Dear Dirty America

MICHAEL J BLAIR
Perthshire, Scotland 

Can someone be two people? Or at least, two minds in the same head?

At the SNP conference in Aberdeen, there seemed to be one of the above.

Nicola Sturgeon was trying to appease the gray crumbly members and the ones who don’t yet froth at the mouth, and at the same time, keep the rabid rabble of the Sporran Legion believing that independence is just around the corner.

This is not a good way of dealing with the differing opinions within the SNP ranks. They might be blinkered and myopic, but are not likely to be fooled by her in this instance.

She cannot have her haggis and eat it too, and she knows they know this.

A long standing SNP supporter told me today that there will be an implosion in the party if she can’t make up her mind which way she is going to jump.

Is this why she is looking so strained and stressed? Doing anything to keep the support distracted from the reality of the situation. Including silly stunts like photo opportunities in a children’s playground, swinging back and forth, much like her decision-making talent.

My SNP supporter has also said that if independence ever happens, the SNP will be destroyed by infighting amongst the various factions. In fact, some of the SNP support would rather see Ruth Davidson, despite her buffalo riding stunt, and the Conservative party leading an independent Scotland, as she is pro Scotland instead of pro themselves!

None of these factors are good for Nicola Sturgeon. The only way she can deal with the present situation is to grasp the nettle and go flat out for another independence referendum. She really has no other option. It’s not any use flapping around trying to keep everyone happy. That’s impossible in any political situation.

It would be a gamble, but one which will decide one way or another, the future direction of the SNP and especially Scotland.

The only reason she can have, not to do this, is that she likes the limelight too much to take a huge risk, or she lacks the courage. Or perhaps both.

The SNP’s position in Westminster is looking more like a bad circus act, than a viable political party.

The sight of the SNP delegation of MPs flouncing out the chamber of the House of Commons in high dudgeon, amid a cloud of Harris tweed and thistles, was probably the funniest moment of the year so far.

Of course, the rest of the SNP group of MPs followed their waddling leader out of the chamber and into the daylight for the first of many obligatory “selfies”, looking very pleased with the result of their ludicrous circus antics. Not an ounce of shame to be seen.

My SNP supporting friend said, “This is the last thing they should be doing. If they can’t stay to debate the way Brexit affects Scotland, they should stay in Scotland.”

They have been complaining about the lack of opportunity to debate the Brexit issues which will affect Scotland, but deliberately managed to get their blue suited, big mouthed, chubby leader Ian Blackford, thrown out of the very place the debate was going to take place today.

One could not make this shit up!

If there are any adults in this shambles of a party, I have yet to see evidence of one.

My theory on the future of the SNP, is that in the wake of any future independence referendum, which is most likely to be lost, there will be a big split in the party, with the most rabid of the Sporran Legion going on its own direction and the rest becoming a more mainstream party which will see the end of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland, which will be no loss whatsoever.

No one can see into the future, but I think many of the SNP themselves can see the train coming at them at the end of the tunnel.

The present situation cannot be sustained for long, so we will see if the Great Leader has the balls to deal with this tricky turn of events.

[header photo of Sturgeon’s headquarters, courtesy of Stephen Sweeney; Wikimedia Commons]