I left...

...but I'm back.

My reader may have noted my absence from this site lately.  Twitter seems to have captured folk's imagination, but there are times when its enforced brevity and the need to unroll lengthy threads just fails to reach the mark.  Sometimes you have things you need to get off your chest and rambling on suits a blog. You will not be disappointed in that respect!

My post's header is a signpost to something I did earlier this torrid year.  I used to exhort my reader to join the Scottish National Party.  I'd still ask you to vote for them as the only viable carriage on the independence train.  But endorsing each and every of their actions is beyond me now.  I feel the need to explain.

Firstly, and somewhat cackhandedly, the final straw for me was the Calderwood scandal.  I have very deep personal reasons to have found her actions baffling and inexcusable.  I also found our First Minister's initial support for her mindboggling and worrying in respect of decision making.  Let me say at this juncture that other than the understandable, but regrettable decision to participate in a four-nation approach to dealing with Covid-19 at the outset, her stewardship of the response to the crisis has been exemplary and rightly acknowledged.  It should be noted that I took an equally robust approach to the Cummings debacle and still do.  Not moving on and all that. 

Secondly, it became apparent that there is a seemingly growing and uncontrolled woke element in the party, who despite THEIR best intentions are doing immeasurable damage to the party and thus to the greater independence movement. 

I rarely, actually never, comment on gender issues.  Largely because it is structurally unsolvable.  I am at a loss to understand the desire to create fissures in the party and wider independence movement over what is essentially people being what they are, diverse.  I find the system of classification pointless.  You are either male or female and all that entails. Those who have made/making the undoubtedly difficult but desired medically approved trajectory to changing their sex should be accepted as the sex they feel they should be.  At the end of the day it makes them happy and in all other respects it has no direct effect on me.  They are the exception.  I have less understanding of those who feel they can call themselves something they clearly aren't, and even less for those that abuse that situation.  Just because you're spaced out it does not make you a Martian!

Then there was the much maligned sectarian laws.  A bùrach from start to finish.  I failed, whilst a Copper, to understand why this only applied at football matches, where its prevalence amongst those from the Central Belt was undoubted but in practical terms virtually impossible to Police.  I'm not saying it shouldn't have existed, but it should have been part of a wider society policy and formulated in realistic terms.   Conversely, those calling for its end rarely spoke in favour of it being widened to cover other archaic demonstrations of this tribal nonsense.  The SNP's dogged resistance to criticism in this area was poorly focussed.

Secrecy.  I sadly have to say that the SNP seem to be seriously hashing up things in this respect even if they have the best of intentions.  I'll say nowt further in great detail, but the inability to defend clearly and robustly what appear to the usual critics to be systems designed to obfuscate, delay and hinder reasonable interrogation of policy making is derisory and damaging.

I've more I'd like to say, but my reader is already reaching for their cocoa.  But I will have the last word.  Joanna Cherry?  What is she playing at?  Undoubtedly exceptionally capable.  But what possesses her to destabilise the current positive groundswell for Independence?  Nicola ain't perfect, as I've already suggested, but she's head and shoulders above all other politicians in this country and the wider UK State.  I say to her and her supporters, "Eye on the prize folks."  Once again the hierarchy of the Party seem unable to get a consensual approach to doing what matters to win Independence rather than petty personal power politics. 

Finally, I said this on Twitter.  I still hold to it, however marvellous our FM has been regarding the single most important issue of the day. 


BTW - Trident renewal is an anachronistic and abhorrent aberration. 
Saor Alba.

© McNoddy
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