So what’s more democratic? Would it be option a) allowing the people to have a say on a topic when there is clear evidence that public opinion has shifted, or would it be option b)insisting that the result of a previous vote must be cast in stone and preserved forever? Or at least for as long as it takes Ruth Davidson to stop banging on about how she’s not going to allow another referendum, which is the same as forever. Ruth will still be refusing to allow another referendum after there’s been a second referendum and the Yes campaign has won it.
Ruth thinks it’s option b, because under that option her opinion is the only one that counts. This is what a Scottish Tory considers democracy, and it’s easy to see why Ruth might have been led to that conclusion because after all the opinion of Scotland’s sole Conservative is the only opinion belonging to a Scottish MP that counts in the House of Commons. When you’re a Conservative naturally your views trump those of everyone else, that’s what being British is all about after all. Tory opinions are so all pervasive that the only way that Labour can get elected south of the border is by turning itself into a Tory clone.
Kezia Dugdale has a similar opinion to Ruth Davidson, or at least she does this week. A week or so back she was open to the idea of allowing Labour politicians to support independence if they wanted, she could even conceive of circumstances when she might vote yes herself, but then she clarified that those circumstances were themselves inconceivable. Labour is opposed to another independence referendum this week, because it’s just before an election and they’re desperate to shore up their hard line Unionist vote and stop it wandering off to the Tories.
Labour has changed its mind so often and on so many issues that it’s hard to tell what Labour’s position is on anything, because they change their policies more often than your average person changes their underpants. But then no one really pays much attention to what Kezia thinks, not even most of what’s left of the Labour party. And come Thursday there’s going to be even less of the Labour party left. Labour’s been changing its collective underpants far more frequently than your average person does as they face up to the prospect of their impending doom.
The great Russian writer Dostoyevski once said that there was nothing like the prospect of impending execution to concentrate the mind, but that doesn’t seem to have worked in the case of the Labour party in Scotland. But then of course that presupposes that they have a mind to concentrate. The Labour party in Scotland has James Kelly instead. The only consistent policy position you’ll find in the Labour party in Scotland is that the SNP is very bad.
In the interests of full disclosure, it does have to be added that Wullie Rennie is of a similar opinion. Admittedly no one gives a toss what Wullie thinks about anything, except possibly his views on the timetable of the number 17 bus from Cowdenbeath to Kelty. But then you can get an app for your mobile for that, which means that Wullie is the first party leader in recorded history who could be replaced by a mobile phone notification without anyone noticing. The Wulliapp is recognisable by the sound of its droning hum, which not coincidentally sounds very like the engine of an Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 double decker. Unlike the bus though, Wullie doesn’t meet emissions standards, as he spouts far more in way of brain damaging rubbish than a diesel engine, and he also carries far less on top.
Labour attempted to develop a similar app for Kezia, but its high pitched whine was inaudible to the human ear and only made all dogs within a three kilometre radius bark wildly and pee on the carpet. Since they’ve already got enough on their hands clearing up the mess that Jackie Baillie makes every time she makes a pronouncement, the idea was aborted.
Anyway, having had our referendum in 2014, the Unionist parties claim that Scotland isn’t going to be allowed to change its mind on the question of our status within the UK, not even if the Unionist parties break every single promise and commitment that they made in order to secure the no vote that September. There may be a promise that was made to Scotland by the Better Together campaign in the summer of 2014 that hasn’t been broken yet, although I must admit that I am struggling to think of an example. They did promise that it was only by virtue of a no vote that we’d still get Dr Who on the telly, but we’re not even getting a new series this year, although we may still get a Christmas special.
The Unionists believe that Scotland shouldn’t be allowed to reconsider the situation even if circumstances radically change and the previously unthinkable actually came to pass, as it would if Scotland was faced with being dragged out of the EU against its will or Jackie Baillie made an announcement about something that turned out to be well costed and numerate.
There’s a slow drip drip in the polls, and support for independence is growing. Eventually it will reach the point where independence can safely be called the settled will of the Scottish people. We may reach that point sooner rather than later, given the way in which the Unionist parties act as though democracy is optional as far as Scotland is concerned. But even if the polls show that there’s a clear, consistent, and settled majority in favour of independence, the Unionist parties still don’t want us to have one. They’ll be insisting that everyone respects a no voting majority that has ceased to exist.
The reason that the Unionists don’t want to give the Scottish people the chance to ask themselves the question about Scotland’s place in the world is because they are afraid of the answer that they’ll get. They’re desperate to retain control over us because they know they’ve already lost it. The question is still going to be asked, sooner or later, and the answer will be independence. Scottish democracy will not be silenced.
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[…] Wee Ginger Dug Scottish democracy will not be silenced […]
Yep, Democracy is great…but only for those and such as those!
Thanks for the analysis of the gruesome threesome – I laughed which is a great way to start the day.
I know for certain one app I won’t be trying out.
Brilliant!
HS is at it again today. Like Rennie, Davidson and Dugdale, they are running Not The Independnece Referendum II, Indyref II Lite if you like, shagging us undemocratically , but with a condom, in case we conceive Free Scotland.
They are relying on the NO vote from Sept 2014 coming out en masse on Thursday to repeat the ‘democratic will of the people’ (that’s 55 % – 45% to the rest of us) of Black Thursday, The Day Before the EVEL Dead.
This election is not about Education, Health and Welfare, the Law of the land, Infrastructure, Wealth creation, Jobs, to the Better Together charlatans.
It’s about saving their fecking corrupt little Union, and by association, their putrid little Branch Managers’ jobs Up Here.
Ruth is a Tory, and will suck £3 billion out of the Scottish economy.
Kezia is a politically intellectual gnat, who recalls Groucho Marx’s :- ‘These are my principles. If you don’t like them , I have more.’
Willie Rennie gets equal MSM and airtime as the leader of a party of five MSP’s, a party that was put to the sword last May, and retains one self confessed Union MP liar flying the LIB Dem Union Flag Up Here.
All three know that Independence is now inevitable.
The 16-17 year olds who vote for the first time on Thursday will reflect the future trend, as Indyref II looms on the horizon.
Well said, exactly on the ball.
I just read WoS take on Massie’s SNP ‘Undemocratic’ piece of Karap.Willie Rennie ‘igniting’ something or other.
Every Unionist is talking up a second Referendum this week. Mainly because their manifestos are piles of platitudes that will never be realised and have not borne scrutiny.. Campaign fluff with no effort expended.
They are Better Together once more taking on the SNP who all know ‘cos Alec Massie tells us so, are about to foist a second Referendum on the hapless 55 without a by your leave. Aye, right.
Massie, HS, and the rest of the MSM are steering the election towards Indyref Kid On, in the hope that this rouses the Loyal Sons of William, and the Blue rinsers from their sedans on Thursday to go out and vote to save the Union.
Pathetic.
oh bugger you beat me to Massies diatribe ha ha , anyway i wonder who the next nut-job will be tomorrow , seems to be a pattern developing here and it certainly isn’t organised by these opposition parties they simply dont have the brains , some department of state has been at this assault on the SNP for months now all this media involvement is not just a coincidence it is a clear campaign to above all stop the SNP by any means . They wouldn’t do that would they ?.
Massie thinks the push for independence is the same as campaigning to bring back hanging.
The man’s a prune; big time.
I am minded of Pilot Officer Prune and the Most Highly Derogatory Order of the Irremovable Finger. Can’t think why …
Ace, Del Boy. PMSL.
A more worrying prospect for the yoons is the engulfing crises dahn sath in their respective parties. Tory and Labour are in crises; it must be bad when the DT is publishing articles about the Tories at loggerheads – DC versus the rest, toffs against plebs.
Ruth and Kez and Willie can only pause and see which way the wind blows from dahn sath.wait till the EU referendum battles start.
That’s a keeper and laughing is always the best way to start the day.
The very pertinent point delivered by that humour though?
Democracy:
Democracy, or democratic government, is “a system of government in which all the people of a state or polity … are involved in making decisions about its affairs, typically by voting to elect representatives to a parliament or similar assembly,” as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary. Democracy is further defined as (a:) “government by the people; especially : rule of the majority (b:) “a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections.”
Origin:
Late 16th century: from French démocratie, via late Latin from Greek dēmokratia, from dēmos ‘the people’ + -kratia ‘power, rule’.
Aye, a furren idea. Who knew? Mibbies sending Ruthie and Kez a dictionary with the relevant page thumbed over would be a help? 🙂
The power rests with the people and the people decide.
Spookily, if you treat people poorly. If you betray the trust they place in you, break your given and written word, lie with malicious intent and manipulate for personal gain. Well, don’t be surprised if those people (where the power lies) change their minds and decide to kick you (electorally) squarely in the haw maws.
Twenty months ago, the people decided with a slim majority to retain a political union in which a great deal of their own sovereignty was ceded to a political construct which they hoped would care for and respect that sovereignty and that trust. We know why this happened and it won’t be forgotten any time soon.
Regardless, promises and assurances were made by the winning campaign, papers were signed and a great deal of debate was on the go. The end result was that slim majority and the remainder, just under half the voting electorate, held its breath waiting for the other shoe to drop as they knew it almost inevitably would…
… and did.
Personally? I don’t think there’s much doubt that between 25-30% of that majority, for whatever reason, will ever be convinced that they were in the wrong and on the wrong side of history. They will never see Westminster government, its system, its establishment as anything other than the right ‘order’ of things. Doesn’t matter what you say, or how much concrete proof you lay in front of their eyes, their system can do no wrong. That is their belief which they have invested themselves in. The balance of that vote though, is another thing entirely.
I don’t know why some folks voted for the continuation, and we can all speculate until the cows come home. Bottom line for me is that at this point and after all that has transpired in the past twenty months, I think its now more imperative than ever we hold out a hand. If we want a future. If we want to put right a bad choice and have that oh so rare second chance, then the speculation and the recriminations get binned.
Those people NEED us and we almost certainly, NEED them.
Kezia, Ruth, and Willie display all the attributes of megalomania.
They actually believe that it is their divine right to ‘rule’, that their opinions and ideologies (sic) hold more sway in the Natural Order of Things than democracy, and the declared will of the Scottish people.
They do not consider Scotland to be a nation. We are a colony, or at best, Scotlandshire, England’s most northerly county.
They are ashamed of their birthright.
They see nothing psychotic is declaring that they will continue to thwart the wishes of their fellow citizens, to serve presumably the Greater Good that is Union with, or rather, subservience to an English built in Majority Down There.
There is no hope for them, nor the 25-30% to whom you refer, Macart.
Roll on Thursday.
PS: Yes 70% ; No 30% Next Time?
I’d settle for that. 🙂
The pertinent bit from my wee cut n’ paste and the bit Ruth and Kez tend to gloss over.
‘involving periodically held free elections’
‘Periodically’. And there’s the rub.
When Scotland doers return to Self Determination there is nothing democratically wrong witrh the ‘disenfranchised 25%’ forming a UK Reunification Party, and standing on the Unionist ticket in Scottish General Elections. I wish them luck with that one.
It would test the limits of that poor bullock’s vertebrae if Ruth Kezia and Wullie all clambered aboard for a UKRP Party photoshoot, mind, though, but.
I see ‘Cat Boyd’ (is she the blonde RISE Lass? I can’t be ersed looking her up.) is in the National today, 48 hours before the vote. banging on about the Cellic’s next manager.
Jaisus.
Ms Boyd, there are at least 5.2 million of us who don’t give a Maoist/Trotskyist/Leninist/ Stalinist
curse about anything football this week.
500,000 of our fellow citizens living below the poverty line, foodbanks, zero hours contracts, Pay Day Loans at 1274%, pawn shops proliferation, charity second hand clothes for ‘hard working families’, £30 billion in ‘austerity ‘ cuts backed by the Westminster Red Blue and Jaundiced Tories, Trident renewal, NHS privatisation Up Here by the International Trade Agreement Back Door, Westminster cuts to LA’s, cuts to PIP, WFTC, the abolition of Housing Benefit, the Bedroom Tax…yet one of our politicians, in whom I had the merest inkling of hope would see a resurgence in the Real Left Up Here, is fecking banging about with the woes of Sellick Football Club.
There is a time and a place.
Pretty much aye on both counts.
I’m not big on sports and even less interested in football.
But on the first point YES democracy, true democracy is a two edged sword. In order for it to work properly you have to accept the cons with the pros.
Same goes for political parties. Yes we support parties with the understanding that they legislate, administer and LEAD in OUR NAME. They also have to understand that they need to reflect popular will, anticipate need and constructively and transparently communicate with the populace on a regular basis, not once every five years when they need a new meal ticket. Most certainly not through the press whenever they need to manipulate some opinion and marginalise another societal demographic to suit an agenda.
Leading by the nose, manipulating popular will and closing off avenues of communication is what we’ve been living under for generations. Thursday is crucial in taking that next step. If people don’t get up off their arses and vote for the change they want?
It simply won’t happen.
Well said, M. We’re having a party anyhoo. All welcome.
Great article, great posts. Re Democracy, I’d like to see less of the “representative” and more of “by the people”. Professional politicians and Parties are part of the problem, imho, not the solution. More devolution, more participation by “ordinary folk” – a bit like jury service – more of us taking responsibility, less “elective dictatorships”.
Broadbield, you’ve just completed the application form. You’re hired !
a good post that i doubt could be surpassed by anyone here.
Now for the But , if it is not pointed out to the folks who voted “NO” that they were lied to deceived the same people will return the same verdict time and again , The whole print and broadcast media have been engaged in covering up this deception since the referendum it never ends . I doubt if most of the people who voted “NO” are aware this VOW that they trusted in has not been delivered and that every single amendment proposed was voted down by English MPs who never even bothered to turn up to the many debates they simply rolled out of the many bars and restaurants when it was time to vote then on mass voted NO .
They NEED to waken up from their blissful slumber and be confronted with the consequences of them voting “NO” and the list is endless .
As in Law ignorance is not a defence .
A great read to start my Tuesday, Paul. Wonderful summary review of the Yoon apps.
And bus references too! 🙂
“What’s left of the Labour party?”
Nothing!
Too right!
Too right, too right.
Excellent post which pretty much chimes in with a lot of what I have said in previous posts.
The anger. The venom. The bile. The face melting levels of stupidity being passed off as thoughtful commentary. Is down to the Indyref in 2014 giving them an answer they didn’t expect. There was an assumption on their part that the union was the “accepted” will of the majority. Of course they never considered the possibility that it was more tolerated rather than accepted. That it was down to people not being asked what they thought about it, then express that opinion with a vote.
They almost lost but for the vow. So now that awkward, uncomfortable moment when they realised that they barely made it over the finish line. There is also the awareness that it’s not going to go away now. This opinion having been expressed, is always going to be there.
They’re scared that if it comes around again..they simply won’t win.
But then consider what they achieved. What they really achieved. when they spoke about the union it was as mendicants supported by British alms. They made it nigh on impossible now for Scotland to stand tall in the union, let alone ever convince yes voters to let it be. And that tin gilt fiction that they traded for a no vote, is corrosively eating away at that tolerance they mistook and continue to mistake for unquestioning support.
They can draw all the lines in the sand they want. They can scream NO till their voices are hoarse and raw. We’re not going to stop til we’ve blasted this union into rags and atoms.
What are they going to do to stop us. Make a positive case?
A positive case would kill the union David, as they would have to tell terrible lies.
sorry…..terrible truths.
Thanks to the writer of this page and all the positive comments it is truly inspiring to read.
Yet another great article, Paul.
There’s something really sad in the desperation of those politicians who know they’re on the wrong side. But great for this long time Scottish Independence devotee.
Project Fear continues to haunt britnats. Wonderfully ironic.
Nothing in politics is a once in a lifetime event. That is why we have free democratic elections.
Free, that is, unless yoon politicians interfere with them. They are not interested in the sovereign will of the people. They are interested only in ruling the people.
Haha – I want a wullieapp! Brilliant
Dr Samuel Johnson – quote re hanging and mind I do believe Cheers Jake
Sent from my iPad
>
I so hope the electorate are going to return the SNP to power with a majority on Thursday.
If that is achieved then the immediate future is going to be extremely interesting. The issues of the EU ref are not going to go away after the votes have been cast. Neither side is going to accept the expressed will of the Brits. If it’s Brexit then there will be a second referendum in short time. If it isn’t then the Brexiters are not going to go back into their box. If Scottish votes prevent Brexit then there is going to be pandemonium. Given the state of the various English Tory parties there is going to be a state of flux whatever happens.
Just the right conditions in which a stable Scottish government committed to independence can be properly appreciated by the Scottish electorate.
Great, and many excellent comments. Thanks, it’s WGD abd WoS that keep me going and positive.
Hope we are celebrating on Friday.
SNP both votes.
“Scottish democracy will not be Silenced”……good on you Paul. Another great article. Labour are an aberration that exist only in Philip K Dick dystopian science fiction novels. Fuck them all the way down to nowhere.