Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Scottish independence: Jim Sillars says Totalitarian SNP run like the communist party, Salmond said “if elected I'll resign", time to keep your word














Dear All

It seems that the Scottish National Party has been taken to task by former SNP deputy leader Jim Sillars.

Sillars says that the SNP hierarchy is exerting “totalitarian” control over its backbenchers.

The quality of Alex‘s MSPs has raised real concerns as some are seen by others as little more than Yes men’ and of course ‘Yes women’.

And as others suggest the Scottish Natuional Party is run as a middle class clique under the leadership of Salmond and Sturgeon.

So few SNP MSPs get to speak on anything, and the 'next generation' appears to be a select few, in time this will implode the party and its popularity.

When Salmond leaves the SNP leadership it will start a downward spiral for the party, his popularity keeps them afloat.

If Nicola Sturgeon becomes leader, it will signal the end of an era, she maybe the person to lead the SNP into the political wilderness.

I imagine that there will be a concerted effort to try and make Nicola Sturgeon as popular as Salmond.

Labour tried something similar with Wendy Alexander and the results were plain to see, no matter how Labour tried to spin it, she wasn’t liked. The tactic of having her around kids as a 'fun' person didn't wash.

Alexander’s career was a slow torturous descent, first as leader, then to backbencher and then out of politics.

Jim Sillars has accused the current leadership of operating the most authoritarian regime in British politics.

My experience of the SNP was an attempt to be branded homophobic by the National Sec William Henderson who not only was the complainer in a malicious complaint against me but also the person in charge of setting up the hearing.

Highly unethical and something out of a 1960’s East Germany show trial, and it gets better, my legal rights were to be ignored as he stated that I wasn’t allowed to bring a representative of my choice, it had to be an SNP member.

Anyway in trying to recapture the ground that the SNP isn’t run as an authoritarian regime an SNP spokesman said the current public spats within the party over Nato membership shows that it is ready to debate issues.

When it comes to discrimination of working class party members, the leadership is less willing to exercise decency and act. This type of behaviour goes right to the top of the party, and they think such attitudes will win independence?

In the SNP, I found if someone didn’t like what I said I could be threatened by a branch official.

Now that I have grown up, I have the same view as Nicola Sturgeon, I don’t care what people say, and additionally if anyone in the SNP at any level doesn’t like what I say or write then they can go fuck themselves!

Anyway Sillars also said:

“If I did not know better, I would easily believe the leaders had been schooled in the old communist party, where the top, the elite, made the decisions and the rest fell into step automatically, with not a word of dissent. Totalitarian would be a fair description of Scotland’s majority party.”

Previously Alex Salmond resigned as party leader, when ask if he would stand again he said:

"if nominated I'll decline. If drafted I'll defer. And if elected I'll resign."

As an SNP member I would like Alex Salmond to keep his word and resign as party leader.

Finally, I remember the quote from Princess Leia:

“The tighter you grip the more star systems will slip through your fingers”.

Already SNP activists are unwilling to work for him and Sturgeon, coupled with fact in some branches only a few people are willing to come out.

He really isn’t much of a leader from where I stand and he has lost my personal support.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University

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