Due to the large numbers of delegates to campaign conference this year we were decamped to the barn that is the S.E.C.C. in Glasgow. It certainly had space for the delegates but the very big downside was the layout. The stalls were separated from the speaking hall by a curtain. The delegates in the arena complained of noise from the stall space and then they complained about not being able to speak easily in the stall space because of the noise from the arena. I know I used a lot of paracetamol. The purpose of a campaign conference is to rally the troops and sendRead More →

For those interested in the SNP phenomenon and the impact of the referendum on Scotland, the UK itself and the Party, it is essential reading. Available in the shop https://scotsindependent.scot/ocart2/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=125Read More →

PARTY WELCOMES THREE WINS ON EVE OF BIGGEST CONFERENCE EVER On the eve of the party’s biggest ever conference, the SNP is today celebrating a by-election hat trick with wins in council by-elections in Fife, the North East and West Lothian. The SNP gained Glenrothes West and Kinglassie – an area considered Labour heartland – as candidate Craig Walker won 55.3 per cent of the vote. This is a 12 per cent increase in the SNP vote since 2012 and the second by-election win in Fife this year. In January, Marie Penman was elected as councillor for the Kirkcaldy East ward with 47 per centRead More →

Car all packed with shop stock ready to travel to Glasgow tomorrow for the SNP conference over the weekend. You will find us in the exhibitor area. We hope our regulars will stop by for the usual banter. For new delegates, you really won’t get a better class of ‘abuse’ at any other stallRead More →

Thank goodness that this week has seen the last of Prime Minister’s Questions, for the next few weeks at least. I heard William Hague being asked what it was like each Wednesday before going into the chamber. What got me (apart from all the stupid public school nonsense they insist on) was the amount of time that government employees spent preparing for a half hour slanging match in which virtually nothing is achieved. All time that I am sure could be put to much better use doing something constructive for the people of the United Kingdom’s of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.   AllRead More →

Is politics a complicated business? I was listening with my usual scepticism to the revamped Call Kaye/Morning Call/phone-in-your-rant show on Radio Scotland. Kaye Adams was doing her utmost to sound the very model of the “patronising Better Together lady”, confused by all this talk of coalitions and back room deals. Oh, but it’s so difficult for the ordinary voter to get their head around. Really? Not for the vast majority of the voters I’ve been speaking to on the doorsteps. The referendum’s gift has been the most well informed electorate Scotland has ever had. People know there’s an election on. They want to make sureRead More →

Absolutely loving the social media response to the offensive, personal comments made about Nicola Sturgeon at the one day Scottish Labour conference in Edinburgh last Saturday. Our women, men and children dug out the colanders and tin pots from the kitchen cupboards, took pictures and posted them all over the social media sites. I even saw one by a new facebook friend where she made a tin hat for her cat from tin foil. This is what the unionists are missing. HUMOUR! The type of comments made about Scotland, SNP members and voters, and our politicians are perhaps one of the reasons why many peopleRead More →

CARERS CONTINUE TO BE PRIORITY FOR SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT The SNP is today welcoming the publication of the new Carers Bill – making clear that carers will always be a top priority for the SNP in government. The Bill launched by Jamie Hepburn today will entitle all adult carers to their own support plan and all young carers to a young carer statement, setting out the help and support each carer is entitled to. The Bill will also lead to the establishment of local carer advice and information centres and mandate all councils to publish local carer strategies. The Scottish Government has always made carers aRead More →

SNP BACK CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AMONGST DISABLED PEOPLE The SNP has today signed up to the ‘One in Five’ campaign to encourage political participation amongst people with disabilities in Scotland – and has welcomed moves to make Scottish politics more reflective of Scottish society at large. The campaign calls on political parties and organisations to sign up to a charter which pledges to ensure that meetings are held in accessible venues, material is available in a variety of formats and to increase awareness and understanding of issues affecting people with disabilities.Read More →

The SNP is today accusing the UK Government of abandoning the Smith Commission – after it was revealed that the UK Crown Estate will be able to build up a new portfolio in Scotland after the devolution of the existing portfolio to Scotland.   During questioning at a session of the Scottish Parliament’s Devolution Committee today, it emerged that following an agreement with the UK Government, the UK Crown Estate would still be able to make new investments and build up a new portfolio of land in Scotland – the surplus revenue of which would flow to the Treasury rather than to the Scottish Government.Read More →