It was not Alex Salmond who squandered six mandates for independence

First, if it did become a big stick it was only because Sturgeon, true to form, failed to refute it vociferously. The SNP could have dealt with this from the outset, and for an indy-ambitious party it would have been easy to do.

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Second, Salmond was referring to the retrospective, and indeed it was an unusual circumstance in our lifetimes past. However, we allegedly live in a democracy where future generations cannot possibly be bound by the actions of predecessors. We get things wrong, then our parliament is designed to rectify matters with subsequent legislation. Indeed, this particularly applies to errors like Brexit, where polls suggest that those who opposed it in 2016 have been joined by Brexiteers who have come to see just how pernicious it has been to our economy and our pockets, and it is clearly time to exercise our democratic to rectify this appalling political error.

Of course, if the predicted electoral dictatorship does arrive with a Labour sweeping majority then Scotland will be cemented into a Brexit status we neither voted for nor can do anything about without independence.

Third, if Sturgeon and the SNP considered that Salmond’s statement hindered the drive for indy, it can only be that their agenda was to allow it to; it was an excuse, not a reason. During Sturgeon’s leadership of the party, in a period where it was given six strong mandates for indy, the SNP slithered and dithered, with the astonishing craft and guile of a goalie deliberately trying to throw the game.

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There was the Section 30 order request to newly elected Johnson in December 2019. This was made when we knew he would reject it and not only did Sturgeon not refute his ridiculously childish “reasons”, the request had not been made with even a follow-up. It was a speculative punt rather than the start of a serious campaign.

The Supreme Court debacle was a project doomed to failure. It was predicated on completely the wrong premise, another punt without a campaign to back it up.

Then there’s the complete failure, even during this campaign, to drive home to undecided Scots that the reason for the Unionist claimed “failures” such as strictures in the NHS, drug abuse, education, income tax variation, the delay in dualling the A9 and all the other “failures” attacked by political opponents, is the simple truth that as we have seen historically, and can expect under imposed Labour government in the UK union, all these policy concerns can never be resolved without full political and fiscal independence and the financial latitude self-governance brings. Rather, some Scots falsely view red-tory Labour as the “solution” and not indy – St Andrew, help us.

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We are being seduced by the mainstream media, backing our impending red-tory Labour government because they know their real Tory friends have blown it and need rested, and Scots are potentially about to make a huge mistake thinking things are going to change with Labour.

Voting Labour in Scotland will only change the colour of the rosettes imposing Tory mantra and austerity on us.

Salmond and his colleagues are showing the indy direction. Alba is a young party, probably too new for this election. But Westminster elections are irrelevant anyway, other than for those who wish to prop up the illusion of democracy and keep Scotland under the Westminster thumb and ensure UK access to our rich resources.

Let’s not blame Salmond for Scotland’s squandering of six solid mandates for indy. Let’s put the responsibility for that directly where it belongs, learn from it, galvanise the wider movement to control the campaign and drive our politicians, and take the action to ensure that 2026 is the de facto referendum to finally lead Scotland back to the promised land of three centuries ago, and with a resolve never to allow any vested clique to sell our nation’s birth right ever again.

Jim Taylor
Scotland