In the Waiting Room
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the temporary cessation of most vital functions without death, as in a dormant seed or a hibernating animal.
Before the current impasse, Liz Truss was talked up. During the interminable leadership ‘campaign’ huge claims were made about her abilities. Several commentators described her as the ‘leader of the free world’ – a description which now would fill anyone with incredulity – but certainly seemed wildly outlandish at the time. These were people who were high on the rhetoric of Britain’s role in supporting Ukraine, ignored (incredibly) the botched reality of her trip to Moscow, and were salivating at the prospect of her IEA-sponsored economic ideology being put into play.
Writing in the Telegraph, one such acolyte gushed of her being a ‘formidable figure’:
“In essence, she (Truss) is a standard bearer for Brexit, economic freedom, secure borders and national sovereignty. And that rings alarm bells from the White House to the Elysée Palace. US leadership is declining, and the EU is sinking, gravely weakened by decades of dependency on Russian energy,
Enter Liz Truss. She is everything that Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz are not. A conservative, principled politician, she projects a strategic vision of a powerful West that is a bastion of freedom and self-determination. Equally alarming for the global elites, she is willing to reject the Big Government status quo.
A Truss-led government could be the most radical British Conservative administration since Margaret Thatcher, a game changer on the world stage, willing to challenge the old guard and offer conservative ideas and solutions to global problems. Truss understands, as did Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, that strength and determination – combined with a belief in cutting taxes and regulations, and reining in the power of the state – are a tremendous formula for success.”
Watching the erstwhile leader of the free world blinking in a state of sedated wonder yesterday, these words seem incredible. But this is the state of complete denial that sections of the media class are in. I think it’s safe to say that there are no alarm bells ringing in the White House or the Elysée Palace.
Waiting Time
Living in Britain seems to be an experience of suspended disbelief … waiting about for things to happen to you … and having time itself defined to you by higher bodies. Like the manic celebration of the ultimate expression of passive quietism and hyper-deference: queuing for miles to genuflect at a dead monarch; we are told now to just wait in line …
Remember when we were told to wait for the Sue Gray report? Everything was on hold until the mythical Sue Gray issued her very important findings. Nothing could be done until this moment had passed. Weeks … what felt like years passed … by the time her epic report was issued most of us were comatose.
We are of course reminded daily that “now is not the time” for a vote on running our own country. The phrase has become a sort of gnostic mantra whispered by the unholy fellowship in place of rationality or logical discourse.
Remember when we waited for the Conservative Party to decide which of its rank deluded ideologues would lead the country (sic), and then when they decided on the candidate that was – by some margin – in a competitive group – clearly the very worst?
Remember when we waited for Allegra Stratton to be sacked? As parties raged around us the sacrificial/totemic lamb was eventually thrown onto the pyre warming Johnson’s gigantic ego and we waited for the next announcement from the Daily Mirror about the next ‘revelation’ of bacchanalian excess in No 10.
Now we are waiting – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – for the verdict of the Supreme Court.
We seem to have been waiting for so long for everything. It feels like we’ve been in a state of suspended animation since the 1980s. Consider these quotes from a now defunct Scottish magazine:
“Scotland at the outset of the 1990s felt embattled, under-valued, put upon, second-rate, patronised, victimised, deprived. Underlying all of this, too, was a sense of frustration and impotence, and anger.”
“No matter what the Tories say, the great problem for the Scottish political system is why someone like Ian Lang is Secretary of State, calling the shots…when almost no one votes for him.”
The speakers are not radicals or nationalists or republicans but Alan Taylor and Donald Dewar. The issues they speak to are still present with us today as Liz Truss glides through the House of Commons like someone half-way through a Cavity Embalming, and we wait patiently (endlessly) for her political demise.
There is little ‘suspense’ in this state of suspended animation, more like an experience of floating between mesmerised confusion and contempt.
Britain has been in a state of festering-almost-collapse for so long now it has just become normalised as the general condition.
The man on the radio says he doesn’t think there’ll be an election for another two years.
Now, just as the ‘the economic case for the union is stone dead‘ – so too is the economic case for independence – ‘the realisation of any Scottish sovereignty is more distant than ever‘).
Only one of these realities is reformable.
What are we waiting for?
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‘What are we waiting for?’ Permission from England? I’m quickly losing faith in Nicola.
Aren’t we waiting for it to be the general will of the imagined community of ‘Scotland’ that its government is independent of the UK?
The main obstacle is that we’ve no political mechanism through which our general will can be realised. And having our own wee Westminster in Edinburgh won’t change that. The whole nationalist thing is a distraction from the work of growing democracy from the grassroots up.
“What are we waiting for?”
Good question. I think everyone is passively waiting for our independence-minded MSPs and MPs to take the lead. But that lot have turned out to be a busted flush. They are all way too comfy with things as they are, being themselves products and beneficiaries of the very system that afflicts us. They are almost to a person second and third raters with no capacity to confront and lead us out of the crisis we are faced with. We are in desperate need of someone with hunger in their belly and the rhetorical skills to match, a modern-day John Witherspoon.
And who is going to replace these people for whom you have such contempt? Are you going to do it?
You read as if having a moan is what you want and that any moves towards independence will remove the pleasure of the moan.
Do you want Scotland to be an independent country? If so, tell us how you think it will be achieved?
Easy answer: Alba, ISP and all other true independence groups. F.M. Sturgeon is not the yes leader. She has never said that she is in favour of independence but that the Scottish people will decide. She has stated that she considers herself British. She never said there would be a referendum in 2023. Her words were ‘I will do my best’. Well, her best is not good enough.
The fact is that nothing has been accomplished in the last 9 years by F.M. Sturgeon unless you consider begging to England for permission and attacking the English P.M. The majority, if not all, of the NU-S.N.P. members and supporters will join the yes movement by either transferring from the NU-S.N.P. to Alba, as I did, or ISP or getting rid of the Murrells and Ian Blackford whom whether one likes to admit it, or not, are unionists.
2 Alba MPs Stood up for independence at Westminster and were thrown out. All NU-S.N.P.s just sat there, looking at the floor wi their heids doon lookin at the flair — ashamed of 2 Scottish MP’s standing up for you and all Scots.
ISP, that would be the party who got 47 votes at an election in East Lothian last year ?
Where are you coming from. I have heard Nicola Sturgeon say on innumerable occasions that she has always supported the Independence cause. So how can you say ‘You have never heard her say she wants Independence’.
Forget your conspiracy theories and get to work for Scotland’s Independence.
Hullo Bill McDermott. I am 100% committed to Scotland’s independence. I have been since the days of our leader Billy Wolfe. In 2014 I was outside Glasgow University with a bunch of lassies promoting Independence, then on to Bathgate, Edinburgh and the Borders. And you?
F.M. Sturgeon has always said, and I quote ” The people of Scotland will decide on independence”. That is not the same as saying I am committed to Independence. She did however say that she is British as well you know. A Brit leading an independence campaign against her Britain?
After 9 years of kick the can, whether we like it or not, it is obvious that the Murrells have no intention of fighting for our independence.
If you feel that continual telling us what a bunch of clowns, led by Boris and now daft Lizzy, are running Britain into the ground and then begging for English permission to hold a referendum from an English P.M. and then to ask the English Supreme Court if that is alright, then you don’t understand that a sovereign country like Scotland doesn’t have to ask or in the case of Ms. Sturgeon, beg any foreign country for permission to do anything. Scotland is a laughingstock thanks to Ms. Sturgeon and Ian Blackford’s continual begging. I’m ashamed that any Scot would beg and plead for anything from an English Gov’t. That’s what no pride in one’s own country leads to. BTW The decision of the English Supreme Court should come down in around 4 years.
The original S.N.P. was the only Independence party and Alex Salmond was the one who got a referendum which we narrowly lost. The NU-S.N.P. is not the driver of independence, in fact it is the opposite. Ms. Sturgeon has opposed Alba since its inception and all other parties and groups
fighting for independence. However, she has no problem debating the 3 English Branch parties at Holyrood on the EBC thus giving them the appearance of a legitimate Scottish party which they are not. She ignores Alba, ISP and any other true independence groups. Why?
As you know 2 Alba true Scottish MP’s were kicked out of Westminster for demanding independence for Scotland. Your NU-S.N.P.s led by Ian Blackford just sat there wi heids doon lookin at the flair ashamed to stand up for Scotland.
The F.M. invented a code of conduct for all true independent parties and groups which she doesn’t have the authority to do but didn’t include the 3 English Branch supervisors at Holyrood. No party or group will follow her rules except of course the muzzled voices of the NU-S.N.P.
It is time the NU-S.N.P. stopped manning the bilge pumps of the good ship Britanica to launch the lifeboat ‘Scotland’.
As a member of Alba I work very hard for independence. You drop the word conspiracy? Don’t talk down to me. Instead read the facts above
and make up your own mind not what your British NU-S.N.P. F.M. tells you.
Please tell me why we ‘yes’ers are still at 50% +- since 2014 when Ms. Sturgeon was appointed leader.
I will always vote for our independence. F.M. Sturgeon will never deliver it. Why? Last year she was voted in to declare independence but changed it to say that a referendum was needed, and her begging continued. If you are serious about getting out of our colonial status, you will join Alba or ISP.
I think I answered your question in my last line. Salmond, whatever one thinks of him as a person, had the ability but he’s been tar and feathered by his successor, such that he probably no longer has the credibility to act in that capacity.
And, yes, maybe I am moaning but it is moaning born of the reality of the current political situation. If more people moaned about this current bunch of charlatans and moved their money and support elsewhere, maybe we’d make some progress. Better to complain than remain quiet in the delusion that Sturgeon’s SNP are serious about delivering independence. That level of delusion is worthy of the writer Mike quotes from the Telegraph.
Great Post Alan. As an ex NU-S.N.P.er, I left a few years ago, I joined Alba the minute I heard Alex Salmond was appointed leader. For me it’s about independence and not the person although we are lucky to have Alex back. He is a true Scot and Independista as am I. The issue is the unionist leadership of the NU-S.N.P. through whom we will never, ever be independent. Ms. Sturgeon has stated she is British. A Brit leading an independent movement to get rid of British colonialism? Where are the brains of the rank-and-file NU-S.N.P. supporters?
Alba Party are currently on 4 % in opinion polls. Wow !
Watched a pasty faced Scottish unionist tell the English on GB News that our FM – re her speech yesterday- is only interested in Independence and nothing else…a shocking indictment of Sturgeon. She’s sure as hell not perfect but miles ahead of Truss.
Sad wee person wants to know how to achieve independence?…
1. Get shot of folk like you..I suggest you go and live south of our border.
2. Support our government…as most of us do cos we keep voting for them ( unless you would rather trust Westminister …trying not to laugh….)
3.Vote for Independence..
Oh hell did I miss one?….yes my favourite….UDI
Got that sad wee person?
For Scotland!
So what are you suggesting Alan ,that we carry on like little feart nonentities ,having No Say in our lives ,none that matters anyway ,or do we jump out of the frying pan and Away from the Fire to know that your vote Counts and have faith in your own and Where you can do Something about it if your not happy.
“that we carry on like little feart nonentities”
I am not suggesting that but I like your characterization of the current state of affairs under Sturgeon’s SNP. What was it John Nicolson said a few days ago: “Nicola Sturgeon is not Alex Salmond – she doesn’t frighten the horses south of the border.” Straight from the horse’s mouth.
I think you are mistaken that Sturgeon does not frighten the establishment south of the border. If they did not see her as a clear and present threat they would not devote so much time and energy demonising her. Sturgeon’s competence and popularity scares them.
Whatever you think of Sturgeon’s lack of fire and showmanship, she is a credible enemy from the unionist perspective. Salmond ain’t coming back. Can’t come back. He’s yesterday’s man. I admired what Salmond achieved and his rhetoric and sparring but he was also self-important, smug and irritating much of the time. A far easier monster to demonise than Sturgeon. Unionists would love him to come back, especially with his RT connection to provide headlines.
But yeah. Why are we sitting around waiting for permission to exist? To be?
I’d like to see a concrete prospectus for the democratic values and structures that an independent Scotland would have. We need a vision that will attract people towards it. It’s not enough just to flee the shit-storm of Westminster.
We are notv waiting , we are doing!
We are actively in our communities persuading our fellow citizens of the positive case for Independence.
What we need is this space , and all other pro- Independence platforms to also be filled with variations on that theme….and little else!
Our fellow citizens do not hear or see the positive case, eloquently articulated in the introduction of the latest Scotgov paper as the media constantly feeds them a distorted reality.
We need to counter that face to face in every community armed with constant inspiring input and techniques from this and other pro – Independence platforms.
ALL dialogue from should be describing a compelling alternative to inspire our fellow citizens to choose Independence.
Whether socialist or conservative in outlook they can clearly see that their current representatives no longer reflect their values or aspirations – they should know that they will have their views better reflected in an Independent Scotland that enables full citizen participation and proportionate representation – where we can work together towards an even better Scotland – for everyone – shaped by everyone!
Hullo Alex. I just read on the National media a ton of posts principally concerning what currency Scotland will use when independent based on British F.M.s statements. We can talk all day about that and any other after independence proposal while we wait and wait and wait for the British F.M. NU-S.N.P. Leader to get off her behind and demand independence. Not only demand, ‘declare’ independence. then we can work on all facets of what we will negotiate with our ex-colonial masters. Also, Ms. Sturgeon is not the leader of the yes movement. The time to move is now.
Enough of Ms. Sturgeon’s kick the can / programmes. The Alba party are turning up the heat and they will declare independence for Scotland with or without the F.M. Sturgeon, who refuses to work with any other independent party, or the nu-s.n.p. CEO Murrell along with Ian Blackford. B
Backford’s dug and cuddy show at the NU-S.N.P. conference did nothing, zero for our independence. We aw ken fine aboot the empty heided Liz Truss.
Notably Sturgeon, Murrell and Blackford all receive thousands of pounds salary plus thousands more for expenses which are not taxable while Scots families are struggling just to make ends meet and not freeze to death. The 3 NU-S.N.P. executives above with the NU-S.N.P.’S at Westminster also have big salaries and expenses as those 3. Their money comes from England’s chancellor of the exchequer. Is that why there is delay after delay in getting our independence? Or even trying? Wake up. The delay is F.M. Sturgeon. Zero in 9 years. The average Scot is paying the price.
“British F.M. NU-S.N.P.” Tiresome repetition of this does not help your arguments.
Hullo Derek Thomson. You mean tiresome facts bother you. It is not my argument. It is facts of the actions and statements of the British F.M. NU-S.N.P. Sturgeon. You seem to be afraid of independence. You know that it was F.M. Sturgeon who said she was British not anyone else.
You can’t refute the facts. It’s independistas like me, and there are many of us, who stand up for Scotland. Perhaps you can tell us how
Ms. Sturgeon has advanced independence in the last 9 years? While you are at it why the NU-S.N.P.s at Westminster humbly sat staring at the floor, ashamed with heads down staring at the floor as 2 Alba MPs stood up demanding our independence and were thrown out. Ms. Sturgeon later said that her NU-S.N.P. members would not be allowed to walk out in support of demanding independence. Do you get the point?
If you are for independence, then you should join Alba or ISP who actively campaign for Indy. The option is to pretend that the NU-S.N.P. will declare Indy and then get another 9 years of excuses of why the time isn’t right. It will take 4 years for the English Supreme Court to tell Ms. Sturgeon whether a referendum in Scotland is legal. You must know that a sovereign country, Scotland, doesn’t need to ask any foreign country for permission to do anything. Time for a gut check.
Derek Thomson: Liz Truss has resigned. We have again the tiresome British NU-S.N.P. F.M. Leader’s action plan just announced. ” We need a British General Election’. We need independence! The Tories will never call an election as English Labour will wipe them out. Sturgeon can’t get that through her empty head. Of course, this is yet another excuse to delay doing what she was elected to do? DECLARE INDEPENDENCE.
Time to put on the thinking cap.
If the Supreme Court says no it leaves the UK in a bad position. The no itself might drive the undecided to independence but if we fail to get the required 50%+ at the next general election is Indy dead? We can say there was no referendum just like they’ll say there was no referendum if we get 50%+.
But if it goes our way then is the time to get militant.
If lower courts can, in some special circumstances, provide a basis to challenge laws (on the grounds of irrationality, say), might the UK Supreme Court rule that the UK quasi-Constitution is so irrational, so unfit for purpose, that the Court cannot reasonably and reliably function as an arbiter of constitutional matters until and unless a new Constitution is encoded? After all, ‘British Constitutional experts’ seem more like rent-a-witchdoctor than serious legal-political authorities, and the collective noun appears to be ‘a Disagreement’.
Well, I guess we’ll just have to see how fast things change during the next phase shift in British politics, as uncertain as that will be timing-wise. But we could be looking at some sort of cascade failure when it does. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascading_failure
‘…the UK quasi-Constitution is so irrational, so unfit for purpose, that the Court cannot reasonably and reliably function as an arbiter of constitutional matters until and unless a new Constitution is encoded…’
The latter proposition doesn’t follows from the former assumption. The competence of the Supreme Court to rule on constitutional matters is a matter of fact that’s established by the constitution, which ascription of competence in public decision-making is exactly the function of any constitution. If the constitution wasn’t fit for purpose, as you assume, the Supreme Court would be neither able nor unable to function in the way that it in fact does and your argument would dissolve into absurdity. To make your argument work, you need to modify your prejudice that the constitution is unfit for purpose.
Constitution ? What constitution? The UK doesn’t have a written, codified constitution, just a rag-bag of laws and traditions.
@Lord Parakeet the Cacophonist, no, I really don’t.
Its website says that the UK Supreme Court was established, not by this mysterious ‘Constitution’ as you allege, but by an Act of Parliament: https://www.supremecourt.uk/about/history.html
Now, some ‘constitutional experts’ say that Parliament is completely sovereign, unbound by previous Parliaments, and can repeal such legislation as they will (other ‘constitutional experts’ say that the UK has moved to a more mixed model containing some ‘legal sovereignty’; still others assert the royal prerogatives).
And of course, the UK quasi-constitution is still the British imperial quasi-constitution which is still the hereditary-royal-theocratic quasi-constitution, although these tend to bring it into conflict with more enlightened jurisdictions like the UN. This is why:
“the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the court of final appeal for the UK overseas territories and Crown dependencies. It also serves those Commonwealth countries that have retained the appeal to Her Majesty in Council or, in the case of republics, to the Judicial Committee.”
Now, I guess we all know you love to demand that others decolonise their minds, but perhaps for once you could turn your attention inwards to your prejudices. As perhaps the minds of the UK Supreme Court Judges should be turned upon the fitness of the UK quasi-Constitution itself.