There are very few people who support Irish re-unification but oppose Scottish Independence. I do not know of any. I have always, from my knowledge of Jeremy Corbyn and his general political philosophy and way of thinking, and that of many of his close associates, believed him to be sympathetic to Scottish Independence.
I do not claim to know Jeremy well. I have shared a Stop the War platform with him a few times and exchanged a few emails. He assisted this blog by asking some parliamentary questions I suggested on Fox/Werritty, and he successfully intervened with then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith at my request to stop the imminent deportation of an Uzbek asylum seeker.
His behaviour in all of those contacts was absolutely admirable. I like and admire Jeremy, something which is not popular with my fellow Scottish nationalists. One thing Jeremy Corbyn could never be described as is a unionist – he comes from a totally different political place. I also sympathise with his extremely difficult position in wrenching the Labour Party away from the Blairites and the fact that he cannot fight every battle simultaneously.
I therefore have no doubt Mhairi Black is telling the truth today, that Corbyn revealed to her that he privately supports Scottish Independence. I am sure that, like me, Corbyn sees it as part of the decolonisation process of burying the British Empire.
I also have enormous admiration for Mhairi, with whom I too have shared a platform several times. Like many, I am impatient for Mhairi’s leadership of the SNP to begin. But I am not quite certain it was wise to reveal Jeremy’s confidential comment. It is unlikely the current state of the Labour Party will leave him able at this moment to take a more forward stance on Scottish Independence.
I do understand and sympathise with Mhairi’s impatience. But as with Independence so with Trident. I have no doubt that Jeremy Corbyn is 100% and fundamentally opposed to nuclear weapons, and is an unilateralist. I also have no doubt that in power he would act on that. But at this stage on his road to power he cannot take that stance in the struggle for control of the Labour Party. I do not regard this as “selling out”, I regard it as realpolitik and I am prepared to withhold judgement for a few more years as his plan is worked through.
There is an important element that should not be missed. The Blairite leadership of Scottish Labour is increasingly unrepresentative of Labour Party grassroots in Scotland. There has not – despite the constant media propaganda – been a great surge in Tory support in Scotland, which has an iron ceiling around 25%.
What has happened is that many Labour Party supporters who switched to the SNP around the 2014 referendum, have gone back to Labour. But they still retain their belief in Independence; opinion polls regularly show that a quarter or more of Scottish Labour Party voters support Independence, and that support is steadily growing.
I know personally several 2015 SNP voters who have reverted to Labour, including members of my own family. In every case the reason is the same. They like Jeremy Corbyn and, while they would prioritise Scottish Independence, the SNP leadership has been downplaying Independence. Sturgeon very openly campaigned at the Westminster election on the basis that she wanted unionists to feel comfortable voting SNP, and that a vote for the SNP was specifically not a vote for Independence. Some people took her at her word and decided they might as well vote Labour, if a vote for the SNP was not a vote for Independence anyway.
The upshot of all this is that I believe we are seeing a historical trend against hardline unionism among Scottish Labour members and voters. I strongly believe Jeremy Corbyn is not an enemy of the Scottish people in the way that the Tories and the Blairites are. It is healthy that Mhairi has provided us with an opportunity to get this discussion a bit more open; breaking down the tribalism of Scottish politics is a long haul.
I should add that my personal view is that we should stick with the SNP. We are stuck in what I would call the Sturgeon Paradox; falling support for the SNP has hit the confidence of the leadership to go for Independence, but the lack of campaigning for Independence leads to falling support for the SNP. My view remains that getting behind the SNP, and strongly urging the MSP’s to call Indyref2, is a much better route to Independence at this moment than working through the Labour Party or through fringe parties.
I was astounded at the size of the march in Glasgow on Saturday – the biggest pro-Independence demonstration I have ever addressed. This horrendous Tory government and its relentless media propaganda has only strengthened the resolve of masses of ordinary Scots. I was also very happy to see SNP MP’s and MSP’s actively participate, something missing from pro-Indy gatherings the last few years. This needs to be the start of a huge summer of full on campaigning.
However he appears not to like the EU and could therefore be classed as a Brexiter?
If it helps, I don’t think it really matters. Scottish independence is unlikely to become an issue again for several more years, by which time the Labour party will have a different leader one way or another.
“. . . by which time the Labour party will have a different leader one way or another.”
which means by the ballot box and . . ?
. . . the other way is?
If he resigned suddenly or died in office an interim leader would take over until an election could be held. Margaret Beckett did that once I recall.
They’re both the ballot box.
Corbyn will either hand over the reigns to someone younger who has the same politics, or he will be replaced by someone more centrist. Either way, I don’t see him lasting until the next general election.
This statement that Corbyn will stand down before the next election and that Labour members could revert to a “centrist” (aka austerity-lite/pro-bombing) is based on what exactly?
In that scenario, Corbyn would be forced out.
Hmm? Labour leaders have to be elected by members.
The centrist days are over, the voting left are over 80% of the party
The remain voters are also 80% of the party. Life is all about priorities, and at the moment the only political issue that matters in Britain is Brexit.
If remaining in the EU was their be all and end all, that 80% would have transferred their support to the libdems.
I am all for independence for England, Ireland (N&S together or separate) Wales and Scotland. However, it would have to be outside the EU, and it would be beneficial for all four to maintain some sort of Federation. How about HQ on the Isle of Man?
If Ireland could withdraw from the EU it would solve so many problems.
Why should Ireland withdraw from the EU to make England happy?
Ask why Ireland joined the EEC/EU in the first place?
Just in case you are struggling for an answer: It joined because the UK joined. Now that the UK is leaving then Ireland should also leave – unless of course you believe that the reasons given by Ireland in 1973 were bogus. Either the Irish government sold its own population out in 1973 or it is selling them out now.
It is now 2018 !
“It is now 2018 !”
.
Exactly!.
There are still people who believe it is 1690, unfortunately, and they hold the reins at the moment.
About 80% of people in Ireland want to stay in the EU, I don’t see how their government could get over the ‘will of the people’.
Red rag ma man. The Irish economy has pockets which trade extensively with England, but has a far higher trade now with both the EU and elsewhere. Those American pharma companies and IT companies are not in Dublin to access the UK market.
Ryanair albeit 5 years ago http://www.anna.aero/2012/10/17/ryanair-1st-in-spain-hungary-slovakia/
CRH Holdings – Irelands biggest private company http://www.crh.com/our-group
Note the “dependence” here – its 35% and falling https://www.politico.eu/article/brexit-ireland-border-trade-desperate-bid-to-proof-its-dairy-industry/
Ireland knows just fine which side of its soda scone its buttered on.
Ireland is no longer an Independent country. When you do not control the issuance of your own Sovereign currency or ability to control its interest rate and use, in effect a Foreign currency ,the Euro, you are not a free Nation but a subject of the ECB and its Corporate and Banking cabal.
A Nation without it own Sovereign currency can do little to stimulate its economy. the choices are austerity or increased productivity , which are contradictory.
Control of Borders is an integral part of being a Free Country. See Victor Orban and Hungary, who understands the issue and is demonised for it with the usual black propaganda.
I agree J. R. Indeed I think we should stay in because any alternative is going to be so costly.
However the Isle of Man might make a suitable administrative centre for any federation or confederation since on a clear day from the top of Snaefell you can see England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Must keep an eye on the dominions. 🙂
JR T….stop ‘remoaning’ and look forward to being free from those Elites in Brussels….the ones we never voted for
So, there is two Hagars? Me and you.
that should be “you and I”
The Isle of Man is not part of the UK.
That’s another reason it was suggested!
And their banking facilities are the next best thing to the Caribbean – for the few
The chance of EIRE leaving the E.U. is nil.
In my decades of watching politicians who hide their real beliefs in order to get into power, once they are in power there are still terribly good reasons why they still cannot fight for those ‘honestly held beliefs’. They couldn’t get them through the legislative/parliamentary process, they would get in the way of other plans, they would be too divisive. If something isn’t worth fighting for out of power, it won’t be worth fighting for in power.
You are correct – and that is why President Donald J Trump is revered as a hero of the people. Uniquely among politicians Trump is actually seeking to represent the people that elected him – that is why he is loved by the people and reviled by the guardians of the idiocracy.
“Loony” is the right name, I’m afraid, for anyone who interprets that as support for Donald Trump.
Indeed. Trump is loved only by racists and all-round bigots like him.
Which would be why Trump has started a trade war with China that will harm the business of farmers in the mid west. Representing the people that voted for him? Don’t make me laugh!
I’m with you 100%, Craig.
He shouldnt back any more on Trident etc. The fact is very clear, as soon as left begin to drop some issues, they will never catch on again.
We for example how there is pretty much ZERO, or actually ZERO, anti-war stance nowadays in left/green politics.
Those issues have almost been departed and picked up by right-wing, america-first etc type of parties.
This is a quote that is important in this discussion:
“If one scowls at a “regime”, the audience immediately knows that the ruling body in question is somehow more sinister than a “disagreeable government”. If one talks about “settlers” in Palestine, a listener might think of settling in to life in an erstwhile abandoned pioneer’s village. But if one talks about “colonists”, a listener realises that the issue at hand is about the theft of land that is owned and lived upon by an existing population. If one talks about “moderate rebels” one might think of schoolyard rebellion against authority or even fictional characters from Star Wars. Taking things a step further, if one talks about “militants” one might think of some sort of legal auxiliary army. But when one describes “terrorists”, those listening will immediately think of illegal forms of violence conducted primarily against civilians.”
Link:
http://www.eurasiafuture.com/2018/05/04/exposing-sadiq-khan-how-those-who-set-the-terms-of-the-debate-control-the-outcome-of-the-debate/
..namely that Jeremy shouldnt be afraid of using precise language – he shouldnt be afraid of the smearing – because his opponents is full blown propagandists when it comes to get their message out.
“Jeremy Corbyn and Mhairi Black”
I really like both of them, for completely different reasons.
Mhairi Black, although she is very young, is The Only MP who has spoken in support of several Million Females born in the 1950’s who have been robbed by HMG.
They were promised their Pensions at Age 60 (which they had paid for with their National Inurance Contributions and they have not yet) received them yet.
It is not like a 6 month deferral, of being paid late…(very common in large British Companies, though they do normally eventally pay their bills)..The UK Government have said to my wife (and all of my ex-girlfriends)
We will pay you your pension in 6 years time, if you are still alive.
Google Mhairi Black on Youtube in The House of Commons. The Girl’s got Grit
http://www.waspi.co.uk/
I’m a man. I get mine on time
Tony
Sorry, but if I see masses waving political flags, I have a bad feeling.
The flag is an unassuming saltire which has been the Scottish symbol for over 1000 years and has never been used aggressively against any country or any section of society. It stands today for a tolerant civic movement to recover Scottish sovereignty
On of the most nauseating lines in the independence debate is the pompous, one dimensional and self righteous throwaway line around ‘flags bad’ ‘nationalism nasty’, usually from some low information unionist.
Thank you for your relentless quest for the truth. Thig an fhirinn a mach.
Rydw i’n gallu siarad tipyn bach o Gymraeg, ein kleines bischen Deutch, and English very badly, but I can’t make head nor tails of Gaelic. Seems more Nordic.
Reminds me of when I was very stealthily hovering near two people talking in a supermarket on Lewis, talking to each other in Gaelic. I was trying to work out if I could grasp what they were saying. I think they were saying something like “haha look at this English tosser trying to work out what we’re talking about hahaha”
I too believe the truth will out.
Thanks Craig and I appreciate this piece.
For the record, Craig in Welsh means rock, Creag in Gaelic. So stay strong and keep on rockin’.
Go dda ti, fflat!
Gaelic is what’s known as Q-Celtic, and like Irish and Manx is very closely related to Welsh which along with Cornish and Breton is called P-Celtic.
However the two groups are not mutually intelligible.
Here are some examples:
Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Irish: Saolaítear na daoine uile saor agus comhionann ina ndínit agus ina gcearta. Tá bua an réasúin agus an choinsiasa acu agus dlíd iad féin d’iompar de mheon bráithreachas i leith a chéile.
Manx: Ta dagh ooilley pheiagh ruggit seyr as corrym ayns ard-cheim as kiartyn. Ren Jee feoiltaghey resoon as cooinsheanse orroo as by chair daue ymmyrkey ry cheilley myr braaraghyn.
Scottish Gaelic: Tha gach uile dhuine air a bhreith saor agus co-ionnan ann an urram ‘s ann an còirichean. Tha iad air am breith le reusan is le cogais agus mar sin bu chòir dhaibh a bhith beò nam measg fhèin ann an spiorad bràthaireil.
Breton: Dieub ha par en o dellezegezh hag o gwirioù eo ganet an holl dud. Poell ha skiant zo dezho ha dleout a reont bevañ an eil gant egile en ur spered a genvreudeuriezh.
Cornish: Genys frank ha par yw oll tus an bys yn aga dynita hag yn aga gwiryow. Enduys yns gans reson ha kowses hag y tal dhedha omdhon an eyl orth y gila yn spyrys a vrederedh.
Welsh: Genir pawb yn rhydd ac yn gydradd â’i gilydd mewn urddas a hawliau. Fe’u cynysgaeddir â rheswm a chydwybod, a dylai pawb ymddwyn y naill at y llall mewn ysbryd cymodlon.
An important message in any language!
**
One often wonders how the ‘Great’ British empire would have been today IF, and I say a big IF, if we hadn’t raped and pillaged all those nations we absorbed in our name…..imagine a nice. friendly British Empire (in name only) that allowed those countries to remain Independent yet aligned to a real ‘free’ trade and movement of citizens between all those countries where our completely different cultures and products would be interchangeable amongst us all,…..to me, the Fascist EU could never compete with such a model of commonwealth and we would be far better off for it….please note I use the term ‘British Empire’ in the historical reference to it, not a desire for the empire to have a hold over those nations….let’s just say a commonwealth of countries
You think like me to a certain degree, but you are not me.
hmmm….two become one
Craig,
I disagree with your statement that NS has not put Independence firsr. After the failure of the 2014 IndyRef, it was agreed, was it not, that we had to have all our ducks in a row before we attempted it again?
I, myself, have read that MB is not that focussed on Independence herself!
We need to detach ourselves from British politics. Those not with us are against us. Effectively that is all the political establishments of the UKGB. Corbyn is irrelevent. He has not publicly expressed any sympathy for an independent Scottish state. Functionally he is a unionist. We do waste our time courting these people.
We should be impatient for independence, as should all Scottish nationalists.
Too much effort has been spent appealing to ‘moderation’.
“Those not with us are against us” – Very George Bush.
There is of course a 3rd alternative, that alternative being is that no-one cares.”Aint it hard when you discover that you’re really not where it’s at”
Why not spend some time debating your favorite Scot. Should Gordon Brown could become President of Scotland or should Tony Blair be anointed as Emperor of Scotland.
You have chosen your name well. Haven’t a clue what your comment signifies.
Btw There can only ever be two alternatives…it’s in the word.
My comment draws attention to the fact that your writing bears a remarkable resemblance to the words of George Bush.
It was often said that Bush had only a tenuous grasp of the English language – another trait you seem to share with that particular President.
The word “alternative” means “a choice limited to one of two or more possibilities” I would draw your attention to “two or more possibilities” Three would be more than two. And I’ll take out my money and make a bet that my proposed 3rd alternative is the winning ticket in this particular game.
Tony Blair should do time in a jail in Scheveningen, with or without crown.
>>There are very few people who support Irish re-unification but oppose Scottish Independence. I do not know of any.
George Galloway? I am sure there are a few others.
Corbyn will never be PM…..the dark forces down south will never allow that to happen.
Mhairi Black as FM in an Independent Scotland after the re-alignment of Scottish politics…..I have a dream
“Corbyn will never be PM…..the dark forces down south will never allow that to happen”
Well so far they are failing miserably. They seem to have tried everything short of killing him or planting child porn on him. I dare them to try because I’m sure I won’t be alone in wanting unleash hell.
“Mhairi Black as FM in an Independent Scotland after the re-alignment of Scottish politics”
The fact that JC and MB are having such honest ‘private’ talks suggests your dream coming true is indeed a possibility.
A government on the Isle of Man with an offshore bank would be too helpful
George Galloway seemingly supports Irish re-unification but opposes Scottish independence.
I am sure that, like me, Corbyn sees it as part of the decolonisation process of burying the British Empire.
What is this empire, you speak of? In what does it consist? The Falkland Islands? Gibralta? British Antarctica?
Surely the UK would gladly be shot of such unproductive possessions. Their only value is to the US, to whom they are made available available as required. Britain might as well hand over the whole bundle, the price required being exemption from the obligation to build aircraft carriers and buy the F-35 for the policing of the American empire, and Trident subs in support of America’s nuclear deterrent.
Doesn’t it bother you that Mhairi Black is friendly with Jacob Rees Mogg and even nominated him for a special committee? Maybe she has some more maturing to do.
Any time I have heard Corbyn on Scotland, he has show a degree of ignorance about what is going on here, especially about devolved issues. He also has made no comment on labour’s theft of Scottish waters pre-devolution or what he would propose to do in re-siting trident and other English Navy submarines after independence. Whatever he has expressed to Mhairi Black in private, he has to my knowledge never repeated in public.
and he’s not likely to. Yet….
Mods, there is two Hagars here now.
would the real Hager Shady, please stand up. Please stand up. Please stand up.
chicka chicka chicka Hager Shady I’m sick of him
Look at him, walking around grabbing his you know what
Flippin’ the you know who “yeah, but he’s so cute though”
flatulence, put a cork in it!
tried it. very messy indeed. Not really sick of you, you’re a good un, just couldn’t resist the shady lyrics. Slightly disappointed there was no Lyric-Off between you and you though to determine the real Hagar Shady, but fcuk it I am very good at amusing myself.
there are also plenty John Smiths on birth certificates
So Jeremy has changed his mind from a year ago when he said independence would be a “catastrophe” for Scotland.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/mar/13/jeremy-corbyn-denies-backing-second-scottish-independence-vote
Corbyn is a populist who tells people what he thinks they want to hear. Yes we’ll ban Trident and give every homeless person a free house (what about the 70-80,000 families with children living in B&Bs?) I suppose his supporters won’t wake up until he gets into power and, like all politicians before him, does none of the things he’s promised.
“Corbyn is a populist who tells people what he thinks they want to hear” haha yeah right
Innocence; sad because there’s only one thing that can happen to it.
before I just thought you lived on your own planet, now I think you are a nonce
do think Scottish independence will free Scotland from world capitalism you will suffer the same as the rest of the world explortation of the poor buy the rich.
No, it will free Scotland to set all taxes and spend all taxes for the benefit of the Scottish people.
Unfortunately isolationism doesn’t work these days. People are not keen on being subsistence crofters. Scottish independence, and I approve it, means integration as a region into the EU, whatever the relationship is called.
only if the PTB do as such, and personally I don’t think 2 Homes sturgeon would do such a thing…..especially as she is the highest paid politician in the land…and likes to build new bridges out of Chinese steel….coz it’s cheaper……cheaper for a reason
My God, Craig Murray, you have never been so wrong;
“at this stage on his road to power he cannot take that stance in the struggle for control of the Labour Party. I do not regard this as “selling out”, I regard it as realpolitik…”
Is it too much to ask for some blinking honesty in politics? Corbyn is a unilateralist but for political reasons he needs to lie, and Sturgeon is pro-independence but is hamstrung and unable to argue for it.
Give me a fucking break. This is the usual middle class warped logic that they teach in the good schools.
When on earth will people like you ever learn?
if Corbyn is playing it safe then it is sound strategy and it is working and certainly the lesser of two evils. He can be relegated to the backbenchers, back to more openly standing for his principles and his constituents, or he can play the game for now and be the next best thing to a full blown revolution in the interests of everyone. Actually far better than a revolt.
You should also be aware that when everyone else is in your eyes stupid, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Because intelligent people only find more questions and are therefore much more accustom to self doubt.
I am familiar with the works of Dunning & Kruger, thanks. But my comment above didn’t mention anyone being stupid.
To be clear, though, what you and Craig are advocating here is dishonesty. There’s a few layers to the dishonesty too.
On one layer you say you want to fool the electorate on things like Trident. Presumably once in power you leave open the possibility that your Trident policy might be changed. That’s what you are hinting at. We heard this sort of argument for Blair which brings me on to the second layer of dishonestly.
The people that are really being lied to here, as was the case with Blair, are those who think these lies are simple political expediency — “realpolitik” as Craig calls it — and that Corbyn will show his true unilateralist colours once in power. When will you learn?
‘Oh what wicked webs we weave when we practice to deceive…’
In the 2017 General Election the Labour Party campaigned (as per its manifesto) to cut welfare spending by several billions over several years. Was that a trick too? If so, who was being tricked?
The problems with lies, liars, and dishonesty is that nobody knows when you are being sincere. Inevitably that leads to nobody caring, people stop listening.
Why not just be honest and try and win the argument fairly and squarely? It’s not like these are difficult arguments to win. What are you and Corbyn scared of?
Or as Sir Walter Scott put it:
“Oh! what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to deceive!”
Note the “first” suggesting that you get better with practice.
“my comment above didn’t mention anyone being stupid”
Yeah makes a change doesn’t it? Something like 1 in 4 of your posts claims vast swaths of the population to be thick, past present and future. If you haven’t covered everyone yet then I take it back and I apologise
I am talking here about getting Corbyn into power in a rigged system. The rules are being broken, even laws are being broken, it is a very dirty game and it stinks, but until he is in power, that is the game and we play along at least to some extent and we must win. Corbyn won’t try to follow his own agenda publicly, he will try to align and unite the party to a common one, in line with what is good for the ‘many’. The fact that the manifesto was such a good and radical one suggests he is succeeding in aligning it in the right direction. It was just a manifesto though, so to suggest that it contained lies makes no sense. Labour didn’t win, so we don’t know what might have changed once they came to power. I may be naive, or just too trusting or hopeful of Corbyn, but you are naive if you think he can win a rigged game by spouting his own personal views in full transparency, no matter how good the argument. That’s not how democracy works for starters, the leader is there to reflect the party line, not their own, and the party line is a work in progress and a battleground. It would also be soundbites galore across MSM in an attempt to tear the party apart and destroy its credibility in the eyes of the sleeping public. The tory party and their incredibly ‘nasty’ manifesto, and even nastier changes as the campaign went on, speaks volumes as to the power they have with the MSM narrative on side. They even got away with actually calling themselves ‘the party for the working class’!
Your attack on the welfare bill is very short sighted and mirrors the blarite, tory and MSM attacks. It doesn’t take into account all the radical changes that were proposed which would have meant more in the pockets of the poor and hard working and less reliance on welfare spending in general, meaning the budget can minimised for welfare, but this was impossible to properly forecast and put fully into the costing. and lets be clear, this was just a manifesto, one which was drawn up in a hurry, and was still the most clear and costed and ‘good’. The welfare cuts though needed more explanation on how they were more than negated overall, the economists that saw the strength certainly weren’t given air time. Corbyn later proposed that the freeze shouldn’t be continued anyway, knocking an additional 2-4bn off the cuts, which at the very least suggests he personally would be pushing to go even further with helping those in need.
Once more, to be clear, the ones being fooled or tricked, that you speak of, are the sleeping electorate that gobbles up the Comrade Corbyn smear while bending over to the tories, not the ones who have it in them to at least hope that Corbyn represents, and might bring about, real change without a bloody revolution, so that the ‘game’ is fair in future, and democracy works for everyone. and going into an election saying you will not go into a coalition, knowing full well you would, is not the same as going into an election saying you are anti war and then starting an illegal one and becoming a war criminal, or going in promising you will abolish tuition fees and then helping them increase more than 8 fold. If Corbyn did come to power and started spewing evil and lies like seemingly everyone who came before him, I will rest assured that government is just a facade, and something else is actually in power, and this turn of the revolution has failed.
The first deception may be the start of a slippery slope, but in that case we are all on that slope and all hope is lost. Unless you have never told a lie in your life, then more realistically it is a question of balance, and endurance not to travel the depths of that slope. Unfortunately, even to those with eyes open, the woven web of deception has another effect. So relentlessly practiced is that deceit, so thick the web and you so aware of it, you can’t see the truth for the weaves, unable to see any light at the end of the funnel and so are no longer capable of hope. You are as trapped by the webs as the ignorant they were spun for, and as hopeless as the ones who seek the depths of the slope.
Chastise me for still having the ability to hope if you wish, but I will still fight to free everyone from that wicked web and put an end to the poisonous entities that create them. Just for the record, I have nothing against spiders.
Sorry, but you’re dead wrong on this one, Craig. You say that “…getting behind the SNP, and strongly urging the MSP’s to call Indyref2, is a much better route to Independence at this moment than working through the Labour Party…” The British Labour Party will *never* be a route to Scottish independence, and for a respected commentator like yourself to even hit they might is dangerous recklessness which puts Mhairi Black’s unwise revelation in the shade.
As for Corbyn – he’ll never be UK PM. And even if by some strange combination of events he did, the knives at his back would ensure he never hinted at being OK with Scottish independence.
Not your wisest post.
Just a view from an English guy. I too would be fine with an independent Scotland. I’ve been to Scotland about 4 times in my entire life either for work or to watch ice hockey. Nothing against those Scottish but they are a separate country and nothing to do with me. Where’s my referendum, where’s my opportunity to blather on in the pub about taking control of our (English) borders. By the way I would like to be independent of Wales and Ireland as well.
Maybe there should be an English referendum on whether or not to expel Scotland.
Hi bj. I’m just wondering if you think England has either the right or the power to expel Scotland?
The Tories inc Mundell will use the knowledge that Jeremy supports Scottish independence as yet another stick to beat him with.
“There are very few people who support Irish re-unification but oppose Scottish Independence. I do not know of any.”
___________________________________________________________________________
George Galloway is one such person.
There are even fewer who care.
Actually, in all seriousness, if I lived in the Republic of Ireland, I’d be looking to build a massive wall along that border, not unify with them. I’m sure there’s more to it than I understand but if I was living in the north I’d definitely think about moving south right now.
It’s rather odd to support forcible unification of one island and division of another, surely.
”..I am NOT QUITE CERTAIN IF IT WAS WISE TO REVEAL Corbyn’s CONFIDENTIAL comment.” wtF ? YOU just revealed IT !! I have my doubts Craig, about YOU. Are you trying to ‘subtly’ undermine Labour/Corbyn ? IndyRef2 ?!! Nope. Democracy won [I voted Remain] If Corbyn starts the ‘2nd Ref needed’ bs – Labour will NEVER get into govt.
” My view remains that getting behind the SNP, and strongly urging the MSP’s to call Indyref2, is a much better route to Independence at this moment than working through the Labour Party or through fringe parties.”
.
Simple, but true.