Take my word for it and save yourself the grief of a personal visit; Scotland Matters is where British Nationalist fanatics go to have their bigotry massaged. The website is a dreadful litany of hate. They hate the SNP. They hate the Scottish Government. They detest the Scottish Parliament. They want everybody to mirror their hatred of these things as well anything else identifiably Scottish. They absolutely hate Scotland. They have not a single good word to say about this nation, its institutions or its people. Truly, they are the fanatical fringe of British Nationalism.
At least, it would be good to think they represent the basest limit of rabid British Nationalism. It would be disturbing indeed to discover there was some new depth to which British Nationalism had descended. The very thought makes me shudder.
Scotland Matters’ schtick is abolition of the Scottish Parliament, along with all the other devolved assemblies. A return to direct rule from London administered by people such as Alister “Union” Jack and purple-faced, vein-popping nutters like Stephen Kerr. I wouldn’t put it past these freaks to find roles for Ruth Davidson and that Mone creature in the colonial administration. Although I suspect even Scotland Matters would stop short of bringing in George Foulkes.
There was a time when I took seriously the threat to shut down the Scottish Parliament. As far back as ten years ago I was warning that the British regarded devolution as a failed experiment which they wanted to end. With the first SNP administration in 2007, Holyrood became the enemy. The SNP landslide in 2011 sealed the fate of the Scottish Parliament. As far as British Nationalist extremists were concerned Holyrood had to die. The implications for democracy were never given a thought. British exceptionalism can justify any anti-democratic policy or action.
As I say, for a while I took quite seriously the threat to abolish Holyrood rather than merely ‘roll back devolution’. Thanks to Nicola Sturgeon, however, I had plenty of think to think about the issue and, on reflection, I concluded that there were good reasons why the British would want to keep the Scottish Parliament even if it was reduced to the status of a parish council. There is the scapegoat factor, for one thing. It would suit the colonial administration in Scotland very well to have the Scottish Parliament on hand to take the blame every time they screwed-up.
But there is an even better reason for keeping the Scottish Parliament, albeit decked-out in a shiny new choke-chain. Abolish devolution and there is a very good chance Scotland might be fast-tracked onto the United Nations’ register of non-self-governing territories, with major implications for the fight to end the Union and restore independence.
Scotland Matters is not a significant force in Scottish or UK politics. Which makes it the idea candidate to fly a kite. The more they spout and fume about destroying Scotland’s Parliament, the easier it will be for the incoming British government to claim it is being ‘reasonable’ in only stripping Holyrood of all meaningful power.
Don’t say you weren’t warned!
Peter A Bell 
“Abolish devolution and there is a very good chance Scotland might be fast-tracked onto the United Nations’ register of non-self-governing territories”
Spot on Peter. Scotland might well have ended up on the UN Decolonization List in the 1990s had Westminster refused to deliver something that looked even remotely democratic compared with the previous ‘direct rule’.
Now we see what ‘indirect rule’ provides for, a petrified complicit pensioned-off national party elite acting as colonial administrator.
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If Scotland is not an equal partner in the Union, then what are we? And if we are an equal party, then how come the UK Government is claiming that the rUK (rest of the UK) or EWNI (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), will automatically become the cUK – Continuing UK? Unless of course Scotland as an “equal partner” EXPLICITLY relinquishes ownership and rights to the term (United Kingdom), and allows the rUK to take ownership of the whole term UK?
Yet this is what this one-sided arrogant and in my opinion, actually ignorant, crew of the House of Lords and their lackeys like Prof Boyle of the infamous Crawford and Boyle duet Annex A, and Massie of the far right Spectator, actually accepted without even any quibble, back in February 2014:
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/lords-committees/constitution/Scottish-independence/Scottish-Independence-evidence-volume-24-April. pdf – (remove space before pdf)
Hardly an equal partner in a voluntary union, so if not that what were we back in 1707 – what were we in 1801 when Ireland joined us apparently voluntarily – and what are we now? Answers on a postcard to, well:
talking about the Special Committee on Decolonization, I think it meets in June every year to consider the list of non-self-governing territories. I hope someone is building a dossier for submission to them some time, and would hope that that “INQUIRY INTO SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE: CONSTITUTIONAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REST OF THE UK” above is added to it for consideration.
Voluntary union of equals or colony – which was it, which was it in 1801, and which is it now? The answers could be different, after denials of “permission” for a referendum, and the outrageous UKSC decision which many experts disparage.
/rant
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