Scotland is a paradox. We can freely leave the UK, but we also can't?

It has taken me several years to resurrect this blog. I have thought about it with the creation of Alba and my subsequent meeting with like minds.  #ALBAforIndependence #AlbaStandsForScotland #AlbaRising

I joined the SNP to gain independence for Scotland. I didn’t join the SNP because of Alex Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon. And that also applied to Jim Sillars, Gordon Wilson, Winnie Ewing or anyone else. I did it because their arguments were best, and once I looked into it economically there was no doubt. Democratically there was no doubt. Culturally and with my heart there was more doubt. I could see culturally, arguments for and against staying within the Greater England project of 1603 and 1707. Culturally I needed to be convinced. Ironic because that became one of Better Together’s lines during in 2014, ‘Think with your head to stay in the Union, not with your heart for Scotland’s independence’. My feelings were weighted the opposite way round. 

I left the SNP in the 2000s because of the lack lustre leadership of John Swinney and the unfortunate episode with Clause 28. Being a gay man this really stuck in my craw. They were standing in the way of equality (ironically they are doing it again in 2022 under different leadership this time backed up wholeheartedly by the Scottish Green Party). This won't be happening if many women and others in Scotland have anything to do with it, or if it does there will be long term problems with this legislation. #WomenWontWheesht #NoToSelfID

That soon passed once Alex Salmond came back to the helm. And equality and anti discrimination came to the fore. Plus he called Scotland’s government Scotland’s Government which it most definitely was. London still held most of the purse strings and still do to this day. And that control has increased with Brexit which was one of the reasons I voted against that (but could still see some arguments for it. although none of them have come to pass. The people you vote for to carry something out are almost as important as the thing you are voting for, and it was blindingly obvious that those elected by England to do this on our behalf were not in it to improve life of any particular part of the UK, let alone Scotland – they were in it for where they were, and to improve their own lives). 

I had rejoined the SNP in 2014 after the official ‘No’ vote but with little enthusiasm for party politics again. It was made abundantly clear that I and many others who were the most active for Scottish Independence during the independence campaign were not welcome. Having been bullied and pilloried for a number of years I eventually gave up the ghost in 2017. 

Its not what you know or what your experience is

Who can I vote for? There are further links to incidents, happenings and processes within SNP Provan.

And now we come to Wednesday 23rd November 2022. The day on which the UK Supreme Court made its judgement on whether Scotland had, within the UK, the right to have a second Independence Referendum. Sovereignty in Scotland’s lies with it’s people and the representatives elected by those people. In England sovereignty lies with its Parliament. This creates a fundamental problem within the UK as these sovereignties are entirely different. 

Salvo video introducing the Scottish Constitution.

More information can be found on the salvo.scot website.

The highest court in the land of Scotland is the Court of Session for civil matters. To state that the UK Supreme Court has a greater power breaks the Articles of Union between the 2 countries. So it is questionable whether this matter should have been referred to this court in the first place. 

Secondly we know the previous outcome of a very similar case a few years ago instigated and carried through by Martin J Keatings which also went to court and the outcome was that this question could not by answered by the Court hypothetically. The Scottish Government would have to legislate before the basis of the argument could be contested. 

Link to Martin J Keatings case information. 

This was one of the possible outcomes for today, i.e. a repeat of the outcome of before. At the time of this case the SNP for whatever reason didn’t want to know the answer, as it seemed to put everything possible in the way of Martin Keating's case. 

Wednesday 23rd November's outcome was an absolute ‘NO’ which to me is best outcome in our current situation. However I personally believe Scotland should be in a much better position. Frequently over the last few years I really question whether the SNP has been trying to achieve Scottish Independence at all with its mis-steps, active persecution of strident voices for it, and the squashing of even discussion about it at the party's conference. 

As ‘Wings Over Scotland' has said today and I quote… ‘You can argue legitimately that Scotland is not a colony. You can argue legitimately that Scotland is not a country and gave up its people’s right to self-determination. What you cannot do is legitimately argue both, because the two assertions contradict each other in the most absurdly direct and blatant way.’ 

This will annoy more people. As to how many people it will annoy will be interesting to see. The question of who can decide on Scotland’s future was decided a long time ago. 

In 1950 a petition was raised (known as the Scottish Covenant) which stated that Scotland should again have its own Parliament. It gained 2 million signatures, and then was quietly ignored. This ultimately led to the unexpected removal of the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey, to which it was then returned, until retracing its journey back to Scotland ‘on loan’ in 1996. 

Newsreel from 1951 about the removal of the Stone of Destiny from Westminster Abbey.

More about Ian Hamilton.

1996: The Stone of Destiny is returned from England to Scotland

As an aside in 1975 Scotland voted to join the EU, or the EEC as it was then. At that time this was against SNP policy I believe. 

In 1979 we had a referendum where a majority of voters voted to have a Scottish Assembly. Because of the way the referendum was set up however Scotland didn’t get its Assembly. But nor did it do anything worthwhile afterwards about getting it. This swindle was what switched me on to Scotland’s position in the UK. 

The video below 'Scotland's Oil: A Case for Scottish Independence' puts this in context, and sums up perfectly all the reasons which made into a believer and supporter of Scottish Independence.

In 2014 there were some irregularities about how the whole thing was conducted. 

There was the blatant use of existing sources of media by the British state. See below for video re this. 'Writing Off Scotland: Press Bias during the 2014 referendum. 

There was the breaking of purdah offering something which appeared substantial by the British state (the infamous Vow which has still not been delivered due mainly the Scottish Parliament not being made permanent).

There were very odd things about the day of actual voting. A number of times on the day raised a red flag being outside a polling station for most of it. And then there were odd things as regards some voting papers, at the counts themselves, and then reports of bags of discarded votes left in odd places. There was also no mechanism for a recount. The voting papers were discarded quickly and 'Better Together' people seemed to know the postal votes outcomes prior to the day of voting itself. Please see below John McTernan stating that No votes are dominant on 14th September 2014, with the actual vote taking place several days later.

Personally at the moment if I had been on that committee of Judges on the UK Supreme Court I would have passed a different judgement. With the seemingly almost moribund nature of the SNP leadership and therefore Scotland’s current Government particularly on the matter of Scottish Independence, and the lacklustre involvement of the Yes Movement (with a few notable exceptions) as the SNP’s lack of leadership and vision has drained enthusiasm I would have put the proverbial cat amongst the SNP pigeons. I would have said you do have the powers to hold a second Scottish Independence Referendum, but only before or on the day of 19th October 2023 the date Nicola Sturgeon said she would hold one, no ‘ifs’ no ‘buts’. 

I have no belief whatsoever that the SNP is any way ready to have a second Scottish Independence Referendum. So if I had been fighting for the UK this is the option I would have picked. It would have completely hamstrung the SNP and left it in disarray. Of course I have believed in Scottish Independence since our ‘democratic’ referendum to have an Assembly in 1979, so I am pleased at the outcome. If anything can raise Scotland from its slumber this will. Given the initial reaction of the SNP leadership it certainly hasn’t roused them. So it must come from other sources; Salvo, Alba, ISP, etc. Is it going to come from you? Or do you not care about Scotland or its people?

Alex Salmond Salmond response to UK Supreme Court ruling.

A response from SALVO.