I see the Nats didn't take long to put their spin on the Paddy Ashdown comments I posted about earlier.
Jamie Hepburn MSP may be factually correct in quoting one of the latest polls on the referendum question (the one more favourable to his argument). However, I have every confidence that when Independence is the only subject on the table that all the myriad holes in the argument for Scottish Independence will come out and sway the majority of the 42% undecided (by that polls measure) against the economically unsound arguments being put by the SNP for it.
One thing you are wrong about Jamie is that now is not the time for any of us to to work out a position on independence. Even Alex Salmond is meeting with the Prime Minister, after 10 months of silence to see if there is more that can be done together, not apart, for the economy in this current recession. If you want immediate action the Lib Dems have offered advice and will give support on economic issues. There is no more pressing issue facing Scotland at the moment, to say or dictate otherwise is disrespecting the people of Scotland.
Stephen - in your view, are voters and politicians smart enough to be able to deal with more than one issue at once?
ReplyDeletePersonally Richard I'm not sure where you attack is aiming at.
ReplyDeleteI know that politicians are capable of dealing with more than one thing in times of normality. However, as has often been the case, such as times of war of economic upheaval obviously one issue takes a dispropionate amount of time. Therefore if the Nats feel that fighting to try and get a "stable majority" on the issue of an Independence referendum comes high up the list of priorities for now I'm sure the voters will knock them back because of it.
If however you are doubting my faith in the voters from what I said far from it. I've long been an advocate to have the referndum and to clear the air. Because unlike claiming the number of votes for Nationalist parties is the equivalkent of a vote for independence it ignores the other factors that may lead to that vote.
Indeed as I said above any referendum would focus attention on that one issue as never before. And under the spotlight I'm pretty sure it will not stand up on many issues. More of that later, I'm not going to shot my bolt too soon.
Although if the Nats do want to start attacking those with sympathy to the referdum cause I'm sure it will make their lives so much easier in persuading others.
ReplyDeleteI wasn’t actually attacking you Stephen, though your defensive (and stereo) responses are revealing.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found strange was your point that in regard to the credit crunch: “There is no more pressing issue facing Scotland at the moment, to say or dictate otherwise is disrespecting the people of Scotland”.
No-one’s ‘dictating’ what you assert they might be, far less even saying so, in those sources to which you have linked. However, for you to suggest that even “to say otherwise [that the crunch isn’t the most important issue facing Scotland] is disrespecting the people of Scotland”, is arrant nonsense.
The credit crunch is an important issue, no doubt, and for many people will indeed be *the* most important issue. But it’s not for you, your party, or anyone else for that matter to dictate to others whether it is or it isn’t the most important issue for them. Jamie Hepburn was dictating to no-one about the importance or otherwise of a referendum, in stark contrast to what you appear to be doing yourself re the credit crunch.
Anyway, I think that most people are smart enough to consider more than one issue at a time. I think they’re smart enough to determine for themselves what should or should not be of importance to them and to attach the appropriate degree of urgency to it accordingly. Since I think this also applies to the Lib Dems, it appears I may have more faith in your party that you do yourself! ;-)
Paddy Ashdown may have woken up a sleeping dog with his comments, but I also think it’s inappropriate to be trying to close down a debate by using the feeble excuse that you oughtn’t to discuss it because something else important is happening in the background. It smacks of trying to avoid the issue.