Support Talking-up Scotland's work to counter the lies and get you the facts, daily, at: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/checkout/help-talking-up-scotland-tell-truth-about-scotland/payment/nBQxjVzq/details
Professor John Robertson OBA
Neil Mackay in the Herald two days ago, had the above and:
John Swinney and the SNP are at a fork in the road when dealing with Nigel Farage and Reform’s rise, the ascendency of the far and hard right, and the extremists within, says Neil Mackay, The SNP has two choices: accept its part in the rise of the far-right, or grow a spine and take the fight to extremists.
Before I respond, lets remind ourselves if Mackay is the kind of critical friend whose views we might respect and consider:
So, that’s clear, he is no friend of any kind. Like Kevin McKenna he longs for the good old days of Blairite Labour when a moderate attempt to reduce inequality was enough make middle-class liberals feel good about themselves without losing too much to the poor and being able to control ‘extremists’ with the powers of the state, unopposed by any viable political opponents.
Like some Labour supporters when the SNP were dominant in the Scottish MP group at Westminster, after 2015, he wanted them to forget about independence and just fight for his liberal values against Tory austerity. Now he wants them to again forget about independence and go head to head with Reform UK and charge into the ‘Valley of Death‘, waving their liberal values and progressive policies high.
That would be plain daft. We’d be picked off by the media just as we were on gender reform, demonised by the shameful distortion as somehow the champions of that reform despite all-party support (Jamie Green of the Cons too). This time, we’d be portrayed as the party of tolerance for young migrant males arrested for alleged sex crimes and even we’d lose some support to Reform UK.
I’m not saying the SNP should abandon its underlying liberal values. I’m saying we might sensibly want to ignore such attacks wherever possible and just keep repeating the many things we’re doing well –
- reducing poverty especially child poverty
- building more homes especially affordable ones
- only taxing the better off a bit more
- reducing crime and maintaining it low, especially violence against woman, at far lower levels than in rUK
- increasing school attainment across all groups and explaining why the ‘gap’ is meaningless
- performing demonstrably better than other UK NHS across a wide range of outcomes
Where we have to talk about immigration, we insist on what we would do after independence to control it by exploiting Scotland’s geography with a relatively narrow land border, its inflatable raft unfriendly wild seas far from the continent, and a commitment to properly staff the process.
As commonly here, fairly quickly formed ideas so comments much desired.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Ever since walking across the Austrian/W.German border with ease, in1969,then ‘hard’ in Unionist- speak, I’ve always thought our land border, primarily with W&E main routes would be a daudle- urgent necessityis to renew,reconstitute ferry connections to Europe to stop/control exports booked out of England.
LikeLike
I agree John, and I think John Swinney spoke a while back about choosing his fights carefully. He has plenty of experience to draw on when weighing up what to choose, plus I’m sure he is clear eyed about which issues are being pushed to create division within the party or indeed the country
As with energy policy, migration is of course reserved so talking about what an independent Scotland would do is sensible – good though to have clear vision and sound values displayed. I thought JS hit a good note in his Daily Record column the other day, we just need to post & repost as much as possible to make sure others see it. All the 2026 election candidates have to have clear answers and a sound understanding of the 4 govt priority areas, lets hope some read this blog for info
As for faux friends we have so many! I am gradually cutting out those who never have a good word to say for the SNP’s achievements, who are constantly hyper critical, negative or know better and who refuse to step up themselves for election. I really do see 2026 as a battle for survival, if the SNP fall back I think we can kiss goodbye to any opportunity to vote again for independence for a long time
LikeLiked by 2 people
” I really do see 2026 as a battle for survival, if the SNP fall back I think we can kiss goodbye to any opportunity to vote again for independence for a long time”
Agree totally.
Liz S
LikeLike
Independence would bring a “border” our Britnit chums (and mejah) insist on telling us—you know, a barrier from them to us. Did one of the Millibands not insist it would be……barbed wire, guard houses and armed guards? A deterrent against Englands “ boat people”.
Independence would bring distance to deter the “boats”.
Independence would allow Scotland to set up routes to our country—routes for engineers, doctors, nurses etc AND those who require asylum.
Independence would allow Scotland to escape the right wing media which is distorting Englands normal sense of liberal decency.
gavinochiltree
LikeLiked by 2 people
The SNP do a not know how to fight dirty. If they did Labour in Scotland would have been buried a decade ago. Reform, on the other hand, is the bastard child of the National Front and The BNP. Fighting dirty is all they know. You wouldn’t seriously wrestle greased pig, would you?
LikeLiked by 2 people
One of your best articles yet. The Herald is attempting to control the narrative, again. These BritNat rags sowing seeds of confusion, distracting from the on the ground policies and issues that are crucial, in the run up to the Scottish election next year.
No thanks Herald, another faux Scottish rag!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Neil Mackay is implying Reform are a challenge, pretty much the same approach MSM have been hawking for some time, promoting Farage to the PM in waiting, with polling predicting a landslide…
Pardon my scepticism, but on all the English forums I’ve dipped into, however deeply disenchanted they are with Labour and the Tories, it is as nothing compared to the loathing expressed toward Reform….
There is something distinctly off about polling results for Reform, rather reminiscent of Brexit polling – Then the hook was ‘unelected bureaucrats’, now it’s about ‘small boats’ and ‘asylum seeker hotels’….
I can’t remember where I read it, but most of the hotels involved approached HMG to house asylum seekers, as they would have gone bust otherwise because of Brexit effects, not at all what the propagandists are hawking… It all stinks…
LikeLiked by 2 people
“the same approach MSM have been hawking for some time, promoting Farage to the PM in waiting, with polling predicting a landslide…”
Indeed. The power of suggestion…….by the propaganda merchants masquerading as a so called media………..
They , as a media, should be exposing Farage for the S*** that he truly is and not promoting him as the one that some voters are seeing as the saviour to all of their England’s woes….MEGA (You know what the ‘E’ stands for).
Their corrupt UK…where the likes of John Swinney is considered and referred to as an “Extremist” while Farage is seen as ….what ?…..so very electable as the next UK PM as he is somehow to be considered as a moderate ???
Ha Bloody Ha…….
UK a joke State….with Clowns in charge….dangerous ones though…
Liz S
LikeLiked by 3 people
Mackay is deploying the philosophical fallacy so beloved of political and journalistic charlatans – the false dichotomy.
This entails presenting a situation as only having two options – the one he favours and a nonsensical one which he presents as the only alternative.
As you have shown there are other alternatives.
Alasdair Macdy
LikeLike