In the Herald, yesterday, yet another SNP Civil War prediction from a Tory, blue or red version. Support for the SNP is at 54/55% in the last 5 polls, up from 45% in 2019, in a period when the Alex Salmond case has been positively drooled over by the MSM. It’s not going to happen.
Stevenson is also the latest in a long line of contributors in the Herald with their identities concealed from the reader.
We see John McLellan (Con), Brian Monteith (Brexit) and Brian Wilson (Lab) on a regular basis with no mention of their inevitable biases rooted in their party allegiances.
We see Hugh Pennington and several other less-recognisable members of Scotland in Union, rant against the SNP and the FM with their identity hidden.
This is deeply anti-democratic.
Now we see Struan Stevenson Conservative Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Scotland from 1999-2014 and a member of the Executive of the Scottish Conservative party, allowed to dribble about the upcoming inquiry into the handling of harassment complaints against Alex Salmond:
JIM Sillars, the SNP’s former deputy leader, claims the rot at the core of the independence movement is so extreme that it may have to be replaced by a new ‘untainted’ party. He is certain that Alex Salmond’s forthcoming keenly anticipated book will be like a “volcanic eruption” for the SNP. But the curtain raiser for the nationalists’ unfolding civil war is the committee of inquiry into the Scottish Government’s handling of harassment complaints against Nicola Sturgeon’s predecessor as party leader and First Minister.
Readers will no doubt remember many such predictions before. The number turning out to be correct is zero, FA, zilch, diddly squat!
Ironically, Stevenson is a bit of a green energy denier with a book title telling us so much about him:
Here’s a bit of his flat earth stuff:
The time has come to expose Scotland’s green energy myth. The truth is that wind turbines violate the principle of fairness by transferring vast amounts of money from the poor to the rich. They despoil our unique landscape and environment; they risk plunging the nation into a devastating energy crisis and through noise, the flicker-effect and vibration, they abuse the health and welfare of people and animals which have to live near them. They are visual monstrosities that produce a trickle of electricity at vast cost to the consumer and they do not significantly reduce CO2 emissions.
Violating the principle of fairness by transferring vast amounts of money from the poor to the rich? Wait a minute! Isn’t that a Tory principle?
Tilting at windmills is what Conservatives do…
Despite abusing every media and political lever at their disposal, the Tories have been unable to halt rising demand for independence. Their blatant propaganda campaign against SG/SNP throughout the pandemic only served to increase support for SG and independence itself.
It is this which troubles the author, not party political theatrics as amplified by their ever willing media friends.
SNP is not simply a political party in power at Holyrood, but the vehicle for independence in a referendum irrespective of party affiliation, and herein lies the Tory and Labour problem – opposition to independence has sharply declined in their own ranks.
Pointing to disintegration in SNP is a diversion, promoting a “new ‘untainted’ party” line an attempt to restore the argument to party politics and blur the independence mechanism, classic divide and conquer.
For his “the rot at the core of the independence movement is so extreme…”, substitute “independence” with “anti-independence” and it would be closer to the truth.
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The Unionists are now entering full rant and rave mode
And all out of sheer desperation
However the next 2 yrs are dangerous times ahead for us
Colonialists know full well the sharpest
Tool in their box of deviance is to
Divide and Rule
No doubt sleeper cells within various Indy
Organisations have been put on full alert
And either commences with previous training or await new orders
Westminster learned a awful lot in the NI
troubles especially from the republicans
And they have adopted and honed much
Of what was deployed against them
Into potent organisational skills and deployment of resources to counteract who they see as a real threat and enemy
Of what is now to all intent and purposes
That their State is on a cliff edge now and if it slips up then Hell awaits in the form of
Civil war,Pariah State,Tin pot Dictatorship
Economic and military collapse into utter
Irrelevance in global terms
Those at the top are well aware of such possibilities and shaking in their jackboots
I have carefully observed their rapidly changing behaviour and tactics of late
1.Why Bojo Jacob Rees yapping in public about borders
2.why are media in full campaign mode against us now
3.ABC (BBC) Now on the point of open aggressiveness now but have to tread with the utmost of care as we know how,when and where to call them out
Their ring Master knows to raise the whip
But hopes none outside their camp hears it
Remember the English state has existed for over a 1000 yrs now
But we have as a united peoples existed longer and we are now without any doubt
Considered their deadliest of enemies
And if not brought firmly to heel then their penultimate failure commences
In fact has already begun and well underway
So Under no circumstance whatsoever
Do we rise to their bait and start reacting in the wrong manner and NEVER EVER
argue amongst ourselves DEBATE only
If others within our ranks do not adhere
DENY THEM ALL PUBLICITY
Ignore them so they rot away
They are infiltrators on a mission
In fact we should be infiltrating their ranks in a clever and subtle way
Not to undermine them Good God are they not excellent at shooting their own feet
But we have to have a Sniff around their
Various outposts even only to see how rank the smell actually is
HOLD the Line and Know Thy Foe
And that Foe is The British State
Whose intents towards us are not Bonnie
Now They are a wounded cornered BUT old bear but their claws are long and sharp
So tread with the utmost of care but in firm knowledge that this bear shall no longer visit upon our honey pot.So we must be resolute going forward clever and smart and then the Day Shall be Ours
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Jim Sillars last held an SNP office in 1992 – over a quarter century ago.
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“The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the wind,
The Union is gone with the wind”.
Oddly enough, English Tories now like wind power–its only the dismal Scorrish(sic) Tories who detest it.
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The Scots sold the Scots for £398.000
In 1707….
Who would bail us out now after the currant collapse in the oil price?
Wake up people!!!
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If you are looking for wind, look no further than Ian Blackford. You deluded Scots will get what you want…. God willing.
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Energy is reserved. Anyone reading or hearing the evidence given to Scottish government’s energy committee in 2015 will have heard a wide range of views from the optimistic to the much less optimistic on the security of Scotland’s electricity. Energy security remains another botched Westminster project.
For all the talk of wind energy, much despised among some mechanical engineers, it remains the case that most of our energy consumed in Scotland is from fossil fuels. In his evidence to the energy committee, Professor Hazeldine of Edinburgh University, expert in carbon capture and storage, ventured that the transition from fossil fuels would take 50 years.
More here. http://www.rse.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Energy-Report-for-Web-2.pdf
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Indeed Sam, there is more than a degree of bunkum floating on the subject of energy generation and who can do what, but it obscures the most obvious solution and a pet peeve of mine for many years – Who controls energy conservation?
Sorry for the long post… 🙄
There was a massive campaign in the 1950/60s to improve energy efficiency in industry and housing, which then died away when the energy suppliers leaned on HMG over lost revenue.
Perhaps it is time SG revisited this ?
By way of example, I have 4 bedroom house built in 2013 to the latest standards, the local temperatures vary from +45 to -20, no prizes for guessing where the highest energy demand is, winter = heat.
3 years ago after retiring, a series of energy conservation measures were undertaken with the objective of the investment covering the cost, they were met in the first year as my labour is free to me.
My gas bill is 55% of what it was.
My electricity bill is 50% of what it was mainly due to LED lighting but due to fluke discovery, that has now reached 25%.
My point is simple enough, it is not the source of energy where WE might benefit the most but in reducing demand, something which may not be beyond SG’s powers but will assuredly be fought against tooth and nail by the energy industry.
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Yes, Bob, now would be time to get to it. What about a SG actually encouraged the devolution of power by supporting the setting up of local property management groups to manage Council housing. Such groups would need oversight, training, finance and more. They could, however, know better what their communities need. They could recruit workers from within the community, train them, help them to obtain qualifications. Then they could insulate their own homes.
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Indeed Sam there are many ways this might develop, all it needs is the political will and some finance from SG to roll it out.
The problem has always been London’s fixation that it is the owner’s responsibility to pay for it, the potential to reduce energy imports is ignored as the energy lobby ensure “business as usual”, Hinkley etc..
The previous example of savings for a modern house could equally apply in Scotland, but the impact on it’s predominantly older housing stock could be massive. Set aside the business and employment opportunities for a moment, the elephant in the room is climate change targets.
My visit to Dundee in pre-Covid January was to a block where simple external cladding (Baumit?) had been installed (EU funded?). Occupants had been impressed by both the initiative and speed of install (recently completed) but were stunned to note a sharp decline in gas use. I didn’t think since to request comparative figures.
The point is that even such a simple strategy as this, irrespective of the method of heating, could have enormous impact on both family budgets and climate targets, a political and financial win-win…
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