Or So We Thought!

One of the biggest ever lies by Unionists was that the Independence Referendum in 2014 caused division. That is a complete and utter falsehood. The entire Yes Movement was like one in united cause. Independence was the dream and a democratic hope over fear was our mantra. These divisions and nastiness that Brits still talk about just did not happen. The only nastiness that besmirched that entire campaign was the behaviour of the British Fascists on the night of 19th September 2014.Something incidentally that the Unionists never even acknowledge let alone take ownership of to this day.

Alex Salmond the de facto leader of the YES Movement as well as leader of the SNP reasoned correctly that a positive, inclusive campaign would win more hearts and minds than any kind of negative or confrontational campaigning. He was right, and it led us to the brink of self-determination. A mere 5 points gap was all that was left to be bridged. The incoming leader had been handed a ‘Gold Standard’ opportunity to go that last little step.

The early days were encouraging. On the back of the referendum, the Scottish people had become politicised. Suddenly people who before had shown little interest in politics had educated themselves on deficits and currency, defence options and were knowledgeable on the deceit of GERS and other unionist lies, and scaremongering fables.

The natural and only place for them to continue the fight for Scotland was the SNP. Overnight the SNP membership grew from 25,000 on 18th September 2014 to over 126,000 by March 2015. The same momentum took the party from just six MPs at Westminster to 56! David Cameron’s EVEL on September 2014 would be put to the sword or so we thought. The VOW would now be enacted in full or so we thought. Sadly for whatever tactical reason Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP decided not to press the SNP advantage.

Throughout 2015 the eyes and focus of Scots were firmly at Westminster. We watched as this group of relative unknowns got to grips with the archaic and Victorian rituals and rules of the English Parliament. Our hopes were high it was only a matter of time before we had another independence referendum or so we thought.

We entered into 2016 and the Holyrood Election with a keen eye on the upcoming Brexit Referendum that was scheduled to take place in June of that year. Nicola Sturgeon gave us assurances in the SNP Manifesto that if there was, a material change in Scotland’s circumstances, for example being dragged out of European Union against our will there would be an Independence referendum. This was, reassuring for all us independence supporters. We increased the SNP vote in both the Constituency and Regional Lists. Sadly due to the vagaries of the D’Hondt/AMS nature of the Holyrood voting system we lost 16 List Seats however we did gain Constituency seats, the ying to the yang was that we lost our 2011 majority. It was not unexpected by those of us that have taken the time to understand the unique Holyrood voting system.

We all know the SNP got their mandate from the people of Scotland. England got its Brexit mandate from the voters of England.The battle lines were drawn. We independence supporters readied ourselves for what we believed was the imminent referendum or so we thought. That never happened two years on from the first referendum and we had not campaigned in any way for independence. Just as in the movie Braveheart our leadership kept shouting, Hold! Hold! Hold!

Our leader then embarked on a tour and campaign of England trying to overturn the votes and wishes of the English voters. It was a role reversal as Scotland tried to impose its will on England, a truly bizarre situation. No mention whatsoever of Independence or our mandate. Still we kept the faith.Nicola has a secret plan or so we thought.

When 2017 arrived and a UK General Election was called it seemed to many of us long- time independence supporters, an ideal opportunity to campaign on a ticket of Independence. Unexplainably the SNP hierarchy decided the exact opposite and the order went out, the Independence word was not to be used under any circumstances throughout this campaign. The result, 500,000 independence voters stayed at home. They didn’t give their votes to the unionist parties instead choosing to abstain. The outcome was catastrophic, the Unionists made gains and the SNP lost 21 seats. It was an unmitigated disaster. At this point all of Nicola Sturgeon’s, advisors should have been removed and replaced with more capable strategists. Instead, the failed team remained intact and were supplemented by journalists from the Daily Record and Daily Mail. Their next campaign to falsely imprison an innocent man was, an even bigger disaster for them and the party. It did confirm though that Nicola Sturgeon was surrounded by rank amateurs.

Into 2018 and still the word from SNP HQ was Hold! Four years on and still nothing on campaigning towards independence. The Party leader was still touring England promoting the People’s Vote to overturn Brexit. She was rubbing shoulders with arch Unionists like Alistair Campbell, also marching with Gay Pride but never marching for independence.

In the absence of any movement to campaign for our own cause several people decided to take matters into their own hands. On 30 July 2016 the first ever AUOB March took place to protest that Scotland’s EU vote was being ignored. The SNP leadership while happy to associate with English Nationalists fighting to remain in the EU were totally ignoring the march for Independence in Scotland by Scottish Nationalists. We know to this day that Nicola Sturgeon has never marched with or addressed the 250,000 marchers that now, attend AUOB events. She is happy to address the throng in Trafalgar Square but not the throng at the Edinburgh Meadows or Glasgow Green.

Into 2019 and a pending UK General Election in December, suddenly our Party Leader starts using the Independence word again. There is an election to be won. We are assured that if in December we vote SNP we will not be dragged out the EU against our will and that there will be an Independence referendum in 2020.We, of course, vote for the SNP again in huge numbers. We regain 13 of our lost MPs at Westminster. However, just a mere six weeks later on January 31st 2020 two full months before the pandemic hits. Nicola Sturgeon announces we will indeed be getting dragged out of the EU against our will the EU residents she has patronised since the 2016 Brexit vote like independence have to be abandoned because there will be no referendum in 2020 either. Big bad Boris has refused the Section 30 so no referendum. However give Nicola one more mandate at Holyrood in May 2021 and she assured us there will be an Independence referendum in 2021.

After 6 years there has not been a single independence campaign by the SNP. All that is keeping the flame of independence burning is AUOB, the remnants of the YES Movement and the pro Indy bloggers.

What has never been put to Conference or NEC is two divisive and ill thought out policies,GRA and The Hate Crime Bill. Be assured those though will happen. They have divided the party and movement like nothing else ever has. No matter what the unionists tried they could not divide us. Nicola Sturgeon and her cabal of biology deniers have managed that all on their own.

AUOB has been ignored and demonised.The YES Movement left to wither on the vine. The Independence bloggers like, AUOB demonised and ignored by the SNP. The Unionist anti-Scottish MSM get a £3,000,000 financial stimulus and jobs for their unionist hacks there are though only sneers, smears, and contempt for the pro Independence bloggers.

We are now just 8 weeks away from the Holyrood Election. Nicola Sturgeon is again promising an Independence referendum if we all just vote her party back in again. She has suspended all campaigning on independence since March last year yet you are to believe she is going to give us all that we want this time.Fool me once. Next year do you want to be writing a blog saying, or so we thought?

Not in 6 years has she done a, single thing to advance the independence cause. The Branches are not even allowed to have resolutions on Independence debated at Annual Conference. Not just in these pandemic times. Not once in her 6 years tenure has any Annual or Spring Conference debated independence. No campaigns have been run by the SNP to promote Independence. Even now a few weeks away from the election there is nothing in place to hold a referendum. Pleas by many of our support to make May a Plebiscite independence Election have been ignored. She and her sycophants still try to insist that Boris Johnson will have no other choice but to accept this latest request for a Section 30 order.

The SNP is also trying to tell you it must be #bothvotessnp. They know that will only result in the Unionists winning a landslide on the regional lists. They don’t care, that to them is more important than another independence party ever gaining a foothold and at some later stage challenging them for the independence vote.

They are counting on people being so desperate for independence that they will believe anything they are told by the SNP. They promote the lie that a referendum will happen in months.That is just impossible nothing is in place for that to occur. Just look at the facts. 6 years into her leadership and not a single SNP campaign or debate for independence. Her advisors are either UK Civil Service or ex-UK MSM hacks! She won’t allow debates on Independence at Conference or NEC. When the members vote people off the NEC those that have been removed by members are reappointed as affiliates by Nicola Sturgeon.

The Party and movement are now divided like never before. I will say this, should Nicola Sturgeon be serious about this vote here is how to prove it and win back our trust. Today, without further delay ask Westminster for your Gold Standard Section 30.Tell them that if they do not agree by return that you will be calling May’s Election an Independence Plebiscite. That an SNP 50%+ vote in the Constituency will constitute a vote for independence and if that threshold is met secession talks, will begin the day after the election.

Reach out to the new Independence Parties that have formed over the past two years and work out a joint strategy for this coming election. I know the people in these parties are committed to the cause of Independence.They will be amenable to your overtures. You have one last chance to reunite the movement and push forward Scotland’s cause. Remaining on your present course of Section 30 and ignoring the wishes of around 50% of your core support could lead to a repeat of 2017 and worse. I expect that large swathes of voters, will just not bother to vote. They will never again vote for a unionist party. They won’t however vote for an SNP policy that at best can be described as lukewarm towards independence.

The choice is yours. Nobody can force you to compromise that is down to you. This blog would support you 100% if you take that course of reconciliation.

Scotland’s Independence is all that matters, everything else is secondary.

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