Delusion but it’s Wee Ginger Dug – I don’t often read much of what Paul Kavanagh writes to be honest, I went off him a few years ago when he became an apologist for Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP. While many feel that he has backtracked, maybe re-written history the last two weeks today I decided to read his column and was not surprised by his continued delusion that the SNP are the way forward with a go at Alba for good measure. Kavanagh writes “However the SNP remains the only credible show in town, not just for the winning of Scottish independence, but also for ensuring that democracy in Scotland is respected”. The SNP are no longer credible in any shape or form, they have shown under Yousaf in the last two weeks that the same crap is very much still in control of the party, that what will happen is pretty much nothing, they have zero interest in winning independence, and they have pretty much destroyed any chance of restoring respect to Holyrood.
Now I don’t know any Alba member who has said at any point that the party will gain political power in Scotland, not one. The party, of course, wants to see its candidates elected, that is the point but from day one it has been about keeping the SNP honest (yeah it didn’t work), and working to keep the focus on independence ( it did work ), I really believe that without Alba we wouldn’t even have had a debate the last two years at all.
Kavanagh goes on to say “Alba supporters hate to hear this, but their party labors under the massive disadvantage of being widely regarded as a political vehicle for Alex Salmond, who is regularly found by polls to be one of the least popular figures in Scottish politics among the wider public”. Again I don’t know any Alba supporters who have not accepted that Alex Salmond is both marmite to some and not to others while accepting that Sturgeon, the SNP, aided and abetted by the unionists, did a real job on him. If anything the last two weeks should encourage many within the SNP and the wider carrot eaters to re-think the whole Alex Salmond controversy, what happened, by whom, and the fact that he was found innocent on every charge.
Not to disappoint though Kavanagh gets his sycophancy in quick to useless when he writes,
Meanwhile Humza Yousaf is proving that he is not afraid to take the fight to the Conservatives and has announced that the Scottish Government is to take legal action to challenge the unprecedented use by Alister Jack of a section 35 order in order to veto the Gender Recognition Reform Bill which was passed by Holyrood last year with a large cross party majority. Certain prominent SNP figures, who not coincidentally were opposed to the legislation in the first place, have spoken out against the planned legal action, saying that it has little chance of success.
However the point here is not the likelihood of success of any legal challenge but that the Conservatives must be shown that there is a political consequence to making use of undemocratic veto powers to overturn Scottish legislation that does not meet with Tory approval and that the Scottish Government will resist this to the fullest extent of its ability. The use of the veto was especially egregious given the refusal of the Conservative Government to engage with Holyrood in order to ensure that the Scottish legislation did not impinge upon UK equalities law.
Not only happy to kiss up to the new, same old, leadership of the SNP but also happy to see more millions wasted on legal fees on GRR and a case that will not be allowed to win at any point by our colonizers, it just won’t, end of. Now I don’t usually have a go at bloggers but Kavanagh sees himself as a commentator and as long as these are the people who have national prominence in the independence debate we also can’t win, the unionists must think that every day is Christmas Day right now.
grumpyscottishman.wordpress.com 
Bruce, Kavanagh thoroughly deserves you having a go at him. Not a word of apology for leading his readers up a garden path to nowhere. Instead he wants to take them on a new path to nowhere by following Yousaf. The guy is in it for the money. No different from a lot of the SNP politicians. All these people prattling on about saving Scottish democracy. Pass the sick bag again. There is no such thing as Scottish democracy. The Englush rule and will do so until people in Scotland wake up to the fact.
Cubby
I don’t usually read anything he writes, I did years ago then he did the crowd funding for his house and that just annoyed me as it felt like taking advantage of the yes community, of people who had little, of course no one was forced to donate but it just all felt wrong to me. He was also one of the biggest Sturgeon fans and had a go in his writing to anyone who questioned the Sturgeon, history has shown who was correct all along although I don’t think any of us take any joy in it. His article today was just so typical of the carrot eaters and sycophants, it was just sad and the delusion a huge part of why we will never win. The go at Alba and Salmond just predictable.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Agree with every point you made in your article especially the part about having an independence debate, if Alba wasn’t formed (due to the SNPs intransigence) the Indy movement would be lying in a ditch with Mr Russell’s horse box (with or without the 11 point plan) no one in Alba are looking at elections other than to make sure independence is front and centre we’ve been (as a movement) silenced for 8 and a bit years so no more “wheeshting for Indy” as for Alex salmond paid members of the Sturrel fan club are about to realise just what it means to be the most despised politician in Scotlands history and that’s saying something. Alex Salmond is our best bet for Indy wether leading the charge or in the background making the strategy to get us there. I for one hope he leads the movement his performance last 3 weeks in all the media studios showed the consummate politician still at the top of his game. He is back and the devolutionists don’t like it…
Rob
I really do believe that without Alba there would be no discussion taking place at all. Alex Salmond will always split opinion, I do think he is the greatest politician in my lifetime as far as Scotland goes, I also do think that as a strategist he is head and shoulders above all of them who have been around in recent years, Salmond on a bad day shows how bad Sturgeon really is but how long have many of us been going on about that. My first blog about Sturgeon was back around 2015 just after I resigned from the SNP. Should AS lead any future campaign, I don’t know if he should be front and centre. I like Tasmina Sheik, I think she is really goo and Neil Hanvey also, AS has a huge role to play though either way. The SNP are just over now in most ways and I expect them to lose seats, maybe remain the largest party but just if they are lucky, but either way their time feels up now.
Thanks for reading the blog and sharing your comments.
Bruce
Kavanagh feeds his nodding donkey audience the lines they want to hear, usually a polemic about how bad the Tories are. It’s the same thing he’s been writing since 2014 with a bit of word juggling and synonym substitution.
Cynical PayPal Paul and the suckers he has for readers really deserve one another.
Duncanio
It was his crowd funder for his house that was the final straw for me, of course, no one was forced to contribute, but it did feel all too much for me as he knew like everyone did how generous the yes community was and these were people with little. But he is just an apologist for Sturgeon and now Yousaf, the gravy train runs deep in the SNP and too deep to fix if you ask me.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
There are an awful lot of people making money out of the Independence Industry. He’s probably the prime example although there are others, most obviously the vast bulk of SNP MPs and MSPs and most of The National’s columnists.
Obviously you are excepted from that hellish bunch of scamsters and unprincipled troughers – you ask for precisely nothing – and give your time completely for free. Bloggers like Stuart Campbell, Craig Murray, Roddy MacLeod, Gordon Dangerfield, Peter A Bell and James Kelly may ask for some small (voluntary) contributions from time to time they are completely committed to the Cause. There is no emotional blackmail involved, just good honest journalism.
Thanks Grumps.
Duncanio
Thanks, I was offered by a few folk a few years ago to turn the blog into a website with a link to paypal I think but while I was very flattered to say the least I said no. I blog to express an opinion on what I think, I think it is brilliant that folk like yourself add your own opinions as that is what it is all about and how we will learn from each other and build our own political capacity. I think that some have taken advantage of the generosity of the yes community and think they are deserving to be funded, some of them think they are better than they are also but I suppose you get that everywhere now.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
He’s one to be avoid thats for sure, I like the PayPal Paul.
100%YES
I have heard people say that about WGD. While he is entitled to his opinion, as we all are, I just think that his opinion appeases the carrot eaters which in the long run will result in zero change and we will continue to lose. If we are not willing to get down and dirty, short of violence of course, then the unionists will always have the upper hand.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I had a wee read Bruce. It is almost as if it was written to order. .
GM
It was just a change in the worship to Yousaf wasn’t it, nothing to see here, just move along and continue to give us your money and your vote when we demand it, very sad.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I never go on his site and i’m suprised Voices.scot post his stuff. A lot of good people true indy supporters aren’t making a living out of Independence, you being one yourselve. All those that do were backing Sturgeon in every direction and seen Alex Salmond as the bad guy.
I wished the movement would shun SNP, Lesley Riddoch, him your talking about and the RAG.
100%YES
I did click the link via Voices as I don’t usually read any of his writing to be honest. I tend to read BarrheadBoy, Yours for Scotland, Robin McAlpine, Munquin’s, Wings and Pete Bell sometimes, Craig Murray. I do also listen to the Lesley Riddoch podcast on my morning walk once a week when it comes out. I just express my opinion in the blog and it is flattering when people like yourself express your own opinions as that is how we learn and I know I have learned from all of you and had to re-think my own views from time to time. Folk like WGD are just all too comfy in the space they occupy, they won’t help us win the arguments as long as they are not willing to challenge as they appease.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
And he’s wrong about Salmond being the founder of Alba – he wasn’t. And it wasn’t just one house (in Ayrshire) he crowdfunded; he crowdfunded his previous flat too.
PP
I thought that AS was asked to join the party but couldn’t remember who the founder was. I am a member of Alba but to be honest I do sometimes think I sit more comfortably in the ISP train of thought. I never knew WGD crowd funded his flat also, I just found that whole thing off to be honest. The yes community is a very generous one, often people who have very little themselves, for me it was taking advantage even if it was up to the individual to contribute or not.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
There’s lots of lashing out from the faithful as they try and come to terms with the train-wreck that is the SNP. Look at The National and it’s attack on AUOB today. It’s only just started, but they cling to straws hoping that the SNP will revive itself. Just wait until the dirt really starts to flow. I doubt many of them will survive it.
Stuart
I can’t see how the SNP can be saved any longer and people like WGD don’t help if all they are going to do is appease. We are beyond that now and really don’t have the time. Sturgeon has already set us back years, we need to use this time to re-group and to update the arguments. Alba and Alex Salmond are doing their bit but it will come down to the yes community at the end of the day as the politicians are only the vehicle they won’t convince people of the need for independence, we have to do that ourselves as best we can.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
I’ve was banned from WGD a good while ago, he doesn’t like anybody questioning him, He also tried to stitch up Stu Campbell, I can’t remember the details now but it was nasty, I also used to listen to Lesley Riddoch religiously every Sunday afternoon but she lost all credibility with me when she referred to Nicola Sturgeon as a ”Bonnie Fechter” after stabbing Alex Salmond in the back
Graeme
I rarely comment on any blogs now, the Wings thing was SC former gf or something but it was nasty you’re correct. I don’t mind Lesley Riddoch, I think she makes a lot of valid points but she plays it nice when at times blunt honesty is required to be honest.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce
Reblogged this on Ramblings of a now 60+ Female.
You know Bruce I hate feeling the way I do about Lesley I wish she never said that because I’m so an board with her Nordic values and so many other things she believes but I will never forgive her for that statement
Graeme
I totally agree, when I listen to both Lesley and Pat I agree with much of what they say but they just don’t really challenge and we are beyond being nice, nice has gotten us nowhere with independence and I am sick to death of having to appease the carrot eaters and unionists. Independence will not be given to us we are going to have to take it and there is little appetite for getting down and dirty, it’s why we are losing, too many cowards.
Thanks for commenting.
Bruce