I AM sure many of us are glad to see the back of 2023, a year which can only be described as difficult for the SNP and at worst traumatic for our country of Scotland and its long-suffering people.
In this post-Christmas period, the Tories continue to erode devolution at every turn and the Westminster government remains plagued by one political disaster / scandal after another. The General Election beckons, and the SNP braces itself for the biggest “fight” with Labour since they came to power.
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Labour’s surge is more to do with the total collapse of the discredited Tory party and clearly the only option if you live south of the Border, if you do not vote Tory, is to vote Labour. Clearly in Scotland many ex- Labour voters who presently vote SNP will return to Labour, and sadly many will be independence supporters. They are under the illusion that their Scottish vote is crucial to Labour to oust the Tories from power in Westminster.
So what has the reaction been from the SNP to what is going to be the mother of all battles, which if lost could propel the party’s aspirations into the political wilderness leaving independence to remain a pipe dream? Sadly, right now, there is NO obvious SNP strategy in place to meet this Labour challenge.
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At our party conference, the decision from our delegates was crystal clear: independence would be “front and centre” in every message, leaflet, social media message and every face-to-face opportunity. The membership overwhelmingly voted that a majority of seats would trigger an immediate demand for independence negotiations. I have to say that here we are in January 2024, and having pored over all the press, television and articles and comments from pundits and “experts”, the idea of independence has gone out of fashion. Worse still, SNP MPs and MSPs (many retiring) are suggesting that an upfront independence strategy will be a “vote loser”.
With the continued withering attacks on the SNP’s governmental policy from the opposition, how futile it is to base an election strategy in a “defensive posture”, promising to improve our performance when clearly we have done this steadily and effectively over the last 15 years? The facts speak for themselves! People like Stephen Noon (the ex Yes campaign chief), Stewart McDonald MP in his “essay”, Tommy Sheppard with his “ independence warning”, Stephen Flynn and Humza Yousaf both stating that if you want independence you need to vote for the SNP. These examples simply indicate a party divided. Where is SNP party solidarity in all of this? To whose interests are the rank and file being asked to give their valuable time and energy going forward?
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This time and energy delivered success and government over 16 years yet no independence. The conference wishes of the membership must prevail, with independence at the centre of the election strategy, or the party will split and wither. I very much agree with the sentiments in the letter from Drew Reid and website comment from Rosemary Champion (both Jan 17.) In simple terms it is a three-point strategy. Firstly: only independence will secure Scotland’s future prosperity and success as a nation. Secondly: be positive and tell Scotland and the whole world what we have achieved under devolution. Thirdly: unashamedly attack the dismal failure of the United Kingdom to recognise Scotland as an equal nation and, worse, simply see Scotland as a resource to be plundered.
Failure to underpin any strategy with these three strategic aims, and any suggestions that it is a normal election where mentioning independence will lose votes, will NOT be supported by the vast number of SNP activists and the party is doomed to failure. It’s independence and nothing but independence!
Dan Wood
Kirriemuir
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