I WAS a member of AFI, Action for Independence, a small, independence-supporting, political party which was designed to work within the Scottish electoral system to maximise the independence vote at each Scottish election.

The idea was simple. AFI members, many of whom were unhappy with the lack of progress made by the SNP, would work with the SNP, but with a very different, more progressive agenda. Our members would support and vote for the SNP in the constituency vote and would work to encourage SNP members to support AFI in the regional one.

If most independence-supporting members of the Scottish electorate voted in this pattern then independence-supporting MSPs would dominate the Scottish Parliament. That was the plan. It meant, of course, that while AFI was a distinct party separate from the SNP and with its own policies and programme, it would, like the SNP, have Scottish independence at its very core, and both parties would have to work together and co-operate with each other.

However, in March 2021 the AFI leadership was approached by Alex Salmond and the Alba Party and urged to join with them. Some of us were unhappy about that, because we knew there was animosity between Alex and Nicola Sturgeon and we thought this was unhelpful in a situation where support and co-operation between parties was important.

Nevertheless, the AFI membership went along with the idea and so I became a member of Alba. I never gave up the idea that we needed two separate, parties who supported independence to work together if we were going to maximise the support for independence in the Scottish electoral system and I was assured by others in Alba that this remained the plan.

This was shattered for me and ended my support for Alba when they decided to put up candidates against the SNP for this UK General Election. This action by Alba leadership destroyed the possibility of the two independence parties working together and of co-operation between them.

I note Salmond’s attempt to justify that in The National but frankly, his claim that he is not splitting the independence vote is just nonsense.

Former first minister and Alba leader Alex Salmond

Let us be clear, the SNP have made mistakes. Two of the biggest mistakes were to think they could have independence while still using the pound sterling and to foolishly imagine that they could “negotiate” independence with the UK Government. They made both of these mistakes while Alex was leading the party. Sure, the SNP are not perfect, but in a first-past-the-post election they are better than any of the Unionist parties.

So what on earth is Salmond playing at? The only chance Alba have of surviving is to win the support of the Scottish people and he will not do that by helping Unionists to defeat SNP MPs.

If Salmond wants Alba to survive and to do what the party was originally designed to do, then it needs to withdraw from this election in favour of the SNP. Then they might begin to get the attention of the Scottish people.

Andy Anderson

Ardrossan

A FRIEND of mine recently told me that Protestant friends of his will vote for Sinn Fein in next week’s General Election.

Does this surprise me? No. Because it seems to me that Unionist’s current manifestos are rooted in the past – no sense of optimism or progression evident therein. So by contrast it may well be that Sinn Fein, now the largest party in NI, will make further gains in this election and, as a result, unification could rise to the forefront of their agenda.

How will the UK Government then react should there be a call for a referendum guaranteed under the peace agreement? Scotland, keep your eyes open.

Peter Malcolmson

Lerwick