Scottish independence: Alex Salmond uses his last bullet as he and Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon try to weld a Holyrood and Westminster campaign together to garner votes, a mixture of Braveheart and Borgen, SNP are out of ammo now!

Dear All

In Govan today, the weather was dark and cloudy as Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon delivered the White Paper on independence.

Govan was like a ghost town, the streets were deserted as people got on with a normal day, there wasn’t thousands lining the streets for the SNP ‘histroic’ day.

Nope, there was none of it, no excitement, no crowds but plenty of rain.

Super Tuesday, the day when Alex Salmond fired his last bullet has been spent.

The 670-page paper sets out how independence could have an impact on all areas of life, including currency, taxation, childcare and education, pensions, welfare, defence and broadcasting.

So, on currency, the SNP have blown it by not going for a Scottish currency = SNP fail.

On taxation, the SNP plan a race to the bottom on issues corporation tax , and can you believe that there will be a fairer tax system, as painful as it is, public services must be paid for =SNP fail.

On childcare, this measure is designed to capture the women’s vote = SNP fail.

On education, that is a complete shambles run by Mike Russell = SNP fail.

On pensions, these are un-costed and what is said in public is different to what is said in private by the SNP = SNP fail.

On welfare, the SNP are against bedroom tax and universal credit, construction a system around a few policies to garner votes isn’t how it should have been done = SNP fail.

On defence, the SNP’s Trident pledge is unworkable, it is wrong and the general approach to defence is one where the SNP is completely out of their depth = SNP fail.

On broadcasting, the BBC is to be replaced by the SBC, this was a major error of judgment, the SNP can’t control the BBC, this is their revenge for not dancing to their tune = SNP fail.

So, this is a mixture of two SNP campaigns rolled into one, a Holyrood and Westminster campaign, big on promises, but short on delivery.

The SNP also seem to be now saying that a Yes vote will mean "the most important decisions about our economy and society will be taken by the people who care most about Scotland that is by the people of Scotland".

Previously it was the people who live here, so change of tack?

No, it is just another con trick.

So, we also got the usual this is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity” from Salmond, well it is his "once-in-a-generation opportunity” and judging by the polls, he has already lost it.

Salmond added:

"But more than that, it is a mission statement and a prospectus for the kind of country we should be and which this Government believes we can be. Our vision is of an independent Scotland regaining its place as an equal member of the family of nations. However, we do not seek independence as an end in itself, but rather as a means to changing Scotland for the better. We know we have the people, the skills and resources to make Scotland a more successful country. What we need now are the economic tools and powers to build a more competitive, dynamic economy and create more jobs. This guide contains policies which offer nothing less than a revolution in employment and social policy for Scotland, with a transformational change in childcare at the heart of those plans. Our proposals will make it far easier for parents to balance work and family life, and will allow many more people, especially women, to move into the workforce, fostering economic growth and helping to boost revenues - which will in itself help pay for the policy. With these policies, we can begin the job of undoing the damage caused by the vast social disparities which have seen the UK become one of the most unequal societies in the developed world. We believe it is only with the powers of independence - by completing the powers of our national Parliament - that we will gain the tools we need to create a more prosperous and fairer society."

This is a lot of talk from a desperate man who says he stands for fairness, equality and social justice, but the truth is that only applies to his clique, so far he hasn't delivered any of that during his tenure as First Minster of Scotland.

On the key issue of currency, the White Paper said "the pound is Scotland's currency just as much as it is the rest of the UK's".

That is true if Scotland remains within the UK, plainly he and Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon don’t get it, and this isn’t within their providence to grant.

And it won’t ever be, so Plan McB for a Scottish pound has been rejected in favour of doing no work, how much less impressive can Salmond and Sturgeon get?.

"We will therefore retain the pound in an independent Scotland," the paper says, that leaves the independence case politically bankrupt.

As a result of this bizarre claim, the paper says:

"There will be no requirement for an independent Scotland to raise the general rate of taxation to fund existing levels of spending."

There is a financial black hole can we at least have some honesty from the SNP on that bunny!

To fix it requires increase tax and cuts to public spending, that will see austerity for Scots for a decade.

This bit is telling:

"We'll have to tackle a legacy of debt, of low growth, of social inequality, bequeathed to us by Westminster control of our economy."

The Yes campaign has been loaded with Salmond and Sturgeon’s cronies, in the Euro campaign, all the SNP MEP candidates are all Salmond and Sturgeon’s cronies, so the SNP leadership isn’t even willing to tackle social inequality within their own party.

He continued:

"Ultimately at the heart of this debate there is only one question and one choice. Do we, the people who live and work in Scotland, believe that we are the best people to take decisions about Scotland's future? That question will be the subject of an impassioned and, I hope, positive debate between now and next September."

Actually, the question is does the people of Scotland trust Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon that is the real question on the table.

The answer is no!

He added: "As First Minister, I want everyone, whatever their viewpoint, to play their part in thinking about the sort of country we wish to become.

Type in Google SNP Vote Rigging, Alex Salmond unsurprisingly reading the names, it appears that those who stand to benefit have a direct connection to you in some capacity.

Unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who accompanied him on stage at the formal launch for moral support, said the country will take its place in the "family of nations" on March 24 2016.

Scotland as part of the United Kingdom, that is the ‘family of nations’ that people want, there is no William Wallace figure, no one that has emerged to speak from people’s positions, it is all about a SNP clique headed by one man.

The White paper also argues that an independent Scotland "will continue as a member" of the European Union (EU). This is dishonest because Scotland doesn’t have a membership in its own right, therefore any membership will have to start from scratch.

That means we lose all the British opt outs plus no guarantee on membership.

The SNP want Westminster and EU member states to "agree the process whereby a smooth transition to full EU membership can take place on the day Scotland becomes an independent country" on March 24 2016.

What it misses out is that 27 member states have a veto on membership.

On Nato, a key failed area of SNP policy, the paper goes on to state:

"Scotland would take our place as one of the many non-nuclear members of Nato."

Membership is not something the SNP Government can claim as a right, and their plan to move Trident is nonsense, utter nonsense, Nato protocols would have to be signed up to that means Nuclear weapons allowed on Scottish soil.

You can’t pick and chose the bits of membership you like.

To try and re-capture the women’s vote after Nicola sturgeon’s friend was smashing in women’s faces over decades the paper states that, by the end of the first term of an independent Scottish Parliament, every three- and four-year-old could benefit from 1,140 hours of free childcare.

This equivalent of 30 hours a week for 38 weeks of the year!

So, this White paper is a mixture of two themes, Braveheart and Borgen, one a movie and the other a television show and finally garnished with side orders of stupidity and get out of jail free cards by using words like ‘sustainable’.

The Devil is in the detail, and using a 'Us and them' argument isn't helpful to their cause, Salmond and Sturgeon just can't help themselves.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University