I don’t normally take notice of anything written, or posted on social media, by Tom Gordon as I find him to be a bit out there if you know what I mean but this article has a grain of fact in it. He writes
Mr Blackford is also an outrider for the First Minister, testing the water before the party commits itself to a course of action.
That is exactly what Blackford has been doing with both the pensions story and the potential delay to the independence referendum story. Tom Gordon notes “what Mr Blackford hints at today, Ms Sturgeon may well confirm tomorrow. To some in the Yes movement, this was more proof of SNP posturing over a second vote – the party is seen as forever proclaiming it is nigh, yet never does the hard graft to deliver and win the thing”.
Alba deputy leader Kenny MacAskill, has accused Ian Blackford of promising “a referendum the following year on an annual basis for quite some time”. Gordon writes There is substance to this charge. The SNP has promised a vote that never comes so often it is teetering on self-parody. Now, sadly, there are a lot of grim times coming down the track that will, in passing, justify delaying Indyref2. That may suit the SNP for a while as it tries to make a virtue out of necessity.
But in the long term, it will surely raise questions in the minds of voters about whether independence is the answer.
I do agree with some of the things that Tom Gordon has written here, Blackford while a bit of gaffe machine is not stupid, he is the sounding board for Nicola Sturgeon for testing out what she is thinking with the wider YES movement and the public. Sturgeon, no matter what she or Wee Ginger Dug says, appears to not want a referendum any time soon for a variety of reasons, from fear to actually falling for what her lack of action will cause in the long run and that being to raise enough of a question in the soft no’s that independence is not the answer.
We are facing a cost of living crisis, an environmental crisis, a security crisis,
My opinion is that there will always be yet another crisis (excuse) for Nicola sturgeon to not act, I have argued that for a while now on this blog, as I have also argued for a long time that we are in danger of losing it all due to the strategy, if you can call it that, of Nicola Sturgeon. I used to believe that I would see independence in my lifetime, at 53 years old I no longer believe that as long as our faith has to be placed in the current leadership of the SNP, if the current leadership of the SNP are the question then I fear that the answer is either a neverendum or the answer, like 2014, will be no. Sturgeon really does have to go, the SNP really need to go, Alba / ISP are the only answer left.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
Sturgeons SNP are made up of Unionists plants, exlabour Yahoo’s , and career politicians. They lie to us daily, destroy our dreams and aspirations for a better fairer Scotland, Sturgeon is a narrsisist her desire for power is evident,she like all other narcissists can only destroy. Salmond ,Murray etc are examples of this behaviour.
The reality of the situation the economy and security can only be changed by independence. Brexit is a complete failure of English xenophobic nationalism, self harm on a massive scale, both politically and economically. Security in the hands of such people who crave glory and second empire is lunacy, especially when working class celts will be used first as cannon fodder ,for their misguided expeditions. Incdently a greater England hordes its nuclear weapons on our soil, guaranteeing our obiteration in any future conflict. The failure of the press to highlight the failings of Brexit or expose government coruption again proves the need to withdraw from a Union that is not democratic our for purpose.
There is no strategy from Sturgeon other than to make as much money as she can for conducting her masters bidding,for the SNP to have a future they must ditch this dud leader , but to me the problem is deeper than that, the current SNP have no vision ,no fight ,no desire for independence.
MI5 have torn the soul from them. I personally am finished with the SNP my dreams and hope’s for Scotland are as alive as ever but lie now in the shape of Alba.
Alastair
I don’t know about MI5 but nothing would surprise me now. The SNP have no vision, you are spot on there and Sturgeon is testing the waters via Blackford to see what she can get away with while maintaining power and the cushy number her awful MSPs and MPs have. The answer to a better future is of course independence but it is not happening under the SNP, for me it is one more throw of the dice with the old guard in Alba / ISP, they are our best hope and people need to wake up to that fact very very soon.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
We can safely rule out 2023 because of the energy price rises and the war in Ukraine. With another round of price rises in October and the possibility that the Russians switch off the gas then there’s a another world of pain coming for everyone. That’s not even counting the possibility of large scale recession or at least severe instability, again as a result of Ukraine. So three years from now, maybe things are getting better once more.
Then there’s the “talent pipeline” to consider. That’s not even funny. Where’s the strategist who will deliver a positive outcome for Scotland?
People have been beaten down into inaction. Short of food riots, I don’t see any possibility of widespread change politically. The middle management we have will simply keep middling.
Stuart
I think/hope that enough people will see that we have one last chance under the old guard in Alba / ISP and they can start to get some traction. The SNP are to going to get a referendum or want one, they like the scraps from the British table too much and Sturgeon is just testing to see how far she can push the yes community and maintain power. I do think things will come to a head late summer or autumn in England, I can see trouble on the streets but not in Scotland as we are just not like that anymore, or do we even have the fight, hunger might answer that questions bit I agree I don’t see a referendum if the SNP maintain power before 25 and then 26 is Holyrood elections so there will be an excuse.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I think you are spot on Bruce.
Blackford has been used as the lightning rod for SNP regarding UK pensions provision liability in a fully independent Scottish state. Likewise on the possibility of delaying a vote on returning Scotland to a normal constitutional status. (OK that’s a near racing certainty). I think also allowing Chris Hanlon – whose on the SNP NEC – to tout the possibility of something that he called “Devo min-max” on the pages of The National back in January was testing to see the reaction of the sheeple on watering down the offering to some fudged non-solution that Gordon Brown would be proud of.
In all instances there has been anger, even from comments of the normally blind and loyal SNP brigade in the remarks left in The National by readers.
Hence, the follow-up response by the FM that the Ukraine situation has not changed her “plans” and “thinking” on a holding a referendum in 2023. Some reassurance for those willing to continue to suspend their disbelief. For people from whom the scales have long since dropped from their eyes there is plenty of wriggle room in her not quite promise.
Sturgeon and her mob are always looking to see what the minimum is that they can get away with and then building an argument around why that is all that can be delivered or arranged.
They really are just confidence tricksters.
Duncanio
I agree 100% with what you have said, it is all just games and a con job to keep them in power and sheeple voting the way Sturgeon needs while we all suffer. I do think though a summer or autumn of discontent, esp down south, will focus the minds and hunger will do that and that is what is coming down the line for a lot of people. I am even now discussing with my son how we plan ahead for the next winter with a bit of a stock up and planning ahead so I can do without all the SNP bullshit, the answer to recovery in the longer term is independence and we have to hope that people wake up and see that the old guard in Alba / ISP are our last best hope, the SNP are a unionist party now.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Her “plans” and “thinking” are that she’ll do everything “in her power” to deliver a referendum via S30. Cue Boris – “ye’ll have had yer tea”
Gordon
She knows that won’t work as the scum bags have a huge majority and don’t have to concede anything and what are the SNP going to do about it. Even if Sturgeon passes a referendum bill it will go to court and the chances are the SNP lose as the constitution is reserved. The only way Scotland becomes independent is if we take it back and Sturgeon and her yoons don’t have the balls.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Precisely Bruce, when she initially uttered these weasel words, my immediate reaction was she’d give herself a get-out for failing to get the S30
I agree with all you write in the article. My “gut” tells me that Boris will opt to have an early General Election during 2023 if the polls turn in his favour from having a “good war”. As the date of IndyRef2 will have to be stated in the legislation, he can cause max disruption by holding off announcing a GE to within a matter of weeks of the date of the referendum, making all the focus on Westminster politics.
Alexander
Johnson could go early but I am not so sure he will if they can’t sort the cost of living bomb that is going to hit big time very soon. He also has a huge majority and can hold off any referendum and drag it through the courts in the unlikely event that the SNP actually pass legislation in Holyrood but even that is a doubt for me as Sturgeon is a charlatan at best.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Cracking blog and echos a lot of what I’ve been thinking as well that under nicola sturgeon we will never progress the Indy cause any further and in fact under her tenure we are in retreat 😦 if we are ever to unite and bring about another vote (plebiscite all the way for me) then she has to be dismissed taking her nodding dogs with her. It’s the leadership of the SNP that’s holding us back not the rank and file but where are the dissenting voices from SNP elected officials? They need to stand up now! When she and her ineffective cabal are gone SNP/ALBA/ISP/SCOTIA will all come together to make a concerted effort to gain Scotlands independence
Robert
Thanks and I totally agree. We have one last chance under the old guard in Alba / ISP and we have got to hope that enough people see that and make the move. We need Sturgeon and the SNP gone now, they are the main barrier to independence, they have either been bought and sold for the scraps from the British table or they were never indy in the first place.
Thanks for the kind words and commenting.
Bruce
I think you have it there. Unionist plants or weeds more like.
If you’re feeling this at 53, imagine how I feel at 73!
Peelie
It is all so depressing isn’t it, the yes community has the energy to get going but that won’t last forever. I think we have to look to the old guard in Alba / ISP as oue last hope now as the SNP are not going to deliver anything are they other than a very cushy life for themselves.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Good morning Bruce, I sense a feeling of resignation from you this morning. What else are we to feel? I’m the same every morning I wake up I think to myself, “Why do I feel so low?” then it all comes flooding back. Sturgeon and she her gang of unionists traitors. We don’t have long to get the sheep out of her flock and into the real world. I despair daily. Saor Alba.
Lara
I despise what Sturgeon has done to the SNP, the yes community , and the independence cause. I have never thought she was a unionist plant, not really, but she might as well be one. I am not giving up and will keep hitting the SNP until they get back on track with the number one priority being independence but that moves further away every day now with Sturgeon and her yoons. We have to look to the old guard in Alba / ISP as our last hope and we need to just keep promoting them as much as we can and hope the sheeple wake up soon before it is all lost.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Yet according to WGD everything is just fine. Yes it’s fine to continue his income stream for as long as possible. There should be a law against fleecing old independence supporters. Sturgeon has so little credibility left she now needs Harvie to back her up to try and convince people Indyref2 is on its way.
Cubby
I gave up WGD a long time and very rarely read much of what he writes anymore. I went off him when he did the fund raiser for his house, I know no one was forced to donate but the yes community are a very generous lot and for me it just didn’t sit comfortably at all. I have been offered money from commenters on the blog from the yes community to turn the blog into a website but could never do that. WDG is just a fanzine for Sturgeon now to be honest.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce