{"id":3307,"date":"2022-08-11T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/?p=3307"},"modified":"2022-08-09T19:30:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-09T19:30:33","slug":"the-rest-is-irony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/?p=3307","title":{"rendered":"The Rest is Irony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over recent months, I have become a bit of a fan of the \u201cThe Rest is Politics\u201d podcast. Hosted by Alistair Campbell (Tony Blair\u2019s Head of Communications) and former Tory MP and failed leadership candidate Rory Stewart. Not, I hasten to add because of their capacity to provide answers but for the unintentional irony they serve virtually every week. One of the things I like is that they aim to \u201cdisagree agreeably\u201d and that\u2019s a lesson many could benefit from. Just because someone doesn\u2019t see Scotland\u2019s future the way we do doesn\u2019t make them a traitor or any less of a Scot. Equally, not everyone on our side is a paragon of virtue, we have our own share of numpties.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither is exactly a friend of the Independence movement. Stewart calls it \u201cinsane\u201d and claims that the SNP are bullying unionists into silence, maybe he hasn\u2019t noticed that virtually all the mainstream media run a strong \u201cSNPBAD\u201d message. Although Campbell claims he can understand it he seems unable to move beyond his loyalty to the Labour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the irony flows!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a recent broadcast they both bemoaned the failure of democracy following the \u201cArab Spring\u201d. They were dismayed that for example the recent constitutional referendum in Tunisia had a turnout of barely 30%. They noted that the young people across the Arab world were turning their backs on democracy because it was not delivering what they vote for. They seem to be entirely unaware that they are supporting, indeed part of doing exactly that for Scotland!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m old enough to remember when Unionists said that all we had to do to get Independence was to win a majority of seats at Westminster. The SNP has done that at each of the last 3 Westminster General Elections. It\u2019s also worth remembering the scale of support since 2014. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Year<\/td>Election<\/td>                     Seats<\/td><\/tr>
 <\/td> <\/td>SNP<\/td>Lab<\/td>Tory<\/td>Libdem<\/td>Green<\/td>Brexit<\/td><\/tr>
2015<\/td>Westminster<\/td>56<\/td>1<\/td>1<\/td>1<\/td>0<\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
2016 <\/td>Holyrood <\/td>63 (59 + 4)<\/td>24 (3 + 21)<\/td>31 (7 + 24)<\/td>5 (4 + 1)<\/td>6 (0 + 6)<\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
2017<\/td>Local Council<\/td>431<\/td>262<\/td>276<\/td>67<\/td>19<\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
2017<\/td>Westminster<\/td>35<\/td>7<\/td>13<\/td>4<\/td>0<\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
2019<\/td>Euro<\/td>3<\/td>0<\/td>1<\/td>1<\/td>0<\/td>1<\/td><\/tr>
2019<\/td>Westminster<\/td>48<\/td>1<\/td>6<\/td>4<\/td>0<\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
2021<\/td>Holyrood<\/td>64 (62 +2)<\/td>22 (2 + 20)<\/td>31 (5+26)<\/td>4 (4+0)<\/td>8 (0 + 8)<\/td> <\/td><\/tr>
2022<\/td>Council<\/td>453<\/td>282<\/td>214<\/td>87<\/td>35<\/td> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That makes 8 National Elections on the bounce where the SNP has been given the support of the Scottish people to deliver a referendum. If Blair and Thatcher can be termed \u201chistoric\u201d for merely winning three elections on the bounce what does that make Nicola and the SNP with 8? And counting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In all these elections, the Unionist campaigns have been around a variation of the \u201cSend Nicola a message\u201d theme. Well, the people have sent a message to Nicola, and every other politician; Scotland wants a referendum!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another of the many variations on the Unionist refusal themes is that you didn\u2019t win a majority of votes. So, let\u2019s recall the % of votes cast since 2014 in UK Elections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t try to equate %s because of the differing voting systems between the much fairer Holyrood system and the outdated FPTP for Westminster where for example, the Tories had a majority on 36.8% in 2015 but lost it 2017 on 42.4% but FPTP would have given this result;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So, we have had the economy ruined and been taken out of the EU against our will all on a minority of votes. It really is time we started reminding people, especially the media, just how dishonest, hypocritical and inconsistent the Unionists are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every time we hear \u201cOnce in a generation\u201d we should respond with \u201cwin a majority of seats\u201d. When we are told \u201cyou need a majority of votes cast to call a referendum\u201d we should ask \u201cwhy don\u2019t you?\u201d When the Tories could call the Brexit referendum on just 36.8% of votes why don\u2019t the SNP\/Green Government have a mandate?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why is it that seasoned commentators can bemoan the \u201cfailure of democracy\u201d around the globe when people vote for change but it doesn\u2019t happen yet fail to see that they are aiding and abetting exactly the same failure of democracy at home? If Scotland voting time and again to give a mandate for a referendum but being denied is not a failure of democracy, what is it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The utter corruption of the UK is laid bare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If those tories who cheered Truss\u2019 comment about ignoring Scotland\u2019s democratically elected First Minister, really want to get rid of the \u201cScottish Question\u201d it\u2019s dead simple; agree the terms of the 2023 referendum as they were for 2014 and let the people settle the issue. Believe me, we don\u2019t want to stay any more than you want us to! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over recent months, I have become a bit of a fan of the \u201cThe Rest is Politics\u201d podcast. Hosted by Alistair Campbell (Tony Blair\u2019s Head of Communications) and former Tory MP and failed leadership candidate Rory Stewart. Not, I hasten to add because of their capacity to provide answers but for the unintentional irony they serve virtually every week. One of the things I like is that they aim to \u201cdisagree agreeably\u201d and that\u2019s a lesson many could benefit from. Just because someone doesn\u2019t see Scotland\u2019s future the way we do doesn\u2019t make them a traitor or any less of a Scot. Equally, not everyoneRead More →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[132],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3307"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3311,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3307\/revisions\/3311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scotsindependent.scot\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}