FED UP WITH OWN GOALS?

Fed up with own goals?

Let me be clear. The last thing I want to see in 2023 is a Referendum on Independence. Why? Because we are nowhere near ready for it. Nothing has been done to take the case for Independence forward. The current franchise arrangements are worse than 2014.. and it cost us victory then. Nothing has been done to address key policy areas that we know cost us back in 2014, policies of pensions, on currency as examples but also the Scottish Government is no longer regarded as competent and transparent. In recent years it is increasingly viewed with distrust and suspicion.

Ever since the plot against Alex Salmond went wrong this has become a Government of redaction and concealment, not just involving that cover up but it has become a feature of regular Government failure.

At the moment for instance we have the circus which is the great ferry debacle. Having failed to pin the blame on Derek MacKay, who was on holiday at the time when the contract was signed off, gradual pressure eventually resulted in Keith Brown being reluctantly identified as the person responsible. He in turn is reported as trying to hide in the Parliament’s canteen rather than face media questions into what had happened. When finally cornered he questioned whether any document had ever existed, in sharp contrast to the First Minister’s explanation that the document for spending hundreds of millions of pounds was “missing”. Nicola boasts of having a sign on her desk that reads “ The buck stops here” but there was no sign of that and she certainly had no plans to visit the canteen for a cuppa anytime soon. Another own goal.

Then we have the census fiasco. This is a fine example of amateur fixing going wrong. Nicola did not want the census appearing before elections as she knew they would show the current franchise arrangements have deteriorated further in recent years and she would face huge criticism for not using her multiple mandates when Brexit took place. Further she wanted to encourage a census with Self ID on gender issues. So it was opt out of the UK wide census. Now Angus Robertson faces a huge problem with only 75% of the census completed whereas plus 90% is required if the statistics are to be regarded as robust. Another example of political fixing going wrong at huge additional expense to the taxpayer. More millions squandered.

Currency is another topic which the SNP Leadership wish would just go away. There never was any great enthusiasm amongst the membership for the Growth Commission’s recommendations in general and downright opposition to their plans to take up to a decade to create our own Scottish currency. This culminated in a motion at the Party’s previously supreme policy making body, National Conference, where to the the current leadership’s ire, the Conference backed a much quicker timescale after a Mr Tim Rideout set out the case and reasons to do so. Mr Rideout is currently the Chairperson of the Scottish Currency Group. So what has happened? Well currently Mr Rideout’s Party Membership is suspended after he made a poorly worded statement about Tory Home Secretary Priti Patel for which he apologised the minute he realised it could be misinterpreted. The SNP could not wait to suspend him. This is the same SNP who have yet to take any action to suspend two of their Westminster Mp’s, found guilty  of much more serious offences by a Parliamentary enquiry. Another own goal.

We all know the only major population group that voted substantially AGAINST Scottish Independence in 2014 were pensioners. I believe the overwhelming reason for this was because a great many of them relied on the MSM for information with in many cases no access to the internet and social media where the bias and misinformation of the Better Together campaign could be questioned and exposed. As a result many were scared into believing they would lose their pension and fear of change was the great motivator. The Tories and Labour quite disgracefully were happy to encourage those fears, knowingly spreading the lie on the doorsteps. It takes a special type of “campaigner” to do that, telling those barely existing on the verge of abject poverty that the very little they got would be at risk if they didn’t follow their political wishes. This despite it being in writing from the Department of Work and Pensions that the UK PENSION would be unaffected by Independence. Having said that the YES response to these scare stories were remarkably weak. Yes the media were against our side but we could and should have done much more.

That is why it is utter folly to support another referendum until our plans on pensions are well established and well known following an extensive campaign to get the message out to every pensioner in the country. We know this group are the hardest to make contact with which means we need to be making those efforts at least a few years in advance of any contest. What have we being doing about this since 2014? Another open goal missed.

Then there is the other own goals. The State Energy Company plan collapse weeks before everyone faces huge hikes in energy prices. The sell off of our offshore wind sites for the paltry 700 million pounds to foreign based corporations, only for those corporations boasting to shareholders a few weeks later that they were worth “billions”. So just like oil and gas our renewables are being sold for a pittance. We give our assets away for pennies over decades then pay through the nose to buy our own power back. A absolutely enormous own goal!

Meanwhile we miss all the opportunities at the other end of the Park. Brexit, where was our attack? The Westminster power grab? All talk and no action!

To win the fight we need the right team on the park. That clearly involves increasing the player pool. Finding a manager with some skill in strategy and tactics. Picking the right park to play the game on with the maximum public support behind them. Timing is important. We cannot allow a game where our side are unprepared, confused and divided. We must not play the game with a half hearted manager or players.

We must pick our best team and manager, each and every one determined to win and be prepared to put it all on the line for Scotland. The public need to support and believe in the team. That should tell you just how much work is needed and why changes in personnel must be at the forefront of our plan before we ever face another vote on Independence. 

Otherwise it will prove a trap.

I am, as always

Yours for Scotland 

BEAT THE CENSORS

Sadly some sites had given up on being pro Indy sites and have decided to become merely pro SNP sites where any criticism of the Party Leader or opposition to the latest policy extremes, results in censorship being applied. This, in the rather over optimistic belief that this will suppress public discussion on such topics. My regular readers have expertly worked out that by regularly sharing articles on this site defeats that censorship and makes it all rather pointless. I really do appreciate such support and free speech in Scotland is remaining unaffected by their juvenile censorship. Indeed it is has become a symptom of weakness and guilt. Quite encouraging really.

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