Michael Russell presents a brazenly dishonest portrayal of Angus Brendan MacNeil’s actions and their intent. In the first place, I have seen no evidence of him “attacking” party members. Other, that is, than those party members who have been elevated to the self-satisfied leadership clique which Mr Russell so ably represents.
But the patent falsehood that caused my jaw to drop in my porridge this morning is the allegation that Angus is “holding a gun” to the head of the SNP membership “about some action that you want the entire membership to take no matter their own views”. Unless the SNP membership has changed beyond all recognition since I was to be counted among their number then Angus Brendan MacNeil’s call for the party leadership to treat the restoration of Scotland’s independence as a matter of the utmost urgency is totally in accord with the views of every single one of those members. Excepting, of course, those who have been elevated to the self-satisfied leadership clique which Mr Russell so ably represents.
Instead of trotting out the tired old line about how anything said or done that the self-satisfied leadership clique doesn’t like “will not bring us an inch nearer independence”, Michael Russell would have better served the dignity of his office as President – not to mention his own credibility – if he had at least attempted to address the criticism that the SNP Scottish Government has failed to progress Scotland’s cause one millimetre in almost nine years. Nine years, moreover, when by the party’s own account conditions for doing so have been excellent and improving with every new scandal involving the British government. If this is not incompetence worthy of contempt, Mr Russell, then what is your preferred euphemism?
To say that the SNP leadership is “clueless” as to how to restore Scotland’s independence is no more than a statement of fact. Were the self-satisfied leadership clique not clueless we would surely by now have seen some indication of them having a clue. The reality is that every time Humza Yousaf or Jamie Hepburn or Keith Brown speaks on the matter of Scotland’s constitutional issue, they only further emphasise how devoid of clues the SNP leadership is. Unless it’s in the area of devising new can-kicking ‘initiatives’, looking for novel ideas or fresh thinking in the leadership bubble is like staring into the deep, black void of the space between the stars.
We see you, Mr Russell! We see the effort to silence dissident voices. We see the effort to bully back into line any who question the omniscience of the self-satisfied leadership clique. We see the effort to marginalise and exclude those who, like Angus Brendan MacNeil, presume to remind the SNP leadership of the party’s primary aim as defined by its constitution.
Independence for Scotland; that is the restoration of Scottish national sovereignty by restoration of full powers to the Scottish Parliament, so that its authority is limited only by the sovereign power of the Scottish People to bind it with a written constitution and by such agreements as it may freely enter into with other nations or states or international organisations for the purpose of furthering international cooperation, world peace and the protection of the environment.
Peter A Bell 
Michael Russell has surpassed even himself in plumbing the depths of even his low standards of honesty and integrity.
A few of the low-lights:
“I am not ashamed of the party that I know so well. I have been a member for almost 50 years and I will not willingly see it damaged by anyone for that would inevitably damage the prospects for independence too.”
Well, the cabal at the top of the SNP, including President Russell, have been doing a pretty good job of that in recent times.
“Attacking your fellow party members, holding a gun to their head about some action that you want the entire membership to take no matter their own views and parading contempt for your colleagues as a “clueless” leadership will not bring us an inch nearer independence.”
That would be the views that the SNP membership are not being allowed to express since the constitutional issue has not been debated at the party’s conference since 2014. As for leadership being “clueless” on the restoration of full self-government whatever happened to your 11 point ‘plan’ Mr President and your solemn ‘no ifs, no buts’ promise that there would definitely be a referendum in 2023?
“When the independence going gets tough the right – indeed the only – response from a lifelong nationalist in the party for independence is to do more, work more and, if needed, change more.”
There’s that cluelessness again.
The only time that the Prez almost exhibits some insight is when he says that the SNP “isn’t going to re-emerge instantly purified by the actions of Angus Brendan”, thereby implying that there might be something wrong with the party’s approach.
I could go on.
But if this written equivalent of verbal diarrhoea is what Michael Russell is reduced to putting his name to he should really just trot off back into his retirement horsebox, keeping the air a little bit less foul for the rest of us.
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Couldn’t agree more.
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“When the independence going gets tough the right – indeed the only – response from a lifelong nationalist in the party for independence is to do more, work more and, if needed, change more.”
Aye, some of us have been self IDing as Boxer (George Orwell, Animal Farm) for a while noo……
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Michael Russell hasn’t recently though … yet it is perhaps he who should be driven off to the knacker’s yard.
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MR, aka Squealer, has been working very, very hard for the PR effort. Boxer does question his instructions, he’s not stupid, but he has little agency. We are all Boxer, but we could have agency.
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Russell is now an old has-been with nothing to offer us for independence. He’s well past his sell by date and is now just a jealous nobody.
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Superb , Peter!
Experienced this person years ago, with his supercilious , talking over and above attitude.
I noticed the English , sidelined and ignored him, back in the day.
Best we do the same.
Although , your observations are spot on.
Regards
🐼🐼🏴🏴
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MR’s MO is akin to the old fashioned, slightly crap school teacher who prioritised his own ego by cultivating a little band of faithful followers at the ready to smite down anyone who dared question his hegemony, resulting in a subdued, silent class, questioning and exploring nothing except the hands on the clock.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
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His article is nonsense from start to finish.
It’s a pity, in his 50 years membership, he never got us an inch closer to independence.
Now, in his retirement, he spends his time remonstrating against those who strongly support independence and want action towards it.
What a man! What a joke!
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Thank you for this article. I was totally disgusted by Russell’s attempt at character assassination in the National. He’s going from bad to worse, and should resign before he does any more damage to the SNP and the cause of Indy. Meanwhile he might want to read this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margo_MacDonald
and wipe the poisoned spittle off his chin.
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McKenna who is a bit variable, his interview with MacNeil.
https://archive.is/u4oCW
I’d guess 10 times as many have a soft spot for MacNeil in our hearts as there are for Russell – specially after his spurtel today.
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No surprise at the SNP’s response to the statement from Angus. He’s really upset their cosy applecart. Fancy, an SNP MP demanding a workable way to achieve Independence. How dare he.
For those yet to be covinced that the SNP are not the party of Independence – what more do you need?
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If Mike Russell or Angus Robertson stepped down neither would be a loss. They’re up there with Sturgeon and Blackford as ones who failed abysmally to do anything meaningful for the cause of Independence. The less said about Yousaf the better. Likewise guys like Alyn “Leave the Lights on” Smith and Jamie Hepburn and of course Pete Confy Shoes Wishart. They’re complete failures. The SNP is dying and it’s demise is completely self-inflicted. So Angus Brendan McNeil and Joanna Cherry along with Ash Regan are the only ones remaining who offer any glimmer of hope for the SNP.
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