Any referendum that is held not having been sanctioned by the British Prime Minister must be sanctioned by the Scottish Parliament. To do that the Scottish Parliament would have to assert its competence in constitutional matters (UDI in all but name.)
I might consider Nicola Sturgeon's new-found fighting spirit more convincing if she hadn't previously intimated that the Section 30 process was the only 'legal and constitutional' route. She seems to have changed her position on that. It turns out those of us who have always insisted that a Section 30 order was not necessary were … Continue reading Almost there!
Those who consider themselves part of the wave of democratic dissent risen in Scotland must decide whether they are content to remain a dissenting tendency within the British state or whether they want to be a countervailing power - and are prepared to organise accordingly.
It says something about the persistence of national identity that the ancient nation of Scotland survived the Union as more than just an annexed territory of England-as-Britain. More than just a premium brand and a tourist destination. More than merely a source of labour, skills and fodder for the British war machine.
Mr Dornan seems unable to distinguish between the SNP as an administration and the SNP as a political party. Not exactly a trivial distinction.
By persisting with the Section 30 process Nicola Sturgeon isn't only hoping Boris Johnson will change his mind, she's hoping he'll undergo a change to his very nature.
Scotland’s politics has to be done in Scotland. We won’t find solutions in Westminster. Westminster won’t act for us. Westminster won’t protect Scotland’s interests. We have to do that ourselves… here… in Scotland!
Whatever differences there may be in our vision of Scotland's future, we all share that same aspiration - the restoration of Scottish national sovereignty by restoration of full powers to the Scottish Parliament.
Far from the least of the problems with Theresa May's latest attempt to make the rough-hewn square peg of Brexit fit the well-formed round hole of reality is the question of trust. For example, when the British government undertakes to pay “due regard” to European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings relating to the rules the … Continue reading A question of trust
If you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperilled in every single battleThere are many reasons why British Labour in Scotland (BLiS) is so lamentably failing to address the electoral challenge of the Scottish National Party (SNP). But the ancient Chinese military strategist, Sun Tzu, may have captured the essence of … Continue reading BLiSsful ignorance
Peter A Bell 