Are YOU Voting for the Alba Party?

[tirso]

If he gets 7% as suggested here that's a victory.  Basically similar to the Greens.

[Lurkst]

34 minutes ago, tirso said:

If he gets 7% as suggested here that's a victory.  Basically similar to the Greens.

It's 7% of a heavily pro-independence political forum though.

 

[Junior Pub League]

58 minutes ago, tirso said:

If he gets 7% as suggested here that's a victory.  Basically similar to the Greens.

If the SNP got 99.9999999% of the vote and Alba got the remainder it would STILL be an utter beamer for Scotland that there are people willing to vote for something thats essentially the Tartan version of UKIP (in relation to it being a toxic cabal of complete weapons that everyone sane is embarrased by)

[ICTJohnboy]

1 hour ago, Junior Pub League said:

Nipper Salmond AND Tommy Sheridan, its good that all of the toxic wanks are combining into a massive party of c***s.

 

Another reason not to vote for the sleazy duplicitous fuckers.

[Trogdor]

1 hour ago, DeeTillEhDeh said:

Forres Gump has about as much charisma as a dead parrot

This is true. Douglas Ross was a bizarre choice, better than Jackson Coleslaw but no Blurt.

Also, the dead parrot reminds me of Monty Python. You get a greenie for that. 

[Granny Danger]

1 hour ago, Lurkst said:

It's 7% of a heavily pro-independence political forum though.

 

Yeah, aggregate that down and they might get 3% which would mean zero seats.  

[Gordon EF]

1 hour ago, Lurkst said:

It's 7% of a heavily pro-independence political forum though.

 

I'd guess that being pro-independence is the only part of this forum's demographic lean that favours Alba though. I think this place skews heavily younger and / or liberal (essentially the group more likely to side with Sturgeon over Salmond). Exactly the type of pro-independence voter that's more likely to stick with the Greens rather than switch to Alba.

Alba's demographic will be older, more socially conservative, and more fundamentalist when it comes to independence,

[Glen Sannox]

1 hour ago, Trogdor said:

This is true. Douglas Ross was a bizarre choice, better than Jackson Coleslaw but no Blurt.

Also, the dead parrot reminds me of Monty Python. You get a greenie for that. 

Jackson Coleslaw..... great Nat banter!

To think, I got derided for Cringe Freelunch, Wet Pishfart and Ian Blackpudding!

[tirso]

I'm possibly just a bit contrary and have become disillusioned with the idea of being forced to vote SNP.  I consider myself more to the left.  I don't find the whole trans stuff illuminating, I find it a distraction on both sides.  I'd say I'm fairly liberal and don't relish another indy vote but want a stronger line on our ride to decide.

I saw a note about Anniesland being held by Bill Kidd of the SNP for ten years now.  Apparently he's been standing up for Anniesland. Nothing against the guy, don't know him, but Anniesland is a dump.  The SNP is in charge of Glasgow. The library is an eyesore, the main street is sad.  It's a wasteland and I don't see that 'community' getting much out of the great hope we've to buy into.  I just feel like the SNP have got comfortable.  Maybe I'm a dreamer but I hoped for better.

Alba, although I kind of agree about them being damaged goods might stir the snp into some better policy and less gimmicks.  I also think there have been some mistakes made around messaging for independence in recent times.  Aquiesced too easily and should have had a better line on "legal right to call vote".  Laura kuensberg has been able to say it's for the UK govt barely without challenge.  Salmond would not have allowed that.  I agree he's probably damaged goods though

 

 

[tirso]

54 minutes ago, Pato said:

*taps sign*

Sorry what do you mean?

[Donathan]

I think Alba will be a damp squib this time but I actually think there is a path for them to pick up support from the SNP in the future. There are a lot of parallels with the Brexit Party down South who started to hoover up support in 2019 after Theresa May was seen to be dithering on delivering Brexit and then they fell apart after Johnson took over and United the leave vote.


The scenario where I could see them starting to pick up support is after the election when Sturgeon is inevitably returned as FM, asks Johnson for a section 30 order and is told to bolt, challenges it in court and loses and is then snookered.

I think at this point, the likely Sturgeon approach would be to wait it out until the next general election and hope to once again return a stomping majority of Scottish MPs who could try to negotiate a referendum using their leverage in a hung Parliament scenario.

However, if this was Sturgeon’s plan C, I think some in the movement would view this as an unacceptable delay and a more fundamentalist nationalist party could gain support (Alba could outflank the SNP in a way the Greens never could IMO) by campaigning for more extreme measures like a wildcat referendum or even a UDI.

[ayrmad]

46 minutes ago, tirso said:

I'm possibly just a bit contrary and have become disillusioned with the idea of being forced to vote SNP.  I consider myself more to the left.  I don't find the whole trans stuff illuminating, I find it a distraction on both sides.  I'd say I'm fairly liberal and don't relish another indy vote but want a stronger line on our ride to decide.

I saw a note about Anniesland being held by Bill Kidd of the SNP for ten years now.  Apparently he's been standing up for Anniesland. Nothing against the guy, don't know him, but Anniesland is a dump.  The SNP is in charge of Glasgow. The library is an eyesore, the main street is sad.  It's a wasteland and I don't see that 'community' getting much out of the great hope we've to buy into.  I just feel like the SNP have got comfortable.  Maybe I'm a dreamer but I hoped for better.

Alba, although I kind of agree about them being damaged goods might stir the snp into some better policy and less gimmicks.  I also think there have been some mistakes made around messaging for independence in recent times.  Aquiesced too easily and should have had a better line on "legal right to call vote".  Laura kuensberg has been able to say it's for the UK govt barely without challenge.  Salmond would not have allowed that.  I agree he's probably damaged goods though

 

 

You're wasting your time. 

[Trogdor]

55 minutes ago, Glen Sannox said:

Jackson Coleslaw..... great Nat banter!

To think, I got derided for Cringe Freelunch, Wet Pishfart and Ian Blackpudding!

The middle one is gold medal material tbf. A+

Given Blackford's penchant for high expense claims you really ought to be able to do better than Blackpudding though. 

[Gordon EF]

3 minutes ago, Trogdor said:

The middle one is gold medal material tbf. A+

Given Blackford's penchant for high expense claims you really ought to be able to do better than Blackpudding though. 

Ian Blackshart

(The morning after hitting the Guinness a bit too hard)

[8MileBU]

[Joey Jo Jo Junior Shabadoo]

Ian Blackfourgrandamonth for 2 hours work.

 

 

 

[Guest Jedi]

Still think Alba will disappear after the election...most likely electoral outcome at the moment I reckon is SNP with the most seats (obviously), but short of a majority, even with Green support. (Alba 0 seats)

'If' that is the outcome, not sure where the 2nd Ref will go from there. Could well be onto the next GE, with the proviso that another SNP majority triggers demands for it, but that would involve jumping through a fair few hoops. 

Will be interesting to see the polls over the next few weeks, but think Tory support will harden around their (single) policy platform of 'say no to Indy Ref 2'. That will obviously hurt both Lab and Lib votes, but the No's will coalese largely around the Tories, with 'Yes' supporters going SNP 1, and split between SNP, Green and Alba 2...which could well see more Tories getting in from the lists.

[tamthebam]

1 hour ago, tirso said:

I'm possibly just a bit contrary and have become disillusioned with the idea of being forced to vote SNP.  I consider myself more to the left.  I don't find the whole trans stuff illuminating, I find it a distraction on both sides.  I'd say I'm fairly liberal and don't relish another indy vote but want a stronger line on our ride to decide.

I saw a note about Anniesland being held by Bill Kidd of the SNP for ten years now.  Apparently he's been standing up for Anniesland. Nothing against the guy, don't know him, but Anniesland is a dump.  The SNP is in charge of Glasgow. The library is an eyesore, the main street is sad.  It's a wasteland and I don't see that 'community' getting much out of the great hope we've to buy into.  I just feel like the SNP have got comfortable.  Maybe I'm a dreamer but I hoped for better.

Alba, although I kind of agree about them being damaged goods might stir the snp into some better policy and less gimmicks.  I also think there have been some mistakes made around messaging for independence in recent times.  Aquiesced too easily and should have had a better line on "legal right to call vote".  Laura kuensberg has been able to say it's for the UK govt barely without challenge.  Salmond would not have allowed that.  I agree he's probably damaged goods though

 

 

Labour were in power in Glasgow for 40 years. If you want to know their legacy look about you 

[alta-pete]

1 hour ago, Donathan said:

I think Alba will be a damp squib this time but I actually think there is a path for them to pick up support from the SNP in the future. There are a lot of parallels with the Brexit Party down South who started to hoover up support in 2019 after Theresa May was seen to be dithering on delivering Brexit and then they fell apart after Johnson took over and United the leave vote.


The scenario where I could see them starting to pick up support is after the election when Sturgeon is inevitably returned as FM, asks Johnson for a section 30 order and is told to bolt, challenges it in court and loses and is then snookered.

I think at this point, the likely Sturgeon approach would be to wait it out until the next general election and hope to once again return a stomping majority of Scottish MPs who could try to negotiate a referendum using their leverage in a hung Parliament scenario.

However, if this was Sturgeon’s plan C, I think some in the movement would view this as an unacceptable delay and a more fundamentalist nationalist party could gain support (Alba could outflank the SNP in a way the Greens never could IMO) by campaigning for more extreme measures like a wildcat referendum or even a UDI.

‘mon tae f**k man.  

By the end of the coming parliament the SNP will have then been in charge for near 20 (twenty) years. But they still haven’t been able to deliver their whole raison d’etre?

So where do they go from there? By that point where’s the tactical left hook knockout punch that no one else is going to see coming? 

[picklish]

2 hours ago, tirso said:

I'm possibly just a bit contrary and have become disillusioned with the idea of being forced to vote SNP.  I consider myself more to the left.  I don't find the whole trans stuff illuminating, I find it a distraction on both sides.  I'd say I'm fairly liberal and don't relish another indy vote but want a stronger line on our ride to decide.

I saw a note about Anniesland being held by Bill Kidd of the SNP for ten years now.  Apparently he's been standing up for Anniesland. Nothing against the guy, don't know him, but Anniesland is a dump.  The SNP is in charge of Glasgow. The library is an eyesore, the main street is sad.  It's a wasteland and I don't see that 'community' getting much out of the great hope we've to buy into.  I just feel like the SNP have got comfortable.  Maybe I'm a dreamer but I hoped for better.

Alba, although I kind of agree about them being damaged goods might stir the snp into some better policy and less gimmicks.  I also think there have been some mistakes made around messaging for independence in recent times.  Aquiesced too easily and should have had a better line on "legal right to call vote".  Laura kuensberg has been able to say it's for the UK govt barely without challenge.  Salmond would not have allowed that.  I agree he's probably damaged goods though

 

 

Pretty much where I am, although with the proviso that I don't really expect the SNP to sort out the local high st while society is going through such big changes on what a town centre is for, it'll move past the bookies and cash4clothes once more of the shops go under and become something else, eventually. Or just eternal suburbia. With the trans situation, I think only recognising a third gender is the way to eventually vaguely appease everyone, but that's a longer discussion, and again it's happening worldwide.

I don't know if Alba will have a better plan for indy, but it seems like a decent number of people are lending their vote to the SNP expecting them to deliver independance, so Scotland can eventually have a normal political landscape, like....err....Ireland. Or, ok Denmark, where there's rarely a majority government so parties have to compromise, a plurality of views is available, not just the big tent problem that we've got, with a system that's a mix of FPTP and PR.

I can't be certain that Salmond is on a Janez Janša style path, (repeat Slovenian PM who went from being a communist, to a  a liberal, pro-liberal democracy and dissident under communist rule, to a social democrat politician, and to a right-wing hardliner), but I wouldn't be massively surprised if it was a truncated version of that. But I don't buy the ego-is-the-sole-driving-factor view of him, what politician is humble and selfless and uncertain of themselves? Sturgeon? Starmer? Johnson? Corbyn? Willie Rennie? I think he genuinely believes the SNP aren't making the right moves towards getting independance,, and the ego part is him thinking he could do better.

Ideally Andy Wightman would have had a higher public profile, and he would have led a new indy list party, called the We Will Read Everything Carefully And Digest It And Not Be Rash But Also Have Strong Guiding Principles And A Realistic Future Vision And The Ability To React To World Events And Particularly A Sense Of Duty As Public Servants Not Leaders Party but maybe that's for 2025