Without a Plan B it means Nothing?

I used to get excited when a poll showing a majority for Scottish Independence came out but today’s Sunday National headline showing 54% of Scottish voters now support Scottish Independence garnered only mild interest.

It’s fair to say that independence must be sitting at 50% at least if recent polls are to be believed, possibly slightly more. Now today’s poll and article in the National talks about the shift in attitude from Scottish Labour Voters to the idea of independence. I suppose any shift from no to yes has to be welcomed, and for the more active in the yes movement it will no doubt be a source of encouragement but it leaves more questions than it gives answers.

I don’t think any increase in the independence percentage is down to the SNP in the main, although it is fair to say that after a sticky start during Covid-19 Nicola Sturgeon has come into her own and has by far been the leader who has demonstrated the most competence compared to likes of Boris Johnson, but the shift in the numbers is more down to how completely clueless Westminster have been in the handling of the coronavirus crisis and the absolute uselessness of Labour in Scotland than anything else.

Now Pete 60% Wishart, SNP MP, seems to think that somehow we are now going to win. The question is you can only do that if there is a referendum first and does anyone seriously think for one minute the unionists are going to agree to a referendum, especially if YES shows a consistent if somewhat small lead in the polls, I don’t. So where do we go from here then. There is no Plan A there is only the belief within the leadership of the SNP that a miracle is going to occur and Westminster seeing that Scottish voters want another referendum will say ok on you go. That is never going to happen so what’s the plan after that?

Do we believe that if like Bonnie Langford in Just William and we shout “I’ll scream and scream and scream” Westminster will somehow cave in, I really don’t. This is where I am at odds with I suppose many in the yes movement, if Westminster keep refusing to agree to another referendum are we to just accept that until they do, keep taking part in their English Parliament and trust good old English fair play, a myth.

We have got to show that we not playing games, there has to be a clear indication in the next Holyrood elections that if Westminster does not agree to another referendum then a yes or SNP majority at Holyrood will result in Holyrood debating and voting on the Treaty of Union and a vote on it’s repeal with the result being honoured by the Scottish Government either way. If that results in a constitutional convention then a declaration of independence then so be it. We cannot and must not have the ambigous manifestos of the last 5 or 6 elections where the issue of independence is hidden away for fear of upsetting the unionist media in Scotland. We need to be crystal clear with the voters, a vote for yes parties will result in these actions. Do the SNP have the balls? No I sadly don’t think they do.

I know some of you will disagree with me and ask me to remain patient and trust the SNP, but can we afford to do that any more when the leadership are showing no intent towards hard action towards Scottish Independence. The SNP have spent more time on Brexit than they have on the campaign to restore Scotland’s sovereignty and even now are still stuck to the Brexit issue. A hard Brexit may result in a bigger YES lead in future polls but it won’t bring about another referendum, increased frustration with an English Tory Government might usher in a Labour Unionist Government but we can’t wait five years and we can’t trust Labour so where do we go.

If there is no clear intent from the SNP to take back independence next year then it may never come at all unless we form a new purely yes party and vote for it or the members of the SNP remove the leadership and put in a leadership who will take back that independence. So today I am not that excited by the poll and it just leaves more questions than answers.

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