Professor John Robertson OBA
Like Wings and Craig Murray and Kevin McKenna, Robin McAlpine of Common Weal cannot get over the SNP leadership’s failure to recognise his supreme intelligence and usefulness to their policy development back in 2014.
Still in the huff, he’s in the National today with the above and:
If you support independence then I urge you to take a moment’s break from strategising about how to get a referendum (or whatever alternative plan you’re hatching) and take a look at a graph. It should be a rocket up our arse. It is time we took independence an awful lot more seriously than we are doing.
The graph is simple. The axis that runs from left to right indicates rising wealth per capita.
The axis that runs up and down indicates whether a nation is an importer of wealth or an exporter of wealth, the green on this graph being wealth importers, the red wealth exporters. (If you are interested, this is calculated by subtracting gross domestic product from gross national income, which tells you the difference between the wealth you generated and the wealth you retained.)
Common Weal mapped Scotland against a number of the main World Bank country categories.
As you would expect, at the bottom of the pile and way on the left of the graph are “the most indebted poor nations”.
They don’t generate a lot of wealth but are paying a lot of it in debt repayments to rich countries.
On we go, moving further to the right (wealthier) and higher up (gradually moving from net exporter to net importer of wealth). We go past the least developed countries and the developing economies, the Brics countries and then various groupings of the developed West, such as the eurozone and the European Union.
Each gets richer; each keeps more of its own wealth and then, eventually, starts taking the wealth of others. Scotland’s position should shock you.
We are almost exactly as wealthy as the eurozone countries but we’re exporting wealth at twice the rate of even the most indebted poor countries. Can I get you to reflect on that – Scotland is rich like Europe but leaks wealth much, much worse than sub-Saharan Africa.
So, Scotland is rich like Europe but leaks wealth much, much worse, than even sub-Saharan Africa? Who or what’s to blame?
No surprise given McAlpine’s huffy obsession with supposed SNP incompetence – that SNP Government that never listens to him.
Is there another explanation?
From Salvo‘s Alf Baird and Scottish independence campaigners who have said they are taking their case to the United Nations in a bid to “free Scotland from its colonial chains”.
Brexit proved that the Scottish nation is treated more or less as a colony, with Scots forcibly dragged out of the EU against our democratic will. The recent UK Supreme Court ruling that Scots are unable to organise a referendum on independence, despite several electoral mandates in favour of a referendum, serves to reinforce a colonial status.
Welsh and Irish nationalist movements have little doubt about their colonial status, but for some reason many Scots still believe we are not an oppressed people. This is despite half the Scottish population living in or close to poverty in what is a resource rich nation. The Scots have been fed a narrative of a ‘union of equals’, which is difficult to comprehend whenever our 59 MPS or 9 percent of Westminster sovereignty is outvoted, which is most of the time.
What does McAlpine think of the argument that Scotland is being bled of wealth because it is a colony?
No, Robin McAlpine of Common Weal does not describe Scotland as a colony. He is a prominent pro-independence campaigner and former director (2014–2021) of the Common Weal think tank, which advocates for Scottish independence to achieve greater social, economic, and environmental equality. However, in his writings, he critiques Scotland’s political culture as limited by “middle managers” with “tiny imaginations,” rather than framing it in colonial terms.
Who are these “middle managers” with “tiny imaginations”? I’m guessing they’re the SNP MSPs and their staff who won’t give Robin the respect he thinks he deserves.
I know what respect I think he deserves? SFA.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Totally agree, Robin is one of the merry band who are convinced they know best and have the solution to everything if only lesser mortals would pay heed. It’s a shame because their occasional excellent point or perspective is buried under a landslide of negativity, and they present no practical action to bring about change. The hard and often thankless work of starting, building or working within a party where others might disagree with them is beneath them, much nicer for their egos to pontificate loftily to us political peasants.
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“THEY present no practical action to bring about change. “
Can you provide evidence that the snp have provided practical action to bring about change and to positively work towards independence for the last 11 years
Sturgeon PROMISED the Scottish electorate a referendum on independence numerous times no ifs no buts , no matter what , she LIED and the snp continue to LIE
Sturgeon PROMISED the Scottish electorate a National Energy Company she LIED
Sturgeon sold off our coastline ENERGY for a mere PITTANCE where others made exorbitant profits BETRAYAL
Sturgeon spent YEARS pushing through deviant and perverted policies whilst LYING about independence referendums, instead using her incompetent clown crown agent to approach the English SC to SABOTAGE the SOVEREIGNTY of SCOTS
Sturgeon stood idly by whilst the corrupt and despicable WM establishment DRAGGED Scotland out of the EU
Sturgeon stood idly by while the WM establishment GRANTED NI access to the common market and BLATANTLY REFUSED any BEGGING by Sturgeon
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“THEY present no practical action to bring about change. “
YOU are being totally disingenuous , Robin and many others have presented positive action to bring about change and to push forward for independence , BUT the cloth ears and cowardice of the snp have IGNORED any and all suggestions , as has been pointed out numerous times on WOS , Sturgeon , Humza USELESS and now Spineless Swinney could at any time have collapsed the Scottish government and FORCED a plebiscitery Scottish election and with the unity of the fellow indy parties moved forward towards indy , BUT instead they ALL advised snp 1 & 2 which ENABLED more unionist seats in HR
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I am aware of a number of areas of public life in which Robin through his association with Common Weal has made positive proposals.
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I’m sure he has, there are many people making positive proposals. My argument was that having ideas is one thing, doing the work to get them accepted and put into practice is another. The phrase sitting in an ivory tower comes to mind, a state of separation from the facts and practicalities of the real world.
Don’t get me wrong, I think some of the Commonweal arguments are well thought out and might be worth pursuing. But none of us can expect to have blanket acceptance of our ideas no matter how worthy or sensible these might seem. Ideas have to be fought for, discussed, amended and reviewed whether in political movements or within a parliament debating chamber. And to dismiss a large body of folk who disagree with what you say as timid, stupid, sheep, misguided or having tiny imaginations is I think counter-productive as it prevents any useful constructive communication.
Bottom line I believe political change takes time, hard work and often compromise and it’s not necessarily a bad thing to limit radical change that only has minority support – we only need to look to Trump’s USA to understand why checks and balances are important. So if Robin really wants to change how Scotland’s wealth is managed let’s see him take his thoughts and ideas to politicians and ordinary folk, get involved in debate and building consensus, making something happen rather than running down those who are at least trying
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Yes Robin knows best……or so we are to believe.
Meanwhile us mere mortals who have always supported independence have to be expected to constantly read about and also listen to a succession of supposed ‘superior intellects’ squabble among themselves and also unfortunately in public as well.
So they are all doing their bit to keep those voters within Scotland who have yet to be convinced upon Scottish independence and also who mostly are politically disengaged voters, as being those voters who may never be converted to YES in support of Scottish independence.
So basically these mouthpieces are doing their bit to hinder the independence movement in them constantly casting doubts and aspersions upon the one party that the majority of people within Scotland associate with and so identify as those who support Scottish independence aka the SNP.
This then gives a political and constitutional advantage to UK political parties and to the UK state …….as no one, as a voter, wants to have doubts , they want certainty and confidence in a political party……….and also in a possible future independent Scotland.
It seems that an inflated ego and self promotion take precedence with these people who do more damage than good to the YES movement…….it seems it’s either their way or the highway and the SNP need to listen to people like them….apparently…..though none of us elected them , as individuals, to help govern us, but they want the power to decide what the SNP should do now and in the future !
Indeed from any outsiders point of view people like Robin would even seem to be the enemies within the YES movement…..who constantly carp from the side-lines and also the newspaper headlines.
Does that win over NO voters or the as yet undecided voters ……NO…….but it does help to dissuade them and so keep them onside with other pro UK political parties and also the UK State….
Frankly I am pig sick of it and also pig sick of them as well…..I mean do they themselves not realise and so then recognise that they are doing their bit to stop Scottish independence from becoming a reality….any time soon that is.
Liz S
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I have heard and read Robin claiming to be an experienced political strategist for over 10 years, I have yet to see any evidence to substantiate his claim.
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“So basically these mouthpieces are doing their bit to hinder the independence movement”
I think you will find the ONLY people hindering the INDEPENDENCE movement is the fake independence party the snp who have had 11 years to PRODUCE any forward movement towards independence and STILL the ONLY time they talk about indy (talk not even do) is on the run up to an election all in the name of keeping their place at the trough
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I agree that Scotland is a colony but…
also agree that the shocking wealth extraction shown in the graph it is the fault of the SNP Government. This is what happens when Foreign Direct Investment, use of private companies/initiatives” and use of consultants is excessive. Did the Government not “middle-manage”” that approach?
John H
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The colonial wealth extraction is not the “fault” of the SNP, it was happening even before 1707, and certainly since then. However the Scottish Government is complicit in its continuation and growth into the renewables era where our vast renewables wealth is being exported for free (that’s another phrase for “stolen” – imagine if I was to export the contents of your house for free, I might be charged with theft) for the benefit of electricity suppliers and consumers in England. We are in the well-recognised phase of colonisation where the colonial executive (the Scottish Government) is working for their colonial masters in exploiting the colony, its resources and its people.
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