sturgeon, nor do I have the other extreme views of her. I won’t be one of the maximum 500 people you’d get to attend your demanding critical rally. And nobody I know would be either.
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Chants might be “What do we want?” Independence! “When do we want it?” Now!
Placards with “Sturgeon! Get a move on!”or ” Sturgeon! Do something Independent!”
Would that type of thing satisfy the extremists AND the 95%?
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“Placards with “Sturgeon! Get a move on!”or ” Sturgeon! Do something Independent!”
Would that type of thing satisfy the extremists AND the 95%?”
I don’t think so Ben, only the 2.5% who are strongly anti-Sturgeon. Some of the middle would go since they find it good for the morale being in the company of other Indy supporters.
It’s the same as the speechers – why do Indy supporters make speeches slagging off other indy supporters or politicians? This is called “feiendly fire”, but there’s nothing remotely friendly about it.
And the Unionists laugh laugh laugh, while the extremists miss the real target.
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Can nobody in Scotland try to unite them all on an Independence Now platform. Just that and nothing else?
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AUOB organised some great marches and rallies, but then they became anti-SNP, like a stupid demo outside Bute House what’s that all about then eh? Then allowing speakers to rant about the SNP, followed other agendas like Trident, save the NHS, action against poverty, save the climate, and issues that are actually cross YES and NO in support so aren’t actually Independence.
It needs a new AUOB (genuinely all under one banner) with the rule that speakers don’t rant against Alba or the SNP or Greens or ISP or the English or GRC or women or any single issue at all.
Just be positive about Indepdendence and smile laugh and have fun please, the miserable soulless and heartless media really don’t like that. Any media around just ask them:
Are you YES yet?
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Sorry, Chants might be “What do we want?” Independence! “When do we want it?” Now!” are great.
You get the far left trying “Tories tories tories out out out” and evern worse “scum scum scum” when basically speaking who gives a stuff what Westminster does with its undemocratic parliament, and I remember a boy patiently every time doing the proper Indy chant you quoted, with far more people joining in.
Those days are gone now, but hopefully in the past they do NOT remain.
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You are involved in an exchange with an idiot who habitually misrepresents others’ argument. You should be aware. Just watch! You rather gentle nudge suggesting Sturgeon “get a move on” will be transformed into a virulent anti-Sturgeon rant. There is little, if anything, to distinguish yesindyref2 from Pete Wishart. This is NOT a compliment to either.
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As always when your opinion is challenged at all, you descend gleefully into unjustified and counter-productive abuse rather than address the points raised, proving your total inability to think outside your own tiny closed box.
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Protests outside Scottish Parliament and SNP HQ for action would certainly get the headlines and might just force some action but would also cause further splinter of the indy movement.
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Why do you think protests would splinter the movement even further? Might they not serve to unite it?
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According to the Pete Wishart types, there is nothing anybody does that isn’t sure to splinter the movement. Which, of course, has the effect of splintering the movement. But Pete Wishart types, being as stupid as the man himself, can’t understand the harm they do. Nor do they ever take responsibility for that harm. Form them, it’s all about having somebody else to blame.
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“Pete Wishart types”
Good grief.
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There might be a problem with the Pete Wishart types who don’t approve of anybody doing anything. But there’s always going to be that mob. The bollards who think it should all be left to Sturgeon despite her record of failure on the constitutional front.
Already we see the reason the Yes movement is no longer capable of concerted action. No sooner is a very simple idea mooted ─ what could be more fundamental than the Yes movement demanding independence? ─ than people start looking for reasons to do nothing. And where they can’t find reasons, they concoct them. Of course, it’s smart to consider possible difficulties beforehand. But as soon as you embark on a series of ‘what ifs’, the project is doomed.
Everything anyone has tried to do in the last few years by way of Yes movement action has been killed or crippled, not by our opponents, but by the Yes movement itself. Events such as put 100,000 people on the streets of Edinburgh succeeded because we just went ahead and did it. Now, we’re lucky if marches can attract 2,000 people. Because from the moment the event is proposed, hundreds of naysayers take to social media declaring they won’t attend if there is going to be anybody there they disagree with on something. Or they’re not going in case somebody has a banner saying something. Or they’re not going in case some speaker says something.
The Yes movement is killing itself. It is sickening to watch.
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If the YES movement is killing itself – and I agree it is , it’s doing so by eating itself alive – auto-cannibalisation , the reason – note , not excuse – is because it’s been starved of nourishing alimentation from it’s supposed * leaders * and is suffering chronic political/* spiritual * malnutrition .
Stale ” one more mandate ” bread n ” oh look at me stalking the world stage/s for opportunities to increase my VIP selfie portfolio ” Sturgeon circuses are failing to satisfy the hunger for radical change in Scotland’s constitutional circumstances than ONLY Independence will assuage .
Our people are scrabbling for crumbs whilst our * leaders * are gorging themselves on WM & Holyrood taxpayer funded banquets
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So you think it’s the fault of the 100,000 for not attending.
Jings, that’s victim blaming.
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” … that only …..”
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For those should have gone to Specsavers types that think there are only two types of people in the world, a Peter A Bell type or a Pete Wishart type, saunter over to the Wishart blog and this is the latest article from May 11, 2022:
“WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG FOR ALBA, AGAIN…”
OK, so there you go, Pete making the case for Independence. Oh, wait …
And the previous article from Peter A Bell:
“Wishartian censoriousness”
OK, so there you go, Peter making the case for Independence. Oh wait …
What a complete and utter waste of time and hot air.
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Oh God, having seen your self-obsessed comment on the National article about the launch of a pro-independence platform aimed at trying to convert the undecideds and NOes:
https://www.thenational.scot/news/23115842.snp-officially-launch-pro-independence-broadcasting-platform/
you’ve flipped and you’re not worth any more of my time. You need help.
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You can delete that if you like, and this.
I was hoping you could be brought back to being a useful (including critical) influencer for the Indy Movement, but it’s now obvious all you can see is the red mist of your rage at the SNP and Sturgeon, so I give up on you and your blog as a lost cause.
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yesindyref2; “so I give up on you and your blog as a lost cause”. Does that mean you willnae be spoutin’ onymair o’ yer negativity hereaboots? If so, gled tae read aboot it!!
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