Looking at all the various ‘routes’ to independence being proposed, it occurred to me that they all ultimately fell over at the same point. Many fell over well before reaching this point. But none made it beyond the point at which the next step involved the Scottish Parliament doing something it lacks the competence to do because the competence is withheld by the British state using the powers afforded it by the Union. This is the sticking point. No proposal which fails to address this point can possibly be viable or credible.
The Sturgeon doctrine purports to overcome the difficulty by proposing to use a Section 30 order ─ a temporary and conditional transfer of limited powers such as to permit an essentially meaningless referendum the outcome of which cannot be implemented without the consent and cooperation of the British government. Importantly, a Section 30 order does not transfer to the Scottish Parliament the competence to authorise and facilitate a democratic event (referendum) which serves as a formal exercise by the people of Scotland of our inalienable right of self-determination ─ what I refer to as a proper constitutional referendum. In other words, the Section 30 process cannot lead to the restoration of Scotland’s independence as it keeps the necessary legislative authority firmly in Britannia’s jealous grasp.
Sturgeon’s “gold standard” is a lie.
The power to conduct a proper constitutional referendum will not be given by the British state. In fact, it cannot be given. The very act of giving precludes the power being sovereign. Being given makes it a devolved power. Power devolved is power retained. The sovereign power to conduct a proper constitutional referendum can only be taken. The only way the Scottish Parliament can have the power to conduct a proper constitutional referendum is to assume that power over any objections by the British state.
The Scottish Parliament can only acquire the competence to hold a proper constitutional referendum by asserting that competence as its due, illegitimately withheld by the British state using the powers of a political union which would not exist had it been subject to the principles and procedures of normal democracy. The Scottish Parliament asserts its primacy on the basis of the exclusive democratic legitimacy it derives from the mandate afforded it by the sovereign people of Scotland. It does so for the specific but not sole purpose of facilitating the exercise by the people of Scotland of the right of self-determination guaranteed to them under international law and unlawfully denied by the British state ─ there being no other way in which the ends of justice can be served.
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Peter A Bell 
For the record, these words are amongst those that appear in the “Declaration of a Sovereign Scot”.
“I recognise the sole democratic legitimacy of the Scottish Parliament, and assert its primacy and permanence to act singularly on behalf of the Sovereign Scots whose votes alone establish and maintain its existence.”
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It’s worth signing for that alone, Mike. You seemed to attract a lot of interest on Saturday. I know it’s not your looks. So I’m assuming those people were signing the Declaration?
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Yep … it’s gaining increasing support – as you now know personally!
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We all now know that the so called Gold Standard route to independence is dead. It has been on life support for some time now, but what was the final cause of death was the inability of the Scottish Parliament to do anything, effectively anything, not approved by the UK Government.
As you rightly say Peter, the Scottish Government needs to assert that it is the only authority which can embody the sovereignty of the Scottish people. To which Westminster and the English parties in Scotland will say “says who ? – no-one has ever asked the Scottish people to confirm that this is the case”
To my simple mind, the sovereign Scottish people (and no-one disputes that sovereignty in Scotland lies with the people) need to be asked, in a democratic event, to confirm that they lend that sovereignty to the elected Scottish government and to no other body. Thus the Scottish parliament is converted from being a creature of Westminster, to a servant of the Scottish people , answerable only to the sovereign Scottish people and not to the whim of the government of a foreign country.
Thus , the Scottish government can do whatever it is instructed to do by the Scottish people , without interference, whenever it chooses to do so. It’s called self-determination.
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“the Scottish Government needs to assert that it is the only authority”
I think you meant the Scottish Parliament.
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yes – correct – Scottish Parliament not Scottish Govt
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“Sturgeon’s Gold Standard is a lie”. Indeed it is. And not the only one.
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Yes. Would you like it back? Seems to have come from a man in one of your arguments I read.
For clarity I should have added the words ‘she has told’ to my original comment. Do you disagree with it?
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I thought I’d wait and see if this made any more sense in the morning. Nope!
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Come now Peter. As an experienced debater you know what a straw man argument is. You are using another distraction technique in your latest reply.
You have a simple question to answer. I’ll spell it out again for you.
Do you think Sturgeon has lied about matters other than the gold standard?
I see our exchange has given you the inspiration for your latest article. I’;; put a comment on shortly.
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What do I have that question to answer? The article is about the Section 30 process. If you want a discussion about other matters, publish your own article.
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Well this is different! Blogger posts article in which he calls Nicola Sturgeon a liar.
Reader agrees with him and says it’s not the only one. Blogger tries to divert by referring to a straw to pluck.
Reader asks if Blogger agrees that more lies have been told by Sturgeon.
Blogger refuses to answer and shuts down debate.
Ok. It’s your ball and I can’t play. Fair enough.
A straw in the wind perhaps.
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Numpty weaves conspiracy from his own farts.
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I surrender. Such eloquent intellectual sophistry has to prevail.
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