IS it just me, or is this election getting to anyone else?
I’d thought I’d reached rock bottom earlier on, with the PM chickening out of TV debates, and Labour lacking leadership at such a crucial time; the pushme-pullmes – here, there but really nowhere.
The Nationals’s headline yesterday (“Scots Tories to sign up for vow blocking indyref2”, December 3) caused even a lower low. That Tories would “vow” to anything is no surprise, merely a bitter reminder of all their previous broken vows and promises. But for individual Tory candidates to have to doubly humiliate themselves is breathtaking.
PM Johnson boasts that all Tory MP candidates accept and back his Brexit deal. Of course they do, otherwise they wouldn’t be selected. But now, 57 Scottish candidates have to vow to block indyref2. Such naked self-interest and political grand-standing to bolster future prospects whilst actively opposing the wishes of the majority electorate.
The former Scottish Tory leader put self before even party and Scotland when she tried for her second job working for a lobbying company, so it’s no surprise that mealy-mouthed interim leader Carlaw can flip flop from his Remain stance of 2016 to his now Leave position.
But surely the prize for double speak has to go to Alex Cole-Hamilton when he said that Carlaw “knows perfectly well that [Brexit] will impoverish his constituents and make our country poorer”. Who is he, with his coalition government lackey’s role, to talk about making the country and people poorer: austerity, reneging on education and more; what was that all about, Mr C-H?
READ MORE: Scottish Tory candidates told to sign no2indyref vow for election
In all of this, it’s OK for Tories to change their minds from Remain to Leave, and for LibDems to actively engage with Tories over austerity but wring their hands later? But no indyref2 for us? Bah, humbug!
But I have managed to find an antidote. It’s been my Saturdays ootnaboot with EdinWFi across Edinburgh.
Very, very seldom over the last five weeks has anyone not wanted to engage and discuss, or confirm they will be voting. The cold and rain has made some conversations short, but hardly ever dismissive.
From the older woman whose husband voted Labour all his life (“But what about you”, I asked? “Oh he’s long dead, dear, so I vote for independence now”) to students and those who had recently flitted, wanting to know how to register or if their voting rights had followed them, we have seen how truly more politically engaged we are than before.
But I think that now extends to voting tactically, so thank you The National for the insight via The Fight for Indyref2, Seat by Seat. With the majority press and TV media agin independence, those volunteers at windy corner stalls, letterboxing leaflets, chatting to folk in bus queues and all the rest is so very vital.
Politicians do politics, but it’s volunteers doing so much more that’s making a difference.
I know that on Saturdays we’re neither alone nor unique when we’re oot, but it was never a cliche to say “every vote counts”. Now it’s imperative to be actively ensuring we get every vote out’. Without that, indy just won’t happen.
Please, one last weekend, one last push, then all the way to the 12th when we can draw breath in time for 2020.
Selma Rahman
Edinburgh
I WATCHED Sunday’s Andrew Marr programme and breathed a big sigh of relief, because there are now no worries because Boris has a plan and money to sort out every problem confronting the United Kingdom if not the planet. One only has to vote Tory to get the detail.
AYE, RIGHT!
Mike Underwood
Linlithgow
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