This is a blog I did in 2017, like this week, where Nicola Sturgeon came out with yet another initiative for cooperating with the wider grassroots groups. It was another carrot, like the ones that had come before it and the many that came after it. This latest carrot is, I fear just another lie like the big one she told a couple of weeks before the last Westminster election when she hastily arranged the rally in George square to tell people that this election was to be all about independence. Then in the days that followed, it became very clear that people had been duped when the election material was produced without a single mention of independence and instead, a big picture of a Bus with stop Brexit all over it. I fear these latest promises will go the same way, as I simply do not trust her.
https://wordpress.com/block-editor/post/bobsblog.scot/2591
Kenny McCaskill wrote a good article today on the Wings over Scotland site, in which he promoted the idea of the grass roots groups taking the initiative. I have a feeling he is trying to make provision for a distinct lack of cooperation from the leadership of the SNP in any forthcoming campaign.
I would go further than that in as much as I expect downright obstruction from the leadership of the SNP in much the same way as they are now trying to thwart the attempts of Martin Keatings from ascertaining whether the Scottish people have to be bound by the section 30 fallacy used by Nicola sturgeon to hold back the independence cause. The Scottish Government/ Nicola Sturgeon actually, stated that Martin Keatings was attempting to “stand in the shoes of politicians” elected for that propose. My God, surely it is the place of politicians to stand in the shoes of the people who elected them. It is difficult to imagine a more disgraceful display of arrogance as that.
Anyway, to get back to Kenny’s article. Without a central force guiding at arms length, I don’t think it would work. I know Kenny is advocating Some sort of a committee made up of grass roots representatives but I know how that would and up and that would be like rats in a barrel.
To give you an idea of why I think like that ,I would go back to the 2014 referendum campaign. In the run up to this I had the idea of setting up the Yes Bus, Scotland’s dragon for independence. A double decker built in Scotland by Alexander Dennis for the far east market, Hence the type name, Dragon. It started its working life in Hong Kong before moving to Kenya, two countries who gained their independence from the UK.
It came to our fleet from Manchester to service a contract for the High School of Dundee, the forerunner of which was where William Wallace was educated.
So it had some history and I had the idea to make it available to any grass roots group in Dundee or surrounding area to campaign ,( and this is the important bit) in their own way , towards their own support and in their own area of Dundee.
Now Dundee was always a very radical city with a plethora of differing political activists and I realized that if any one tried to bring them together, it would be a disaster. So the Yes bus was used by many differing groups to campaign in their own manner and we also set up the Yes Bus team which was made up of a wide variety of people with a wide verity of political views who were there voluntary to campaign for a common goal.
Dundee turned out the highest percentage of yes votes in Scotland because all the groups did their own thing and we all cooperated on the way, apart from, I might say the SNP who were somewhat difficult to prise campaigning material from despite the fact that it had all been paid from through Yes Scotland, but that is another story.
So after a rather long winded explanation here is what I suggest.
As for the central leadership issue I think Alex Salmond would be ideal . He is a true leader and a committed patriot. I do not think there is any question that he would be other than a perfect leader for another campaign.
I fear however that history will repeat itself, in as much as all of our great historical figures such as Wallace and Bruce had first to defeat the Scots before they turned their attention to the auld enemy, the English.
I fear that we have an enemy within our very own ranks and that is the Sturgeon/ Murrel family. I think they will put every obstacle in the way of another referendum or alternative way of achieving our aim. They have done it in the past and they are still at it.
We are once again on the cusp of another prime opportunity to gain independence and after 6 years we have not even addressed the failures of the last referendum, such as currency and pensions and that is a prime example of one of the obstacles put in our way. The Andrew Wilson Growth Commission. Almost two years late ( another delay) and when it came out it suggested implementing one of the main failures of the 2014 campaign, tying Scotland to England with a currency union Absolutely unbelievable. It is also clear that Andrew Wilson and Nicola Sturgeon have not a clue of the implications of the laughably GERS figures, probably deliberately.
Very shortly it will become apparent , even to the most ardent Sturgonite that she has set up Alex Salmon. Evidence to be presented to the Holyrood enquiry into the lead up to the court case Salmond brought against the Scottish Government in a judicial review will show that the change of rules to enable the Scottish government to bring retrospective complaints against ministers was in fact cooked up between Leslie Evens and Nicola Sturgeon and not by Westminster as many of Sturgeons acolytes tried to believe as a means of comforting themselves. To make matters worse the Westminster government advised against it.
So there you are, the grubby truth is beginning to emerge and shortly I believe, a house of cards will fall.
So, there is the task ahead and it awaits a leader to take it forward. I hope Alex Salmond will grasp the opportunity on behalf of the people of Scotland, because as I say, before we start on the enemy in Westminster we have to defeat the enemy within.
This, unfortunately is our road to independence.
Bob Costello 
Bob I came across your site due to our comments re DMH the views you espouse are IMO very true , the REAL quandry is how to get the SNP NS sycophants and apologists to realise that they have and are being duped , as you say and it is repeated widely we are at a crossroads where independence can and should be won but we are being hamstrung and obstructed by the very people we trusted to represent our dreams
I have been sickened by the amount of people who jump to her defence even although the proof is glaring that she isn’t fighting for indy , I stopped commenting in the national because there is no point in arguing with stupid , yourself, Lorna Campbell , Jim Crawford , Maria Carnero are forever being vilified even although what you say is provable
The problem is that once someone commits to something , whether it be an ideal or an idol it is difficult to retreat from that and admit to being misled. They keep on hoping that this person is way above their level of intellect and has to have that something up their sleeve. The thought that they do not, is just to much for them to cope with.
I have been warning that all was not well with Sturgeon since shortly after she was made leader of the SNP and you have no idea of the abuse I have has to put up with. A lot of it directed from the SNP party.
At one time all I had to do was put a comment or a blog up in one of the sites and this was followed by a torrent of abuse and foul language. However , these days it is not nearly as bad and I think people are really beginning to wonder why we are not further along the road to independence than we are at the moment.
My hope at the moment is that Sturgeon will fall as a result of the Alex Salmond set up. If not and she is still there next May the we have a very serious problem.
Thanks for commenting