STUART Allan (Letters, June 12) mentions some negative comments about the SNP he has encountered on a “Alba-friendly website”. He does add that the examples of intolerance are not one-way, and I would concur that it is wise not to over-generalise about these things.
As we all know, many Alba supporters are former members of the SNP and still have friends in the party. All of the discussion at Alba party meetings at the moment is in an extremely positive spirit and about generating the policy ideas that will meet Scotland’s current and future needs.
READ MORE: Study reveals scale of anti-SNP tactical voting at Holyrood election
It is worth remembering that Alba has already brought independence closer. During the election campaign, Alba campaigned for all its supporters to vote for the SNP on the constituency vote. A tangible benefit of this was seen in the Ayr and in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituencies, where the SNP were in a dog fight with the Tories. Alba voters who voted SNP in those constituencies were decisive in swinging the seats for the SNP.
On the list vote, Alba’s headlining of the idea that independence supporters are not obliged to vote for Unionists was clearly taken on board by many SNP supporters, to the benefit of the Greens, boosting the pro-independence majority in Holyrood.
So the Alba party has already demonstrated it will work for the greater good.
The SNP in turn needs to recognise it does not “own” independence. It is but a part of the independence movement and should be prepared to work with other parties who are also part of the independence movement.
Different principles, honestly held, are what democracy is all about; the future of a country is not the business of one party. At the same time there is never a downside to uniting behind our common aim. That is how we win independence.
Jim Daly
Edinburgh
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