Nicola Sturgeon has today confirmed that dividing our nation is more important to her than transforming our vital public services.
The First Minister used her opening speech at the SNP conference in Glasgow to announce plans to publish a consultation on a draft independence referendum bill next week. In contrast, Scottish Labour has put forward an alternative programme for government that includes bills on education, health and poverty.
In 2014, Ms Sturgeon promised that the independence referendum result would stand for a ‘generation’. She should keep that promise. Scottish Labour MSPs will vote against a second referendum bill.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said:
“This confirms that the SNP’s priority is not education, or healthcare, or tackling poverty.
Nicola Sturgeon’s top priority is to divide our nation once again. But our country is already divided following the Tories’ reckless Brexit gamble and we should not be seeking further divisions.
Our economy is in trouble, and the last thing we need is the uncertainty of another independence referendum.
It is little over two years since more than 2million Scots voted to reject independence. Nicola Sturgeon promised us that she would respect that result and said the referendum would put the issue to bed for a ‘generation’.
She should keep that promise. Scottish Labour will vote against any referendum Bill that she brings before parliament.
In her speech to the SNP conference, Nicola Sturgeon had an opportunity to tell the country how she will face the challenges of the future. Instead, she resorted to an argument of the past.”
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There just… There just aren’t any words. You really are heart set on speeding towards oblivion, aren’t you?
The economy is in trouble precisely because we are a part of the UK! Can you honestly say that you want the certainty of a toilet economy, Tory government for the next decade (at least) and a steady creep towards fascism over the ‘uncertainty’ of having a say in the constitution of a whole new country!?
Strewth.
Actually, I think the threat of losing control over Scotland could be a huge factor in keeping the UK in the single market.
I don’t know if they will go through with it, but if the choice comes down to a hard Brexit with heartless Tory governments lording it over Scotland for years to come, or a chance of an independent social democratic Scottish government, I will be voting for independence this time.
What is the alternative from Labour?. Everyone knows deep down that Corbyn is unelectable in England, and there is no alternative vision of devo max or federalism anyway.
Dugdale’s only plan is to suck it up, no matter the punishment. What a shower.
BetterTogether2; Labour standing side by side with the Tories to guarantee a right wing, europsceptic Tory government rules over Scotland for years and years to come.
We had a PM, elected on only 37% of the UK electorate ( 10% In Scotland), who spent all his time swanning around the EU pretending to renegotiate a deal for the UK.
His regime targeted the weak, the lame and the sick to save a few bob ( to be fair, Labour stated they would be even tougher ).
Now we have a new regime whose Leader is elected by no one bar her constituency. Her regime is further to the right ( though she is still managing to swan round Europe—not much concern about THESE people’s day job ) and has managed to revulse most decent people by scapegoating “foreigners” whom they have targeted for political attack ( there has also been a high level of physical and verbal street abuse in parts of the south).
Its not just Polish plumbers, but doctors, lecturers, students –a whole gamut of decent taxpaying people who are the new “baddies” for the Brexiteers.
Narrow ethnic “blood and soil” nationalism, as we sail off, led by creeps who rule by fiat and decree, and ignore Parliamentary democracy.
Just imagine the political frothing and media gnashing of teeth if this stuff had been instigated by the SNP!
But THIS is what the Scottish Labour Party and Kezia Dugdale prefer, rather than Scottish self government.
Keir Hardie would turn in his grave!
“…dividing our nation…”
Two nations, two independent kingdoms, signed the Treaty of Union.
As ” equal partners.”
The UK is not a country.
It is a union of countries with a fankled Royal history.
Time now to restore independence for each.
Scotland leads the way with a social democratic vanguard.
Boris excelling himself today. The blustering “Buffoon of the Year” now suggesting a war with Russia—this when the UK is at its military lowpoint.
He also claims the UK could get a BETTER trade deal in the EU than at present—yet the Single Market is the worlds most open, internal trading block.
You couldn’t make it up. Yet Boris and Co did make it up during the referendum and continue to do so now. Anyone spare a fiver for a new yacht for Boris?
Is Kezia impressed with all the lies, the racism, the xenophobia? Will she share a platform with these people against the YES campaign? Jockophobia time with Boris.
What precisely does Kezia think Scotland should do now? The May regime ignores Scotland—it ignores Parliament (north and south)— it ignores everyone—-how to proceed Kezia?
SCOTTISH LABOUR MSP’s WILL VOTE AGAINST SCOTLAND BUT WITH THE TORIES.
No f – ing CHANGE THERE.
If Scottish Labour don’t take this last chance to redeem themselves and throw it away on the Tories again just to gamble that the SNP will eventually slide from popularity then no bookies on earth will give good odds on it’s survival at all
While like all governments popularity does wane over time that time is not yet close and the last remaining Labour voters will move to the Tories and SNP out of spite for Labours inability to make a decisive move in support of Scotland
Nobody is asking Scottish Labour to join the SNP but there is nothing wrong in taking the same position as the Greens and nobody is offended by their position which I do have to point out could soon be in the seats Scottish Labour are now occupying at the next elections
Does Scottish Labours plan include falling so far behind that it’s over forever, if so what do you have to lose, and probably more to gain
Dugdale is now “advised” by one Alan Roden, a right wing hack previously employed by the English Nationalist Daily Mail—-says it all really.
Alan Roden has been a Labour supporter since his youth. Judging people by the values of their employer seems to me both an anti-social and an anti-socialist approach. The idea that Alan is right wing is laughable to anyone who knows him. But it’s just the sort of bullshit people like you get away with to an online audience which knows no better.
Who do you think you are kidding Duncan, you honestly think no-one has seen his work on the Daily Mail.
The idea that Alan Roden is not right wing is more laughable.
Presumably when he worked for the Evening News he adopted their political stance too, did he? You guys know so little, yet you speak so much.
First—Fli wi the craws, n’ ye’l git shot wi the craws. The Mail has a certain reputation.
Roden is one nasty piece of work. If he’s yours, Duncan, well good luck.
As journalists go, he is exactly what Goebals wanted for the regime he served. Or am I thinking of East Germany? Or Spud Murphy?
Certainly not The Washington Post. Or anywhere that checks facts.
Breaking news—-SNP BAD! Or BADDER than BAD.
Didn’t he once claim Scottish Labour’s tax plans to be “bad”?
Then criticise the Mail, not someone whose personal views you quite evidently know nothing of.
I repeat, this is the sort of bullshit people like you get away with to an online audience which knows no better. No, Alan didn’t write that Scottish Labour’s tax plans were bad. He reported other people saying it. Because that was his job. It’s called journalism, and he’s a pretty decent one.
It doesn’t really matter what the reality of Mr Roden’s views are. He happily took the Mail’s shilling and espoused their views. He will therefore be tarred with the brush of their extreme right wing lunatic rantings.
I can only assume Labour hoped to lure some Tory unionists to the fold. However, all it did was convince more people Labour are out of touch. A PR faux pas at the very least.
“People like you”—–What kind of “people” is that, Duncan?
Jewish? Black? Ex- Labour party members?
As for Roden. No, I don’t think he was a “good journalist”.
I would dub him a polemicist against Scottish self government. I think his views slanted the stuff he wrote, not just the paper he wrote for.
I doubt he or the Daily Mail would pass the ASNE *Statement of Principles*.
Point to a single polemic against Scottish self government that he has written then.
Hahaha. Come off it Dunc.
ALL of his articles fall into the bracket of polemics and propaganda.
You think that is “journalism”. I don’t.
Then you’ll be very easily able to point to one. Gav.
Why point to one, when there are so many, Dunc?
Perhaps you could point your readership to one article among Roden’s “oeuvre” which adheres to the ASNE Statement of Principles, among which are–
IV- Sincerity, Truthfulness, Accuracy.
V- Impartiality.
VI- Fair Play.
You know, just because Roden has made a “good” living out of what he does, does not qualify him as a “good” journalist.
Pathetic. You made the assertion, now you refuse to back it up. You’re just a smear merchant. Grim.
It’ll be a blow if those great thinkers, Labour MSPs, were to vote against a second referendum. However, they do enjoy being subservient to Mrs May’s government in London, as she is their social superior and Labour has always known its place as Hudson the Butler. Poverty of imagination and fear of responsibililty have nothing to do with their loyal obeisance.
Scottish Labour’s “alternative programme for government” was rejected in May, wasn’t it? How does it justify pushing forth policy positions that were decisively dismissed by the electorate about four months ago?
Labour refusing to get the message is going to be their death rattle. “Say it isn’t so” is what we are used to hearing. Heyday’s come & go. One day the SNP will start to slide but by then the country will look very different. There’s something romantic & defiant about clinging to the wreckage of a lost cause.
UK at any cost (inc Tory Rule forever) is much more attractive to S. Labour than living in a left of centre social democratic independent country. We might have to wait a generation until the Liberals rise from the grave to save us coz Labour won’t be around by then. It’s not Kezia’s fault, she just happened to be there when the train crashed.Corbyn & McDonnell will be the pall bearers when the party is buried. It couldn’t be kept alive on a diet of claiming solidarity with Palestine, Venezuala or Stop the War
I voted Labour three times in a row from ’97 only out of tradition. No one can take anything away from Labour’s achievements, like the nhs and welfare state but that was nearly 70 years ago. This is a new age and the people want something fundamentally different. We may need “labour values” but we don’t need the Labour party