SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon’s Cooked Holyrood Goose: former Sturgeon aide Noel Dolan thinks Sturgeon should put new EU vote before independence, why are we now hearing so many ex senior SNP aides speaking out about her direction of travel, Sturgeon can’t stop Brexit, but the real question is how much politically borrowed time is she on?

Dear All

One of the things that Nicola Sturgeon does well is 'waste time' campaigning on issues that she has no control over, cannot win or are so unimportant in the grand scheme of things it doesn’t merit the effort.

23 rd June 2016, a verdict was decided by the people in a people’s referendum against continued membership of the EU. In my mind, the result was decisive, a majority for ending membership. As political campaigns go is was a campaign which I am glad that I took part in. The people of the UK had lost their sovereignty to an organisation which has gone awry.

For years, we heard stories of EU corruption, the lavish lifestyles and the inability to get their accounts passed, by the ship sailed on, now we see a different Europe emerging were member states say the word no to the unelected bureaucrats who wield so much power with consideration.

In Scotland, with a small but dedicated group of people in various organisations, one million votes were achieved for leaving the EU. On the night of the count in Glasgow, it was tense but as the results rolled it, the happiness of the Remain campaign in the hall literally died on its feet as more and more areas declared for Leave. 1.6 million in Scotland for Remain, one million for Leave, the leave campaign had the full range of the political establishment against it, little time, little money and fewer people. Our efforts helped take the UK over the line.

As support for Scottish independence is fading, the fortunes of the SNP are also on a down ward trajectory, Nicola Sturgeon is a politician who has been shown to have no narrative, in both referendums, she backed the losing side. Just as a former Alex Salmond aide pops up to question her bad judgement on a ministerial appointment, now another surfaces to say that the SNP should support a second vote on the deal to leave the European Union.

Guess what, as I mentioned earlier, this is a waste of time, once the letter was handed in to leave and end our membership, it set in motion a two year clock, 19 March 2019, the end of membership. There will be no second vote because the UK government is enacting the ‘will of the people’. Noel Dolan is the latest to question Sturgeon’s judgement; I don’t think however he will be the last.

He said:

“We should be campaigning for a second Brexit referendum.”

The SNP form what I understand isn’t well off, it seems the Sturgeon building legacy is that people don’t want to donate, the SNP is being propped up by Westminster money.

Nolan’s comments were also endorsed by Kevin Pringle, who was former First Minister Alex Salmond’s spin doctor, is this the start of a narrative that ends with the need for Nicola Sturgeon to stand down as leader for Alex Salmond? It should be mentioned, Salmond lost badly in 2014, one failure replacing another failure doesn’t seem like a recipe for success. If you needed any more proof this second Brexit referendum is a dud, party depute leadership contender Keith Brown said he had a “degree of sympathy” for the move.

Brown doesn’t have a Cabinet position and he is second in command of the party, actually he is a like an Al Gore figure, a person who has nothing to do and is hanging around.

Recently you will have seen the Yes mob, under the AUOB conduct a series of marches, the same people marching which I tagged the ‘March of the Manky’, no Sturgeon it seems just Keith Brown and a few elected MPs and MSPs to pad the march to look meaningful.

Nicola Sturgeon is said to be considering her next constitutional move, but the reality is there is no room to manoeuvre; the SNP destroyed the goodwill between London and Edinburgh, now they sit as interested spectators while the real work is being done. Doesn’t matter what title they give Mike Russell as a minister, he gets no say, no role and no ear to be allowed input.

The Dolan approach would means Nicola Sturgeon would have to shelve plans for a second independence referendum until Brexit is resolved but given Theresa May said now to an earlier Sturgeon request, it is doubtful that pre 2022, she will get another chance, post 2022, it doesn’t look to good either, the year before Sturgeon is looking at a possible hung parliament.

Willie Rennie, the Scottish Liberal Democrat leader said:

“Noel Dolan is right that we should be trying to stop Brexit rather than just trying to cope with the consequences. The SNP should put independence to one side and get behind the growing numbers of people who want a referendum on the Brexit deal. I hope Nicola Sturgeon is listening to her former close advisor. Perhaps it’s a clue as to what she really thinks, perhaps Noel Dolan is still his master’s voice. The SNP have dodged the question for too long – will they back the Brexit deal referendum to stop Brexit.”

Whether the SNP do or don’t is immaterial, Brexit is still moving forward, Labour MP Ian Murray, joined the People’s Vote campaign. This group wants the electorate to have its say on the final Brexit deal.

He said:

“This is a hugely significant intervention from one of Nicola Sturgeon’s closest confidantes. There are Labour, Lib Dem, Green and Tory MPs campaigning for a People’s Vote on the Brexit deal, and it’s time the SNP put its own narrow party interests to one side and did what is best for the people of Scotland and the UK.”

Finally, the clock is ticking towards 19^th March 2019, there will be no second referendum, there will be no membership of the EU after that,  Nicola Sturgeon, I suspect she wouldn’t join the Brexit bandwagon in any real shape or form because the SNP are facing an electoral crisis which is Holyrood 2021. You might have seen me mention this election from time to time; it is the most important election in the history of Holyrood. The collapse of the SNP seats at Westminster was a wake up call in 2017 for the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon, and things can get worse for her.

It seems that Nicola Sturgeon’s judgements are making even her own side look sideways at her; and with her Cabinet being the weakest since 2007, how long before the crash?

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University