The Great Scottish Independence Reset; SNP MP Joanna Cherry urges the SNP to work with Alex Salmond and Alba to win independence, Cherry's endorsement will not go un-noticed by the Nicola Sturgeon cabal, Cherry describes Sturgeon's worst enemies as 'great friends', with Sturgeon trying to escape Scottish politics, does Angus Robertson realise Sturgeon will ditch him if she finds an escape route out of Scottish politics, does he really want to be last 'Sturgeon man' in the bunker

Dear All 

One of the things that the mainstream media like to do is to call Joanna Cherry, a prominent SNP MP, she has no spokesman's role within the party, and she is backbencher, and she is out of favour with the SNP leadership, principally Nicola Sturgeon. Her prominence therefore comes from not her current status in the SNP but more to do with her ability in the House of Commons, and her prominence on TV and as a potential leader in waiting. Have you noticed that there is no proper heir in waiting, there is Sturgeon's choice, the woefully inept Angus Robertson. Robertson has shown himself to be a complete dud as a minister, all his so called experience from Westminster doesn't add up to a hill of beans. Another interesting point about Joanna Cherry is that a campaign has been waged against to try and get the whip removed from her as an MP. Too many people, this is an ongoing and active campaign over Cherry's support for women's rights and their right to personal spaces. All placed in danger by Nicola Sturgeon's gender recognition act. 

There is another issue which irks Nicola Sturgeon and her cabal, that is Joanna Cherry's continual involvement and some would say support for ex SNP leader Alex Salmond. Even the Salmond case hasn't taken away any of the closeness between Cherry and Salmond, what irks the SNP cabal is that Cherry is still choosing Alex Salmond over Nicola Sturgeon as the natural leader of the independence movement over Sturgeon. Recently Cherry has called on Nicola Sturgeon to work with Alex Salmond and his breakaway Alba party in the fight for independence. This won't happen, the criminal trial of Alex Salmond engineered by people close to Nicola Sturgeon and her inner circle effectively kills that idea off completely. There can be no false friendships, no paper that spans that crack, and "sorry" will not do. There is an issue close to Alex Salmond's heart in my opinion, that is to get justice, get revenge for those who have wronged him. And to be clear, Alex Salmond is willing to play 'the long game' to get it, something which has escaped Nicola Sturgeon and her cabal. Just like Tommy Sheridan setup a vehicle to try and get his political career back called Solidarity, so Alex Salmond has setup a party called Alba, and in his exile from the SNP, he has brought some SNP MPs, ex MPs and Councillors with him, the most notable being Kenny MacAskill and Tasmina Ahmed Shiekh. 

Forgive and forget, let's all be pals will not be happening. 

The last move by Joanna Cherry could be seen as her giving her blessing to Alba by posting a picture of herself and the former First Minister on Twitter. Meeting people or politicians from different parties isn't new, posing for pictures with them isn't new either. Standing beside the man who Nicola Sturgeon's cabal tried to imprison and then smear post verdict is however an interesting twist. Some may say this act is Joanna Cherry telling voters to give Alba a green light on the ballot paper for the 2022 Scottish Council Elections. Is she telling nationalist voters that Alba is okay? Cherry in having her photo taken with Alex Salmond will enrage the SNP, but she says that in doing so, it was “important to keep cross party lines of communication open” within the Yes movement. Did you see lines of communication being opened by the SNP with Tommy Sheridan and his Solidarity Party in the run up to the Scottish independence referendum?  You didn't see anything of the sort, Sheridan was cast out much the same as a leper. His Hope Over Fear road shows were as much about indy campaigning as they were about selling Tommy Sheridan who done jail time as a political force again. 

There will never be open lines of communication, friendly exchanges, bestie buddies and big hugs between Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. Sturgeon fell out with Salmond in 2018 amid sexual misconduct claims against him. She has specifically ruled out working with him and called his political comeback a “hindrance” to the independence cause. Sturgeon wants Salmond gone, dead or imprisoned in her universe, so far neither three options transpired for her, she has enemies outside her party, and inside her party, some are active in opposing her, and others, they are silent, they are sitting and waiting till the time is right. We all know the extent of the issue between Salmond and Sturgeon, they gave conflicting evidence to a Holyrood inquiry this year about each other. Sturgeon hide behind a court ruling to stop people knowing the full extent of who in her inner circle was involved in the Salmond case, and the same ruling 'gagged' Salmond from naming them. Just as Salmond was the mentor for Sturgeon in the SNP, Joanna Cherry is the new kid on the block, she was also mentored by Salmond. Nicola Sturgeon is the old model, Joanna Cherry is the new model, people see the difference, Sturgeon, the failed unsuccessful lawyer, Cherry, the successful lawyer and QC. 

There is a bigger picture beyond Cherry saying collaboration is necessary, Nicola Sturgeon is now in bunker mentality, she is trapped, no real 'heir in waiting', no unelected high flying job in the UN or EU to go too, and fearful of an SNP/Alba merger once she steps down. If Cherry is leader, Nicola Sturgeon will be wiped from the SNP website almost immediately, she won't get grandee status like Winnie Ewing. Nicola Sturgeon is the 'leper in waiting'. Sturgeon isn't stupid, she knows what will happen when she gives up the reins of power. All those who had a hand in the Salmond trial, their future is also bleak. Those who have positions in government will be pushed out the door, those in the SNP will be either removed from the party, or put through open selection procedures that they will lose any chance from standing from public office. It will be a blood bath done gradually over time, all the little ducks all lined up and picked off, one by one. An allegation here, a complaint there, you know the drill, setup to fail. 

In her public endorsement of the Alba Party ahead of the Council elections, Cherry wrote: 

“As we take forward a campaign toward the next referendum we will need cross-party working and co-operation.” 

This also could be taken as a sign, that Cherry doesn't see the leadership of the SNP as being viable, particularly Nicola Sturgeon. As Joanna Cherry mixed with her former colleagues, her language was very telling, she said it had been “great to meet up with old friends”. Namely Salmond and his business partner, Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh. In the last election, the SNP fought hard to stop voters giving Alba their list vote in areas where they had no chance of picking up a list seat. As the tide turns for Nicola Sturgeon, will voters realise that Nicola Sturgeon will never deliver a second Scottish independence referendum? At what point will there be a sea change among both hard and soft independence supports, this is another thing that Nicola Sturgeon is fearful of. The long term plan of Alba is simple, they want to seed in people's minds that they and only they can deliver an independence ‘supermajority’ at Holyrood via the proportional list system. As I have blogged before, it is my opinion that the list system should be scrapped, an MSP should represent two wards, the list system doesn't enhance democracy it produces what I term as 'list hostages'. People who get into power who the public had no input in voting for, and importantly have no mechanism in removing. 

Finally, if you were asked, who does SNP MP Joanna Cherry like, who does she support, who does she like to socialise with, who does she like to work with, do you think at any level, she would say Nicola Sturgeon. Campaigning for the council elections has already started, some people will argue that SNP MP Joanna Cherry gave the Alba Party, a big thumbs up, some would argue she signed off in the leadership, and importantly she signed off on Alex Salmond as a 'great friend'. If you look at the picture, you see the happy faces, but you also see something else, not just meeting out in the open, but appearing to meet in an up-market venue. As I mentioned above, Nicola Sturgeon is now in bunker mentality, the circle is tightening, it reminds me of the Russian assault on Stalingrad or Berlin. Sturgeon like Hitler surrounded by impending loss of support, and issuing orders and decrees. Here is what Nicola Sturgeon said of working with Alex Salmond and Alba; 

“I have no intention, and no plans to work with Alba. I’m ruling out, having any kind of, you know arrangement with Alex Salmond or with Alba. I have no plans, no intention of having any kind of arrangement with Alex Salmond.” 

At the near end of the second world war, Hitler was betrayed by Heinrich Himmler, do you think it is worthwhile placing a bet on whether Angus Robertson will do the same? There is plenty of historical precedence of 'trusted  lieutenants' seeing the writing on the wall and protecting their own self interest. If Nicola Sturgeon manages to get an escape route out of Scottish politics, doubtful, but it may happen, will there be any room for Angus Robertson or indeed the Sturgeon cabal?  Does Robertson really want to be the last man in the bunker when the bunker is breached? Or will Angus Robertson do a deal with Alba?

Yours sincerely 

George Laird                                                                                                                                The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University