In this week’s edition of the Dugcast fae the Dughoose I’m joined via Skype by SNP MP Joanna Cherry, the party’s spokesperson for Justice and Home Affairs. Joanna talks about her decision to stand for election as an MSP, and exclusively tells the dugcast that she’s not interested in challenging for party leadership of the SNP – despite what you might have read in certain newspapers. We chat about working in lockdown, about policy development within the SNP and how this lockdown gives party members the perfect opportunity to think about the kind of better and independent Scotland to offer the people of Scotland, about the need for universal basic income, about why the grassroots independence movement shouldn’t abandon the SNP, and much more besides.
Enjoy listening to an SNP politician being able to speak without being interrupted! It’s dugcast policy that it’s only Callum Baird who gets interrupted.
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Reblogged this on Ramblings of a 50+ Female.
Interesting take on issues. I still had the feeling that she was holding back somewhat. Maybe you can invite us all into the next Skype meeting and we can ask questions? Mr Murrell would be good.
Jeane Freeman a possibility. My question . How can an ex communist and Labour Party member accept an OBE. – discuss!
Actually you better watch or the unionists will shut you down as a public broadcaster!
We had a long chat after I stopped recording, and she mentioned how she needs to be extra careful about what she says in public because certain journalists are always waiting to pounce and twist her meaning in order to write an SNPbad story.
Hi Paul….I’m looking for a favour 🙂
Could you name a couple of decent Spanish news papers for me please?
Either non political or across the political spectrum,but no Mail or Sun type rags……
I know it’s a weird one and I’ll tell ye better when I see ye why….
The three largest Spanish newspapers are
El País, which is sort of like The Guardian. Centre left, supports the PSOE, opposed to Catalan or Basque independence https://elpais.com/
El Mundo, centre right, had good reporting on the financial and political scandals surrounding the Partido Popular. https://www.elmundo.es/
ABC, Franco’s newspaper. Rabidly right wing Spanish nationalist. Like The Telegraph, but with bullfighting https://www.abc.es/
The main Catalan newspapers are
La Vanguardia, published in Barcelona in both Spanish and Catalan, centrist but deeply opposed to Catalan independence https://www.lavanguardia.com/
El Periódico de Catalunya, published in Barcelona in both Spanish and Catalan, socialist, supports a federal Spain. https://www.elperiodico.com/
El Punt Avui, Catalan language newspaper, very strong supporter of independence, centrist/left https://www.elpuntavui.cat/barcelona.html
Ara, Catalan language, but has digital Spanish and English editions, pro-independence, left wing
English language digital edition is here https://www.ara.cat/en/
Thank you very much Paul ,that’s perfect. 🙂
Sadly, I can understand that position.
Thanks, Paul and Joanna.
A very interesting discussion and great to hear the thoughts of one of the very few politicians I really admire and respect. You need to persuade Tommy Sheppard to come on next 🙂
Joanna Cherry is a fine politician – strong and intelligent. I understand why, at the present time, she feels she needs to be careful when commenting. She will, however, need to be more outspoken in the near future, post-coronavirus and, possibly, post-publication of Alex Salmond’s book.
The time is fast approaching for a far more radical and strongly unapologetic attitude towards independence from the SNP/SG.
Fortune favours the brave. Scotland, its government, Ms Cherry, all of us, must find the bloody-minded courage to rigorously pursue independence.
I don’t think Joanna is short of bloody minded courage.
Noticed that Joanna raised the background work which is always there to be done, as example the papers from Commonweal. If this type of broad, or even focussed, policy could be seen to be emerging for the benefit of Scotland the SNP should obtain a glow of managing the country well and planning a beneficial future. That would be in contrast to the policy flow sustained at Westminster which is nothing more than salve for wealth being efficiently passed on to the wealthy.
Very useful conversation. Thank you both.
Excellent
Apologies for Daily Ratchet link, but can anyone tell me something about this? I haven’t seen any mention on here …
Thanks.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/new-pro-independence-party-created-22003798
I happen to agree with Joanna Cherry, our best chance of winning Independence is to get behind the SNP. She’s no doubt thought this through and chooses to stand with the party she was elected to represent.
I have no beef with anyone who wants to get out there with their own version of an Independence party and give it a go, the reality though is that unless you’re prepared to wait another 50 years or so for that party to become big enough and popular enough to gain the trust of at least 50% of the population of Scotland then the best bet is to stick with the SNP s being the vehicle to get us over the line.
I’m very happy with the progress made since 2014, the last three polls have support for Independence at 50% or higher so we are getting there. It ws never going to be easy, all the low hanging fruit had been gathered. The last push to the top is always the hardest, you need stamina and effort. I won’t be giving up now and neither will the majority of Scots that want Independence.
Sorry Joanna electoral calculus in all the Holyrood List regions bar perhaps the South will have SNP list votes divided by 10 or 12 (number of constituency seats +1). If you are happy for your vote to be worth 1/12th of vote for Labour, Tory or FibDem then go right ahead.
OTOH if you would prefer your list vote to elect Yes people to Holyrood in the place of Unionists then vote ISP or perhaps one of the other possible parties. Lots of folk won’t vote Green, last time enough folk listened to the electoral calculus argument and voted Green, they got more MSPs and it was enough to ensure a Yes majority at Holyrood. Squandered as usual, but it was there. I cannot see the Green vote doing much more especially since they are more Gung Ho for GRA than the SNP are. They have lost my vote.
I see no point in voting SNP on the List so faced having to spoil my ballot. Now It seems I have a viable Yes option on the List and the opportunity to defenestrate some Unionist placemen and women. It’s a win-win.
If you are a woman voter similarly feeling disenfranchised by the GRA proposals the ISP etc represent a home for their votes. How can that be a bad thing? Surely losing voters disillusioned with the choices on offer would be a bad thing?
And finally since Unionist opposition at Holyrood is almost universally tribal, offensive, deliberately obtuse about what is and is not Reserved or just plain stupid wouldn’t it be nice to have constructive Yes opposition who will help Joanna’s wing of the party hold the ‘lets not do much’ wing’s feet to the fire in the chamber. My hope is that the ISP will, along with Greens like Andy Wightman push the Land Reform agenda. With SNP MP’s and MSPs hobnobbing with the landed hunting classes and tweeting convivial pictures and comments about it we are right to be concerned that the Landed classes are busy coopting the SNP over this issue and we need to reverse that.
I’m with Lesley Riddoch, she seems to be wasting her time with the SNP and I’m not sure policy wonking in the party is the answer with just Andy Wightman as opposition. Help is hopefully coming Andy.
Have you given up on RISE?
The SSP still exist and they too are an Independence supporting party, the fight for the list vote of left leaning Independence supporters is starting to look rather crowded with AUOB and Wings both suggesting they will form parties to fight the election in 2021 on the list only.
Some might even say it’s looking fractured when you add in the Green party fighting for those votes, I’m sure that wasn’t what was intended but there’s nowt as queer as fowk.
Spoiling your ballot paper is futile. It is logged along those other spoilt papers where folk vote are to silly to understand 1,2,3,4. There is no “I spoilt my ballot paper party”………. Wait a minute, I am off to register my new party.
Only true believers allowed.
I would like to have put a question to Joanna cherry also.
how and why do we not repeal the treaty of the union.
I do not mind starting from the beginning,
The beginning has to be better than the end, the uk government have envisaged for us
It has been an avoided question and answer scenario in the independence movement since I can remember,
we seem to want to do things the hard, A cap in hand begging way,
The let us do this year after year way,
Yes it would be a shock,
But if we wait until Westminster has finished with Scotland, then you know we have waited to long, it means they have raped and reaped our our land and sea, our country and people will be on its knees. Then after we have been used as land practice war zone, they will dump all the nuclear waste in our sea and land, and for any one that manages to live through that, or the austerity, or covid 19, you will wished you had repealed the treaty sooner.
We will repeal the Treaty of Union when more than half the population tell us that this is what they want. No problem.
I agree. However, Westminster may not.
If we had an overall majority for independence, then maybe that would be enough for us.
It seems to me that the SNP and the Greens would have to have that as, at the very least, their main manifesto point. Preferably, independence being their only manifesto point.
Has anyone strategised this?
Personally I think we give too much authority to Westminster in dictating the ‘terms of engagement’.
Would an overall majority of the Scottish electorate voting for independence be accepted if it referred to a Hollyrood election or a Westminster election?
I doubt that they would simply accept that.
We would, probably, as a nation, have to stand up and snarl back at them. That is, for me, the issue.
Would we?
Withdrawal from Westminster may be the next step?
The gradual rise in independence support in opinion polls gives me hope. Y’know, tipping points and the like.
Apparently David Icke hates Nicola Sturgeon too
So definite proof positive right there that’s she’s the one for the job, not a flicker of lizardly yellow in either eye have I seen, not a sign of crackly skin or waggly tail, nor have I ever seen her eat a mousey, but if David Icke says so, well all the rumours must be true and we should give up all hope
Nicola Sturgeon is: The Lizard Woman of Bute House da da da daaaah!
As if Corona virus wizna enough for some folk
Apologies Paul,
Meant to also say that that was an excellent pod cast. It would be good to hear what yon Calumn Baird has to say too!
The polls (if they are right) give a 70 SNP MSP Holyrood majority. More than enough to be going on with in the warped system. Enough to campaign for a another IndyRef that cannot be refused.
Vote out all the unionists. There will be no one to oppose. They cannot keep on opposing democracy. It is against International UN Law.
The right to self governance and self determination. If people vote for it.
It looks like the SNP are at last about to pop its cherry; and no’ before time.
I sensed her guarded but pointed comments on the Way Forward.
She bubbles with enthusiasm and cautious impatience.
The SNP as a force at WM was always minimal.
For the next five years, it will merely be a butt of Unionist jokes and the target for Eton bunfights.
At last, the Independence movement is moving once again.
Cherry versus Lennon, Wells, or Cole Hamilton?
Holyrood is where the fight continues now, not London.
Are you not posting the shows in iTunes? I can’t see the shows in the national’s show list and haven’t seen any for some time now Paul.
PS nor in iTunes under dugcast
They’re not being published by The National. I’m just doing them myself while we’re all in lockdown.
I know it adds work to doing the show but are you able to add them to iTunes so that more can find them via their apps. If not, don’t worry… all the best Paul.
How do I do that?
Ah! Okay… don’t worry. 🙂
A technical help for Paul: to do audio interviews, do not use a videoconference software.
There’s a website called Cleanfeed that all the radio professionals are using right now.
It’s free, works wonderfully because doesn’t need all the bandwidth of a video stream, allows you to record a file and download it, directly in the browser.
If you need further help, contact me via email.