Scottish independence: Alex Salmond defends English SNP Minister Shona Robison who is accused of trying to “gag” indyref academic's freedom of speech after he spoke at Better Together, SNP in meltdown as leadership continues to lose indy support and trust

Dear All

Freedom of speech is one of the fundamental rights of any democratic society.

In the Scottish National Party freedom of speech isn’t welcomed by the SNP clique unless they approve of the content.

SNP minister Shona Robison is part of the SNP clique; she stands accused of attempting to silence one of the country’s leading academics.

The Sports Minister has complained to Dundee University bosses after Professor Chris Whatley spoke at a pro-UK Better Together campaign event.

Apparently this English woman who is an SNP MSP argues that a Prof Whatley should not express his views openly because he’s involved a university project called 5 Million Questions about the referendum.

This smacks of the most awful attempt at censorship from a party which is becoming increasingly desperate as the SNP leadership flounder in the polls as their prized ‘flagship’ continues to sink into obscurity.

Prof Whatley is one Scotland’s top academics, he is working class; he left school at 16 and worked as a shop assistant and machine operator.

So there you have it, the SNP yet again effectively publicly stating that working class people are second class citizens.

Although Prof Whatley is in academia thinking lofty thoughts, he is still again to hold his own views on whether independence is a good idea.

And he can still work and function providing an impartial academic platform.

So, the question is would SNP Minister Shona Robison have expressed the same concerns if Prof Whatley had chosen to speak at a Yes Scotland event?

Would she have gagged him there?

Would she insist that he doesn’t have the right of freedom of speech?

No!

It was a rather nasty affair by her, in the same vein as other nasty episodes coming from the SNP clique who don’t represent Scotland but only their own self interest.

In just over 10 months’ time, Scots will go to the polls, I will be voting No.

The reason is that Scotland’s ‘jolly fat man’ and Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have convince me that they are not fit and proper people to run an independent Scotland.

And also the trash that surrounds the SNP leadership is pond life!

As the panic sets in at the Scottish National Party, Scotland’s unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is also acting up in her tradition nasty angry wee Nat role, by saying that Alistair Carmichael is the Secretary of State "against" Scotland.

The bile just pours and drips out of the SNP.

In response to the attack by Robison, Alex Salmond has refused to condemn it citing Dr Elliot Bulmer, who was paid by the Yes Scotland campaign for his time writing an article on the constitution of an independent Scotland.

And Salmond also said of Robison’s attack:

"The accusation is total and utter nonsense. The words 'intimidation' and 'Shona Robison' don't sit easily together."

So why was she contacting his employer?

Was it out of the kindness of her heart?

Was it to help his career?

It was to gag him, to silence him, to stop the people having their say.

It doesn’t sit well with us Scots that an English woman such as Shona Robison should come to my country and think she can tell people who can and cannot speak.

The SNP aren't very good at defending people's human rights, especially those of the working class in Scotland.

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University