Amidst all the turmoil sparked by Humza Yousaf ripping up the Bute House Agreement and sacking the Harvie/Slater creature, one thing is clear – Douglas Ross is a fucking idiot! Not that we were unaware of this. But it is remarkable that the man seems to feel the need to confirm his idiocy at every opportunity. And if there is no opportunity, he’ll make one. Just as he has with his motion of no confidence in the First Minister.
Two things make Douglas Ross’s motion the work of a top-rank numpty. The fact that it relates only to Humza Yousaf and not the entire Scottish Government. And the inclusion of the phrase highlighted in the following line taken from the text of the motion.
That the Parliament has no confidence in the First Minister, in light of his failures in government.
Had Ross wanted to strike a blow for the British Tories and the British Nationalist cause as well as against the SNP and Scotland’s cause, he would have sought to bring down the SNP Scottish Government. Instead, he has opted to play the petty scalp-hunting game that the media laps up but which has absolutely nothing to do with good governance or effective opposition. It is political theatre and nothing more. Even if the no confidence motion is carried, the impact on the Scottish Government, the SNP and Yousaf himself lies somewhere in the range between minimal and negligible. Yousaf won’t be required to resign. Only a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Government must precipitate the resignation of all Ministers, including the First Minister.
Had Ross intended simply to embarrass as much as possible the First Minister and his party then he would not have added that phrase “failures in government”. Because to be reasonably sure of the motion being carried, it would need the support of the Scottish Greens. But the Scottish Greens were part of the government that the motion condemns. For the Scottish Greens, voting for the motion is like voting no confidence in themselves.
Douglas Ross has made his motion not about the Scottish Government in a way which can be effective but about the Scottish Government in a way that makes it significantly more likely that the motion will fail. Without that fatal phrase, it would have been easy for the Scottish Greens to support the motion. Instead, Ross has made it extremely difficult for them to do so. Like I say, the man is a fucking idiot!
There is much talk of the consequences for parliamentary arithmetic if the no confidence motion is carried. As ever, I am focused on the implications for Scotland’s cause. Those implications are not good. Even in the rather unlikely event that Yousaf voluntarily resigns, either in response to the motion being carried or to preempt it, the SNP’s ruling clique will simply replace him with another one of their own. Just as they contrived to have Yousaf replace Sturgeon. The hotly tipped candidate to continue the work of the continuity party leader is Ian Gray. That means their will be no change to the SNP’s ‘independence strategy’ of deferring to Westminster in all things and at all times.
I read some commenters suggesting the current mêlée might provide an opening the remaining – but almost invisible – pro-independence SNP MSPs could exploit to force a rethink of the party’s whole approach to the constitutional situation. But even if those pro-independence SNP MSPs were considering a rebellion, they’d take one look at the way dumb SNP loyalists have reacted to developments and quickly drop all thought of abstaining in the no confidence vote. So, that’s probably not going to happen.
The two most likely outcomes are that Yousaf struggles on as head of a minority government with his extremely bitter former allies looking to stab him in the back or the front or anywhere they can. Alternatively, Yousaf might resign and be replaced with another adherent to the Sturgeon doctrine which puts Westminster at the centre of the constitutional issue where the people of Scotland belong. So, no change on the independence front.
As is so often the case in politics, there’s a lot going on, but absolutely nothing changing. Douglas Ross remains a fucking idiot.
Peter A Bell 
Douglas Ross is most definitely a clown but the Tories are none too popular either so he may have been given his orders from his Southern puppet masters to avoid an election. On the other hand, of course, he maybe doesn’t want to risk losing one of his 3 jobs and the associated benefits package.
And it is perhaps better from the British Nationalists’ point of view for a humiliated, hapless, hopeless, Humza (and his SNP government colleagues) to limp along to his (and their) Holyrood electoral doom in a couple of years time.
Or, as you suggest, Yousaf resigns in favour of another of the current corrupt continuity cabinet cabal.
In either event it would be a case of plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
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Aye duncanio, I tend to go wi’the the belief he wis only daein whit he wis telt frae doon Sooth. The colonial brigade at Westminster will be mair than aware by noo that the SNP do NOT represent the active Independence movement in Scotland, rather the SNP facilitate on Westminster’s behalf.
It micht well be they dinnae want tae stir the hornet’s nest lest it gets oot o’ their control!
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I wrote a comment here on Sunday, when we discussed that pro Indy thing at George Square.
I noted how the Greens were not actually pro Independence, and have turned against us.
And that if they pulled out of the Bute House Agreement, the First Minister would be utterly humiliated, as he had always been for it, and so, he would have to go!
I’m wondering if that was on his mind, and he didn’t want to be humiliated by the Greens.
He therefore decided, best pull the plug on them first.
Its the Greens who have brought this upon themselves.
They were the ones calling for a vote to end the deal
What then was the First Minister s’possed to do, simply wait for Greens to end their deal for him?
As many others have pointed out, it was alright for them to want to end the deal, but furious SNP ends it for them. Now they are calling Humza Yousaf for everything!
Well, they started it!!
So we see now, Green MSPs want to side with the Blue and Red tories and vote against the First Minister, and against the Government.
But as Peter here, makes very clear, the Greens would have been part of any “failures” in Government and in fact any real failures we have seen, were actually Green policies.
Yet the Green group don’t see that, or don’t want to see that.
Anyhow, it does prove my main point, Greens are not for Independence, and only interested in a very narrow agenda, and a lot of it isn’t even “Green” either!
So that the Independence vote lost for the Greens in Scotland.
As for the future of the First Minister, if he does stand down, either willingly or forced to, SNP must have a proper Leadership contest, and not the rushed thing they did last time.
Oh, and neither Labour or tory can demand new Parliament elections on that one, as the tories have kept themselves in power, even after having 3 Prime Ministers in as many months!
And Labour likewise had a change of First Minister in Scotland without any new elections.
Still, as Peter says, doesn’t stop any of them being so utterly stupid, they’d try!
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“Greens are not for Independence”
Aye, self-proclaimed ‘progressives’ are clearly not nationalists, and that goes for the SNP too. Neither the SNP nor the Greens talk or act as nationalists must and neither even wish to be called ‘nationalist’ – another clue. Both believe in what they call ‘civic nationalism’ which is merely a guarantee of more colonial rule. The SNP and Greens actively ‘heading’ up a UK colonial administration as a process of indirect rule is another clue as to where their loyalty really lies. As is their propensity to enact ever more oppressive laws tae haud doun the fowk and keep the movement at bay.
Baith pairties are therefore a political fauseheid. Scots might be as well returning to ‘direct rule’, which is more plain to see, avoiding nationalist representatives being compromised or used to oppress thair ain fowk. In a colonial society Nationalist representatives must only exist for one purpose – to end colonialism and leeberate the fowk. Otherwise they end up protecting the oppressor’s interests, oppressing the fowk and working against liberation, which is what we now see. Such is the well-trod decolonization template.
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The SNP are NOT nationalists. They have infantilised Scotland by supporting the creation of a child parliament directly answerable to the parent at Westminster.
Holyrood is NOT an independent parliament in waiting. It is an undisguised Trojan horse gifted to STOP independence. Unionists said so at the time. Wise nationalists knew the Unionists were telling the truth. These wise nationalists were right, but thin on the ground. Devolution and the child parliament has stopped independence.
Alex Salmond provided a period of respite. He understood and to a large extent established what he calls “parity of esteem” between the two parliaments, child and parent.
Without Alex Salmond the SNP do not understand parity of esteem. The actually embrace the infantilisation the Party helped to foist upon us in the 1997 referendum and they are actively cementing infantilisation in place. They act like children and advocate that the rest of us should do the same.
Sturgeon spent our money going to court to prove Holyrood is a child, to set a legal precedent supporting infantilisation, and to scorch the earth for any future first minister who understands parity of esteem.
The SNP have spent almost 10 years fooling actual nationalists and they laugh about doing so in the corridors of power. Don’t take my word for it. Speak to Neale Hanvey. Look at the near DECADE of deceit. Take notice of who the enemies of independence are and stop their laughing. Stop being made a fool of by troughers. FFS!
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Or he engineered the whole thing knowing it was for the best.
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I noticed Ash Regan of alba may insist on SNP backing her bill on holding a referendum on Westminster giving Holyrood powers to hold another independence referendum!
All as part of a deal to support the inept Yousaf.
So we need to hold a referendum to decide to ask the UK for powers to hold a yet ANOTHER referendum?
Talk about dancing in the head of a pin. All the time recognising Westminster Sovereignty. Dear god.
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If it succeeds, it’s a foot in the door. A boot with steel toe caps. Size 20.
If Bobbin’ Jack, the last SOS against Scotland, or as we know him, the governor-general, on behalf of the UK challenges it, it’s one more denial by the external government (UK) of internal self-determination. If ultimately the UKSC strike it down with their usual mumbles, it goes towards (internationally) confirming that the State (UK) is denying Scotland our internal right to self-determination, which effectively makes us a non-self-governing territory (NSGT) – kind of like a colony.
Win-win
It’s also backed by Aidan O’Neill, one of the cheekiest KC brains around.
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Ash Regan’s Bill, like Neale Hanvey’s, is just another instance of deferring to Westminster. both are just fancified S30 requests. Both are, therefore, traitorous. Both compromise the sovereignty of Scotland’s people.
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Holyrood can NOT take away the sovereignty of the People of Scotland. That is ours. But what Holyrood can do is try to increase its – devolved – powers within the current devolution settlement.
Aidan O’Neill also opined (opinion to Keatings) that we, the People of Scotland, have already given Holyrood more power via the democratic elections of 129 MSPs on party manifestos. I agree. Which is why I sometimes post that we have already had 6 Holyrood elections: 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2016 and 2021. The next one, which might be this year, will be the 7th. Each election increases its right of democratic representation of the People of Scotland. He didn’t use that argument in the case.
A lot of this isn’t for the UKSC which some see as the final brick wall, but some like me see it as just a stepping stone to further action – and in those places its judgements can be referenced. And the more it is pinned to the wall with judgements based on self-determination, the more difficult it is for the UKSC to hide behind a load of old flannel.
And may the most persistent win – that’s us – the People of Scotland.
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Fanny dancing on the heads of pins seems to be all the rage at the moment.
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I wouldn’t claim to enjoy the dancing , endure it is nearer the mark.
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