I was watching This Week on the BBC last night, and Andrew Neil teased John Nicolson that the SNP had given up campaigning for Independence, and never mentioned it any more. I have known John since student days, and much respect him. He is a very professional man and put in a very professional performance on the show. He can be relied on, despite his arch asides, to follow a party line.
How did John reply to the charge that the SNP had stopped campaigning for Independence? Did he reply, “No Andrew, we remain fully committed to the goal of Independence and that is our number one priority.”?
No.
He said “we have to respect the decision of the electorate”, a line taken straight from Nicola Sturgeon.
The problem with this is that it is exactly the Blairite line. Liz Kendall argued in effect that the electorate voted Tory, so Labour have to be Red Tories to respect the electorate.
It is a trite phrase. Nobody would argue you should disrespect the electorate. But it then elides into a distortion. To respect the verdict of the electorate means to accept your loss on this occasion and the processes of the state proceed on that basis, without any attempt to subvert the democratic decision. It does NOT mean the losing side had to change its beliefs, go quiet, or stop campaigning ready for the next time.
Since the referendum I have spoken on many stages in favour of Independence across Scotland, under the aegis of a whole variety of organisations only a minority of which are anathema to the SNP. Yet it occurs to me that of all the distinguished people I have shared platforms with, I have not witnessed a single one of the SNP’s MPs argue for Independence. To my certain knowledge they have declined many invitations to do so.
The SNP instead is setting out its stall as a kinder and more efficient manager of the governmental institutions of Scotland within the UK. It is elevating managerialism into a cult. Forget Independence and admire John Swinney’s figures. This is reinforced by another managerialist subtext, “the only organised opposition at Westminster.” Opposing the Tories is undoubtedly a good thing. But all this is symptomatic of the SNP becoming over-comfortable within the governmental institutions of the United Kingdom. All the energy expended pointlessly on the glorified local council powers of the Scotland Act while our country is dragged into yet another neo-con war against the will of the Scottish people.
When the media were promoting a narrative of potential ill-behaviour by new SNP MP’s, Tommy Sheppard famously declared “We have not come to act up, but to settle up!” What precisely have the SNP MP’s done that showed a scintilla of desire to “settle up” and end the Union? Where are the Parnellite tactics? A more honest declaration would be:
“We have not come to settle up, but to settle in!”
John Nicolson was led on to discussing his prospects of re-election last night, in response to a joke about Michael Portillo’s defeat. Andrew Neil gently reminded him he was not meant to want to be in Westminster long term. I am willing to bet a million pounds with anybody that the SNP structure is already giving more thought to defending its Westminster seats than to ending the union before the next Westminster election. I think deep down everybody reading this will find they believe that too.
Leadership loyalists will respond with a) more managerialism – we run the country better blah blah blah – and b), the argument that the SNP has to entrench in power before trying again for independence and win trust by – more managerialism. Oh OK, that’s actually the same argument. They don’t have another one.
The problem with this is gravity. In politics no party remains at the heights of popularity forever. Events take their toll. I suspect that what Nicola agreed with Dave this week about extending the extreme surveillance state to Scotland will be a little wave of erosion once we get told of it. The SNP will, regardless of anything I think or write, sweep the Holyrood elections. But that will likely be the high point of their absolute dominance of Scottish politics.
Let me put it this way. It is definitely a possibility that the coming real domination of both MPs and MSPs will never happen again. If the SNP do not even try to use that dominance to deliver Independence, then what is the point of the SNP?
Oh sorry, I forgot. They manage the institutions better, and are an effective opposition at Westminster. That apparently is the point. But not what I joined for.
BTW, “was stepped down” is not a misprint.
LOL !
Great start to the Habba-Clown’s weekend;
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/627989/Vladimir-Putin-David-Cameron-poll-who-want-British-PM
Quite amazing when you consider the constant MSM demonisation of Putin, goes to prove most people can see past the obvious propaganda.
Macky
“It’s a wonder you’re not physically blind as well as mentally & morally blind”
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It would explain the typos though, wouldn’t it 🙂
Seriously though, I do honestly believe that the doings of President Putin get you off. Did that photo of him bare-chested do it for you?
Mike
“And so the re-ordering of the Middle East will involve Turkey, in a hot war with Russia, Iran, Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. All is going according to plan”
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That’s fascinating, Mike, although it does appear, at first sight, quite a tall order for Turkey to take on all those countries.
Perhaps you could ease my doubts by spelling out in a little more detail what that “plan” is?
Preferably in your own words and not by a link to a dubious website.
Grazie mille!
Ken (or Ken2 or Ken500)
“Mary had the right idea about this blog. A fifth columnist. Good bye”
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Good bye and good riddance, Ken.
You came…you spewed out confused and confusing mish-mashes…and you left.
Better so.
Fredi
Those who bought gold at $ 1800 – odd recently are now looking at a loss of $ 600. An ounce, that is.
You are perhaps too new on here to have caught my occasional bits of financial advice. In essence: buy £s, $s, CHF and shekels, dump rupees, reals, renminbis and roubles!
To which I would add : don’t buy gold bullion, just wear a little.
Fredi
Gold is an easily transportable and readily exchangeable store of wealth since time immemorial. But not necessarily stable, certainly not since the collapse of the fixed dollar link. Possessing lots of gold might make you seem rich, but this only applies to the extent that others are willing to exchange things for it. The price in gold of food in besieged cities is just one example. The gold Spain acquired in Latin America did not increase production in the economy, so just led to inflation as the prices of goods caught up.
Habbakuk is a bit behind the curve on the Renminbi. The Inclusion of the Renminbi in the IMF SDR basket should lead to a medium term increase in seigniorage as countries add it to their reserves.
Thanks for that link Fredi, interesting observation, only one problem with gold, its not stopping you from getting hungry if nobody takes it.
What value a Polish an organically farmed field that has been worked in crop rotation? how do our current unsustainable financial systems reflect on long term values that keep on giving?
leaving money aside for a moment, it is really just a medium of exchange between goods and services, or goods and goods; does land value taxation not hold the key to a sustainable financial system thats based on real assets in the here and now?
Top quality Ambergris is rare, but its only half the price of gold, it has the immensely important capacity to make millions of people smell inhumane, sweetish, sickly alluring and or pongy, whilst gold does what?
maybe the analogy with an organic compound does not really show golds in electronics for example, but its main use is backing up corrupt financial systems.
Turkey has killed 58 PKK Kurdish allies in a criminal attack. They just don’t like the workers party, never did.
Erdogan is also getting himself a reputation for becoming the NATO bully in the ME. Rest assured that the Russians will not be bullied anymore.
Why are Turkish NATO troops aggressively invading Iraq and assaulting our allied troops on the ground?
Surely, now that the US and Russia are pulling on one string, so they say, this rogue self promoter should get his activities curtailed.
How much of Turkey’s antics are NATO controlled and or discussed at the highest level?
There is nothing new under the trolls’ sun. Ad hominens would be am upgrade. So far, within the last three dozen posts, accusations of drunkenness have been followed by old fashioned sneers at ‘sexual deviance’. The closest we have got to a sensible argument, that the former Foreign Minister of France was a former minister when approached by MI6, is simply an irrelevance posing as a discovery.
But, credit where it is due, an actual physical bridge joining Tel Aviv to Cheltenham would be very long.
On the other hand most people will have known that and concluded that the reference was to a very short intellectual distance between two outposts of colonialism and savagery directed at unarmed victims ‘without the law.’
No faux Woosterish replies please- I make a general practise, rarely breached, of ignoring Hasbara works.
“You came…you spewed out confused and confusing mish-mashes…and you left.”
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Very droll Habb, Julius Caeser’s campaign comment sprung to mind on reading that, only I had visions of Caeser astride his horse, facing his men, and declaring proudly and boldly, “Veni, Vidi, (a slight pause then) Vomitato.
If Pinker’s garbage about our becoming all luvvy-duvvy and soppy were even remotely true, a bit of light banter about nominal “independence” for this or that self-identifying “group”(and theorising about whether it would make the least difference) would be a harmless enough way of distracting the bored mind.
Until that unlikely situation arrives, though, those engaged in arguing about the future of one tiny sapling in teh midst of this raging-out-of-control forest-fire started and fanned by Our Transatlantic Partners are merely indulging in a “grotesque exercise in irrelevance”.
Diane Abbott Labour’s shadow secretary for international development, has written of their Scottish branch office’s chances next year.
Abbot told Andrew Neil, “it’s now too late, to rebuild for May” with regards to Labour in Scotland making any inroads.
Meanwhile the likely date for the UK’s in-out EU referendum, is June 16th, according to press reports.
Astounding the number of normally sensible regulars on this forum who appear to have fallen slap bang thud for the Trump decoy. Why ever has the guard been let down? Wake up!
A long awaited report had stopped short at banning the Muslim Brotherhood, though it has been highly critical of its activities.
David Cameron commented on the report, adding, “Parts of the Brotherhood have a highly ambiguous relationship with violent extremism.”
It is of course a bit rich for the PM to come out with that, as Westminster has and still is colluding with the Brotherhood in the Middle East.
Indeed Britain used the Brotherhood, to try and assassinate Nasser, over the Suez canal crisis. Nasser died of a heart attack in 1970.
“Astounding the number of normally sensible regulars on this forum who appear to have fallen slap bang thud for the Trump decoy. Why ever has the guard been let down? Wake up!”
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Winkletoe, it’s Clinton all the way.
It is enough that the people know there was an election. The people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything.
Joseph Stalin.
He knew a thing or two about power, and how to use it.
The Brits set up the Muslim Brotherhood in the first place. Best part of a century ago I think
The US electronic voting machines don’t have an audit trail. All they have to do is press a button for their chosen puppet to win
@Why be ordinary, in his frantic struggle for attention habbakuk frequently lisps out economic howlers. He is evidently afflicted with cursory exposure to grandpa economics and has done nothing to keep up.
Punklin says
“However I think it [ie, independence]remains the only vehicle for the political uncoupling of Scotland from an extreme capitalist state.”
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The implication of this is that an independent Scotland would not be an “extreme capitalist state” – or perhaps (this might be Punklin’s wish) not a capitalist state at all.
It would be interesting to hear Punklin’s reasons for thinking so and the word(s) he would use to describe the kind of state he desires.
Nevermind
“A vote on Europe, as it stands at present, would take England out of the EU.”
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Can you offer any evidence to support that view?
K Crosby
“I fear you’re right Craig, the corruptions of office have only failed once – in Germany in 1937;”
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I a puzzled with the above – to which event or events in Germany in 1937 are you referring, please?
Why be Ordinary
“Habbakuk is a bit behind the curve on the Renminbi. The Inclusion of the Renminbi in the IMF SDR basket should lead to a medium term increase in seigniorage as countries add it to their reserves.”
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I think you’re right, but I was just using my old bit of advice, to which I’m quite attached and which, if people on here had followed it (perhaps some did?) would not have been to there financial disadvantage. Why, I believe there was someone here who was vaunting the merits of the rouble – just before it fell heavily! 🙂
Following your point I shall consider seriously modifying my formulaic advice – slightly.
just types like you who provide the evidence, Habby, voting on polls which are, although helping the PM in his gesticulating EU demands, as wrong as you are.
Still at present the polls say no to the EU and I say NO to you, cyber bully.
Bevin
You would do better if you attempted to refute my points or perhaps defend the points made by others (including your good self) and which I have contested.
Simply moaning on about me and telling us you rarely respond doesn’t get anyone very far, does it. And it certqinly won’t get you very far with me.
Another word of advice : do red posts carefully before you complai, eg:
“The closest we have got to a sensible argument, that the former Foreign Minister of France was a former minister when approached by MI6, is simply an irrelevance posing as a discovery”
Since it was the poster I was replying to who himself noted that Dumas was a former Minister, I can not be said to have claimed that as my “discovery” and nor was it an “argument”.
Wake up!
RoS
” “Veni, Vidi, (a slight pause then) Vomitato.”
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I’d clear any Latin you use on here (or, indeed, any German, French, Spanish – especially Spanish! 🙂 – ancient Greek, Hebrew, Turkish, Chinese) with our Transatlantic Friend before you post; you know he’s lurking in the background waiting to delight us with his erudition.
And all with the appropriate keyboard too! 🙂
(Over to you, “Lysias”…)
PS to “Bevin”
” two outposts of colonialism and savagery directed at unarmed victims ‘without the law.’”
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Don’t want to sound faux Woosterish, old bean, but is Cheltenham really an “outpost of colonialism and savagery”??
Such is my astonishment that I must, I simply must, ask you how many bottles you had before you writing that.
Pip pip!
RoS
“Indeed Britain used the Brotherhood, to try and assassinate Nasser, over the Suez canal crisis. Nasser died of a heart attack in 1970.”
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People do, you know.
RoS
“Joseph Stalin.
He knew a thing or two about power, and how to use it”
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They say that Stalin died of a stroke.
People do, you know.
Me to Nevermind:
“Nevermind
“A vote on Europe, as it stands at present, would take England out of the EU.”
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Can you offer any evidence to support that view?”
Nevermind’s considered reply:
“types like you who provide the evidence, Habby, voting on polls which are, although helping the PM in his gesticulating EU demands, as wrong as you are.
Still at present the polls say no to the EU and I say NO to you, cyber bully.”
Habbabkuk’s verdict: a thoughtful, well-phrased reply showing many signs of original thinking. Reference to opinion polls especially impressive, nay, conclusive.
It is surely at this juncture, or thereabouts, that our friend Mary would have written something like “ten posts of utter garbage written by the Chief Troll in less than an hour!”.
Will no one of her disciples step forward and do likewise?
Node, perhaps 9as her Israeli “atrocities” heir? Nebelmind? Even Macky or Fedup…?
You know she would expect it of yo, don’t disappoint!!