Scottish independence: Labour leader Johann Lamont asks Alex Salmond to name big business leaders the size of BP or supermarkets who back independence, Salmond fails to name a single one, everyone with any sense should desert the SNP indy campaign now, it's a farce!

Dear All

Remember the ‘Declaration of Cineworld’ right at the start of the ill fated Scottish independence campaign?

It was all about the rich, powerful and connected giving their public blessing to Alex Salmond on stage.

The event was a farce but let’s get a quote from me in early on my take of the event:

“Rather than The A Team' it looked more like 'The GAY Team' in nature.

I also said that the event was like a badly organised concert party in ‘It Ain't Half Hot Mum’.

Hence I used the term GAY, if you are familiar with the TV series, ‘It Ain't Half Hot Mum’, you would understand what exactly what I meant by the term The GAY Team.

Now, things have changed, Alex Salmond is now urged Scots to ignore the views of high profile people such as company chief executives who have spoken out against independence.

Why is there something wrong about their voice in the debate?

Well, the SNP don’t like free speech, especially when it speaks out against them.

People in Scotland should look at everything in this debate before making their mind up, the quick version for those time management conscious people is that they should vote No!

No!

Why?

Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon cannot be trusted.

Salmond thinks he is a master strategist that is so funny; and pathetic, he is an opportunist who shouts his mouth off, he backed Royal Bank of Scotland and when that collapsed it nearly took the UK to the brink.

He wants people to dismiss the concerns raised by the bosses of BP and Sainsbury's this week as coming from members of the "political elite".

What has Salmond done for working class Scots?

Is Scotland a fairer country under his leadership?

No!

He and his followers have set themselves up as an unanswerable "political elite".

When recently asked about £50,000 of unaccounted money, the Scottish public under his watch don’t have the right to know.

On the main issues of health, law and order and education, it’s a failure of leadership and cronyism.

Now, he says that the debate should focus on issues such as childcare and bedroom tax because at present he is trying to buy the vote using public money.

Salmond said to his opponents:

"Don't cite the elite, cite the people of Scotland."

Well, they should cite me, I would say to Alex Salmond's face on independence:

“You can go fuck yourself”.

My vote is not for sale at any price not to you and not to unpopular Nicola Sturgeon.

The pressure is on the SNP after a disasterous week which saw high-profile interventions by business leaders.

Tuesday, BP chief executive Bob Dudley said there were "quite big uncertainties" over currency, EU membership and tax regimes if Scotland were to leave the UK.

Well that is a statement of fact.

The next day Sainsbury's chief executive Justin King warned the firm faced higher costs if Scotland was independent.

This could mean fears of prices rising under independence, something that will not go down well with female voters.

Also Asda and Morrisons chiefs have chipped in their ten cents worth towards highlighting the problems.

In response, Salmond said "many, many chief executives" who supported independence.

Scots Labour leader Johann Lamont during FMQs threw a political grenade in by saying back up the claim.

During FMQs she told him:

"The chief executives of BP, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons have all warned about the consequence of independence. The First Minister says 'there are many, many chief executives' who are in favour of his plan. Again, I ask him to name the 'many, many chief executives' of businesses that are comparable to BP and the supermarkets who actually back him."

Salmond didn’t name a single person of the status of the chief executives of BP, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons.

Screaming with fear, Salmond said:

"Johann Lamont has talked about nothing else but the political elite in this question.

"Let's talk the language of people - let's talk about jobs, investment. Let's talk about the transformation of childcare, let's talk about the bedroom tax, let's talk about what this Parliament has achieved. Don't cite the elite, cite the people of Scotland."

He doesn’t have the support of the majority of the people of Scotland.

Despite being asked three times, Mr Salmond declined to name a pro-independence company chief.

However, he did say that Business for Scotland, a campaign group linked to Yes Scotland, had a list of hundreds.

Bob the builder?

What about Postman Pat?

Jimmy the joiner, odd jobs at reasonable prices?

So, the net is closing in on the SNP, the party within a party, the party of unfairness, the party of inequality and the party against social justice.

They believe that people have rights if it suits their social agenda.

The Scottish National Party isn’t helping anyone unless they think it will help them.

If you think back you will remember the former SNP leader Allison Hunter who said:

“everything the SNP do is a stepping stone towards Independence”.

Here is someone else’s take on her:

“Cllr. Hunter has never struck me as aparticularly good group leader and seems peculiarly bad at getting across SNP ambitions for the city”.

And it wasn’t much better above her then or now!

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont really scored a great goal on by asking Salmond to name  the 'many, many chief executives' of businesses that are comparable to BP and the supermarkets who actually back him.

Well, there is Bob the builder, he can do it……!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University