Scottish independence: Emergency crisis summit held at Scottish Government, SNP meltdown continues as Better Together has 20 point lead, panic stricken Alex Salmond sees the end of his political career looming, game, set and match people of Scotland!

Dear All

Do you like a good drama?

The important thing about a good drama is the characters which appear in it, in order for the drama to work, the public has to 'buy' into the characters and root for them. This is why 'soaps' are so popular with the public, they get to put their feet up and munch into their 'din dins' and act as voyeurs. The Scottish independence is a drama, unlike the 'soap' version the two lead characters are Scotland's 'jolly fat man' Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon, and the public don't like them. We don't give a shit if they are hit by a big truck and get wrapped round the back wheels of the axel.

In fact, the public so dislike them and distrust them that they are squarely set against the Nationalist dreams of an independent Scotland. The Yes Campaign is in crisis, it is in serious meltdown, it seems George Laird was right, there is no A Team running the campaign but a rather pathetic GAY Team.

Things have gotten so bad, that Alex Salmond’s top advisers have held their first emergency crisis summit on the doomed referendum campaign, won't be the last.

It doesn't matter what Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon do, who they seek help from within their clique, what bribes they offer, how many phoney little Yes Groups are set up, how much the Weirs part with their cash, Salmond and Sturgeon don't have radical thinking, neither does the character called Ewan Crawford, Salmond's senior special advisor, the 'emergency guru'.

Time for a quote:

"My problem is that I have too many talented people and not enough Cabinet positions".

Alex Salmond. 

If that was the case in reality, why does Alex Salmond have to rely on other people, surely the 'talented' could simply come up with ideas?

Real panic has swept through the Scottish Government.

The cold winds of defeat are building, and building and building, as Scottish civil servants have been ordered to use public money and launch an unprecedented advertising blitz. The hope is that such a measure will close the gap on the No campaign, it is a desperate bid as the implosion continues rapidly. The not so A Team hurriedly convened now features Salmond’s most senior political aides, the Scottish Government’s top mandarins and heads of the communications department.

They attended the emergency meeting on last Thursday, which was convened in less than 24 hours, I wonder if they laid on a buffet, no point in thinking on an empty stomach.

Cluck, cluck, cluck, did someone bring a chicken in here?

As the fear heightens for Salmond who incidentally reminds more and more of the failed SNP 'caretaker' leader Allison Hunter, you have got to laugh. Hunter drove the Glasgow SNP Council campaign into the deck in 2012, clueless and ineffectual. Hunter wasn't a leader of men, she didn't inspire anyone, she was just a Sturgeon crony of little ability and wit. In that respect, Salmond and Hunter are two people both equally unsuited to the task of leadership. 

The Better Together campaign has a massive 20-point lead over Yes Salmond, in truth the 'success' of their efforts is down to the Scottish people who were No voters even before the doomed campaign kicked off at the 'Declaration of Cineworld'.

One of the things which amused me about the current crisis is that several SNP politicians have been told they must curtail their summer holidays to focus on the battle to destroy the UK, what a novelty for them doing political campaigning. In most of the SNP election campaigns I took part in, these people wouldn't come out for love nor money. At the big by-elections they would do a few days usually when Salmond or Sturgeon were present, this was to kid on that they were 'activists' fighting for the cause. After they ticked that box, and ensured they had their picture taken and hung about the campaign rooms they would quietly disappear.   

After the emergency crisis summit of the not so A Team; the plan is to send a pro-independence document to every household in Scotland at a likely cost to taxpayers of more than £700,000. Well, that will be straight in the bin, anyone really waiting desperately to hear from unpopular Nicola Sturgeon about indy?

The problem in the Scottish National Party is and always has been, a genuine lack of talent. That being said, I wasn't referring to myself because the SNP pinched a lot of my ideas and ended up using them, of course, copying others without understanding the knowledge has only a limited effect. The untalented Nats are also set to follow the UK Government’s lead and bombard the Google internet search engine with adverts, boost their social media presence on sites such as Facebook and Twitter and engage more with businesses and organisations.

SNP Fail!

As to any attempts to win over the over the youth vote and women's vote who are among the most hostile to Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon, they can forget these people.

They are gone! 

Poll after poll after poll shows that their attitudes are hardening. 

Ewan Crawford who apparently is Salmond’s ‘senior special adviser’ on constitutional issues, was behind the panic crisis summit. Other 'key' players included special adviser Liz Lloyd, just a spinner out of her depth, some guy called Martin McDermott of the elections and constitution division, cannon fodder, and some donkey called Fiona Wilson, nobody!

After the meeting unpopular Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was urgently briefed on the outcome, as if that makes a difference. She did manage to rush out a press release announcing a ‘major public information campaign’ at 6.30pm that evening.

Who cares!

Scottish LibDem leader Willie Rennie said:

"This crisis summit shows the nationalist government knows its assertions and bluster isn't cutting the mustard in the face of the considered, factual case to remain in the UK. Alex Salmond's rushed PR strategy won't cover up the fundamental risks of independence that his White Paper failed to address. With only weeks left they are running around like headless chickens desperately grasping for the appropriate wheeze that will win then their long sought after dream. It shows how desperate they have become."

Anas Sarwar, deputy leader of Scottish Labour, said:

"The nationalists' campaign looks to be in meltdown because the majority of Scots are seeing through their bluster and assertions and deciding we are better together. The SNP are running out of time to persuade Scots to break up the country and no matter how much they spend on advertising, their message of division and grievance is being rejected."

Unpopular Nicola Sturgeon said:

"We want people to be armed with the facts before they vote, which is why we are stepping up our public information campaign in the coming weeks. This will match the efforts of the UK Government in every way. The Tory-led Westminster Government has been using public funds to push their anti-independence message, and it is important that that is directly countered".

Facts?

Is she having a laugh or is she simple minded, the white paper is a pathetic piece of rubbish which has been dubbed the 'white manifesto', the SNP failed to produce a white paper that was politically neutral, they utterly failed that task. They should have done the costs for setting up an independent state, they failed that task, they had control of the Scottish Government; they failed that task to properly provide for Scots.   

Shambles, shambles, shambles!

On the lighter side, I find it highly amusing that Nicola's cronies are going to have to sweat under a hot Scottish summer Sun delivering leaflets and all for nothing; a complete waste of time, money, energy and human resources.

Unpopular Nicola Sturgeon looks really desperate and out of her depth now, as she sinks in the political mud, her nasty vile little clique of cronies can't come up with goods to save her. Down, down and down she sinks, trying to put a brave face on that she is dynamic and going somewhere, she is just as much to blame for the failures as Alex Salmond in this campaign. His excuse is that he doesn't have an eye of detail, so what's her one?

Answers on a postcard, usual terms and conditions apply.

One thing is certain, you can't outrun destiny, something that Alex Salmond and unpopular Nicola Sturgeon are about to find out. The latest poll published YouGov, found that 53 per cent of adults plan to vote No, while support for Yes has slipped from 37 per cent to 36 per cent.

Scottish independence is off!

The picture above tells the 'tale of the tape'; it is an utterly dejected Alex Salmond shaking hands with David Cameron at Armed Forces day in Stirling, head down, defeated, broken and isolated.

What's the matter Alex, couldn't you find someone with real talent, surely a 'master strategist' can find someone who can come up with something better than a leaflet after an emergency crisis summit!

Yours sincerely

George Laird

The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University