The deceptively pleasing fantasy is that Scotland is on the verge of restoring independence. That independence is ' but a step away' or 'within our grasp'. At the extreme the deceptively pleasing fantasy shades into the truly demented delusion that 'independence has never been closer'.
It should hardly be necessary to advise people not to be influenced by anything David Cameron says. Many people in Scotland may be tempted to vote Out because they believe what Cameron says about this making independence more likely. Those people need to pause for thought.They need to reflect on the fact that they are … Continue reading EU referendum is not Scotland’s fight
Having read the headline over Iain Macwhirter's article in the Herald, I scoured what followed looking for some statement from Nicola Sturgeon quoted as evidence that the SNP is backing a "negative pro-EU campaign". I wasn't disappointed. But only because I knew better than to expect one. Instead of something - anything! - to justify … Continue reading No negativity
So, here we are! It's 2014! The big one! The year of decision for the people of Scotland.As the turn of the year loomed and in the immediate aftermath of the old year's passing, there was much sombre talk of the seriousness of the issue and of the need for this seriousness to be reflected … Continue reading We need better questions
George Robertson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Former general secretary of Nato, Lord George Robertson, fairly characterised the inanity of anti-independence scaremongering when, at a recent Royal Society of Edinburgh conference, he raised the spectre of the "Balkanisation" of Europe as a consequence of the democratic process of self-determination being played out in Scotland and elsewhere.Foolishly eschewing the … Continue reading Balkanisation blethers
First Minister Alex Salmond - credibility intact.(Photo credit: Wikipedia)Funny how things turn out. Even an apparently ploddingly predictable script can have some surprising plot twists. Events appear to be heading inexorably in one direction, but end up in a different place altogether.Seems like little more than a week ago we were being assured by the … Continue reading Alternative endings
Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon - Honest brokers(Photo credit: Wikipedia)I was chatting with some friends the other day when the subject turned to "that interview". You know the one I mean. The one where Andrew Neil attempts to interrogate Alex Salmond. In the course of the conversation one of my friends wondered aloud how it … Continue reading Same questions. Different answers.
Scotland and the EU - figure it out!The head of Scottish Financial Enterprise (SFE), Owen Kelly, insists that "business leaders" are looking for a "conclusive, authoritative conclusion" in the matter of post-independence Scotland's status vis-à-vis the European Union (EU). To which my immediate reaction is that if these "business leaders" seriously imagine there can be … Continue reading Certainty – and where to find it
Dumb and dumber? Or just dishonest?"Let's be clear!" How often do we hear that phrase, or some variation upon it, from British politicians. It's a familiar part of the language of politics which, as is the way with these things, invariably signals a significant lack of clarity or presages the intention to obfuscate.There is much … Continue reading Let’s be clear!
Poisoned politics (Photo credit: Murray Williams)There is a sickness in Scottish politics. A corrosive malignancy in the very heart of our nation. A debilitating malady that threatens to cripple our democracy.Hatred!Crude, mindless, intellect-sapping hatred. The seething hatred of the British establishment for the freely and democratically elected government of Scotland. The intense antipathy of Britain's … Continue reading Poisoned politics
Peter A Bell 