Attempts to control and police the debate and who can participate in it should be resisted. Sometimes when words of caution are sounded about a particular policy which are at first unwelcome the passage of time and events can prove them to be vindicated. We don’t have to look too far to see examples of … Continue reading Back in the fold
Once again, I am perplexed that Joanna Cherry shows not the slightest concern for what kind of referendum is being discussed. She appears to attach no importance at all to the form of the referendum that the UKSC is being asked about. It's as if anything that has the words 'independence' and 'referendum' attached is … Continue reading A blancmange is not a brick
One can hardly argue against the kind of improvements to our existing democratic institutions and processes suggested by Joanna Cherry. However, we should acknowledge the potential difficulty this presents in the fight to restore Scotland's independence. "Use the powers you have!" is a well-worn line used by Unionists. On the face of it, Ms Cherry … Continue reading Our first priority
That'll be one more thing that supposedly helps drive up support for Yes without that increase in support ever being reflected in the polls. Just like Boris Johnson becoming British Prime Minister was supposed to drive up support for Yes and Brexit was supposed to drive up support for Yes and countless other things were … Continue reading Fuel for anger
While I agree that more could be done now to ensure that the First Minister and her government are made accountable, I am disappointed to find Joanna Cherry falling in line with the Sturgeon orthodoxy which holds that the whole approach to the constitutional issue need only continue as it was ten years ago. Should … Continue reading No exception
Joanna Cherry's column in The National today is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as ever. Two thoughts, in particular, were provoked by her remarks. The first relates to the matter of regulation, specifically in relation to freedom of expression and social media. The second to the issue of discrimination and the notion of a "right not … Continue reading Provoked thoughts
In her column in The National today Joanna Cherry makes an important point. It is a point that I have been trying to drive home for what seems like many decades - but is really just the one. The name of the British Prime Minister is of no consequence and neither is the name of … Continue reading It’s the Union, stupid!
Not for the first time I must express my admiration for Kirsty Strickland. Her column in The National yesterday (SNP MSP Karen Adam is telling a simple truth about sexual predators) was thoughtful and thought-provoking. She a made a solid point about a sensitive subject and did so without resorting to emotive language. When an … Continue reading Do we take rape too seriously?
A photograph (above) posted on Twitter by Alex Salmond and shared by Joanna Cherry has prompted some speculation about the latter making a move to join the former in the Alba Party. The photograph shows a smiling Joanna Cherry standing between former First Minister Alex Salmond and senior Alba member Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh. As one individual … Continue reading What do you see? What do you hear?
THE three questions we need most to focus on are the economic prospectus, our trading relationship with the rest of the UK post-Brexit and the route to accession to the EU. These are the questions which repeatedly come up on the doorstep, which are repeatedly put to our leaders and spokespersons and which they are … Continue reading The fallacy of received wisdom
Peter A Bell 