Mike Small has an interesting article on Bella Caledonia which has some fair points in it but for me, we are still farther back in the debate and the state of things. Mike notes that The Scottish Independence movement is at a crossroads as regards strategy and tactics (not the same thing).
It doesn’t help that we are still debating Scotland’s right to choose, we have been debating that since 2014 and are no further forward. Today the SNP at Holyrood will use their first debate of the year to debate this very issue, groundhog day. Mike Small says
For many years we have separated a vote for the SNP and a vote for independence. If we are to ditch that patiently crafted position – central to delivering 16 successful years in government and mainstreaming our cause – then we should do so only on sound, solid merit, not a throw of the dice. It will be difficult to get back if we lose.
I am not so sure we have done that, there has been no choice but to vote SNP for many as the only means towards achieving independence or at the very least a referendum. A de-facto referendum at the next General Election in the way that it has been put forward is a huge mistake in my opinion. The SNP option would rule out EU Citizens and 16 and 17 year olds being able to vote, a definite loser in every way and my fear is that the SNP know this too and it is all about power, pensions, and the gravy train. The SNP will meet in March to discuss the way forward, not good enough and a closed shop as they say.
Mike also states that
The way forward is not clear and there is not consensus. Yet the idea that the independence movement is riven by deep divides or that the case of independence is faltering or over is also massively overplayed.
There are the following ideas on the table:
- A de facto referendum played out by the next UK General Election.
- A de facto referendum played out by a Scottish election.
- UDI, with various versions
- Lobbying for a Section 30 Order with the momentum of consistent pro-indy high polling
- Independence is dead as an option, either due to SNP intransigence or other factors
Right now we are at number 5 in my opinion due to SNP intransigence and shockingly poor governance. I still believe that we have got to see more disturbance at Westminster, stop playing the British game with British rules, stop taking part in their systems, their committees, their processes which are stuck in the dark ages and make them regret the day we ever got the vote in Scotland.
We badly need good governance within our colonial status, less centralisation and more devolution downwards. The key to independence is competence, and good public services. If we want more people to vote yes then empty their bins on time, fill the pot holes, deliver good home care, good youth work, good education. Make the difficult choice and bring in local land tax and ditch the council tax. Be brave and stop f about with issues like GRR that divide and not unite.
We also need new voices in Holyrood, we need Alba, ISP, SSP voices. We cannot stand still, we cannot trust the current SNP. We need inclusion in the debate not the closed door of the SNP leadership going through the sham of a so called conference to just ignore what their members might want, to ignore the wider movement, and to do what Nikola wants, that is how we lose.
Mike makes some good points but for me we are still going around in circles, we need to see disobedience at Westminster , we need to see political leadership, that should then lead to lawful civil disobedience. We are sadly on a slow train now so sort out local services, deliver decent ones, fight on two fronts.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
“At a crossroads???” We’re solidly stuck up a dead end and will remain so until every last one of these careerist, trough-slurping SNP bstrds is hoofed to fck out the road. I keep hearing how many good ones there are in the party. What are they then – fkin Trappists?
Dave
Too many wage grabbers and Sturgeon is the biggest issue for me across the board. She has zero strategies and is just not very good. She is all ego and nothing much else, sadly AS made some big mistakes, Sturgeon, resigning, and the once-in-a-generation bullshit. There is a part of me that wants them to get moving as we do need a referendum to start to shift views on the debate but then there is the other part that says we need to take our time due to Sturgeon’s shocking level of governance and I really do believe that governance is a huge part of the key to winning, good services will go a long way to help move people over to yes and what we have is poor governance at virtually every level.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
The SNP new leader south of the border has already stated he agrees with Nicola and it wouldn’t be right to walk out of Westminster, so i’m afraid that the SNP are happy playing British politics it suites then right down the line.
100%YES
Yeah, they bang on about not saying they would do that when they were elected, Joanna Cherry says that all the time in relation to her taking the seat at Westminster and remaining in the SNP, all bullshit if you ask me. 99% of people voting SNP are voting for the policy of independence, too many have been bought and sold in my opinion, and are not going all the way for independence. They are devolutionists and gradualists at best, and unionists at worst. But then saying that I do believe the key to winning is good national and local governance and right now we have some of the worst, the SNP for me are just Tory light in many areas and only left of center when it suits to keep the previous Labour voters but they will lose them if they don’t get back to good governance and priorities that voters expect like a decent health service and the bins getting emptied.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I believe you are right to say that the SNP knows full well that a GE plebiscitary election is not on. If they do bring it on, we will almost certainly lose. They won’t, however, bring on a SE plebiscitary election either because we might win. Don’t forget the Greens. Their support is crucial to the SNP. The Greens want this GRR stuff to be taken even further – much further – so they will want independence delayed yet again.
Lorncal
I agree, they will roll back from the de-facto referendum and hide behind the members to justify it. It is actually fine with me as it will lose either way and kill off indy in my lifetime if it is already not dead anyway. We need Sturgeon gone, and the likes of Wishart and Robertson, sadly I don’t think the latter will happen so we are just in for more of the same poor governance which turns more people away from yes as most people base their vote on what is happening in their day to day lives and are not political anoraks like many of us who try to stay politically literate, most people I meet, and chat to, are so politically illiterate it really is frightening. The Scottish Greens are a joke now, I used to give them my second vote but haven’t the last couple of times as they have become the mental party.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.