Sunday 20 September 2020

Tis' Six Years Since

 

It is now six years since the referendum on Scottish separation and I am still writing about Scottish nationalism. Here is a summary of the argument with links to the articles that I have written this year.

I have begun to write more. This is partly because I have had more time. I have been lucky enough to work from home. I also had a lot of holiday to take and didn’t fancy going abroad. But more importantly opposition to the SNP has never been weaker and the need for ordinary Scots to express this opposition has never been greater.



In February I explained Why I am not a Unionist and how this term was both inaccurate and unhelpful. Don't use it. 

Later I argued that Scottish separatism would make the demographic problems of Scotland worse rather than better.  The demographics of Scottish independence.

I responded to the scandal of Flow-Job by arguing that The SNP must stay out of schools

I argued that the best way to counter Scottish nationalist hatred of English people was if there was an English Appreciation Society of Scotland. It would make Scottish nationalism look ridiculous.

I pointed out that the Scottish Government should focus on devolved issues, but when it did merely showed its lack of competence. The SNP whelk stall 

In March I reflected on how the SNP had destroyed the Scotland I once knew. Scotland is a foreign country; they do things differently there. 

I hoped that with the beginning of Covid and furlough That Rishi Sunak just killed Scottish nationalism. I think he has, it's just the SNP haven't realised it yet. 

I wondered How many witnesses do you need in Scotland? Apparently two are enough in England but ten are not in Scotland. No doubt Charlie Elphicke wishes he was an SNP politician from Scotland. 

Continuing on from this I pointed out that Scotland had become corrupt and that we must Drain the SNP loch.

I pointed out that the response to Covid was coming from the British Government and that The EU and the Scottish Government just became irrelevant 

I continued thinking about Salmond's Great Escape.

As Scottish nationalists reached fever pitch about an anniversary, I pointed to Some holes in a letter from Arbroath  

In May I was I think the first to point out that The SNP were reintroducing the offence of blasphemy. This opinion is now commonplace. No wonder Mr Yousaf was angry. 

Having seen Nicola Sturgeon depicted with a halo, I pointed out she was closer to Lady MacSturgeon of Irvine 

After being called a "troll" by the leading Nationalist "newspaper" I explained where trolling really came from. Are Scottish pots allowed to call kettles black and that SNP politicians directed and orchestrated nationalist trolls.

I argued that Scottish independence just died from Covid which is still true even i the corpse keeps twitching.

I pointed out all the advantages that Scotland has with regard Covid and that we weren't doing as well as the SNP liked to pretend. Are we having fun in Lockdown Scotland? I continued on the same theme with Jockdown

I resorted to parody to try to express something I couldn't express in any other way. Nickleodown : a fable. See if you get all the clues.

As the press had a feeding frenzy about Dominic Cummings I pointed out that others had done the same or worse. Go on Mr Blackford cast the first stone For this I was blocked by Mr Blackford despite never having contacted him. Perhaps there is a blacklist. 

I continued my attack on the press by asking Machack what was your price? Has the Scottish press been bought or are they merely cowardly?

I explained what the Scottish Conservative Party has been doing wrong. If you oppose separatism, don't be separate Limited progress has been made since this argument was made.  

In June I pointed out the similarities between separatists in Scotland and Ireland. Sinn Féin/SNP are thieves 

I continued to argue that Scotland was not doing better than England  with regard to Covid, but pointed out how sinister it was that the people the SNP had wished dead in 2014 were now dying Bed blocking independence

I explored the sectarian aspects of Scottish nationalism and pointed out that Aberdeen supporters who voted for the SNP were hypocrites. Stand free from the SNP

I argued that Sturgeon had destroyed her own argument when she said that furlough should be extended. Did she expect Scotland to be furloughed while we campaigned to leave the UK?

I once more used parody and the Life of Brian. Scottish lives matter.

I criticised those Scottish thinkers who argue that the solution to all problems is that we have More Scotland. This way of thinking of course merely helps the SNP. 

I argued it was hypocritical for Kate Forbes to demand more money from the British Government while campaigning for us to leave and not pay the money back. Kate Twist wants some more.

I argued that plans for an illegal referendum in Scotland were mad. The madness of Queen Cherry's SNPland

I showed that SNP plans to walk away without paying a share of the national debt amounted to a default and A no-deal Scexit 

In July I wondered if Scottish nationalists would be happy if millions of Hong Kongers were offered he chance to live here. Hong Kong Scotland

In response to Sturgeon's threats to close the border I asked Is there a border between England and Scotland?  I pointed out that there were of course no international borders in Britain. 

I responded to some maniacs in white suits standing on the English border, by suggesting that they were trying to keep SNPland pure  and that this expressed the essence of Scottish nationalism.

I continued my attack on Scottish opposition politicians by describing them as Sturgeon's Eunuchs This may have helped get rid of one of them with another perhaps soon to follow. 

I then looked at what the British Government had been doing for Scotland with its British bailout and reflected on where we would have been if we'd voted for independence.

I responded to the suggestion that we should all Clap for Nicola by arguing that this suggestion was precisely what was wrong with Scotland. 

I argued that SNP is not really a left-wing party because It cares more for tartan than it does for social justice.

I argued that The SNP's claim of a Westminster power grab was mere prejudice, not least because not a single power was being grabbed, but rather more powers were being added. 

I suggested that Kate Forbes needed a lesson in arithmetic as well as economics because she thought 21 million = 800 million 

I described the Scottish opposition leaders as the Wee Three and wondered if they wanted to lose to the SNP.

I pointed out that there was really only one way to stop Scottish Nationalism. You have to say No and mean it.

I wondered why Scots had a reputation for being canny when so many have embraced a Scottish nationalism that would make them poorer.

I looked at Scottish nationalist attempts to fix the next Scottish Parliament election and suggested that Sturgeon was insincere in her protests about it. 

I compared Scotland with Belarus, but pointed out that the Last Personality Cult in Europe was here.

In August I responded to Douglas Ross's appointment as Scottish Conservative leader by suggesting we should give him a chance. I'm still giving him a chance, but think he needs to do rather better and be a bit more like a genuine Conservative.

I responded to the a very good new website The Majority by arguing that we should all support it. 

I made a similar point with regard to the Alliance for Unity  which has done more for opposition politics in Scotland than anyone else for years. 

I argued that the question in the 2014 referendum was unfair not least because it was asking Scots whether they wanted to be what many considered they already were. 

It is necessary that we really know the terms of any divorce before we are asked to vote on it. I therefore discussed way in which this might happen.

I pointed out that the Exam fiasco was the fault of the SNP because education is devolved. Later I saw the SNP education policy spread like Covid. 

I wondered if Sturgeon really wanted Indyref2 anytime soon and rather thought that she didn't.

I argued that foreigners living in Scotland should be careful about voting for Scottish nationalism because it might not turn out to be be quite as inclusive and welcoming as they think.

I made the point that it was unjust that Scots living outside Scotland who would get a Scottish passport had no say on whether they wanted one.

I endorsed George Galloway, the leader of Alliance for Unity and described him as the last left-winger in Scotland.

I commented on Kirsty Wark's documentary about Salmond and made the point that A fish rots from the head down

I discussed how the SNP has devised a front of virtue and liberality that acts as a fig leaf concealing something less pleasant that Salmond and others have been consistently intent on revealing. 

I argued that banging on about Gers hinders the Pro UK argument and helps the SNP. No one is persuaded by this negativity nor indeed by an economic argument on its own.

I pointed out that opinions are so entrenched in Scotland that only reality could change minds. I thus argued for a confirmatory referendum after a transition period that would show the full consequences of separation. 

I began September by wondering If an English person can become Scottish and used the debate to show that the SNP's supposed version Scottish nationalism was self-refuting

I dared to discuss Gaelic road signs in the Highlands and after a huge response much of it abusive did the same again. Scottish nationalists at no point addressed the substance of the argument, but kept endlessly repeating and missing the same point rather as if they didn't know which way to go. 

I looked at whether Scotland would join the EU and concluded that it wouldn't.

I wondered why there isn't a serious English National Party that wins votes, even though Scots routinely accuse English people of nationalism.

I pointed out that the only threat to devolution was the SNP as their goal was to abolish it. 

I argued that there was a contradiction is supposing that someone could be an internationalist nationalist a bit like there is a contradiction in being a round square.

I responded to yet another attempt to maximise devolution by suggesting that it was a Trojan horse and that the problem was we had rather too much devolution now. 

I described an easy way to defeat the SNP forever. All that is necessary is to forbid dual British/Scottish nationality. It makes separatism practically impossible.

Finally I argued that we need a Clarity Act like the one which stopped the secession movement in Quebec and put forward 15 issues that needed clarification.


The argument against Scottish separatism is stronger now than it was in 2014. Brexit has made the task of Scotland breaking away from the UK much harder. But Scottish opinion is more favourable to the SNP than it was in 2014 and the opposition both in terms of politicians and the media is far weaker.

The task is to bring these arguments and those made by other people to a wider audience so that the Scottish public demands that the SNP answer the difficult questions.

I am very grateful to everyone who has read the many articles I have written in the past few months. Without the support I get from those who Tweet on Twitter or share on Facebook I would not reach the audience I do, which is now consistently more than one hundred thousand readers a month. Let's keep this going. You continued support will help defeat the SNP. 

There will be lots more articles in the months ahead. Keep reading. Keep sharing.