The point I am continuing to make is that there are fools and nutters on both sides and I tend to filter out the extremes.

You seem to be content to filter out one side while making claims for the other.

But hey, once again, drag the conversation back to 2014 it deflects from looking forwards and actually seeing what is really best for our country.

Will the SNP listen to the 'Voice' of Parliament over this one?

http://www.scotsman.com/news/politic...ote-1-4276310?

Or will they choose to ignore that voice when it suits them?

I doubt it they don't listen to anyone except themselves.

in this instance they have better things to be concerned with..

This judgement by the High Court seriously frustrates any bid the SNP could make for independence in the future.

There's an article in the TG today about pro-brexit SNP MSPs.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...s-secretly-vo/

The Irish referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, delayed the implementation of its EU reforms by two years.

The High Court judgement puts Scotland back on the 'reformed EU' path David Cameron agreed with Brussels. Remember, a Remain vote was not a vote for the status quo.

Whatever the outcome, federalism or independence, the flow of more powers to Holyrood from Westminster or Brussels will soon become a torrent...

What an arrogant attitude to take.

Better things than repeal flawed legislation? Legislation that came about because Salmond wanted a photo opportunity to show he was the boss. Legislation that Sheriff's and lawyers have from day one said was flawed?

Are the SNP not able to multitask? Did you not give a link to the bills that the SNP want to introduce this year? I'm sure here was more than one of them in fact over a dozen if I remember correctly.

The legislation was never needed, existing legislation could have been used and repealing it does mean you condone sectarian behaviour which is basically what James Dornan and Annabelle Ewing said after the debate the other day.

Total nonsense of course but appeals to the lowest common denominator of the SNP support - you will be able to relate to that. You know the ones that defend them at every opportunity.

I suppose he meant the recent humiliation over Council Tax that the SNP had to suffer was more important.

At least they did the right thing and acknowledge their flawed legislation needs addressing over that one. Mind you some of them had a cheek saying the Greens were siding with the Tories. I seem to remember a certain Alex Salmond Government that sided with the Tories to get many things through Holyrood in the 2007 Government.

Although tonight’s vote is not binding on ministers, a forthcoming bill from Labour MSP James Kelly which would bring an end to the controversial legislation, now looks certain to be passed in the new year.

Looks like they won't have the option to ignore it. However if the bill is actually presented then it can be preceded by another public consultation the findings of which will then be presented to parliament at which point either the Act will be amended or repealed. I'm surprised he didn't just bring the bill forward in the first place. One might think the period of consultation was something he wanted to avoid as was the possibility that "bad" law might be made "good".

The SNP have taken an absolute beating in Aberdeenshire. Con gains in Inverurie (+21.4) and Banff (+20.9).
The shape of things to come for the SNP.
The scales have fallen from the eyes of Scottish people now surely?

There is either a minor rift in the SNP or they are using him as a sounding board for a different stance on things, can't make up my mind which it is but I see some of the more vociferous Nats are returning on him.

I still think they will win big at the Council elections next year. When they control all levels of government then I think things will start to slope down from there but I still think they will be the dominant party for a decade to come. No party can dominate forever.

Labour managed it in Scotland for a long, long time.

Absolutely but eventually that ended, in a lot of ways the SNP remind me of new Labour.

Only in the Central Belt, Labour never had this level of dominance beyond that. Most of the shire councils flitted between the parties or independents and Aberdeen has been controlled by all four main parties in the past 15 years.

It will be a shame if the tide of nationalism unseats the current Aberdeen City Council. For the first time in my lifetime we've had an administration that has stood up to central Government, and actually built infrastructure not just talked endlessly about it. Becoming the first Scottish authority to issue its own bonds has allowed the city to bypass Nationalist tax and spending freezes which have crippled infrastructure spending in Scotland.

How long do we have to suffer accusing rivals of 'siding with the Tories', or 'in bed with the Tories' as an excuse to avoid meaningful debate, or a proper defence of a position? To be fair, Labour allowed "Tory" to be short-hand for "devil incarnate", so now it's being used against them, and others, they are partially to blame.


Not necessarily if they are voting Tory. I don't like using the insult Tory instead of an explanation of why a policy is bad, but I still don't especially like them. It may be that people are getting desperate, and just eager for another party to get their vote, and realistically, a lot of Scots are natural Tories. Now the SNP have deemed that making cuts to services for the poor in order to cut tax and prop up middle-class givaways is socially acceptable, progressive and even 'left-wing', then it's not a surprise that the actual Tories will have an easier time of it at the ballot box.

The vast swathe of NE Scotland was always rock solid Tory in the past and at the Indyref the region voted 61/39 to stay in the UK. I suspect a combination of the SNPs drift leftward, their insistence on taxing NE Scotland to the hilt to subsidise Glasgow, and yes anger at the SNPs persistence at overturning the result of the 2014 referendum is seeing voters turn blue in their droves.

There are Nationalist FMs who will swear blind the SNP isn't losing ground outside the Central Belt no matter what the election results might say.

I suspect Brexit is doing them more harm than good.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/1...r_Brexit_vote/

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/728...backing-Brexit

Apparently they aren't even allowed to tell us which way they voted.

Michael Fallon's assistant had to step in and stop an interview with Bernard Ponsonby because of his persistence in trying to get the minister to answer his "straightforward" question..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016...ichael-fallon/

"Michael Fallon skirts around reporter's question on future of Scottish defence cuts"

Well now we now know that any Scottish referendum result that favours independence must be put to the UK parliament where the vast majority will vote against it.

Sorted!

The SNP can now concentrate 100% on something else - like running the country.

I'm not sure what defence cuts would have to do with the SNP?

I do find it funny at times as a lot of SNP supporting FM here continually run down the UK military and British forces but suddenly throw their arms up in dismay when base restructuring happens to Scotland and then they protest about local communities losing out. All the while theylso want Faslane closed and say that the local community there doesn't benefit at all.

You do realise the humour in that I suppose?

That's an issue you should take up with the Telegraph headline writer..

The clip is about Bernard Ponsonby's attempts get the Defence minister to answer his question about MOD shipbuilding contracts continuing should Scotland vote for independence.

Do you think this..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...itics-37852628

"The Scottish cross-bench peer who wrote Article 50 - the procedure by which the UK would leave the EU - believed it was "not irrevocable".

In a BBC interview, Lord Kerr of Kinlochard said the UK could choose to stay in the EU even after exit negotiations had begun."

continues

"Lord Kerr is advising First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon on Brexit as she seeks to maintain Scotland's links with the EU.

He does not think it would be possible for Scotland to remain in the EU single market if the UK as a whole is leaving."

..is a coincidence?

This is hardly a surprise as detailed polling clearly showed Nationalist supporters were more likely to vote to leave the EU than Unionist voters. What is interesting is that the SNP leadership are so obsessed with independence they refuse to accept or entertain opposing voices in their own party.

A party where policy debates are banned is a party that grows old and stale very fast as its incapable of evolving with its electorate.