Scottish independence: Aslef Train drivers’ union vote No to being part of the Alex Salmond’s independence ‘death train’ to political oblivion, No drivers will actively campaign to save the Union, double blow for Nationalists

Dear All

Everyone is deserting Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon; soon it will just be the dregs of his poisonous nasty vile clique that are left on the grassy knoll.

Scottish independence is dead.

Now, Aslef, the main train drivers’ union has became the first union to oppose Scottish independence in a unanimous vote at its annual conference in Edinburgh.

Looks like Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon really are getting told ‘take the train’.

And to add insult to injury, the Delegates also agreed to affiliate to the Better Together campaign for Scotland to stay in the UK.

It seems that having alienated the public, denying women cancer drugs, setting up little charities run by SNP members has taken its toll.

Scottish people have wised up, Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon; two attention seeking individuals have come to the end of using up public goodwill.

People are sick of being treated as fools.

Scotland district secretary Kevin Lindsay said no Aslef branch north of the Border had supported independence for Scotland.

And why should they?

Salmond isn’t promising concrete proposals, it is just a bygone era of all ‘steam’ and venting coming from the SNP.

I said there was a genuine lack of talent and there is a genuine lack of talent.

Kevin Lindsay said:

“This is not about bashing Alex Salmond. It’s about a vision for Scotland within the United Kingdom. You didn’t get asked on your way here to Edinburgh for a passport, you got asked for a ticket. The preferred option of the SNP is the pound issued by the Bank of England and controlled by the Bank of England. There’s an indication in that name of who will be running the Scottish economy. I want a United Kingdom that delivers for the working-class people of this country. Let’s not put borders up, because borders divide people.”

The SNP has stopped delivering for working class people a long time ago.

Better Together national organiser Victoria Jamieson said:

“We are delighted to have the full support of Aslef. The voice of trade unions must be heard and trade union members will play a crucial role in this debate. Aslef have been campaigning positively for a just Scotland in a just UK, and their members have been telling us that solidarity means working together; not putting up borders to divide working people, and risk the undercutting of workers in a race to bottom. The union has also been right to point out that there are many unanswered questions over separation which could impact upon their members, whether it’s cross-border pension schemes, rail infrastructure investment, terms and conditions, or rail regulation.”

Aslef has 1,800 members in Scotland and 18,500 across Britain.

A spokesman for Yes Scotland said:

“More and more trade unionists are agreeing with Yes Scotland that Westminster isn’t working for Scotland, not least because of the damaging effects to our welfare system and the agenda of austerity and cuts”.

Yes Scotland is seen as an SNP front, staffed by senior SNP, run by the SNP, funded by the SNP and its board is SNP controlled.

There are a few pasties to pad it out from the Greens, SSP, and ex Labour.

And of course Blair Jenkins, the independence campaigner formerly of the BBC who has done such a bang up job so far of collapsing the entire independence support.

He can’t be blamed, he doesn’t know what he is doing, and that is on a daily basis, no vision, no plan and given the campaign is going to end in failure, he has no prospects of coming out of this with his dignity intact.

Here is the rest of the Yes Scotland/SNP controlled spokesman rant:

“We will continue to engage constructively with the STUC and trades unions on their vision for a just Scotland - and we will continue to make the case that a fully empowered Holyrood Parliament is far more likely to help deliver that vision than the same old policies from Westminster. After all, Scotland is wealthy enough to be a fairer nation. Alternating Tory and Labour governments have resulted in one of the most unequal societies in the western world. Our discussions with individual union members have been encouraging with many of them are coming round to the view that only a Yes vote offers a better way.”

Anti English?

Blame Westminster, the current SNP line, recently trotted out by Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon.

Yes Scotland, the SNP front in Bath Street, Glasgow, the place where the Scottish public doesn’t go, hence, no planning permission to extend any train line from either Queen Street Station or from Central.

All aboard the Salmond Express, it’s all downhill, all the way, and Aslef has left the train!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University