Brexit Campaigns Culture Wars Left Politics Scottish Independence SNP Val Waldron

What Do We Want, How Do We Want It?

 Opinion polls ask the wrong question, in an attempt to grade importance of issues, vying austerity, foreign affairs etc against independence. This approach fails to illustrate that a progressive independent Scotland, with all of our (suddenly recognised and exploited) resources could go some way towards addressing these issues. It’s hard to forego a little nostalgia […]

Brexit Conspiracy Theories Culture Wars Democracy Elections Equality & Inclusion Fascism Left Politics Politics of Hate Scottish Independence SNP Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

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 […]

Brexit Conspiracy Theories Corruption Crime Democracy Equality & Inclusion Fascism Feminism Human Rights Immigration International LGBTQIAP+ Local Elections Media Politics of Hate Scotland Scottish Independence Trans Rights Ungagged Writing

Escape Routes by Val Waldron

We are finally getting to grips with the solid fact of the matter: 2014 cannot be repeated. We need to find another way, or ways to move forward towards independence. On the day of the full release of the Sue Gray report and of Nicola Sturgeon’s marking point as longest serving FM I’ve never been […]

Brexit Climate & Environment Conspiracy Theories Coronavirus Corruption Democracy Equality & Inclusion Fascism Feminism Holyrood Election 2021 Human Rights Immigration Left Politics Media Politics of Hate Poverty Privilege Racism Scotland Scottish Independence Tory Party Trans Rights Val Waldron

A Snapshot of 2021 by Val Waldron

‘Alexa give me a snapshot of 2021 without mentioning Covid’  Can I help? All of the events below were of course shot through with Covid, antivaxxers, restrictions, opposition and media undermining of the Scottish Government health message, oh, and big shouty businesses. It didn’t stop the world from turning though! In Search of Q We […]

Brexit Democracy Equality & Inclusion Feminism Human Rights Media Politics of Hate Poverty Privilege Racism Scotland Scottish Greens Tory Party Trans Rights Val Waldron

Raging Not Hating by Val Waldron

No-one deserves or asks for violent death because someone else thinks you don’t deserve to live. If that were the case there would be a death penalty for women who walk home alone at night or for daring to pack up your family and meagre belongings and set out across the channel in a dinghy […]

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Both votes SNP won’t get you Independence in the North East

In her weekly National column last week, Mhairi Black gave her view as to why both votes SNP was the way to go. Within the article, she used, in her own words an overly simplistic example if 100,000 voters voted for SNP compared to 70,000 in the list voting after the SNP had won the […]

Conspiracy Theories Corruption Democracy Equality & Inclusion Fascism Holyrood Election 2021 Scottish Independence Ungagged Writing Val Waldron

The Crass Landing of The Ego by Val Waldron

“…the parallel between QAnon and the more extremist blogger/Salmond support is stark, and should send a warning to us. Keep Alba in our sights, and when we see bigotry challenge it as we would in our workplaces. We can’t in any way endorse a party that is a receptacle for regressive views and policies that […]

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The Frog Chorus Reunited

Last night, looking like the lead singer of an ageing re-formed and touring Frog Chorus, Alex Salmond announced his new Alpaca (or something) Party. The twitter/blogger gammony; parts of the ageing alt left, the transphobes and the creepy men who tell us that being a creepy man was acceptable when we were young (I was […]