Well, that’s her telt. I wonder who wrote Boris Johnson’s letter to Nicola Sturgeon ? I don’t think Johnson is particularly well-acquainted with Scotland, but he closed the right holes on the chanter with this, at least for Unionists. Actually, it’s what I would have dictated to him.
- Keep it short – don’t offer any concessions like Cameron did after the last indyref with transferring of more powers. It doesn’t matter what you give them – it’s indy, indy all the way.
- Quote the “once in the generation” declaration by Salmond and Sturgeon. Nationalists hate it, but it was on their campaign literature as well as in their mouths, and it was part of their blueprint for independence, the White Paper.
- Say that you will uphold the democratic decision of the people of Scotland.
- Point out that the constant campaigning for independence has been bad for Scotland “Get back to the day job” is a constant jibe against Sturgeon as she pretends to be Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition.
Sturgeon didn’t want another indyref anyway. The numbers aren’t with her and there are still details to be worked out like currency and the economic situation. As the GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland) figures don’t make independence look good our Finance Secretary of Scotland, Derek Mackay, is working on some pretendy figures instead because Nationalists are “frustrated” by the actual ones. All this is busy work to keep the faithful stoked, and appease those saltire wavers who turn out in atrocious weather to march through Glasgow.
Indy supporters are not happy about Johnson’s letter and many are snarling about Sturgeon and the SNP. Stuart Campbell aka Wings over Scotland, a prominent writer during the 2014 shindig who hates the SNP, has been telling his followers that they weren’t going to get the promised Indyref in 2020 and is now gloating with a Cassandra’s satisfaction at being proved right. I won’t link to the horrible sod – you can google and read the comments if you want to see Nationalists in all their mad Braveheart glory.
Craig “Conspiracy” Murray, who also has a huge following, now has a cunning plan for a UDI and a referendum afterwards, but we must be prepared to face the British Army – and his own army of followers are warmly in support of this. Because Scotland v Britain is of course like Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia v the USSR. Those who don’t wave Union flags are doing forced labour in gulags.
There’s a strain of nationalist thinking which really wants to be Ireland in 1916; or Hungary in 1956.
Mike Small, at Bella Caledonia, is a far saner voice. He knows that the indy side haven’t got the numbers and that Craig Murray’s plan is pants, so his solution is more campaigning. One of his commenters suggests bussing Scots down to London to do a giant moon at Westminster Palace. That show of white Scots arses will certainly strike the MPs blind.
This letter of Johnson’s will be spun as Scotland insulted, and Sturgeon not taking lectures from a lying Tory. “Not take lectures from” is Sturgeon’s usual response to any criticism. My own thought – really wish – is that all except do and die-hards are sick to death of referendums and constitutional issues, and when looking at Brexit, conclude that chasing indy now is jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
There was a time when Sturgeon said it was “disrespectful and wrong” to keep banging on about independence while the numbers weren’t with her, but there’s too much pressure from the hardliners for her to shut up about it, and as she hasn’t got any other political ideas and her government’s record on ordinary issues (transport, education, health) is no great thing, this is her only recourse. Expect her to call for yet another vote in Holyrood, declare she has a mandate, and for the saltires to keep waving in the streets.
To the tune of First We Take Manhattan:-
They sentenced us to endless referendums,
This year next year oh weill some time soon
Never mind we havena got the numbers.
First we take Clackmannan,
Then we take Dunoon.
