Just to add one more point, I think the SNP are being immoral about their approach with misinformation and propaganda. If they were honest about the economic and social impact of their proposals they would lose a huge amount of their supporters.
Especially those who are supposed to be "Christian".
And how can anyone who purports to love their country be so willing to cause so much damage to it, and especially the impact on "the people of Scotland".
I just don't get nationalism, and I don't ever want to get it.
This newsletter just lays out the major flaws and incredible ignorance of the SNP and IndyRef "movement", but this is nothing new. They have no idea of the harm they are doing with this continual limbo of Never-endum clogging up every pore of government and discussion. Let alone the damage their proposals would inflict, especially on their core targeted audience. How can this situation continue?
And although I knew of Brian Cox and his bigoted nonsense, I'm really disappointed that Daniel Sloss is also in that category.
It's a dismaying that this harmful and downright nasty stuff is promoted and accepted by so many. All part of the suppine central belt media compliance and useless opposition.
A very interesting account of the SNP's latest gyrations. Can I offer to contribute something on how we progressive-minded non-nationalists should deal with these ?
I think we have to accept that in about 18 months the Scottish Parliament will have passed an Act authorising a rerun of the 2014 referendum - same wording and no confirmatory vote. The likely timing would be a vote in Autumn 2023.
Of course, this would require the agreement of the UK government. In my view, we cannot assume that Johnson will refuse. If he feels under pressure in the polls he may decide he wants to be rid of the Scottish MPs. That could put us in the awkward position of fighting a rerun of 2014 and defending a union whose Government was apparently neutral on the matter.
Johnson may refuse to permit another referendum but that would also suit Nicola Sturgeon. She would portray all her non-nationalist opponents in Scotland as lackeys of English right-wing politics. This might open the way for another attempt at a referendum, perhaps after a General Election win for the Tories helped by SNP undermining of Labour.
You have rightly pointed out how similar what the SNP want to do is to Brexit. That argues that we should no longer use the term independence to describe it in the way nationalists do. It is in fact withdrawal from the UK. "Independence" is a positive word in general usage and that is why nationalists love it. Since no country can be completely independent of other countries the word can mean many different things at different times and this flexibility is useful to nationalists as long as they control it.
In other words, if there is to be another referendum, the wording should be about staying in or leaving the UK. This also means that there must be a confirmatory vote on the withdrawal terms to make the process honest. The Salmond/Sturgeon campaign of 2014 was based on promises about the future relationship with the UK which were entirely baseless but which were widely believed. That must be made more difficult if there is to be a repeat.
Of course, the SNP/Green dominated Parliament will insist on a rerun of 2014. Raising these issues now, however, will make that far less legitimate in the public mind. I believe Labour must take the initiative on this before Sturgeon makes her next move next autumn.
Just to add one more point, I think the SNP are being immoral about their approach with misinformation and propaganda. If they were honest about the economic and social impact of their proposals they would lose a huge amount of their supporters.
Especially those who are supposed to be "Christian".
And how can anyone who purports to love their country be so willing to cause so much damage to it, and especially the impact on "the people of Scotland".
I just don't get nationalism, and I don't ever want to get it.
This newsletter just lays out the major flaws and incredible ignorance of the SNP and IndyRef "movement", but this is nothing new. They have no idea of the harm they are doing with this continual limbo of Never-endum clogging up every pore of government and discussion. Let alone the damage their proposals would inflict, especially on their core targeted audience. How can this situation continue?
And although I knew of Brian Cox and his bigoted nonsense, I'm really disappointed that Daniel Sloss is also in that category.
It's a dismaying that this harmful and downright nasty stuff is promoted and accepted by so many. All part of the suppine central belt media compliance and useless opposition.
A very interesting account of the SNP's latest gyrations. Can I offer to contribute something on how we progressive-minded non-nationalists should deal with these ?
I think we have to accept that in about 18 months the Scottish Parliament will have passed an Act authorising a rerun of the 2014 referendum - same wording and no confirmatory vote. The likely timing would be a vote in Autumn 2023.
Of course, this would require the agreement of the UK government. In my view, we cannot assume that Johnson will refuse. If he feels under pressure in the polls he may decide he wants to be rid of the Scottish MPs. That could put us in the awkward position of fighting a rerun of 2014 and defending a union whose Government was apparently neutral on the matter.
Johnson may refuse to permit another referendum but that would also suit Nicola Sturgeon. She would portray all her non-nationalist opponents in Scotland as lackeys of English right-wing politics. This might open the way for another attempt at a referendum, perhaps after a General Election win for the Tories helped by SNP undermining of Labour.
You have rightly pointed out how similar what the SNP want to do is to Brexit. That argues that we should no longer use the term independence to describe it in the way nationalists do. It is in fact withdrawal from the UK. "Independence" is a positive word in general usage and that is why nationalists love it. Since no country can be completely independent of other countries the word can mean many different things at different times and this flexibility is useful to nationalists as long as they control it.
In other words, if there is to be another referendum, the wording should be about staying in or leaving the UK. This also means that there must be a confirmatory vote on the withdrawal terms to make the process honest. The Salmond/Sturgeon campaign of 2014 was based on promises about the future relationship with the UK which were entirely baseless but which were widely believed. That must be made more difficult if there is to be a repeat.
Of course, the SNP/Green dominated Parliament will insist on a rerun of 2014. Raising these issues now, however, will make that far less legitimate in the public mind. I believe Labour must take the initiative on this before Sturgeon makes her next move next autumn.