MANY of us question where to lend our sovereign franchise.

For each of us in this UK, in these quite extraordinary times, when the state itself appears to be entering its final creaking death throes, we must examine our options with the greatest of care.

For the English it’s a fairly simple choice between Tory, Labour, Ukip, Liberal Democrat, Green, or a few quite extremist small parties.

Surprisingly, what few in England seem to appreciate when they cry about England having no alternatives, no equivalents to the SNP, is that they’re so very wrong. The English Greens even have/had elected MPs in the Commons, MPs who are demonstrably more able and adept at protecting both England’s heritage and future than the existing major-party “lobby fodder”. It’s beyond belief that most of the English electorate don’t seem to be able to see so far as to lend them a vote.

In Scotland we have a similar smorgasbord, although our minority parties are generally of a Scots-first inclination. Arrayed against these groups whose stated intent is to act in every Scot’s best interests are those subsidiaries of England’s political movements who, while claiming otherwise, will consistently act in England’s best interest.

Why then, would any rational enfranchised adult, from John o’ Groats to Berwick, place a mark in any Labour, Tory or LibDem box, when by doing so they’re effectively stating to the world at large: “Yes, take care of those in another land, I’ll watch while I and mine suffer, as or when needed, just so that they and theirs can benefit”.

For when all the niceties are boiled away, that’s exactly what any individual, any Scottish resident who votes for a Unionist party, is declaring.

It’s that simple.

It can be no other way when the northern branch offices take their orders from party apparatchiks in England – if in any doubt, look to Ruth Davidson’s U-Turn on Brexit, so similar to that of Ian Murray, or to their refusal of democratic right in Scotland, from Ruth’s support of “now is not the time” to Murray’s demand (made in the Claim of Right debate) that the 2014 referendum result must be accepted (implying for the foreseeable future).

Then look to our fisherman, through their association, by their actions, so staunchly Unionist in outlook, now battling Westminster’s forgotten promises while readying themselves to be sold out again, each time promising themselves “this time, it will be different”. There’s a word for folks like these, as there is for our Union-supporting farmers, distillers and more, farmers robbed of EU subsidies, or distillers who may well see their protected-origin status traded away to Westminster’s benefit, no matter which party England elects.

Scots have stark choices in the voting booth – we can vote Green, we can vote SNP, we can vote Scottish Socialist amongst a few others, or we can quite literally vote against ourselves, against our own enlightened self-interest, against the futures of our children, against our NHS, and we can give our marks to an English party with a Scottish branch office.

Which party, that’s irrelevant, for the only guarantee we’d then have is that on literally every occasion of potential conflict, they will vote against Scotland’s best interests, against our best interests, even as they yell for those we elect with our true needs at heart to “suicide”, and we will have no room for complaint – for that is exactly what we will, with the full foreknowledge of repeated history, have demanded they should do.

A MacGregor
East Kilbride