THE very public fall-out between Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon has elicited a myriad of different reactions, ranging from shock, dismay, surprise, glee (among the opposition parties) and even ridicule. But what it has not done at this point in time is to diminish support for the SNP. Quite the opposite in fact. It has served to remind us of the positive contributions of both leaders over the past 20 years and the excellent achievements of the SNP during that time. Most people I have spoken to have taken sides in this dispute, often with much enthusiasm but in some cases with very little understanding of the issues involved. Some see it as a battle of the Titans; David v Goliath. Big Ek in one corner, Mr SNP himself, who has brought a fringe party with only two MPs remaining after the 1979 debacle to within a whisker of obtaining independence. And in the other corner wee Nicky, who had achieved worldwide acclaim for the way she has dealt with the present pandemic in Scotland.
Letters
SNP Commons leader Pete Wishart speaks in the House of Commons, London, where he said that ministers must urgently explain whether or not the police investigation into Conservative MPs election expenses swayed a decision for a snap election.. MR Pete Wishart MP may believe the SNP’s new route map to independence is the only way forward (Holyrood election is not a de facto vote on indyref2, February 17) but sadly the more predictable outcome is that no-one in Westminster will be quaking in their shoes with these microwaved proposals, which are more a dead end for the wider Yes movement than a solid road forward. Firstly, two key deficiencies are visible in both timescale and detail.
Believe in Scotland chief Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp: ‘This award is a thank you for a big effort from a lot of people’ INDEPENDENCE Group of the Year Award winner Believe in Scotland (BiS) is a separate offshoot of Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp’s Business for Scotland organisation. Much of the praise was for Gordon himself, with one of those who nominated him saying: “Gordon is a one-man campaign.” Another said: “Believe in Scotland has supported grassroots Yes movement campaigning to persuade more of our fellow citizens of the strong case for independence. “This support includes a website and social media channels, training in key skills to support active campaigning, forums to bring grassroots activists together and the distribution of 20,000-plus copies of the Scotland The Brief book.”
AFTER this holiday period we will be entering into a new year with an answer at last to the Brexit issue. We now know it will be a very limited trade deal, or no trade deal, and we do not need much imagination to understand that this will hit the UK economy very badly. Of course it’s an ill wind that blows no-one any good, with Boris Johnson’s hedge-fund backers coming out of it much wealthier. The UK will still be facing increasing numbers of Covid-19 virus infections, more hospitalisations and more deaths and of course further economic damage from that, to hit further the living standards of those who survive it.