Wednesday 3 December 2014

Doctor Doctor, every morning I wake up and a fence has grown round my body, what should I do? Oh, just get over it!

The Scottish media is in uproar again. Yesterday, Willie Rennie demanded that Nicola Sturgeon distance herself from the Wings Over Scotland website when it emerged it had been accessed quite often from Scottish government IT equipment and this morning on Call Kaye/Morning Call, poor Willie was greetin' about some SNP councillors burning a copy of the Smith report and sticking it on YouTube.

Willie Rennie
Meanwhile on Scotland Tonight, we had Gordon McIntyre-Kemp and a chap called Peter Hughes who used to be the Chief Executive of Scottish Engineering, (no, I don't know who he is either.) The topic was The Smith Commission and devolving corporation tax or rather, not devolving it. Peter (not just a No voter but a staunch unionist) eventually blurted out the tax shouldn't be devolved because Scotland voted No and independence supporters should just get over it. He was more reticent about No voters getting over it, it is after all pretty good example of what was promised in return for their cross in the box.)

Willie Rennie was upset about the burning of the Smith Report because he thinks it represents the outcome of the referendum and the wishes of the majority - which transports us to the main point; unionist defence of the Vow is to say to Yes voters - you lost, Just Get Over It.

Sorry, this is Willie Rennie
On behalf of Yes voters, the SNP, cybernats, people who burn copies of fudged reports, Scottish Greens, the SSP and everyone else on the Yes side can I just say - we're over it. We're not happy about the way it was won but we are where we are. Its unionists who keep bringing it up - could this be another symptom of what I'm going to call Braveheart Syndrome - a political illness that causes sufferers to project their anxiety & inferiority onto their opponents.

We're told the Smith Report is as close to federalism or devo-max as is possible and that the SNP and  broader Yes Campaign would never be pleased with anything less than full independence. While that is undoubtedly true, it misses the point. The debate is no longer about the referendum result. Its about the promises made that are now being dropped almost as fast as those who made them are resigning.

Gordon Brown's most endearing quality; his absence.

People like Peter Hughes think since the No campaign prevailed, the aspirations of those who voted Yes should cease to exist and Willie Rennie thinks the aspirations of No voters have all been met. In terms of the former, that was never the deal. As far as the Smith Commission was concerned, its remit was framed by the now-amorphous Vow and the promises made around it. It also asked for submissions from all who cared to send them, even if they couldn't possibly read them all. And for the latter, polling since the referendum shows that parties who sold the No vote and the benighted Vow are now deeply unpopular. Surely that hints at some discontent around the Commission's output. 

Anyone challenging the efficacy of the Smith Commission and the subterfuge around the presentation of its findings will be dismissed with just four words. What they don't understand is, many doing the challenging voted No.  

Be in no doubt, the Smith Report as it stands falls far short of what was promised by people like Gordon Brown. What's becoming ever more obvious is that ordinary folk who voted No didn't win anything, they made their decision based on promises that turned out to be false and now they're being told to just- well, you know the rest.

The only winners here are the staunch unionists - and we know they are.









6 comments:

  1. You would think they lost, they will eventually.
    jimnarlene

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aye.

    Its the strangest thing, normally if you win something, you want to enjoy the fruits of that victory - getting over it shouldn't be what you're doing.

    Mind you, anything is possible with the unionist mindset.

    Thanks for reading.

    Paul.

    ReplyDelete
  3. So fed up with the "get over it" comment. No, sorry we will not, this is our country and we have nowhere else to go, so what else to do than keep on fighting and annoying the hell out of the Unionists.
    I considered I became a stateless person on the Friday of 19th September and will be regardless of passport until the day we become Independent. I do not think it will be long coming. It may come because England gets fed up with us, I really do not care. I would prefer it if we make the move, but I will take it any way we can.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Helena.

    Its an interesting point - becoming stateless because its a pretty good explanation of what we are at the moment. Currently those of us who voted yes realise it while those who voted no maybe don't.

    In that regard, nothing has changed since the referendum; its all about getting people informed.

    The Britnat brigade are walking a fine line;keeping English ire at a level where most are comfortable in the knowledge that they selflessly funding our profligate drink and drug addled ways - it appeals to their imperialist past.

    If it goes too far either way, like you say; they will get fed up and the British State will be in even more of a pickle.

    Thanks for reading.

    Paul.

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  5. Pa

    Must admit very disappointed that the SNP suspended the councillors for burning the Smith Report, I wanted to wipe my arse on it. Anyway, it is an over reaction to a silly prank and bowing to the hypocricy of the three tory parties. After all burning an effigy of the First Minister is just a joke according to Willie Rennie and nationalists needed to get a sense of humour. However, the SNP need to be careful because if they go down the political correct road for minor things then they won't have my membership for long, those days are gone and it's time to have an honest politics now and not the crap that so many have rejected.

    Wings over Scotland is an excellent website and I actually think Stewart is very balanced overall and if the YES side mess up he is equally as quick to point it out and have a go, the mainstream media could take some lessons from him.

    I agree with you that it is the NO side that keep the issue of accepting the result alive. I accepted it ages ago, still don't like it and will never ever agree with it but accepted the day after. I suspect the fact that they are seeing their electoral fortunes go down the toilet has a lot to do with it. They are bricking it for next may and while it won't be as bad as some think it will still be as bad to hurt them I hope in westminster.

    great post.

    Bruce

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  6. Thanks Bruce.

    I agree, also disappointed the councillors were suspended - its a storm in a teacup whipped up by a political nonentity - a puff of hot air that I've probably added to.

    I think next year's WM election will be a hoot, the looks on the faces of Labour drones as they fall one after the other. As you say, it'll not be as devastating as today's polls suggest (mores the pity) but for those getting their books, it'll be richly deserved.

    The referendum is done and dusted but we still live in interesting times for sure.

    Thanks for commenting.

    Paul.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for comment as always and I apologise if you have to jump through any hoops to do so. Its just that, I'm still being spammed by organisations who are certain I can't get it up or when it is up its not big enough or that I don't have anyone to get it up for.

Who knew blogging could be so bad for ones self-confidence?