Trying to figure out WTF is going on An exchange in the comments section of the Barrhead Boy blog has been brought to my attention. Normally, I would pay little heed to anything on that site. But there appears to be the beginnings of a campaign of misinformation about the Manifesto for Independence (M4I) and the #ScottishUDI plan which must be countered. Either that or Roddy McLeod, the owner of the blogsite, is an individual who takes some pride in the perfection of his ignorance. Whether the misinformation is being promulgated out of petty maliciousness or simply dumb refusal to inform himself before commenting, nothing that Roddy McLeod says about Manifesto for Independence (M4I) and the #ScottishUDI is true. I'm reluctant to say more because the things he says are so far removed from the facts as to make me wonder if this individual is entirely well. But lies must be shot down and 'misleading' statements must be corrected as they are discovered. Anyone who wants to be correctly informed about anything relating to the Manifesto for Independence should contact myself or one of the members of the working group which is running the Manifesto for Independence Petition campaign. I prefer to be contacted by email at either admin@manifestoforindependence.scot or contact@peterabell.scot. The Manifesto for Independence website is in the process of being rebuilt, but a contact facility and FAQ page will be available soon. Below is a screenshot of the exchange in question followed by my response to the initial comment. I republish it here because I have no confidence that the response will appear on the site. Readers must judge for themselves whether Roddy McLeod is an individual they wish to trust.
A screenshot of the full page can be downloaded here. Firstly, thank you for taking the trouble to read the Manifesto for Independence. Would that others did so before commenting. Your comment and subsequent responses were brought to my attention by someone concerned about the misinformation being spread about the Manifesto for Independence and the #ScottishUDI plan. Whether this is being done purposeful for malicious reasons or out of proud ignorance, I don't know. It is not possible to tell because the result is identical in both cases. The ideal of democracy is that voters should make informed decisions. Those who promulgate falsehoods are enemies of democracy and should be recognised as such. Roddy's replies to you are, to be generous, misleading. He implies that the #ScottishUDI is undemocratic. He says, for example:
As you will be aware having actually read the Manifesto for Independence and supporting information, the process described involves no fewer than three democratic votes. Firstly, there is the election in 2026 of a pro-independence Scottish Parliament with a majority of MSPs having been elected on the basis of personal or party manifestos which include the Manifesto for independence. Secondly, there is the plebiscite part of that election which is made possible by the introduction of a binary element. This is achieved by having all the pro-independence parties stand on election manifestos which incorporate the Manifesto for Independence. This means that every vote for any pro-independence party can be unarguably counted as a vote for the same commitment on the constitutional issue. As a bonus, it also removes party politics from the constitutional issue. It achieves unity of purpose without any need for the parties to come together under a single umbrella group. Which, of course, was never going to happen. The combined election/plebiscite provides a mandate for the Scottish Parliament to assert legislative competence in matters relating to the constitution for the immediate purpose of enabling the exercise by the people of Scotland of our right of self-determination - there being no other way we can do so. The third and arguably most important vote is the confirmatory referendum on an Act of the Scottish Parliament effectively dissolving the Union and establishing a democratic republic of Scotland. The Act itself will take the form of a proposal tabled by the Scottish Government which includes details of how the confirmatory referendum will work and a provisional constitution. Voters will thus know exactly what they are voting for - or against. Anyone who says this process is undemocratic is a liar or a fool or both. You're currently a free subscriber to Peter A Bell. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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