I know I've said it before - and I do believe it - that the Nationalists best route out of the obvious 'referendum-conundrum' they've got themselves into, would simply be to 'park' their demand for outright Independence ...
... the First Minister, instead of launching a White Paper on a referendum vote next week, should stand up and say that the National Conversation (and very recent polls maybe?) have convinced him that the vast majority of Scots do not want Independence at this time and he's therefore dropping plans for a referendum and getting on with the job of Governing Scotland through the current recession?
I'm convinced the SNP would thereafter do significantly better, in terms of seats won, at both the next Westminster and Holyrood elections?
I've got a nagging feeling it ain't going to happen that way though - and I'm sure the SNP vote will suffer next May, as a consequence of pressing ahead with these referendum plans.
They should just drop it.
6 comments:
Why is it so bad to have a vote on independence
Bill
Thanks for the comment --- all I'm saying is it will be heavily defeated if the vote is held soon.
I believe strongly that Nationalists would actually progress their cause more successfully by moving away from the Independence demand for now.
Thanks for checking out the blog.
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
Why does Labour support the principal of a vote during a recession on further powers for the Welsh Assembly, but not for further powers for Scotland?
Regards,
Richard
Richard
I think its called devolution of decision-making ;-)
... but more seriously; the only point I'm making - on which I think I've been personally fairly consistent over the years - is that the SNP should just park/drop (call it what you want?) their demand for outright Independence. I genuinely think that it would help them politically, and I guess therefore I should hope no one is paying too much attention to my ramblings on this :-(
Good to hear from you.
Andrew
I should hope no one is paying too much attention to my ramblings on this :-(
Thanks for the reply Andrew. And you needn't worry - I won't be grassing you up :-)
I take your point re 'parking' independence. It's just my preference that if any 'parking' needs to be done, that it should come at the hands of the voters
in a referendum.
However, you have to admit that devolved decision making or not, there's about to be an almighty discrepancy between the attitudes of the Scottish and Welsh Labour parties on these matters. I'm not convinced that the official stance of Scottish Labour is going to stand up to scrutiny once more people realise.
Richard
Richard
You could well have a point in your last paragraph - I guess time will tell?
I'm just not convinced that the vast majority of folk will get as excited about all of this, as much as us political anoraks obviously do :-(
Andrew
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