Braveheart Alex Salmond and the SNP lead the ‘highland charge’ for independence; two of three Scots don’t back independence, big trouble ahead for SNP

Dear All

The official campaign encouraging people to back Scottish independence in a referendum has been launched in Edinburgh.

Braveheart Alex Salmond and the Scottish National Party will lead the ‘highland charge’ and play the dominant lead role in the "Yes Scotland" campaign, because it is being run effectively by the SNP by proxy anyway.

Yes Scotland is an arms length SNP vehicle which allows other parties and assorted individuals to all campaign under the same umbrella.

Today’s event was all about the rich and important getting together around Alex Salmond to give him their endorsement.

But the reality is that ordinary people will decide the future of Scotland.

Two out of three people in a recent opinion poll don’t favour independence.

That’s the problem.

Yes Scotland is effectively an SNP controlled vehicle which has been designed as the biggest community based campaign in Scotland's history.

The idea is simple, the SNP draws up lists of pro independence minded supporters and asks them to effectively be SNP Activists doing the work.

My personal experience of how the SNP operate on the ground is that the party’s branches aren’t community based.

In my entire time in Pollok SNP, the branch run by Chris Stephens never ran a specific campaign for local organisations.

Never ran a campaign for specific individuals in the area.

Never ran a campaign on specific issues relating to the area.

Nothing but SNP leafleting, on SNP issues, this highlights that the SNP isn’t ready on the ground, it was even worse in the Maryhill & Springburn branch controlled by Bob Doris.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister and SNP Deputy Leader Nicola Sturgeon said it was important to let the people of Scotland decide their future.

She told Radio 4's Today programme:

"This is not about breaking up, it's not about separating. We can continue to share things where that makes sense”.

In case anyone doesn’t understand what she means, she is hinting that the Westminster Government will continue to build warships in Scotland.

The reality is that the UK Government has effectively told the people of Scotland that it will not be the case. No British Warship has been built outside the UK in 50 years, that is the policy and the policy will not be changed. The first consideration of the Westminster Government will be to protect UK jobs.

Ms. Sturgeon added:

"But independence puts powers over our economy, over our political life into the hands of the people of Scotland."

So what are those powers?

constitutional matters
UK foreign policy
UK defence and national security
fiscal, economic and monetary System
immigration and nationality
energy: electricity, coal, gas and nuclear energy
common markets
trade and industry, including competition and customer protection
some aspects of transport, including railways, transport safety and regulation
employment legislation
social security
gambling and the National Lottery
data protection
abortion, human fertilisation and embryology, genetics, xenotransplantation and vivisection
equal opportunities

In 2010, the Scottish people spoke at the Westminster General Election and the message was that the SNP isn’t trusted in those reserved issues. And they haven’t solved that problem, their white elephant in the room.

Yes campaign chiefs said the launch would feature Scots "from all walks of life."

Does anyone believe that the Yes campaign chiefs allowed the poor into their event?

I don’t, today is all about Alex Salmond being surrounded by his rich friends.

Already the coalition of the damned has already split with the Scottish Greens, who support independence, having called for a more inclusive approach in the "Yes" camp.

The Greens recognise that the ordinary working class are the key to win the independence vote, not Alex Salmond.

Down the road, former chancellor Alistair Darling, a Scottish Labour MP, pointed to a poll he had commissioned which 57% opposed independence and 10% are also undecided.

Following the YouGov poll, which took the views of 1,000 voters, Mr Darling said:

"The Nationalists are entitled to their view but the majority of us simply aren't buying the independence policy they're selling. At today's launch, they'll try and suggest they have the momentum, but over five years, indeed for more than 40 years, the numbers on independence haven't really shifted”.

Darling added:

"Even after winning two Scottish election victories, raising a war chest of millions and deploying the full resources of the Scottish government, Alex Salmond has failed to convince Scots that they should leave the UK. The Nationalists will go to great lengths to try to prove there is a groundswell towards leaving the UK, but the truth is that their campaign has stalled. Independence is as unpopular as it ever has been."

Alex Salmond should enjoy his day, it marks the beginning of the end of his political career, just as he revels in the applause he and the SNP will also have to endure the sour taste of defeat.

In the run up to the Glasgow Council election I stated that the SNP weren’t going to win.

George Laird was right again.

The look on Nicola Sturgeon’s face at the SECC as she walked passed me told the story of Glasgow SNP election.

The SNP cannot win independence without people like me returning as activists, and presently I like others who have been treated badly and disgracefully are letting the untalented middle class clique in the SNP continue on their merry way.

Let’s see how smart they are without other people’s ideas.

I am betting the campaign will have to have a continual relaunch.

Some people think Alex Salmond is a God in the SNP, you could call him Apollo because this campaign will need more relaunches than the entire NASA space missions combined.

Today isn’t the launch of the independence referendum it is a political wake.

And George Laird is always right on such matters!

Alex Salmond has already lost 42% of SNP voters acording to reports and its only day one of the campaign!

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University