I HAVE noted the various opinions expressed in The National and Sunday National and would like to debunk a few myths.

There has been criticism of the Alba Party to the point of a complete media blackout. Just last night on BBC News at 10, Sarah Smith stated in a report on the Scottish Greens’ Manifesto launch, that the Greens were the only other of the five main parties to support independence. Untrue. At the last count, LibDems have around 4000 members to Alba’s 5000 and rising to threaten Scottish Tories, on 6000. This places Alba above the LibDems in size and influence, as one of the five main parties.

Remarks like these by BBC are misleading and despite BBC and STV stating that they are complying with Ofcom’s Broadcasting rules, they are clearly not. There has been no “balance, due impartiality, fairness or taking account of parties with “significant” views and perspectives, – all of which are part of the Ofcom Code. No-one can argue that Alex Salmond’s push for a Supermajority of Yes votes at the polls is not a “significant perspective”, but it is certainly one which is being concealed and is tantamount to manipulation of viewers voting intentions by public services broadcasters.

The aim of the Alba Party is to increase the Yes vote to accelerate independence, and Alba are recommending that voters across Scotland give their constituency vote, (on the lilac paper) to SNP and their regional list vote (on the orange paper) to Alba Party. There is good reason for this. Both votes SNP risks a huge waste of Yes votes and the loss of list MSPs.

In 2016, 751,770 votes for SNP on the regional list returned 0 SNP MSPs and only four list MSPs were gained across the eight regions across Scotland from around one million list votes cast for SNP. These votes could have been used to boost the Yes majority in Holyrood, but as there was and is general uncertainty as to how the D’Hondt voting model works, many gave both votes to SNP resulting in this huge waste of YES support.

It is certainly not “gaming the system” nor “splitting the vote” to opt for another pro-Independence party in the list vote. After all, have the Scottish Greens not been doing this for years, standing solely on the regional list, without a word of complaint from the SNP?

This year, they are actually competing with SNP in 12 constituencies, which Alba has declined to do, so that the SNP have a clear run. Alba wants SNP to gain as many constituency votes as possible. We do not want to see a million votes wasted and this is purely because a supermajority for Yes, opens up a range of routes to Independence which a narrow SNP only majority would not. Alba wants to unite the Yes movement in Scotland’s interests.

Why engage in costly legal battles with WM over denied S30s (that’s if they haven’t legislated to make it illegal through the Supreme Court by that time). Look at The Internal Market Act. Unionist hubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh and two more ongoing court cases announced this week – all to remove devolved power. Why leave independence dangling until 2023 or later when a range of actions can be implemented now if 86+ YES MSPs are returned to Holyrood.

Ask yourself, which party really wants to deliver an Independent Scotland – not a spurious referendum in maybe five years time – but action on real Independence? More nuclear warheads at Faslane. Fifty times more toxic waste to be dumped in the Clyde. What further motive for action do we need?

We need Scottish government, whatever parties are in power, to deliver on successive mandates and this is a role Alba Party is well able to fulfil. What we do not need are barrack room lawyers trying to overturn “not guilty” judgments to keep one of Scotland’s best political assets from serving Scotland’s interests, or public service broadcasters trying to rig viewers’ voting intentions.

Ann Williamson
via email