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HOW COULD I ACCEPT SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE?

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  For those who prefer that Scotland remains in the UK, it might seem wrong to contemplate the circumstances in which I would find myself, even if very reluctantly, accepting Scottish independence. However, hear me out, because in my explanation of just what it would take to convince me that I must accept a decision to leave the UK, there are pointers to why so many of us in Scotland are deeply troubled about the way the SNP leadership and other figures in the nationalist movement are seeking to impose their will on us.   I have long been uneasy with how when trying to counter the narrative of those who seek the break up of the UK, you can find your own position slipping into being just as implacable and narrow minded as those you most oppose. Over the years, the debate about Scotland’s constitutional future has drifted into being ever more divisive with the two sides of the argument so entrenched in their opinions that they find it difficult to really appreciate or understand...
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CORRUPTIO OPTIMI PESSIMA - the corruption of the best is the worst of all

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With the Ministerial Code being much misunderstood, the following provides a brief explanation. Once in a lifetime, Scotland has a Very Special First Minister, and when this is the case the Ministerial Code for ordinary Ministers and First Ministers is adapted. The space between the lines of the Code are used to insert the special provisions required.    To keep things simple, the two versions of the Code still look the same, as the extra provisions are added using invisible ink that only a Very Special First Minister can read.    These special clauses mean it does not matter if our current First Minister cannot recall the exact timing or purpose of a given meeting, and did not get round to recording it properly, because the special version of the Code makes clear that a Very Special First Minister does not need to trouble themselves with such niceties.    Equally, when speaking to the Scottish Parliament, a Very Special First Minister can say whatever soun...
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COLLATERAL DAMAGE

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                                              As Nicola Sturgeon dismisses all the charges against her, is this based more on SNP spin than on an honest assessment of the facts? Our First Minister presents herself as the acceptable face of nationalism, with the SNP and herself always on the moral high ground.     Indeed, few can compare with Nicola Sturgeon when it comes to deflecting criticism and employing mock outrage at any suggestion of impropriety.     The First Minister’s confidence comes in part from core supporters whose loyalty to her is based on a faith in their common cause of ‘independence’. It seems some are prepared to sacrifice the checks and balances of good government as collateral damage in keeping their dream alive.   Citing the interest of complainants, and leading Scotland’s response to the global pandemic, has somehow enabled ...
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QUESTIONS NICOLA STURGEON WOULD RATHER AVOID

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    INTRODUCTION In recent months, opinion polls have shown majority support for Scottish independence. Arguably, the change from the previous pro-UK majority, reflects a mixture of differing views on Brexit, ill-feeling amongst some Scots against Boris Johnson and his government, and a perception that Nicola Sturgeon has  better presented the covid pandemic response, even if in practice the measures taken and the results have not been significantly different between Scotland and the UK as a whole.    Those who value Scotland’s place in the UK appreciate that UK prime ministers come and go, and that however each of us voted in the 2016 EU referendum, leaving one wider union hardly justifies leaving another, particularly when the UK is a union we have the closest possible relationship with.   If the First Minister gave a full and frank response to some of the big questions relating to the independence issue, I suspect the opinion poll majority would...
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CONSEQUENCES

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  The ’20/’21 series   CONSEQUENCES -       what the coming decade might look like if the SNP gets its way on independence     What follows is an imagined future for Scotland. From 2021 to 2031. A decade that doubtless some believe will turn out much better than the picture I have set out here. Equally, it could prove to be a lot worse.   If we do find ourselves in the coming year or so having to consider a second Scottish independence referendum, and how to vote in it, what follows are some of the prospects we need to contemplate:   Scotland 2021 to 2031  v 2021 – 2022 The SNP and other independence supporting parties collectively win a majority in the May’21 Holyrood         election, then win a Supreme Court case to force the UK government to u-turn over blocking another independence referendum    v 2024  After more than a year of what all sides agree was the most d...
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This is a second trial blog as I prepare for publishing a sequence of articles on Scottish politics. Previously I have posted on my website www.nupateer.com and I intend to keep the existing material there for future access by any who are interested. The new material I will post from now on, is in response to the prospect of a second divisive independence referendum being imposed on Scotland. The SNP Scottish government has chosen to not be honest with the people of Scotland about either its own shortcomings or on the prospects of Scotland if it separates from the rest of the UK. My first article will consider what might happen if the First Minister and her government get their way and take Scotland out of the UK.  
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nupateer trial blog

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  This is a trial blog post before the launch of a new series of blog articles published by   me, Keith Howell, on the subject of Scotland's current affairs and future.       Previously I have published on my website www.nupateer.com. Material can still be found there covering the seven years from 2014 to 2020. Now that I have retired I have decided to archive all the previous content on nupateer.com - maintaining it there for future access for those who are interested - whilst using this simpler blogging page for all new material.                                                                                                                       ...
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