On:
In: Grant Thoms
With: 0 Comments

Controversial though this may sound, the Tories actually want to have another independence referendum. The Tories in question tend to be those in Westminster rather than Holyrood but then when has London ever taken cognisance of a Scottish Tory leader when it comes to the UK’s interests?  That’s perhaps rather unfair in current context but nonetheless, there is planning taking place within Whitehall for the next referendum and it’s time we woke up to that reality. A senior Scottish Tory strategist was very candid within a closed meeting for professional PR people. In this meeting, he set out three scenarios: 1. Say No (the statusRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird
With: 0 Comments

Shambles, served three ways! When it comes time for the history of how Independence was won to be written, one name will probably be missing and I think that’s a shame. One man has taken a Party from being both a stalwart of the case for Home Rule, a partner in Government and a considerable election winning machine and almost single handed reduced it to the most unthinking of Unionist parties, not even recognised as a Party at Holyrood and a deposit losing shambles.  Truly we have much to be grateful for that Willie Rennie ever stood for election! For those of us of aRead More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

Today the Scottish National Party published a report.  Social Justice and Fairness Commission: A route map to a fair and independent Scotland  The route map to a fairer Scotland is not a predetermined list of policy decisions for an independent Scotland. It is intended to enable discussion about how we get everybody a fairer place to live with no-one being left behind. It looks at how ways we can change policy making. That our values will be rooted in human rights and equality and that our wellbeing will be foremost on going forward. If you would like to read, or dip in and out of,Read More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton, Uncategorized

New Cabinet announced today and new term of government begins. Sadly, the talent contained in the list MSPs in opposition is lacking, again. I can cope with lack of talent if they could behave civilly. It would appear from the performance so far that they have no intention of being civil. I found the behaviour of unionist parliamentarians towards the end of the last parliamentary session utterly disgraceful. What a total embarrassment as they were being broadcast live to the nation and the world. This past week we have had Douglas Ross speaking to a Westminster committee chairman in a manner that you would expectRead More →

On:
In: Grant Thoms

It’s that time folks: ‘now that the dust has settled’ is the opening to post-election analysis of one sort or another. Lots of gnashing of teeth and reaching for blood pressure tablets is not the answer. Perhaps a touch of self-compassion mediation is the answer. “This is a moment of suffering: feeling stressed, dealing with something difficult but not insurmountable.” Bringing mindful awareness to the Scottish election scene is long overdue, especially for the independence movement. The frustration of not achieving independence immediately boils over as the lay of the land suggests there is no instant route map.  The SNP are in many ways stillRead More →

On:
In: Maureen MacGregor

As the polls close at the end of this election campaign, things will be very different from normal.  There is to be no overnight count and we will all have to wait a couple of days for all the results, not just the outlying areas that are historically later to declare due to the distances involved in getting boxes to the Count.  In a campaign like no other, where we have not been able to enjoy the social side in the same way as we normally do and where we have an unprecedented array of list parties to choose from, it will not be forgottenRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird

Because we are moving home and I’ve been making full use of the wonderful NHS, I’ve been a spectator rather than an activist but as we move into the final phase of this abnormal election campaign, 4 things stand out for me. Hypocrisy of media over breaches of Ministerial Codes I wrote in my last piece of my concerns about how this might have played out to the serious detriment of both the campaign generally and on Nicola in particular. But this has been a dog which did not bark in the night and perhaps the reason lies a few hundred miles to the south.Read More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton

We are 2 weeks from polling day. I have voted. It’s going to be a long wait now.  Somehow I have managed to hear most of the main parties election launches listening to the radio while I work. There seems to be a heavy emphasis on how to fill in your voting papers. This could be construed as thinking we are stupid but I’ll err on the side of caution and assume it’s because there has been a big increase of first time postal voters What about the council who sent out voting papers that did not include instructions as to what gets put inRead More →

On:
In: Stephen Bird, Uncategorized

This really is turning into the strangest election campaign I can recall in 55 years in the SNP. What was looking like a fairly routine campaign with the prospect of a possible SNP majority 12 months ago has developed more twists and turns than a Stephen King plot. First, we had the Alex Salmond trial, which so many of us feared would leave a major doubt in voters’ minds about the whole campaign for Independence. Then came the acquittal on all charges and we breathed huge sighs of relief and awaited the return of Alex to the fold and an eventual peace deal being brokered.Read More →

On:
In: Margaret Hamilton, Uncategorized

What a scunner the last week has been. I had been concerned about behaviour on mainstream media and social media for some time. Last week there was a surge in the use of bad language, aggressive posts and comments and a total lack of respect for other people’s point of view. I was amazed at how many people had suddenly become experts on our voting system. I am fairly sure that they cannot all be correct, but people have convinced themselves they are right. As we discovered in the council elections when we tried to ask the electorate to vote SNP 1 and 2 (ifRead More →