I have just been rejected at vetting (again) by the SNP and therefore cannot put myself forward to fellow members as a potential parliamentary candidate. This time they added the somewhat gratuitous comment that I would not only be “unbecoming” as a parliamentary candidate, but as a member. They also suggested, in writing, that I owe a public apology to senior figures in the party. I have written back to ask to whom and why (I really have no idea). I have not received any reply to that yet. I have received a reply to a second query, and am told that the “unbecoming” comment does not indicate any desire or expectation that I should resign membership. Indeed they say they hope my contribution will continue, but as my sole contribution appears to be as a whipping-boy I can’t quite see why I should share that hope.
You will forgive my posting some videos which I think explain the case for my defence:
src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/GfbfldSrJ-0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen>
Obviously this all causes me to think long and hard about my future political effort. My key focus is ensuring that neither excessive caution nor that most insidious temptation, managerialism and the comfort of power and office, prevents an early second referendum. It is very easy to convince yourself that you are doing good in your taxpayer-paid job. Status is seductive. The SNP is full of siren voices arguing that they should enjoy their spoils for a decade or two while maintaining a steady trudge towards independence. They whisper that we have to await a 60% Yes lead in the opinion polls before we try again as another defeat would be disastrous.
But the greater danger is that the momentum fades. You would have to be the greatest optimist in the World to imagine a more favourable conjunction of circumstances for Independence than an extremist Tory government at Westminster, a Labour Party in meltdown, the Liberals almost eliminated and the SNP supreme in Scotland. Plus the residue of the huge momentum of the IndyI campaign, which put on 14 points in 12 months.
This dream conjunction will not last forever. The great danger is letting the moment slip through our fingers. If pro-Indy candidates sweep Holyrood, having already swept Westminster, we would be quite entitled to declare independence without a referendum. As I repeat till I am blue in the face, the majority of countries in the world have become independent states in my own lifetime, and the vast majority of those without a referendum. There is no legal requirement for one, and it is essential that we retain the threat of UDI in case Cameron tries to refuse a referendum; otherwise we are accepting a Westminster veto on the will of the Scottish people.
A referendum in 2018 must be the goal, with the threat of UDI should Cameron refuse. That is what I want to work for. I am only an individual, actively disowned by the party of Scottish government. But nonetheless I shall dedicate my energies to this goal.
Odious ‘I told you so’ type comment from the troll earlier, attempting to sound magisterial.
‘Pastures new’ are akin to ‘pastures old’ Anon (again) – mostly grass and ideal for grazing – not really a place for distinctive achievement. I like to think ‘loose cannons’ or ‘whistleblowers’ are completely predictable and eventually make perfect sense.
There will never be any change until the system is broken down and true democracy is substituted.
‘Prince Charles lobbied Alex Salmond over a stately home, a castle and his own Highlands food brand, ‘Black Spider’ memos show
The extracts from seven letters released by the Scottish Government are once again likely to raise questions about the relationship between ministers and the royal family.’
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3216159/Black-spider-memos-Prince-Charles-lobbied-Alex-Salmond-stately-home-castle-Highlands-food-brand.html
Not ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ but more of a case of ‘Who The Hell Does He Think He Is?’.
The boundary shift was established by an order carried out at Westminster under the Scottish Adjacent Boundaries Order (1999).
The order was passed by the House of Lords and the Committee on Delegated Legislation on March 23, but was not openly debated in the Commons.
The area, which now comes under English limits, would be policed by Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food protection vessels rather than the Scottish Fishery Protection Agency.
Passed by the unelected, undemocratic gravy train, that is the House of Lords.
@Craig – The rejection speaks well of you. Don’t forget people like me, who would vote for you as an independent but not if you stand for a major political party.
Put it on your campaign banners:
“The war criminals think he’s a shit.
The SNP think he’s “unbecoming”.
Nobody can buy him.
VOTE CRAIG MURRAY” 🙂
As for UDI, has any country in the British sphere ever said, on declaring UDI, that they were keeping the monarchy? The SNP would go up in my esteem if they told the royal family to eff off, but it’ll never happen.
Black spider memos? Who’s that in the picture? Mad King Ludwig?
Has anyone else here read ‘prince’ Charles’s nutcase book Harmony? This pea-brain thinks phi, the golden number, 1.618…, is the square root of 3.
What’s interesting about that isn’t just that he’s the sort of idiot who spouts shit without having a clue what he’s talking about, but that he surrounds himself with flunkeys who haven’t got the guts to advise him not to make a pillock of himself.
Mary
“Odious ‘I told you so’ type comment from the troll earlier, attempting to sound magisterial.”
______________________
Well, Mary, at lerast my post was on topic and written by me.
Unlike your posts, including on this thread, which are invariably on your favorite obsessions irrespective of the theme of the thread and which re equally invariably cut-and- pastes.
+++++++++++++++
By the way, do you remember Craig’s moderating guidelines – no personal insults?
Your disregard of his request, by calling me a “troll”, clearly shows up your lack of respect for our host and his blog.
“Up your kilt with a bunch of thistles!” 🙂 Take a joke! It sounds capable of being much more kindly meant than “FEB”.
I’ve heard Scots refer to one-track-minded nationalists as “kiltheads”.
And I’ve heard Welsh people refer to middle-class local council-connected nationalist gravy trainers as “Welshies”.
We’re all Jock Tamson’s bairns!
It comes down to what people are like as people.
Mary
Apologies, I’ve just spotted something from you which appears NOT to be a cut-and=paste.
It is “Not ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ but more of a case of ‘Who The Hell Does He Think He Is?’.”
You are making encouraging progress. And witty with it! 🙂
If the troll advises against standing as an independent, that suggests to me that Craig should indeed so stand. Why would someone so opposed to Scottish independence so advise, unless he fears it would advance the cause of independence?
As for parties being flawed, I agree that they are. Which is why I continue to advise adopting the ancient Athenian system of choosing legislators by lot from among the whole citizen body.
Craig , you are too ‘true’ to be managed . Don’t be offended – be honoured . I know you have put your heart and soul into this , and can see how you could be hurt , but please take this double refusal as an accolade – their estimation of your innate virtue .
Parties today think they need a homogenous product and a unified hymn-sheet – I’m sure they are working hard on this year’s intake . Being blessed by all they could have hoped for are probably not wanting to take on ‘new blood’ or ‘loose cannons’ , of which you can be proud to call yourself either , they are closing the door .
If your heart tells you to ‘go for it’ then you have to listen . An ‘independent’ is what you will need to be . I am sure there are enough people backing you , and that you have the network to be a viable representative for your chosen constituents .
@Habbabkuk “And witty with it!”
Like your hasbaranikking, then. Or doughnutting. Or sealioning. And probably your pants.
Oh, witty!
Spot the double standard;
“I am not opposed to self determination for the people of Crimea; I am opposed to this referendum.“
(https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/03/the-wrong-referendum-the-wrong-saviour/)
“As I repeat till I am blue in the face, the majority of countries in the world have become independent states in my own lifetime, and the vast majority of those without a referendum. There is no legal requirement for one, and it is essential that we retain the threat of UDI…”
(From Post above this thread)
Even funnier when Craig admits in the same Post from which the first quote was taken from;
“It is very likely such a genuine referendum would have gone in Russia’s favour.“
You don’t say Sherlock ! 😀
Our troll here denied that a constitutional convention constitutes a legislative body, and denied the evidence I presented that Elihu Root wrote that a constitutional convention is a legislative body par excellence. (I had shown that the recent Irish Constitutional Convention consisted largely of citizens chosen by lot.) I think Elihu Root, with his experience, was better qualified to judge whether a constitutional convention constitutes a legislative body, than our troll.
Time to start yer own party. Since your a nationalist and a socialist, you might as well call it the Scotch National Socialist Party, or Scotch Nazis, for short.
“Passed by the unelected, undemocratic gravy train, that is the House of Lords.”
Prior to 1999 we didn’t need to say which country policed the fisheries of which part of the sea but Scotland wanted devolution and Europe needed to know so Westminster and the Scottish government got together and decided that Scotland would police the bits closest to Scotland and the UK would police the bits closest to the rest of the UK which seemed fair enough. the people in the rest of the UK might have been justified in asking why Scotland got 61% of the sea when they had less than a third of the land mass but they didn’t, the people in the rest of the UK aren’t whingers. They might have been justified in asking why Scotland got 61% of the sea when they only had 5% of the population but they didn’t, they aren’t whingers. They agreed that the bits nearest to each country were policed by the fisheries enforcement agencies from that country and everybody was happy with that apart from a few whingers.
Looks like somebody else isn’t too keen on the SNP selection process.
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/13635110.SNP_candidate_denies_cheating_to_clinch_Holyrood_nomination/?ref=fbshr
I think a second (Serial Reject ) Would Actually Hurt a Soul.. If it weren’t for Slowly coming Doon From Doune
Large protests in Tokyo today against legislation allowing the military to fight overseas…
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/huge-protest-in-tokyo/2086788.html
Prime minister ‘psycho’ Abe wants to put Japan on a war footing again, a country that has tons and tons of plutonium. Talking of which, Abe and his government are pro-nuclear on steroids, and are behind the restart of Japan’s 48 nuclear reactors, all of which have been closed down since the Fukushima disaster started more than four years ago. The reactor at Sendai (south west Japan, not the city just north of Fukushima) was the first to be restarted earlier this month. Apart from a nearby erupting volcano, the Sendai plant has been hit by a mega typhoon and power was out in the region for at least five hours. Rumours are that there’s been a partial meltdown.
And of course you won’t hear about any of this on the BBC, et al, because to all intents and purposes we now live in a police state where all information is tightly controlled. There’s been a corporate coup d’etat.
I’m relating this because the crux of the matter is that we don’t just live in extraordinary times, we live in extra extraordinary times. In order to win back society and freedom, and all that, we are going to need extraordinary people.
[ Mod: Stuck in spam queue, probably because the message consisted only of links ]
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34101222
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-33858350
You would think RobG the $2 billion ‘shock & awe’ device that would ‘burn the atmosphere’ carefully aimed by Major Thomas Ferebee on Aioi bridge at a fork in the Ohta river in central Hiroshima, might suppress Abe’s nuclear energy considering the 60 million degree heat carbonised thousands of people in less than half second and left a further 60,000 innocent civilians bleeding from every orifice, the necrotic effects of radiation.
The First War of Physics: The Secret History of the Atom Bomb, 1939-1949
By Jim Baggott
Dear Craig
Please do not stop blogging. Fuck the SNP. Join RISE and also read my book, available on Kindle, THE UMBRELLA COMPANY which is about UDI. Written from the comparative safety of Australia.
Bye the way did you hear about the Australian Border Police who initiated a scheme in Melbourne whereby they were going to patrol the streets of that lovely city, starting last weekend and stop anyone they fancied (racial profiling). The police in their new SS style uniforms were looking for anyone whose visitors visa had expired.
The people rose in anger. closed streets, held protest meetings and the government backed down.
We are all so proud of our brave Melburnians who showed us the way to defeat this right wing reactionary government we are cursed with.
Keep up the good work.
When the Englishman who used to rule the ENTIRE world turns tail and chooses to become a Scotsman all is lost, the lithuanians will make hay and even turn into an Archibishop of Canterbury urging the French to kill the two Algerian patsies chosen to front the Charlie Hebdo false flag (BTW-the blue eyed barefoot devil shouting allahakbar in the street had to kill ALL inside the office not to be recognised as the same slick shooter behind that merah crash helmet). Crypto Morris Cerullo carries out the same function for the Rev 2:9 mob infiltrated within the US southerb baptist rapturs.
The icing on their fully formed cake, which includes not only a PM but even the Speaker, will be a war on Iran. With a Neuberger allready in place to legally OK the adventure and an AoC to bless it, OMG ! The Jehovahs Weaknesses are right, Satan has taken charge of our Governments.
Dear Craig, As a humble SNP member, I’m sorry to hear the word ‘unbecoming’. You are not, you are ‘awkward’ and therefore should be welcome. I think you add a lot to the debate and I admire your blog and other activity tremendously.
And yet I do understand why you are seen as a ‘loose cannon’ because your approach is a very personal one and you are not emollient in dealing with those who disagree with you many of whom, I agree, do seem to be deliberately ignorant.
But this is a time for those who can persuade the naysayers positively and sympathetically, as they should be persuaded. Vilify the real enemies,sure, but I don’t think that works for the electorate who are not yet persuaded and are not stupid; it’s just that their fears and doubts have been exploited ruthlessly by our opponents (whose efforts to stop us are, as you often reveal, a lot more co-ordinated than we imagine). I think our approach should be totally different from any kind of dismissal of their worries. We have to be extremely unselfish in bringing them round to a position so that they genuinely come to see it as being in the best interests of them, their families and society.
My own position is to stay at the grassroots working as hard as I can to elect SNP and, where better, pro-indy candidates. They also serve who campaign and wait. I don’t give a fig for superficial loyalties but I do accept the formidable machine of the SNP needs a lot of discipline and self-denial from those leading it and in the public eye if we are to win independence. I think this is why Nicola succeeds where Alec, brilliant though he is too, didn’t.
So mixed feelings at what has happened in your case but then no situation is perfect. You will of course make your own decisions but maybe it’s time for a new kind of Margo as a much-respected, shrewd and doughty outsider campaigning as an independent candidate and, I would hope, MSP.
Lang may your lum …
Gideon has chosen the English Bank Holiday to announce a £half billion spend at Faslane on the infrastructure prior to the Trident vote later this year. Let’s hope there is a large protest today and he gets to test the water temperature of the Clyde.
Osborne’s £500m For Faslane Is Wrong, Says SNP
The Chancellor says the investment will keep the naval base at the centre of UK submarine operations and secure 6,700 jobs
http://news.sky.com/story/1544199/osbornes-500m-for-faslane-is-wrong-says-snp
PS for the troll. The term is ‘cut, copy and paste’ (not ‘cut and paste’) which is what he does continually by copying and pasting the comments of others here to which he attaches his acidic comment.
DrewSword We did hear about the aborted Melbourne fiasco. 🙂
Your FM is a piece of work is she not. Here she is in McCain mode.
Bomb! Bomb! Not Iran but ISIL.
Islamic State: Julie Bishop urges more European nations to bomb terrorists
ABC Online – 4 hours ago
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has urged more European nations to bomb Islamic State (IS) …
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-31/julie-bishop-urges-more-european-nations-to-bomb-is-targets/6737342
Her plan to foist ‘migrants’ from the Nauru hellhole to Cambodia is not working out well. Only four takers so far.
Australian government denies Cambodia refugee deal collapse
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-34105064
I must say standing as an independent in NE Scotland does sound quite tempting, though I would have to leave the SNP which I still think has to be the vehicle to independence. As I understand it, RISE would not want any connection with me because they take the CIA-promoted “feminist” line on Julian Assange.
Robert Crawford I am very grateful for your support but would just add the rider that I like John McNally. I don’t think his being a barber is any cause for looking down on him.
I don’t understand politics and therefore should not have an opinion so largely I don’t other than it being such a dishonest business an honest person should not want to join in by hanging onto the coattails of something (a party) that s/he cannot control.
I understand the definition of politics and I understand the reality, a ruling class elite who do the bidding of the holders of the world’s debt in return for “power”, influence and prosperity.
No what I don’t undersatnd is why the electorate, party members and MP’s allow the parties to destroy morality.
But more to the point does anyone know why the SNP is so hell bent on taking Scotland out of the EU on independence (it would be automatic) and so enraged that England might do it for them?
“Osborne’s £500m For Faslane Is Wrong, Says SNP”
Investing all that money in Scotland…creating all those jobs…bastards.
Mary @ 2.56pm 30 Aug……..should be Clydebuilt off course, autocorrect thinks it knows best.
Peter @ 3.21pm 30 Aug …..it’ll be interesting to see how Swinney handles Osborne’s additional cuts.