Trying to figure out WTF is going on Over the weekend (16-18 May) I was privileged to attend the 2025 Scottish Sovereignty Research Group conference. This was a highly significant and newsworthy event in Scottish politics. We would not, therefore, expect that BBC Scotland Politics would cover it. We would not, however, have been thought unreasonable had we anticipated that The National, as "Scotland's only pro-independence newspaper", might have been all over an event so relevant to Scotland's cause. I know The National was informed and invited. Although it also seems quite reasonable to suppose that The National might have had its finger, if not directly on the pulse of Scottish politics, at least in an adjacent postcode and so would be aware of what was going on at the Carnegie Conference Centre in Dunfermline over a three-day period. Evidently not. I was there on all three of those days and I saw no reporters at all. From all I have been able to gather, nobody else saw any representatives of the 'Scottish' media at the conference either. Certainly, the organisers were unaware of any media presence. Not even "Scotland's only pro-independence newspaper". I mention this in passing and imply no connection with the above, but another notable absence was the 'party of independence'. (Lest it have slipped your mind, that's the SNP.) So, here we have a three day conference by a leading pro-independence think-tank with a gaggle of very distinguished speakers and an agenda that promised a rich vein of material for political journalists and reporters as well as some much needed fresh thinking on the constitutional issue for our moribund political caste, and neither "Scotland's only pro-independence newspaper" nor the self-styled 'party of independence' deigned to attend. What the fuck!? The latter was invited. I am reliable informed that invitations were sent to all 129 MSPs. So, that would include all the MSPs from the nominally pro-independence parties. And none of them could be bothered showing up even for a quick photo-op. I repeat, what the thundering fuck!? The Saturday afternoon session of SSRG 2025 was an occasion of historic import to the cause of restoring Scotland's independence. Neither the SNP nor The National were there. A fact which I trust will be noted by future historians. The subject of the session was Decolonisation & Self Determination. Words that should have had The National's offices awash with the drool of eager newshounds. And surely there must be at least one person among the SNP's atrocious 'leadership' who was just slightly intrigued by such subject matter. But no! This is not just appalling. It is intolerable. Had John Swinney one scintilla of political acuity, he might have recognised that the 'respectable' nature of the SSRG conference made it a perfect opportunity for him or one of his underlings to be seen to engage with the vast bulk of the independence movement outside the bubble of sycophancy that protects them from reality. He might at least have sent Keith Brown along as a token presence. But no! Shame on you John Swinney! Shame on the entire SNP 'leadership'! Shame on the party members who permit and even encourage their leaders to flaunt a contempt for the independence movement that comes close to equalling the contempt heaped on Scotland by the British state. As for The National and its editorial staff, words fail me. But not as much as you fail Scotland's cause. Not to mention your own profession. You're currently a free subscriber to Peter A Bell. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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