YOU HAVE JUST BEEN PLAYED!

AS THE SNP CONFERENCE CONTINUES AND AFTER ORDINARY MEMBERS HAVE LOST EVEN MORE POWER THROUGH THE LEADERSHIP CONTROL OF THE BLAND AGENDA AND THE STACKED NEC HERE IS A REMINDER OF THE LEAD UP TO CONFERENCE 2020 WHEN I STILL HOPED THE SNP COULD BE SAVED. THIS WAS PUBLISHED ON THE 5th NOVEMBER 2020. Members responded, good people were elected, then the leadership, broke the rules and sidelined them. The 2021 mess is the result. Can you imagine what is going to be like next year? Remember this is long before Alba was even a thought.

MASSACRE OF THE STRAW MEN

I have just read another defence of Section 30. Never have so many straw men arguments been created and slain in the one article. If you criticise the SNP for anything you are immediately accused of trying to destroy the SNP. It’s ridiculous and the last desperate defence of people who cannot justify a single point and have an overwhelming need to smear opponents in the hope that the innocent and naive don’t look too closely at the evidence.

You must never ever point out the reckless, totally destructive and divisive behaviour of the NEC. They have to  get a free pass on their interference in the vetting and selection procedures, on GRA, Hate Crime legislation etc that will be at the forefront of the Unionist campaign against the SNP next year. A agenda provided to them free of charge by the Woke Alliance and which divides the SNP membership from top to bottom all the time. Of course that does no damage to the SNP. It’s approved by the NEC!

To complain about this is to be accused of wanting to “get rid of the SNP.” No it isn’t, nobody wants to destroy the SNP, certainly not me, but equally I want to see members regain some control over their own Party. I do want to see the overbearing influence of the Woke element severely reduced because it, not me, is destroying the SNP.

Members have just witnessed the previously fair, honest and balanced vetting and selection procedures being grossly abused keeping good candidates off the lists, favouring those of the woke faith, and controlling even the ability of constituencies to organise their own fair hustings. Operations that worked fairly and efficiently for decades became a huge mess instantly the NEC muscled in and took unfair control.

Look at what’s happening at the moment. Conference is coming later this month. In a fair and honest Party this would be the opportunity to discuss all these problems, debate the options, take measures to reform the NEC, ALL INTERNALLY.

Are my critics witnessing this, this is me arguing to sort it all out internally, you know what my critics have been saying should happen for months? Well I am sorry but that is NOT going to happen.

Instead the leadership have safeguarded themselves by taking measures that ensure members and branches can’t do that, worse the measures ensure all the free seats on the NEC for Woke, stay for AT LEAST another year, irrespective of members views.

How did they do that you ask? Simple, they have taken all resolutions submitted By branches on making constitutional and rule changes, every one, and barred them from Conference discussion by handing them to Keith Brown’s recently created Review body, which has to report before the 2021 Conference.

How clever to set that Review Body up just a few months ago, ready to receive all these difficult questions? It’s that easy, they could see the members opposition building calling for sweeping changes, they couldn’t be sure they could defeat them at Conference, easy solution,, just don’t let them be discussed. Even better, describe anyone who objects as a troublemaker and say they are trying to destroy the SNP. How easy was that?

Now the hope here is that members don’t realise they are being played by their own side. Many will fail to recognise setting up the Review was the pre planned catch all tactic where all problems with the NEC, Vetting, selection procedures could be conveniently dumped if necessary, rather than being debated. Another year for the status quo secured, perhaps a few changes of personnel on the margins, but no more than that! Even better they have screwed money for delegates passes out of you before revealing the blandest agenda imaginable. How easy was that?

It’s the same with discussing Plan B. Can’t risk that being debated in case it won support so what is being done? Well it won’t make the Conference Agenda either, but they offer a wee discussion at a specially called National Assembly in January. No risk in that, Conference decisions form policy, outcomes at National Assembly don’t. See how easy that was? How many know that significant distinction between National Conference and National Assembly?

It is unfair political control, indeed the loyalist element, my party right or wrong, will probably think it clever and as usual will support it, not realising it is their future rights that are being trampled on as well. Worse, when I discuss this with these Party loyalists and I ask them “do you really believe a section 30 will ever be granted” around two thirds, did you get that, two thirds, answer “no but we must not divide the Party”. My question is “why not unite the Party round another option that has much greater potential to succeed and unite, rather than this dead duck proposal?” Frankly it is treating the entire membership with contempt denying proper debate. What has happened to the previously most Democratic, open and transparent party in the UK?

The outstanding weakness of the Wee Ginger Dug’s case was his argument that we need yet another clear mandate before we look for alternatives to a Section 30 order. How many mandates do we have already, stored in the big Mandate cupboard at HQ? What point is another? 

What happened to the last one, the one that was tied to Brexit, you know the issue that Nicola has majored on for the last four years? We have left the EU and are weeks away from being outside the Single Market with no deal. Tens of thousands are going to lose their jobs, thousands of businesses will be adversely affected. They are looking for action, they thought they had voted for it, and that we would “not allow Scotland to be dragged out of the Single Market against our wishes”. That is what they were told by the SNP, time and time again,that is why they gave us the mandates to stop it. What have we done to honour our word? Why should they trust another message of give us another mandate when we have done diddly squat with all those that have gone before?

I hear a lot about “we have never been nearer”. Sorry we are not. The nearest we were was the 18th September 2014. We have not moved an inch nearer since then. What about the polls I hear you say? Well they are nice, comfortable even, but they mean nothing if you have no mechanism to translate that support into real votes. So while the polls have moved in our favour, the possibility of securing a Section 30 has diminished at the same time, those polls no doubt playing a leading role in that disappearing option. So if your faith is in a Section 30 order you have been moving backwards. During that time while you have been waiting, Westminster has moved from having a Government struggling to have any majority, to a Tory Westminster Government with a majority of eighty, led by right wing Brexiteers who have no interest in what’s “morally indefensible”, or any other of the straw phrases gradualists constantly clutch to, to excuse their inaction.

We have a Democratic route to freedom, it’s there if the will exists to exercise it. We announce we are intending using the constituency vote in next May’s election as our alternative referendum UNLESS Westminster issues a .section 30 order no later than the end of January 2021. That removes the straw man arguments that we must fully exhaust the Section 30 process before moving to a Plan B position. We put it in our manifesto and seek the other pro Independence parties to do the same that a majority of seats secured in May will be regarded as the mandate for Independence. Should Westminster want the outcome determined by votes rather than seats then the Section 30 must be delivered by the January deadline. It is perfectly democratic, it allows us to demonstrate that Westminster has had every opportunity to act if they wanted to and it is more than sufficiently democratic to win widespread International democratic support.

You will note that in this article I am pointing to actual events, real examples to make my points, about how members are being played. This article is largely fact, not opinion. It is constructive, it offers a definite alternative route.

There is no point gradualists arguing this all should not be discussed on a public forum. Firstly you need to recognise that it is your leadership decisions that have made internal debate impossible, they have barred it, and secondly what happens within the SNP is hugely important to the entire YES movement and that makes it everybody’s business as continuing on the current path will result in yet more wasted years.That badly affects the whole movement. The YES movement need an effective SNP but the SNP also need the electoral support of the Yes movement. It’s not, or it should not be, a one way street.

Finally I find it amazing that for complaining about the snail like process of delivering Independence, some people prefer to attack me, rather than the snails! No matter I can take it, time is on my side as the snails are going to need to dramatically speed up or eventually be hopelessly exposed. The big problem however is the people of Scotland are facing economic disaster and for many their time is running out!

I am, as always

Yours for Scotland

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LATE NEWS…

This is a press release from David Henry, a candidate for National Secretary who is calling on Members and branches to act to demand that a resolution on these Internal matters is selected for debate. If you want a copy of the resolution contact David by email at dhenry@rapturetv.com

Press Release: Immediate
With the publication of the SNP draft agenda last night, which contained only 6 resolutions out of over 130 that branches submitted and not containing any that address the SNP’s internal or operational issues. There is grave concern that this will erode trust both in the party and the party leadership.
The SNP National Conference is the supreme governing & policy making body of the party. The failure to include any of the resolutions that would address the internal operations of the party is both unconstitutional and unprecedented. The SNP membership is being denied their basic rights to have a say and the delegates at the next SNP conference (which is to be held online from the 28th-30th of November) are being denied their constitutional rights to have a vote on these important and pressing issues. Branches didn’t propose, draft and vote to support these resolutions for them to be excluded.
All members of the SNP and all branches are urged to demand that the SNP Sighthill/Stenhouse Branches ‘Transparency’ resolution in particular is placed on the Conference agenda by sending you demand to conference@snp.org and to peter.murrell@snp.org.

Please share widely on Facebook and Twitter and lets make sure every Member and branch knows about this. Thank you.