One of the more bizarre features of a UK politics which is defined by its bizarreness is that parties whose entire raison d’etre is attaining an absolute majority in the Westminster parliament claim that a party attaining an absolute majority in the Holyrood parliament is an unhealthy thing. Or more exactly, it’s a bad thing when it’s a purely Scottish party which gets an absolute majority the Scottish parliament, if they were to get it themselves that would be just jolly and British. But then the collective term for Unionist politicians is a hypocritical whine. Duplicity is their stock in trade. You know Wullie Rennie is two faced, but you can’t help wondering why he’s always wearing that one.
Getting an absolute majority in the vastly more powerful Westminster parliament, where under the pauchle known as first past the post it’s possible to get a majority with less than a third of the vote, doesn’t offend the supposedly democratic sensibilities of the UK parties as much a party getting a majority in Holyrood under a broadly proportional system. In Scotland, a party can only get a majority when it does actually receive almost half or more of the votes cast, yet this is what is supposedly the affront to democracy. They’re not too bothered by the fact that we’ve currently got a majority Tory government which is savaging public services and attacking the poor and the vulnerable on a mandate consisting of a mere 36.8% of votes cast.
Scotland has a single Conservative MP who has more power than all the other 58 MPs combined. Fluffy Mundell decided to block all the amendments put forward by the SNP to the Scotland Bill by standing up in Westminster and telling the Parliament everything he knew about everything, which took up all of fifteen seconds. Thankfully for him he had a privatised train load of Tories from the English shires to block the democratic will of Scotland’s own representatives. It’s English votes for Scottish laws.
This doesn’t bother our Unionist parties, but the fact that voters distrust them so much that all the Unionist parties together will still end up as a minority bothers them exceedingly. But it still doesn’t bother them enough for them to accept that it’s their own fault. It’s the fault of the SNP. It’s the fault of the electoral system that they designed. It’s the fault of the media for not holding the SNP to account, no don’t laugh, some of them really do say that. It’s everyone’s fault but their own. If the Unionist party leaders were about to give a hefty boot in the arse to the person most responsible for their parties’ problems, none of them would be able to sit down for the duration of the next Scottish parliament. But Scotland’s Unionist politicians will find an excuse to get out of anything except office.
Sadly for Ruth and Kezia, being leader of a Unionist party in Scotland is like being in charge of a cemetery. None of the people you’re in charge of are listening to you, your support is decomposing, and all you’ve got are memories of former glories and a future digging holes for yourself.
You can put an old dog turd in a new tin and call it progressive politics, but it’s still an old dog turd in a tin. The Unionist parties in Scotland will continue to be in the doldrums until they change what they put in their tins. They could start by becoming Scottish parties instead of adjuncts to parties based in London. They could put the interests of Scotland first and foremost instead of serving up Westminster dog turds. But that’s not going to happen. Instead they’ll continue with the comfortable nostrum that it’s all the fault of the nasty SNP, and it’s all the fault of voters for supporting them. The truth is, and it’s a truth so obvious that it really shouldn’t need to be stated, that when a once dominant political party is reduced to such an extent that the best it can hope for is a fight for a distant second place, that’s the fault of the political party. It’s the party that needs to change, not the voters.
This week a new poll shows that Labour and the Tories are tying for a very poorly placed second position. It’s sparked off a new round of speculation about whether the Tories can overtake Labour to become the official opposition. That’s the best that either of them can hope for, that’s how low their stock has sunk. Labour has utterly lost its way. Once upon a time it was the socialist hope of Scotland, now the only socialist thing about it is that its representatives have no class. The Tories were once the establishment, the only party ever to gain more than 50% of the vote in a Westminster election. Now they scrape along the bottom of Scottish politics with more predictions of a second coming than a tired auld lecher who buys viagra online.
These are the people who tell us that the SNP dominance of Scotland is such a terrible thing for Scottish democracy, yet both of them have had their own turns at dominating Scottish politics, both have screwed it up utterly, and both have learned nothing from the experience. Both still hope to dominate again, a prospect which is receding into the distance even faster than a red-shifted galaxy 13 billion light years distant.
There’s only one thing that warps and deforms Scottish politics, and that’s the fact that Scotland is a nation that isn’t allowed to be a proper nation, a country that can’t act like a normal country. The Unionist parties want that state of affairs to continue indefinitely, and that’s far more unhealthy for Scottish politics than the temporary dominance of one political party. I’d far rather have a majority government which was dedicated to the proposition of ending the sickness that warps Scottish politics and Scottish society, that promises a way out of the cage, that offers a realignment of political parties with independence. We need a Scottish majority to get there, and we’re only going to achieve it with a majority party.
The dominance of the SNP is a sign that Scotland is getting better, it’s a sign that we’re seeking a cure. It’s a healthy majority. It’s the old ways of Labour and the Tories that are an illness that leads only to the graveyard.
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Wee Ginger Dug 
Dead on my man, you hit the problem right on the head, unionist politics in Scotland is just dead rotting meat. They have nothing to offer our country for the future but a commitment to fill their own pockets and the pockets of their party.
Take the example of Alistair Carmichael, if you had done what he has done within a private company your earse would have been kicked out faster than Jackie Baillie can find a Gregg’s. And to have that lying bastard still employed and being paid with my tax money gives me the boak.
Red Tories, blue Tories, yellow Tories all self serving London controlled political parties, fuck them all.
Vote SNP X 2.
Couldn’t agree more. Two things must be in place for indyref 2:
– polls indicate a sustained majority of Scots support independence
– the Scottish government supports independence
Even if the SNP have a majority, without sufficient indicators of majority support for independence – be it from the SNP’s summer drive, or material change in circumstances – there may not be another referendum.
Likewise, even if a majority of Scots support independence, another referenum cannot happen without a Scottish government able to deliver it. An SNP majority is a proven precedent: an SNP minority supported by other pro-independence party is not. It is too easy for the Unionists to gang up on a minority SNP government, treating other pro-indy parties as if they don’t exist.
But here’s the kicker: a sustained majority of Scots supporting independence + a Scottish government that can deliver a referendum = indyref2, this time with Yes as the majority, and No having to prove themselves to the majority of Scots. This changes everything.
That’ll do for me. 🙂
Your ‘Every Vote Counts’ post also squarely hits the nail on the head.
“The healthy majority” is a good and positive addition to the lexicon. The SNP dominance is indeed the positive sign that Scotland is getting better. The majority of the electorate are no longer being fooled.
The Unionists have no policies for Scotland, they detract from their own inadequacies by simply trying to smear others and then lying because they cannot smear truthfully. In fact, I don’t think they could define truth. They are absolutely sh….ing themselves now in the race to be second (Lieb Dems are sh…..ing themselves in the race to be 4th or 5th). They have no respect for the electorate and no concept of what true democratic government involves.
Nicola has shown how democracy works by putting the scottish people in the driving seat. This is where the “healthy majority” comes in as Paul so neatly points out and ‘alharron’ outlines further. Bothe majority SNP and a sustained majority are absolutely necessary to further progress.
I love your collective noun for the Unionist parties, Paul.
A “Collective whine”. Sounds just right.
Saorsa.
However, a “hypocritical whine” sounds even better.
Perhaps one could also use a ‘collective hypocritical whine’.
I’m just having some fun now.
Great post Paul and couldn’t agree more.
Adversarial politics as it is practiced in the UK. The politics of envy, of smear and deceit. Its the politics where whoever has the ear of the media wins. They have the biggest megaphone, soap box, sewage pipe. Those parties use their influence to undermine, to destroy, to other, character assassinate and win because they present themselves as the party of greatest grievance. The best of a bad lot and all strategies to undermine the opposition are fair game.
Its the politics of despair and division.
These parties don’t stand FOR anything. They simply exist to seek office and do so by seeking and highlighting weakness within their opposition. Where none exists? They invent some. That’s what their dog whistle media chums are for.
People need to ask themselves. Is that as good as it gets? Do we really want to return to business as usual in Scotland? Seriously?
We’ve started something in Scotland, but its not finished by a long stretch. Its been painful exorcising our demons and our national illness, but we’re so close to curing what ails us. More than ever we need each other in the independence movement. SNP, Greens, Rise, all parties and no parties.
Nothing worth having is EVER won easily, but working together we WILL have our own democracy and the kind of politics we can and should be proud of. A politics where folk campaign for something and a parliament where consensus brings progress.
S’up to our truly progressive parties of course, but I’d say cutting each other some slack and focussing on the real opposition to that ideal may be a start.
[…] Wee Ginger Dug The healthy majority […]
Excellent, Paul.
Bae Frigate order delayed until the endo of 2017.
Thousands of HMRC jobs in Scotland being moved to a new centre in..Crawley.
The ‘broad shoulders’ of the Unionist are apparently not that broad when it comes to Energy in Scotland.
The dark clouds are gathering over North Lanark as I type, and the stench will seep throughout the Labour Heartlands (sic) as panic sets in.
The next 18 months may at last see the Fall of the House of Union Up here.
I caught a wee snippet of Brewer Droop’s ‘Big Debate’, (what pretension to call anything on BBC Shortbread’s Community Radio ‘Big’) and the fictitious 152, 000 college places cut by the BAD SNP got its thrice diurnal airing, and as usual, Ol’ ‘Hang On a Minute’, did not query this lie.
The Broadcast Truth from BBC Labour..lies, distortion, and disdain towards Self Determination.
It is apparently the BAD SNP’s fault that unemployment in Scotland is badder than the Mother Country.
It will not be long now.
No country in the world would put up with this for long. Scotland Free is the only way forward now. By hook or by crook.
Roll on the Fifth of May, and beyond.
I listened to brewers debate, and like you said the 152,000 cut college places was thrown out their again, but this time the SNP lady absolutely flatted the labour twat who tried to use it.
it was a cracker.
Jack Re the big debate I take it you did not hear Jeane Freeman correct that myth In fact I have not long since emailed her to say how pleased I was to hear her correct this fallacy It needs to be done at every turn
Margaret, Davy, I happened to catch a snippet in the car. I would not knowingly listen to BBC Scotland. It was ‘rubber neck’ fascination that held my attention, momentarily.
The journos at the Beeb on Pacific Quay know what they are doing.
Some may consider it propaganda and lies.
What will they tell their children?
As is continually evidenced the BBC and stv always manage to get their SNP bad comments in via their non partisan ( yeah right ) professional newsreaders , with quick infills or quotes from unionist ar**holes , but never allow a response or a rebuttal from the SNP SG.
There is a leaders debate I think , scheduled for Sunday where masses of the electorate will be viewing , I personally think Nicola should Don the boxing gloves and get in there no holds barred , and highlight and elaborate at every turn , the total F up of PFI perpetrated on the Scottish parents and Scottish schoolchildren , introduced by the tories and enthusiastically adopted by Broon and the liebour party fully supported by the libdums , she should also announce an independent public enquiry will be held to ascertain the extent of the dangers faced by our children , and if any wrongdoing has been committed police will bring charges .
I also feel that she has to address forcefully and openly the total lies spouted by the three stoogy parties , all proclaiming that being within the union we are better together and protected from the evils of unemployment, shipbuilding , steel making , hmrc , she has to highlight the hypocrisy of their claims and show the doubters , and naysayers that YES there is a better and fairer way to run a country and that together we can do it.
As I have said the MSM will do EVERYTHING in their power to skew and misrepresent anything the SNP says or does , if she were to ram these truths down their throats the meedja would shit themselves.
“Sadly for Ruth and Kezia, being leader of a Unionist party in Scotland is like being in charge of a cemetery. None of the people you’re in charge of are listening to you, your support is decomposing, and all you’ve got are memories of former glories and a future digging holes for yourself.”
Gold Nugget.
Yes, the opposition Parties have no radical inventive policies to offer for the simple reason that the people running them are drones for Westminster and Westminster doesn’t want Scotland showing progress and exposing their Punch and Judy faux democracy.
The real people who own UK PLC, have outsourced the management to Westminster and have designed the system to ensure it doesn’t challenge upwards.
Westminster’s job is to manage down the Peoples’ expectations and aspirations for which filthy task they are rewarded above their station.
That is why Scotland must fail and they are determined it will, even if when we are independent.
Reblogged this on Bampots Utd.
It’s amazing how unionist politicians can find a set of behaviour patterns perfectly acceptable for them to follow but totally unacceptable for the SNP to contemplate. Their problem of course is that people in Scotland don’t bow the head towards them any more. Old folk don’t pull the forelock and young folk don’t even know what that means. Recently I had the pleasure of witnessing a young person from a crofting background argue their rights with a local estate owner – and win!
Made my heart sing!
Paul, you always help to make tolerable this last part of the long journey towards independence. Thank you.
Without taking anything away from the writing , which showed up the utter Hypocrisy of the Unionist parties , I could not see a reason why the SNP need a majority at Holyrood for an Independent Scotland to progress – Apart from being able to stick two fingers up at Westminster…. Although doing that may well be enjoyable on the day after the election, the next 5 years will be spent arguing the case for Independence against those very same Unionist parties dominating the Opposition benches , put there because the pro Indy vote went to the SNP instead of a party that could actually change that scenario, and with the resources and media platform that goes with those positions to shape opinion across Scotland.
There is nothing in terms of Independence that a pro Indy Parliament could not do better than just the SNP on their own. You will not get the SNP for example arguing the case for independence from the Opposition benches as a pro Indy party could with those resources and media coverage that position would give them. – and Holyrood is where these arguments have to won.
Every poll indicates the SNP will get their majority on Constituencies alone.. The SNP will be the next Scottish Government regardless of the regional vote and Nicola Sturgeon will the next First Minister as the leader of the largest party at Holyrood.
So we are guaranteed a SNP Government with Nicola Sturgeon as the first minister , regardless of the regional vote- and as I said , every poll indicates that will happen as a majority Government on constituencies alone.
But we do not need a majority Government to have a “discussion on Independence “, – A cosy fireplace and hot cup of cocoa will suffice for that – We do not need a majority for the SNP to be Scotlands Governing party as they were in 2007 or for Nicola Sturgeon to be the first minister. But we DO need to win those arguments on Independence over the next 5 years to even be able to ask the independence question again … It s a painful reminder that we had that Majority Government in 2014 and lost the referendum and we still have it today as we are still losing the arguments….
There is no doubt that the pro Indy vote under the SNP is getting crucified in the regions all across Scotland – this is just the system we have – If you removed the SNP from the regions altogether the Unionist seat count collapses – If you keep the SNP there and vote pro Indy instead of SNP, the Unionist seat count collapses – The only guarantee of those Oppostion benches being dominated once again by the Unionist parties is with the pro Indy vote under the SNP getting so diluted under the D’Hondt system, that in some regions across Scotland it is already bordering on irrelevance.
One day of turning around to Westminster with two fingers in the air will not compare to 5 years of arguments from those very same Unionists , put their on the back of the SNP 1 and 2 vote – with the resources and media platform to shape opinion in favour of the Union across Scotland …
Oh dearie me!
Well I hope you get to enjoy your 24 hours of gloating at Westminster… But what are the other 5 years going to look like ?
You stick to your “cosy fireside” Mr Troup.
Oh, double dearie me, Saor Alba.
SNP x 2 : -the message must be resounding. Independence now.
There can be no faltering , or losing our way on a tangential argument over owning the means of production, or whatever.
No more navel gazing, and ‘what have the English ever done for us?’ poorly attended debates in the back room of the local on a wet Thursday night, Divided we fall, and all that.
I have a sense that some of the Pro Indy leftist are more interested in a £60 K salary and the trappings of being a bench filler like Kezia, Ruth, and Wullie, than presenting a ‘united’ Pro Indy front.
The time for the Left to storm the Bastille and convert Scotland into a People’s Republic is surely when we are an independent nation again.
What’s the rush?
Make mine a treble, with a dash of What now?
Surely anyone can see that, with 3 smaller pro-Indy parties on the ballot, the chances of any of them taking a seat is very low, as they are fighting one another for the same vote?
Hi Rab, for some, it seems to be a difficult task.
Absolutely Jack.
SNP X 2.
We are guaranteed nothing If we adopt that mindset that will be the end of everything You do know complacency was the undoing of the labour party
We are guaranteed a Scottish Government .. Labour and Tories are fighting it out for second and third .and they can only get those places on the back of the SNP1 and 2 vote. which means Nicola Sturgeon will be the next First Minister … I really do not know how you can find this so hard to understand… They will be eiher a minortiy or a majority Government as every poll has predicted , but they WILL be the next Government .. Surely you understand that ??!
Go over to “Scot goes pop” and you’ll see why that is far from a guarantee! And Scotland is FUCKED if we get “A MINORITY GOVERNMENT”. Do you understand that?
I really don’t think he does understand the implications David.
Far from “guaranteed” – astonishingly complacent!
We are guaranteed a Scottish Government .. Labour ad Tories are fighting it out for second and third .. which means Nicola Sturgeon will be the next First Minister … I really do ont know how you can find this so hard to understand… Thye will be eiher a minortiy or a majority Government as every poll has predicted , butthey WILL be the next Government .. Surely you understand that ??!
Top drawer stuff Paul.
A shining beacon of light in the diminishing Unionist winter.
And Dodgy Dave canny make his wee visit to Outer Jockland to bolster Rooster Ruthie’s showdown with the walking dead i.e. Slavering Slabour.
That’ll do pig.
Inspiring Paul.
Well said. They are all dunces together.
“A shining beacon of light in the diminishing Unionist winter.”
Good image, TP.
The Yoon World, where every day is winter but Christmas never comes.
Scottish Spring a’coming.
Excellent once again Paul. Independence is crucial.
SNP x2 in May.
The unionist parties are shafting the people, and the people of Scotland know it.
re hetty’s comment , do the people of Scotland really care we are being shafted.I for one am still sick to my back teeth over the result of the referendum, all the unionist crap being spouted everywhere isnt going to stop unless the SNP start fighting back and exposing the lies and fantasy policies the 3 stooges are given free rein by the BUM to spread everytime they get the chance . Its gloves off time , stand up and be counted .SNP x 2
Bravo!
If you honestly think it took Fluffy 15 seconds to tell us everything he knew then I respectfully suggest you invest in a new stopwatch as your timepiece is quite clearly knackered . As Louis Armstorng so beautifully sang “…..I see skies of blue and fields of green…”. Our day of emancipation draws ever closer. Onward and upwards.
If Slab and the Tories have the same number of MSP’s, who decides who is the official opposition at Holyrood? One thing for sure, they wont join up to be better together!
Can one party then become with another a coalition opposition? Which party would want to link up with either of the two yoonies? LibDems? Rise? Greens?
Interesting times!
Maybe Obama might come and issue back handed compliments to one or the other? Or Mundell might surface from somewhere? Where exactly has he been lately?
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