My desire for Scottish independence is based, first and foremost, on leaving behind the imperial monster that is Great Britain and beginning to live unashamed of the horror inflicted, often by our own soldiers, on civilians and freedom fighters, across the globe. If it doesn’t include that, then it really doesn’t matter to me. The previous First Minister seemed to understand:
Sturgeon is a very capable politician but her judgement or her values on foreign affairs seem positively suspect. Alex Salmond would have given the loathsome Campbell what he deserved. Though clearly highly engaged with issues of equality, gender and race in the UK, she has now, three times, revealed herself to be uncaring of the slaughter of men, women and children in the arenas where Henry Kissinger, Hilary Clinton and Blair Campbell did their work.
For those unaware, but not FM, see this on Kissinger:
What’ ‘I recommend’ you read the work of a war-criminal? Try this:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/does-henry-kissinger-have-a-conscience
On Hilary Clinton, see this:
https://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2016/10/24/hillarys-war-crime/
‘Whatever you think of Hilary Clinton?’ What, it’s possible to think she is not a war criminal who cares nothing for the lives of women in the Arab world?
On Alistair Campbell:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jan/10/alastair-campbell-iraq-dossier-inquiry
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/do-you-remember-what-happened-to-david-kelly/
Can she compartmentalise the lives of Kissinger, Clinton and Campbell? ‘Oooh, forget about the horror, look at these sentences about leadership. I’m right into leadership.’ The ability to compartmentalise this way is the mark of a particular mind. I have no hesitation in calling those three psychopaths.
Finally, remember that Salmond took support from nowhere to nearly there, in 2014. The current leadership struggles to take us to under 50%. There are other potential leaders in the SNP. It’s not Labour. While Brexit may pull us over the line it won’t be thanks to a First Minister who clearly now inhabits the same policy space as all those old Labour ‘Atlanticists’, slavish followers of US/Israeli policy, Brown, Alexander, Murphy and Robertson.
Resign? Why should I?
Talking-up Scotland 
Aye, John, but Burns got here before us…….
“Then gently scan your brother man,
Still gentler sister woman;
Tho’ they may gang a kennin wrang,
To step aside is human:
One point must still be greatly dark, –
The moving Why they do it;
And just as lamely can ye mark,
How far perhaps they rue it.
Who made the heart, ’tis He alone
Decidedly can try us;
He knows each chord, its various tone,
Each spring, its various bias:
Then at the balance let’s be mute,
We never can adjust it;
What’s done we partly may compute,
But know not what’s resisted. ”
Let’ keep cool. 🙂
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Naw
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What kind of leader would you like John? Yes, Alex Salmond was a great FM but not uncontroversial, Jacinda Ardern who was, (rightly in my mind) lauded for her response to the recent Christchurch killings apparently used to work as a political adviser for Tony Blair, does this put her beyond the pale/?
I get that you don’t agree with everything Nicola says or does and that’s fine. I don’t think she is perfect either but who is? Do we have to sit back and wait till the perfect leader, one who never has does or will put a foot wrong, to turn up before we give them our support? Or do we recognise that this is the best we have just now, express our concerns when they fall short but offer our support for the broader benefits they bring to the country?
There is an alternative – you could get behind another Teresa May type figure who doesn’t mingle with anyone let alone those of a different political viewpoint, with narrow reading habits than only reinforce a narrow world viewpoint and who closes his/her mind to other views and perspectives
Be careful what you wish for!
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Also “now is not the time” (to coin a phrase) to weaken the FM.
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Some things need to be faced. These are serious matters.
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Did you read it? How can I accept her ignorance or lack of concern for these crimes? Salmond as evidenced to this day is acceptable.
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I did take the time to read the links you added John and I can understand why you have reservations about some of Nicola’s opinions & actions. There was a lot that I only half remembered but then I wasn’t always as interested in politics as I am now, and even then my interest is concentrated on Scotland/UK. But, do you remember the media storm when Alex Salmond said something mildly favourable about Putin? Then as now I felt that some folk were reducing his opinion to a very black/white position instead of recognising that it may be possible to admire an aspect of a person’s actions without condoning some of their other actions or ideas
I note too that the Alistair Campbell selfie cropped up on Good Morning Scotland – I don’t think we should necessarily avoid discussing concerns for fear of media blow ups as long as we can have grown up conversations instead of knee jerk reactions. It’s the ill informed or inflamatory responses (especially on Twitter) that are used to imply or heighten divisions in the indy movement
As for accepting ignorance or lack of concern “he who knows not and knows not he knows not, he is a child, teach him” Add some world history lessons to your blogs? Start a forum for calm discussions on contentious issues? Develop a board game or Top Trumps of key political figures?
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///sigh\\\
For people to put any politician on a pedestal and expect perfection is going to end in disappointment. Nicola Sturgeon is the most popular leader of any political party at the moment, and no one in the party is likely to ask her to step down. I personally think there is a ton of potential leadership talent in the SNP, and, apart from the scandalised newspapers, there wouldn’t be any issues or loss of popularity in changing leader, but it ain’t going to happen soon because the polls say so.
There is only one thing I need Nicola Sturgeon to do, regardless of her weird affinity for neoliberal warmongers, and that is to take us to independence – her happy days of administration in devolution are over and I think everyone would like to see positive action now. Everyone in the SNP appears to be trusting her judgement on the timing, and I will go with that (up until July this year, that’s my personal final deadline for deciding if she’s just pissing us about).
John, think about the reasons behind your need to publish this piece – your own personal disdain for a politician? You have decided she is so morally suspect that she should not, is not, lead(ing) the independence campaign? Should we be calling for new leadership, or dropping our support for the SNP based on her suspect affiliations? Where do we go once we drop our support of the SNP? If you want change of leadership, how should we start campaigning for that? I agree to some extent with what you say here (though I am more concerned about different aspects of her behaviour that I won’t advertise here), but if you believe the Nicola Sturgeon is actively acting against our best interests, we need a direction you believe we should go in – solutions, not problems! Brobb speaks sense.
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Sigh yourself.
Dont patronize me with you amateur psychology regarding my ‘needs’.
She is supporting war criminals!
The SNP belongs to all the members. I dont vote because of the leader’s behaviour but because of the party’s policies.
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Fair enough. Sorry about that, it does come across as patronising. It was actually a question, I don’t think she is fit to bring in a fair and equal society, but the SNP fully backs her, and if she gets the neoliberal hooligans on board for independence, then fair game. It’s a question of where each of our individual morality vs practicality has its dividing line. Take Jeremy Corbyn, a life long CND supporter, he let the trident issue go because it was party policy, but then refuses to sit in on cross party talks because of his personal beliefs, and often talks of principles – his compromises certainly show inconsistency in what his principles might be. But that’s people for you, you just can’t tell what their sticking point might, or might not, be.
This is one of your points that you feel passionate about, and I was offering support to bring about any change that you think could happen, it would not be much right enough, but I could write to the SNP, or I would sign a petition. I am too cynical to be passionate about any aspect of politics (hypocrisy is my sticking point), so won’t rant about it – but I can be convinced to take some kind of action. I suspect you just expect everyone to feel as you do though? I can’t do anything about that.
I don’t vote for the SNP policies or the party leader, I vote SNP to support independence, and because they are the only party that do what the say they are going to do – it just happens to be that some of their policies are okay. All a bit meh, I feel no affiliation to any political party, they are there to run the country, do a job, when they get elected, but we have no guarantee any aren’t going to turn into raving megalomaniacs once in power.
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“Alex Salmond would have given the loathsome Campbell what he deserved.” – would he really John? I think you might have forgotten about this – which is a hell of a lot more than a selfy – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8nhQpcIuPQ. He even gives Campbell one his quaichs at the end. When Nicola goes back on her opposition to the Iraq War, let me know.
But more than anything, whether you agree with her not she is at the front conducting the band. You might not always like the way she conducts the band – I probably don’t either. But do you agree with me giving Paul Hutcheon the opportunity to publish shite like this is not a good idea https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17523142.independence-activist-promises-never-to-vote-snp-again-over-sturgeon-picture/ Eyes on the prize John – eyes on the prize. God knows he can make it up, lets not make it up for him.
Btw, she also had a selfy with David Lammy which included “my favourite Labour MP”. Is that ok?
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OK, didn’t know that. My criticism of Sturgeon stands on its own though.
Did I give Hutcheon the opp?
My criticism is too deep to ignore.
A Scotland wedded to Sturgeon’s apparent grasp of foreign policy is not a prize worth having.
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Yes probably it does. I have a serious beef about the lack of work done since 2015 (if 56 MPs of 59 is not a mandate to get on with at least campaigning I dont know what does), but lets keep the debate at that level and not about something as petty (I think) as a selfy, which rather pales to insignificance compared to say however many Kissinger killed even if only in Vietnam.
No you didnt give Hutcheon the opportunity – that was Shafi, but his view is very close to your own. What she did was unwise, but its a long way from being a hanging offence.
If I might say so, while I have a good deal of common ground with your view of Kissinger and Clinton (I came across a death notice in the US just before their 2016 Presidential election – “(name) faced with the choice of voting for Hilary Clinton or Donald Trump for President, chose to enter into everlasting grace with God …..”.) I agree, but dont you think this getting the cart before the horse, chicken before egg etc. Lets become an independent country before we start worrying about its foreign policy – that is the time to start campaigning on that sort of matter. Lets focus on whether Nicola can get us away from the dead hand of London, and if she can then cut her the slack
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You might not always like the way she conducts the band? No problem with that but what she has revealed re Clinton, Kissinger and Campbell is a complete lack of critical awareness of the imperialism which the SNP opposes.
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Really? Damning indictment John based on what – a couple of book recommendations? Have you done any of your usual, deeper research into what the FM thinks about the issues you mention? Have you written to challenge her, to ask her?
For some context, the First Minister was referencing and recommending a quite specific written contribution by Kissinger – the potential impact of AI on society. Your post John prompted me to seek out Kissenger’s views on the topic and found the essay below and have now read it. I’d also recommend reading it.
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/06/henry-kissinger-ai-could-mean-the-end-of-human-history/559124/
And on Hilary Clinton’s book, and also for perspective: “Noam Chomsky tells those who refused to vote for Hillary Clinton to stop Donald Trump: You made a big mistake” (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/noam-chomsky-donald-trump-hillary-clinton-a7438526.html )
“WND asked Chomsky if he was optimistic about the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency, or if he saw any difference in comparison to Obama. “[Hillary would be] maybe a little more militant,” he said. See: https://www.wnd.com/2015/06/chomsky-hillary-like-obama-only-more-militant/
My point in making these remarks is not to demonstrate my admiration or my any support for the two US citizens in question but to question your outright condemnation of and apparent disdain for our FM on what appears to be based (only?) on her recommendation to us to to read two books! Just a bit OTT?
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only the losers get punished in war
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The SNP have a big enough task wrestling Scotland free from England’s deathly grip. The last thing Scotland, the SNP and Sturgeon needs is to antagonise “The world’s Policeman”. What chance would there be of winning Indyref2 whilst getting turned into the next Venezualia.
So court their establishment let them think we like them. We’ll have to duck and dive to win our independence. Being angels won’t do it.
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Ach, good to see you back Clydebuilt. Sorry it’s not under more pleasant circumstances. I agree, ducking and diving is the way to go, got to be canny to get anywhere with this.
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Crucially, she genuinely admires Cllnton: ‘I find many of her qualities so admirable. She has made it easier for women like me in politics. For that, I—and women across the world—owe her a debt of gratitude.’
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[independence] “is not a prize worth having”…
Oh right, I understand now John – your headline was a bit misleading (ironic), implying that the independence cause isn’t just about any one person – so I missed the reference in your first paragraph where you state you do not care about independence any more because of one person. So, you support SNP policies because you agree with them, but don’t agree with their choice of leadership, but you’ll ignore that because the policies are good, except for foreign policy, but you’ll drop your support for independence – a constitutional matter – because that party political leader, that they have chosen, is not to your tastes, and because independence isn’t worthwhile because of one person who has dodgy ideas on foreign policy. Not sure why I have bothered to tell people that loathe the likes of Alex Salmond that it’s not about any one person, when it obviously is the case. You might like Alex Salmond, but the majority of Scots don’t.
A friend of mine said he used to be a full-on activist in the SNP 10 or so years ago, but the way the party was changing wasn’t to his tastes so he left – and is now a full-on raving union-Jack-waving unionist. Some people just like lost causes I guess. Or have a ‘it’s my way, or no way’ ideology.
Say, for instance, if there was even a slight hint that Holyrood was riddled with paedos, like Westminster is, I would campaign to have the place shut down, but I would still want Scotland to have its independence, whether or not Holyrood existed. In fact, Holyrood itself is trappings of imperialist power and I would like it done away with & a whole new parliament established – but I certainly wouldn’t demand it in return for my support of independence. Independence for me is, mostly, unconditional, only that it should be the majority of scots that want it – which they do, they just don’t realise it yet. I can’t get my head around the the conditional mindset. Foreign policy becomes an issue after independence, not before.
Well, good luck with promoting the union, and thank you for all the time and trouble you’ve taken over the years in support of independence, you’ve been a real boon to the supporters.
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Contrary, quite contrary. Too many misunderstanding to deal with.
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StewartB – She has shown clear and considerable sympathy for Clinton way beyond her role as FM. Try searching for Sturgeon Hilary Clinton to see how her feminism and fan worship trumps the horrors of Cllnton’s bloody hawkishness. The woman is a monster, She recommended we read a book by Kissinger, also a bloody monster on the world stage. She looked perfectly happy with the man central to the death of Dr David Kelly!
On reflection maybe I was too kind.
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If the FM wants to be believed by the American Establishment, she has to be convincing
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