Not a week goes by in Scottish politics when the decision to vote No in 2014 does not rear its ugly head. November 2023, the Scottish Broadcasting Company reports growing unrest south of the border. Massive crowds are gathering daily outside Westminster, demanding an end to Tory rule, following emergency legislation allowing the General Election […]
Author: Val Waldron
Indyref Anniversary
Only a referendum is going to fairly represent the people in terms of votes. Humza Yousaf has previously indicated his preference for building the movement until it’s impossible to ignore us. We don’t hold all the cards there though and nothing is guaranteed, so if a majority of seats at the next election is enough […]
The Queue by Val Waldron
We call it QueueAnon, this wonderful fountain of freedom hitherto unknown, a snaking virtue of fellow patriots, knees bending to the virtues of the throne. Three days to bathe in our rightful place, in worship of her glorious majesty bowing our grateful head for the life of this deity In the guiding light of […]
Autoimmunity Within the Independence Movement
The obstacles to our independence are not all about media-led rabid unionism, or floating voters. We have a problem within the movement, something really toxic. It resembles a kind of auto-immune disease, a drive to eat away at the host and make barren the soil it depends on; the movement itself. The dreaded anniversary of […]
Not My King by Val Waldron
The issue of monarchism v republicanism is not a side issue, something that can be left for later while we grapple with the economics or even the principle of self determination. It’s at the heart of the matter, the glue that bind us with the union, that seals us into our class system, poisons and […]
Anonymity and Tragedy: why telling stories of the asylum seeker is so important by Mhairi Hunter
We knew their names, their faces, their stories. That made us feel connected to them. And that’s a key difference with coverage of refugees, who usually remain a nameless and faceless mass to us. There has been much commentary in the past few days about the difference in media/public perception of the Titan tragedy […]
A Stiff Kicking into the Long Grass by Val Waldron
Voters for Forbes or Regan were aware that GRR would be kicked into the long grass, serving as precedent for a power grab at any piece of legislation deemed unpopular I never found it particularly difficult to understand why the Red Wall had fallen to the Tories in 2019. We’ve been living under the […]
The Grass was Greener by Val Waldron
As for the grass roots, we pull out the tough old weeds and start again. Pick up our movement from where it left off. It’s already happening along the lines of single issues when it comes to protest against buffer zones, GRR threat, climate change, visiting fascists, immigration raids. No need to carry a saltire […]
The Real Lie by Ungagged Guest
Any cis person who is still convinced that a Gender Recognition certificate would enable abusers, exploit children, fill women’s prisons with rapists, allow trans women to take all the sports medals and other ‘legit concerns’ should scroll on. Nothing will change your mind now. Let’s face it, you tuned out when you read ‘cis’ There […]
A Hill to Die On by Val Waldron
“The political and media exploitation of an under-resourced NHS and the scapegoating of our Health Secretary for political gain undermines the real need for cross party work towards progress. Let’s hope that the newly formed Long-Covid Inquiry group is well intentioned. We cannot afford to take our eye off the ball when it concerns the […]