Monday, August 13, 2012

Open letter to Alex Salmond: secret push to obtain a devo max option, this proves that you don’t believe independence is viable, cancel vote now














Dear Alex Salmond

You have been long enough in politics to see the writing on the wall.

And the writing on the wall says clearly that the Scottish people are going to vote no to independence.

The polls speak for themselves, and they speak loudly.

It now seems that you are trying to get something to show your own supporters by trying to get devo max on the ballot paper for the referendum.

It is reported that your office is promoting a "more powers" referendum option in a secret operation.

It seems that the panic has really set in Alex.

Private correspondence passed to the press shows your office has been helping campaigners wanting to widen the referendum.

While publicly declaring you favour a straight question, it now seems that behind the scenes there is an attempt to build momentum for putting "devo max" to voters.

The secret operation is a huge embarrassment for you and the SNP and a strong signal that independence is over.

You know you can’t deliver independence, you know that you can’t convince the people, your government is turning into a laughing stock, bad decisions are getting made, it isn’t transparent or seen as honest.

And of course we are seeing repeatedly that the SNP Government holds people in such contempt as wanting deny them their legal rights.

Then there is the issue of refusing to hand over the secret dossiers and pretty much anything else ask of it.

I have to say to you who I have met, Alex, I have met SNP people who hold positions of power, they aren’t very bright, yes, you have spun your way into power but the tide is turning against you and the clique.

They aren’t very bright Alex, remember George Laird said that, you can’t even get your MSPs to back NATO, that isn’t rocket science, you have allowed a nasty vile clique to fester and the results of that are bubbling to the surface.

After you step down the SNP’s popularity will nose dive.

Despite getting more councillors, you only control a few councils outright and of course the prize of the major cities including Glasgow never happened, at Westminster, Scots aren’t prepared to vote SNP, only six people returned.

It’s you, your middle class clique and whoever is willing to still believe your rhetoric regarding fairness, equality and social justice on the grassy knoll, and of course those who ‘get an earner’ out of being attached to your group.

Press stories firmly put the aspect of fairness, equality and social justice in the SNP in the context for what it is, it’s a sham.

You can even guarantee that in your own party despite being told about it.

Enjoy the freebies, grab as much money and goodies as you can, get in the foreign trips in playing the role of ‘statesman’ if you want, travel broadens the mind.

It is funny that despite trying to be so clever that evidence of your office’s active involvement in moves for a second question comes to light.

For the unionists this is another gift.

Patricia Ferguson, Scottish Labour's constitutional spokeswoman, said:

“We have suspected for some time that Alex Salmond wants a fall-back option on the ballot paper and this proves his advisers have been secretly colluding to help make this happen."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said:

"Despite his public protestations, Alex Salmond is increasingly desperate to get a second question on the ballot paper. The fact his henchmen are manipulating independent organisations behind the scenes to achieve that second question shows just how desperate he is."

Scottish Conservative constitution spokesman David McLetchie said:

"This shows how Alex Salmond has been trying to manipulate matters which will provide him with a get-out clause in light of the inevitable referendum defeat."

Westminster isn’t giving you devo max, and you can’t deliver it, and if you think a stupid SNP manufactured row for the 2015 election and 2016 election of ‘standing up for Scotland’ will play, you are so wrong.

Your crowd aren’t that clever, you can turn, twist, duck, dive and dip, but in the end, you and our middle class clique are going to get what’s coming to them.

Maybe the next SNP leader will put fairness, equality and social justice back into the Scottish National Party, then and only then can the fight for independence start.

When looking at politics as an outsider, I thought parties such as the SNP were smart, as an SNP member I can confirm from my experience, it just isn’t the case.

Grab as much as you can financially Alex, you might as well get something for the time that you have left.

When you do the ‘my first duty is to the people of Scotland’ line, I just think that is a sick joke.

And I am sure other people in the SNP and elsewhere think so as well.

Yours sincerely

George Laird
The Campaign for Human Right at Glasgow University

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