Do not despair. There may be politicians who have abandoned any genuine intent to gain Scottish Independence, but the path is still open. It is a question of nerve and will.
I think we should lift our eyes beyond the current SNP leadership contest – although I shall in future be commenting on its incredible revelations – and look at the much bigger picture. So here we are.
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I will make myself very unpopular no doubt by saying this. I have been aware of the ‘colonialised’ quality of Scotland-that unspoken deferential cringe for a very large period of my life.I noticed this as early as the onset of my teenage years. Scottish aspiration was directed at getting one over on England, hence the overstated celebration of events such as the 1967 defeat of the English world cup football team.Even then I was aware that such moments of gratification were quite hollow or maybe negative- the general assumption was of defeat, so occasional overturning of the odds were greeted with undue celebration.
Politics was different, but it was noticeable as soon as I was able to travel that Scotland was (mostly) markedly poorer and shabbier than the south of England and London. The pattern of housing was very different. A lot of England had been enriched by the tax regime called Miras, where mortgage payments were in effect tax free. Scotland did not have a tradition of house ownership so did not benefit to the same extent.
Young people in Scotland aspired to get to London and join the more confident world where there were more opportunities and a greater buzz of social energy. Of course I would concede that my callow impressions were probably not very admirable. Around my late teens I travelled through Europe and was stunned by the gulf between the west, and the Eastern, Soviet dominated countries. I immediately recognised similarities with Scotland, especially East Germany. On reflection the atmosphere demonstrated the same cringy resentment. It was even more pronounced in Bulgaria, notable for being a very “sovietised” society.I never got as far as Yugoslavia, where I understand the impression was much more upbeat. The most ‘comfortable’ country I encountered was Denmark. Sweden was strangely intense and serious although it looked very smart, modern and architecturally innovative. The much vaunted socially liberated values of Sweden were, to my mind, a bit bogus, a pretension. These values were for Swedes. Entryists were not very welcome.I was invited to join a commune in Denmark near Esbjerg but did not take up the offer.
The other thing I notice is that Scotland has moved quite radically from a male dominated society to a very female or feminised set of values. The teaching profession is now very female dominated. My secondary school(even my primary school) was very ‘male’ dominated but during my time teaching, the profession became overwhelmingly female. Primary became virtually 100% female, secondary about 70%. I hesitate to say what the effect of this has been, all I can say is that the experiences of school are very different.I think it is a major cultural shift that is rarely mentioned or analysed. I am also detecting, over the last few years, the frequent use of the accusation of misogyny by nearly all . The word has become routinely used. Again I would hesitate to ask why, and even less to suggest that this development may be negative. All I can say is that the shift is significant in relation to the way we do politics and public functions.
I have a strong sense that the recent domination of Scottish politics by female gender warriors, is less confrontational than previous recent eras.Political zeitgeist has shifted away from the idea of independence.
Mulling over the events of the last few years, I have come unwillingly to the conclusion that the moment for independence has been lost. The motivation for action has been squandered. Scotland no longer has the balls to confront the forces that hold it captive to the status quo.
DGP.
Poverty and poor housing quality in Scotland still exists in a fair bit of the country; of course this is what happens when a foreign country takes a percentage of your wealth. The English government eventually stopped producing the figures on how much it took from Scotland to stop prying eyes noting it.
Of course as long as Scotland remains in this union it will be a poorer place to live in, and its infrastructure will not be as good as it should be, no Scot (except House Jocks) can expect a government to run a country with one hand tied behind its back; it also cannot compete on the international stage whilst hamstrung by a foreign country. No, independence (which is decolonisation) is the only way forward.
https://wingsoverscotland.com/the-historical-debt/
(DGP: March 21, 2023 at 10:19hrs).
Thoroughly enjoyed reading your own truncated personal historiography and cosmopolitan-critiqued screed concerning the insightful (if subjective) implication on ‘The (regressive) Road, Not So Well-Travelled’, and which has, not surprisingly, now resulted in (to all intents and purposes) the extant, execrable, and less than edifying spectacle of (what appears) expedient cut-and-run exfiltration, by the principals from their hitherto, feral-fashioned-front-line, command & control-craving, cult-of-personality, pseudo-parliamentary polity. The pity is, however, that there doesn’t appear to exist a sufficiently appreciable contingent possessing your own learned and laudable, equanimity of exposition, in reconciling the many poisonous and pejorative propositions, posited by cyberspace combatants who (regrettably) do not share, or boast, your evident ‘Scottish Enlightenment’ credentials ?
I’m an Englishman with a deep-rooted dislike for the establishment, for many years I’ve thought Scotland has a great chance to become a free and democratic republic. However in my opinion the SNP will never deliver this, they are just another gutless establishment waste of space
Last week Andrew Bridgeon made a speech in the HoC going some way to expose the covid scam, not one opposition MP was in attendance. Now my question is who has the power to stop every single opposition MP from listening, debating, or even calling him a nob head? Answer that question and you’ll find the real enemy
I don’t rate Rev Stuey Campbell’s chances of being accepted into the NUJ very highly.
He keeps publishing the Truth, the bastard!
A bit like oor ain dear Craig Murray.
BTW, what happened with those publishable emails? Are they being held back until The Big Story goes public from other sources? The Big One will make the £107,620 tale look rather feeble, but nobody wants to read about it from a small room in Saughton.
Ebenezer – my guess is that he doesn’t have to publish these emails any more. Nicola Sturgeon and her husband both resigned for a reason – which hasn’t been made completely clear yet – but they resigned because they saw that it was going to come out anyway. Have patience.
I saw the latest GB News piece about Sturgeon’s appearance on Loose Women with interest, in which the ultra-unionist presenter openly stated his disdain for not only her appearance, but the lack of “difficult questions”. I feel he misses the point somewhat, as have many loyal SNP supporters; why has the outgoing FM received such a relatively easy ride from the mainstream media and establishment in recent years, when the very idea of Scotland’s independence hasn’t won a single ounce of reprieve?
I’m sure losing nearly a third of their members never came up in casual conversation with her husband. Seriously, does she think people were born yesterday?
Notice how she looks down and to the right just before recalling. Experts in body language say that’s a classic giveaway when about to lie in right-handed people (Sturgeon is right-handed). Another is blinking very rapidly, watch Humza & Starmer being interviewed, this is due to stress, or excessively long blinks. Face touching is another. This from the FBI interview guide.
Another indication that she’s lying is when you can see her lips move.
I can almost hear the sound of crickets, and can imagine the sight of tumbleweed blowing through Swanston, today.
A landslip from the high road to the low road has blocked both front and back passages, anatomically.
Phuqt; or buggered: take your pick.
Who’s going to hack their way out of that?
Erm, so how can devolution be a ‘trap’ if 80% of those countries became independent through a declaration in their own local (devolved) parliaments?
The cheats have it, the votes are counted, maybe some were counted twice, maybe some long dead souls records have been kept and used for a vote.
Nobody watched the ballot papers and nobody knows how many were printed. Voters were asked to vote for all candidates, eshew voting for just their favourite candidate, but exercise a personal preference depending on their likes and dislikes.
I asked again, were voters not allowed to vote for just one candidate?
The media asked a christian candidate out on the stumps, whilst the Sturrell promoted candidate sat in a room with a traditional background, fireplace with a Georgian surround.
Subtle bias and interuptions by media interviewers, when the two least favourite candidates were trying to answer an initial question.
And the Brexit type result makes it obvious that moral and go to get are residing in the cellar now.
But Alex Salmond was part of a debate this morning, speaking eloquent on environmental matters energy whilst outlining why Humza now has to perform to both factions in the SNP, that he has no time to dither.
I expect that the 72k membership will further diminish, as the new FM has no record of delivering anything.
Today they sworn in a Toady, how very sad.