I think Scotland should be independent.
It’s why I voted Yes in 2014 and I would vote Yes again if a vote was held tomorrow.
I support Scottish independence because it seems fundamentally daft that there are huge areas of reserved policy that are outwith the control of the Scottish Parliament.
I think we should get the party that we vote for, every time.
And that party – just like in all normal, independent countries – should be responsible – and accountable – for all areas of governance.
The current crisis engulfing the SNP hasn’t dampened my support for independence one jot. But it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the main party of independence, does it?
Confusion is the order of the day.
There is an ongoing police investigation into party finances. And so it’s important that commentators – and the wider public – stay well clear of speculation and innuendo.
But here’s what we do know.
Transparency pledge follows troubling times for SNP
The police searched the home of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, as well as SNP offices and other addresses.
Peter Murrell was arrested, and then released without charge.
SNP auditors resigned more than six months ago, and the party has yet to replace them. This is highly irregular, despite the protestations to the contrary.
And now the SNP is unable to guarantee that its accounts will be filed on time this year.
A luxury motorhome, owned by the party and parked outside Peter Murrell’s mother’s house, was seized by the police.
New First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced that a review into the governance and transparency of the party will be undertaken.
So, that’s what we do know.
What we don’t know is who knew what and when.
Or just how serious is the ‘what’ is.
Greater transparency in the past might have saved SNP problems now
I’ve heard assertions and theories from SNP folk that range from ‘mountain out of a molehill’ to ‘it’s about to go nuclear’. So your guess is as good as mine.
“There is absolutely no issue in terms of the party's finances being in difficulty. They are in balance. We still have a healthy level of membership, a healthy level of donations.”
MP Ian Blackford discusses concerns with SNP’s finances on #TimesRadio. pic.twitter.com/j7NF9bVMgQ
— Times Radio (@TimesRadio) April 16, 2023
Speculation and innuendo are rife at the moment. So too is a sense of unease – and melancholy – that is strange to see in a party that has been riding high for so long.
Perhaps understandably, a bunker mentality seems to have set in among party bigwigs.
In media interviews, party representatives will only go as far as to say that it’s been a ‘difficult’ time for the SNP, which must surely be an early contender for understatement of the year.
There is a risk that, as the nature of what they’re dealing with internally becomes clearer, they become even more defensive.
This wouldn’t be good for a party that owes at least part of its current woes to its tendency to err on the side of secrecy in its dealings.
It also wouldn’t be good news for the wider independence movement.
Yousaf must look to wider independence cause
I don’t believe that even a worst-case scenario for the SNP would cause a significant drop in support for independence.
(Although saying that, I also didn’t have ‘campervan’ on my political scandal bingo card for 2023, so what do I know?)
But there is no doubt that it would be a blow to morale and an unhelpful distraction at a time when independence supporters are already feeling restless at the lack of clear direction about where we go from here.
Support for Independence is strong and not in decline. Even though the SNP is on the rocks, support for independence is steadfast because being YES is not one and the same as being SNP. Scotland's cause goes back. We have fought and will keep on fighting until the fight is won. pic.twitter.com/z5QxjS0BtC
— All Under One Banner (@AUOBNOW) April 16, 2023
Humza Yousaf has a huge job on his hands in the weeks and months ahead.
He has to steer his party through a crisis that, as yet, we don’t know the true extent of.
If he is frustrated that he was kept out of the loop about issues around party finances, then he’s hiding it well.
But many people are growing increasingly frustrated at what looks like chaos within our governing party.
Transparency isn’t something that should only be reserved for times of crisis.
Protecting brand SNP should be way down the First Minister’s list of priorities at the moment.
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