Was Nicola Sturgeon right to reset the timescale for indyref2? — Scott, Glasgow

IN January, I wrote about why I thought 2020 would be the best year for indyref2. I said it would be a tactical error to announce a second referendum for 2018/2019 based solely on our assumptions about Brexit, rather than facts. Indyref2 is a must-win for Yes.

To have it before the Brexit realities are known risks losing it, while having it after guarantees victory.

At the beginning of the year, my advice for the SNP was to let Theresa May fall on her sword, and then announce ScotRef in the wake of the Brexit storm in 2020. I felt that making a song and dance (and a fundraiser) about it any sooner would only give the Tories a weapon to wield against the SNP – something that they did very effectively during the General Election. Thankfully, Nicola’s reset this week puts us in a much healthier position moving forward.

Sturgeon’s change in tactics involves the inclusion of the wider Yes movement, something that is desperately needed in order to win the next referendum.

Hard-line socialists, libertarians and right wingers are all potential Yes voters, but they are much harder to reach under an SNP flag. Many left-wing nationalists do not like the idea of an independent Scotland’s economic policy being akin to Switzerland’s, but some conservative-minded voters would see this as a rational vision for our country. If we say to the electorate that only pro-EU lefties can back independence, we limit Yes rather than expanding it. Scottish nationalism needs to reach far beyond SNP politics in order to create the necessary tidal wave of momentum.

The SNP also need to take note of the fact that some voters – including people within their own party – opted to vote for both independence and Brexit. To make indyref2 an anti-Brexit crusade might be a mistake, and that is why knowing the facts about leaving the EU is so important. In my view, Scottish independence is a good idea whether we are in or out, and to make indyref2 all about the EU rather than the brilliance of our own nation is a pitfall that we should be mindful of. In the end, I am much happier with the revised plan, meaning the cloud of the SNP’s General Election losses has a silver lining.

While the Tory press said Nicola’s reset was a display of failure and weakness, I wholeheartedly disagree. As much as I believe the First Minister should have gone with my Angry 2020 plan from the get-go, it is commendable that she has shown she is willing to change her plans based on public opinion, even if such adjustments are potentially detrimental to her political goals.

In contrast, Theresa May has refused to alter course in the face of intense public criticism, going so far as to shack up with the abhorrent DUP. As far as strong leadership is concerned, Scotland is winning with Sturgeon and the UK is very much losing with May.

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Enter stage left ... a true man of the people

What did you make of Jeremy Corbyn’s appearance at Glastonbury? — Nathan, London

IT still amazes me that British citizens have been energised to the extent that interest in politics has now spread to music festivals. While politics and music have a long history together – look at Woodstock in 1969 or Lollapalooza in the US – it has generally been the case that British music festivals have been more or less apolitical. As such, Jeremy Corbyn’s cameo at one of Britain’s biggest music festivals can be seen as an incredible example of a collective desire for change in UK politics. While Theresa May continues to hide in the elitist political swampland, Corbyn chose not only to face his audience, but also to listen to them.

When he made a short appearance to introduce Run The Jewels, it was apparent festival-goers were just as keen to see Big Daddy Corbyn as they were to see the popular American hip-hop group. While Corbyn resisted the temptation to deliver his speech in rhyme, there was no question that people understood he was there for a reason: to rally the masses.

The National:

On a political level, I have many disagreements with Corbyn, but surely there can now be little doubt about his leadership qualities.

For one thing, he isn’t afraid to embrace the unknown. Few, if any, politicians would have had the fortitude to show face at a music festival, let alone speak at it or serve beer to attendees. Corbyn has styled himself as a man of the people, and his Glastonbury performance will only have bolstered that reputation.

By contrast, Theresa May’s only notable contribution to popular music lies in being the inspiration for Captain SKA’s Liar Liar GE2017.

There’s an acute irony to Corbyn engaging with thousands of citizens at a music festival while Theresa May and the Tories spent the same weekend negotiating a power-brokering deal with associates of loyalist paramilitaries.

As it stands, Theresa May is clinging on for dear political life while Jeremy Corbyn is rallying the masses in protest against poor leadership. Don’t believe what the right-wing rags say: Corbyn is a force to be reckoned with.