Ayrshire Analytica

Fair do's to the guy for actually doing that. In my opinion, the Lib Dem policy on Scotland is arguably the most insulting of the three branch offices. The reason I say that is, despite decades of claiming to be the pro-European party and a clear majority of Scottish people being for EU membership, they see nothing egregious in Scotland itself being dragged out, completely at the determination of others. They offer absolutely no solution to that, because to them being part of the herrenvolk democracy that is the UK is more important, and if us Scots want to be in the EU, we have no choice but to wait until England decides to rejoin. At this point, there is no "Remain" anymore, which adds another layer to their dishonesty. We're either Europeans as independent Scots, or we won't be at all.

Heavy Terminator 2 theme vibes from the OST of the official unveiling video. Does anyone ken what's up with Tomi?

During the indyref, there was a group of Labour members who publicly backed the Yes side, but if I remember correctly, they were kicked out of the party for it. Depending on who the branch manager is at the time, the attitude of the branch office towards members/voters who support independence shifts between; "We completely disagree with you, get out." And "We completely disagree with you, but vote for us, for some reason." Sarwar's attempts to portray himself and Labour as "neutral" on independence, during one the TV debates for the last Holyrood election, were utterly laughable. The presenter basically told him that if he didn't want to take part in the section of the discussion about independence, he could go and sit down.

This old dead horse. In my opinion, the opportune time for them to do this was during the indyref campaign. Of course, the branch office instead chose the path of British nationalism and unyielding devotion to Westminster, becoming the useful idiots of the Tories for the campaign. Their final act of betrayal of the Scottish people. Ironically, opposition to Scottish independence is probably the only thing that all factions of the Labour Party, from Momentum to Starmer, are united in. They still believe that Scotland is Labour turf which will one day return to them, under British rule, of course. Talk about parties with "baggage", the last Labour regime deliberately misled the UK into an illegal war which killed over a million people, and into another, which was finally confirmed a few months ago when Kabul fell, to have all been for naught.

So, other independence parties are okay, as long as they are, essentially, vassals of the SNP, with no differing opinions or strategy. The notion that because 6,000 people, most of whom I'd guess were previously part of the SNP, decided to form a new party, which supports independence, they are now a "deterrent" to others supporting independence is elitist, hive mind, nonsense. The accusation of bigotry is also baseless and is simply used by cultists to attempt to immediately discredit anyone who disagrees with them. I think coming up on eight years after the indyref, with a consistent lead for Yes in the polls before any campaign has even started, folk who were part of the 45% have a right to question the strategy at this point, if they even have one, in relation to gaining independence. Obviously, you're content to continue hanging on in quiet desperation, others aren't. What has she achieved to inspire such loyalty? Will you back her for five more years of colonial administration at Holyrood, if we are not independent by 2026?

It was. However, the SNP rejected the concept of Scotland electing as many independence supporting MSPs as possible and the decision benefited no-one except unionists. The Gaelic and Scots pronunciations are both acceptable.

I'm happy with this appointment. As I said when we were linked with Bartley, I'd rather we gave it to an up-and-coming manager than someone who's from the managerial merry-go-round in Scotland, such as Canning or Rice. A few loan signings now would be great, considering how the Burnley partnership has worked out for us this season.

The time hasn't arrived yet where the SNP will be rejected electorally by the Scottish people, à la New Labour, however it will come, because all political regimes eventually expire. Cracks are showing. I think that by the time of the next Holyrood election, when we are still not independent, a lot more of the 45% will be open to the idea of voting for a different pro-independence party than in 2021. This is why the Wishartistas wish desperately that ALBA would dissolve.

The only folk who try to defend her record as FM at this point are the sycophantic careerists that she's surrounded herself with, who you just know would have been part of New Labour a generation or two ago, and her online fanclub who see her as a sort of patron saint of woke, to whom, she can do no wrong.

Sums up the New SNP fairly succinctly.

The "prove competency in governance" phase for the SNP, which was always supposed to be a precursor to securing independence, primarily took place between 2007 and 2014, when most of the SNP's flagship policies were enacted. Since then, there have been very few tangible achievements. ALBA have some very good social policies that aren't specifically related to independence. Particularly, their policies on poverty and housing.

I'm sure you hope so, for reasons only clear to yourself. Ironically however, the insults and vilification from the Sturgeon cult towards not only independence supporters who've left the SNP, but also anyone within the party and wider independence movement who disagrees with the Dear Leader on anything, goes a long way to ensuring that a pro-independence alternative will continue to exist, in my opinion. But more important than that, if the SNP do not achieve independence before the, inevitable, collapse of their political monopoly in devolved Scotland, which they won't, a new political vehicle to achieve independence will be required.

I'm not here to "explain" anything to you. You'll probably be posting this same kind of drivel four years from now, with the cause of independence still no further advanced by the Scottish Government. But hey, you don't really care about that. Just keep posting the tears of joy emoji and screaming bigot at people, while your party hemorrhages its membership. That's the plan, isn't it?

You found hilarity in a bad election result, for the only party which made independence a priority during the election. More fool you, I'd say.

Sorry, but this is just the party line of Strurgeon's online cultists, and bears no truth in reality. During the pre-Salmond wilderness years, the SNP had to put up with similar jibes from Labour supporters. History is repeating itself, in the sense that supporters of a party of devolution are seeking to smear supporters of a party of independence. Don't fall for their pish.

Definitely, considering they had an actual orangeman as manager up until about a week ago.

To be fair, he was probably a Labour voter for decades until about 2015. Must be difficult to come to terms with being conned politically, not once, but twice.

How about we resurrect the medieval city of Roxburgh as a purpose-built national capital? Edinburgh is like so 1707.

He was also a pundit on Superscoreboard last night. Obviously it's a total OF-fest on there, but we didn't get a mention at all.

This is a pretty typical response from the Pete Wishart Brigade. Surprised there wasn't a "yes da", "zoomer" or any other insult members of the New SNP have come up with for supporters of independence thrown in for good measure. Of course, anyone who disagrees with the Dear Leader couldn't possibly have any legitimate opinions... I'd imagine no-one on here kens you from Adam, so who's to say you're not a troll? Afterall, your party has been trolling the 45%, almost non-stop, since the indyref.

I disagree that 21 seats were lost because of the idea of indyref2, I think they were lost because of an absence of any vision or incisive action by the party after the 2015 result. People returned to the fold, to an extent, at the subsequent two UK elections out of desperation, more than hope or expectation, along with the catastrophic and duplicitous actions of the British government. In my opinion, the Scottish MPs elected from the final UK election in which Scotland is a part, or at least the front benchers, would help comprise the body which would negotiate independence, a national commission. You're right though the independent government would be comprised of MSPs. I voted SNP my whole adult life, including the Holyrood election this summer, but I resigned to join ALBA, who I voted for on the list. Leaving the SNP was decision I took with a heavy heart, because I used to consider the SNP as more than a party, but rather, Scotland's national movement. I have to say though, I've never regretted it. I'm resolved to the conclusion that the SNP leadership have acquiesced to a role of colonial administration within the UK, and therefore, abdicated being the political vehicle to advance independence. It's now a political vehicle to advance careerist, blandees. Basically, New Labour 2.0.

You've made a decent attempt at explaining the SNP's inaction, and you're correct that the pandemic has been going on longer than one year. In my opinion, the "we had to wait to be dragged out of the EU" argument is pure semantics. Any arrangement between the British and the EU, without our consent, is equally egregious. It also doesn't explain the complete lack of policy on independence, how we will gain it and what it will look like, since the indyref. You're right that the mandate to proceed with independence lies at Holyrood. Another poster mentioned that, according to polling, the SNP on course to win 59 out of 59 of the Westminster seats. They had 56 before, under the present management. I think nationalists are right to be asking at this point, what difference will that make, if those MPs have no intention of forming an independent government in Edinburgh? The same question can be posed for Holyrood.

While it's understandable that for the past year the Scottish Government has devoted the majority of their efforts to the responding to the pandemic, what can be said about the other six years? A particular low point for me was the bizarre "Save The UK from Brexit" escapade, which we got instead of indy. This seemingly amounted to Sturgeon schmoozing in the capital of the regime which imposed Brexit on us, alongside people who believe we should never have any meaningful national rights as Scots.

That's a fair point. For me, however, the impasse that the independence movement currently faces, began before Covid. When the UK voted for Brexit, it should have been the governing party of Scotland's cue to withdraw, permanently, from the institutions of the British state. This, is an inevitable step that we must take as a nation, sooner rather than later. It would require boldness and courage, they had neither. A section of the party is completely enamoured with British rule and English parliamentary convention, because it makes them rich. They have been absorbed by Westminster. The next step is an SNP member of the, unelected, second chamber in London.

I get the feeling that this paragraph could have been written at any time over the past seven years, yet all there's been is, successive, squandered mandates. My question would be, is there any timescale for you when the non-committal of the party leadership to the primary goal of the party, finally, becomes untenable?