The National - The Newspaper that supports an Independent Scotland

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Nicola Sturgeon MSP

“Scotland will judge Labour’s Scandal.”

Will the Scottish Elections be the final nail in Labour’s coffin?

Nicola Sturgeon MSP Labour has been under fire after the disgusting comments spouted by one of their MP’s, that were anti-Scottish and antiSemitic.

The First Minister writes for the National

A so-called ‘purge’ of Labour members has taken place, and the Deputy Prime Minister is out of a job, but this is just the first step in what will prove to be a very difficult year for the Labour party.

With the Scottish Elections due to take place in May, where I will seek reelection as First Minister, Labour seem to be slugging behind with what I can only describe as sub-par performances in Holyrood.

Since 1999, when the Scottish Parliament reconvened, Scottish Labour have been on the decline, and this upcoming election could be the final nail in the coffin for the already weakened party.

The 2007 election was a turning point for Scotland and her people, and now we have an opportunity to seal our fate as a nation that prides itself on inclusion and progressiveness.

A, now independent, Labour MP recently said that it should have been the Scot’s in Nazi concentration camps, and while Labour have rightly taken action, we must ask the questions regarding how someone of such a cruel and ugly nature, ascended to such a high position within Westminster, with the help of the Labour party.

Protest against Anti-Sem

Labour’s Future within Scotland So, what does the future hold for Scottish Labour? - That is what will be determined by the Scottish people, this May, and let us hope that they make the correct decision and reject Labour’s disgraceful attitudes.

Scottish Labour stood with me to campaign to stay in the EU, but they have become nothing more of a branch office after Scotland voted to remain within the European Union.

The Scottish People will judge Labour on their record so far, their refusal to respect Scottish democracy and the attitudes displayed by party parliamentarians towards Scots.

But, Labour’s future in Scotland isn’t certain, and they certainly won’t hold the keys to Bute House anytime soon, tha is if the Scottish people have their own way.

mitism under Corbyn.

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The National

How will we fight Prejudice in Politics?

Prejudice is a real problem in politics and society as a whole, and we all have a role to play in ensuring that it is eradicated from the corridors of Westminster to the comfort of our villages.

We must start this process by calling out people who are prejudice, and then allowing party leadership to take the much needed action.

My party, the SNP, will establish a forum for members, parliamentarians and staff to report on examples and experiences of prejudice.

Labour certainly have a huge job ahead of them, and let’s not forget the comments of Labour’s Chancellor, who stated that the anti-scottish and anti-Semitic tweet was “taken out of context”, when their was no context behind it at all, its just plain prejudice. It’s people like this who are in-fact aiding the process of prejudice, regardless of their intentions.

Alyssa Moritz MP @MoritzMP

The One Scotland programme from the Scottish Government works to help stop prejudice, so let’s use some of that advice to help us.

It’s important that when we are victim of a hate crime, we report it to Police Scotland, regardless of your position in society.

We require more anti-prejudice education in our schools, and a louder, nation-wide campaign, to stop all forms of prejudice, in all settings of our society.

This problem will go down in history as one of the setbacks of not just the administration of Alexander Redd, but of the United Kingdom government and the Westminster Institutions as we know it.

Is this tweet just a peak at the inner workings of the Labour Party’s attitudes towards the people of Scotland?

Regardless, I call for an independent inquiry into the clear anti-Scottish and antiSemite sentiment from within the Labour Party, and call on Alexander Redd to commission that inquiry.

Expelling people from the party isn’t enough, and it never will be.

We need to get to the root of the problem.

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Yours for Scotland

Scottish Parliament Elections: Who will win?

Calum Baird

For many of us, May might seem like a wee bit away, but for political parties and leaders - they have already entered election mode.

The National can confirm that the SNP have already started election preparations, and reports indicate that the party have actually already completed most of their manifesto, however official spokespeople declined to comment.

This election will be the first major UK election that will judge Labour, on not just their Scandal, but also their major reforms to devolution, and their sweeping movement to nationalise anything that they can get their hands on.

And it’s clear that the SNP are going for a result that is similar to the one from 2011, with branding and advertising already using similar slogans, that have been proven to work.

But will the “Both Votes SNP” strategy work for the party, or should they have made an electoral pact with the Greens, to secure the most amount of seats for the independence movement?

SNP Leaflets, ready for distribution

The SNP say that it was the “Both Votes” strategy that got them over the line in 2011, which is true, but the question still remains - will it work again?

After the downfall of the conservatives, and a recent Labour scandal still red raw, this election will prove to be one of the most challenging of any Scottish election since 2007, the year the SNP made history and took the keys to Bute SNP HQ prepares for Election Campaign House.

The National

Party Election Advertisement SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY (SNP)

This May, Re-Elect

A SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT WORKING FOR SCOTLAND

Nicola for First Minister #BothVotesSNP

RE-ELECT PROMOTED BY THE SNP

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The National

Sturgeon’s future Called into Question Ruth Wishart

The future of Scotland’s fifth First Minister, and the first woman to hold the office, Nicola Sturgeon has been called into question yet again.

Sources close to the FM tell me that she has been going through “a difficult point” and she is questioning her future as SNP leader and First Minister.

Bute House and SNP HQ both insist that the First Minister is “her strongest ever” and has show “clear and sensible leadership, throughout the pandemic.”

- And while the later is true, we are correct to ask if Ms Sturgeon’s time is running out.

This May, we will mark 14 years of SNP leadership, 7 of which would have been under the leadership of the First Minister, known to many as “Oor Nicola” or “Nic”.

But perhaps the time for new leadership is needed, and a fresher face should lead the campaign into May’s election, yet this is disputed by many.

The opposite side of things, well they say that people know the First Minister and that it would be daft to do away with her now, and they have a very good point. Nicola Sturgeon has been given praise from across the UK with her handling of Brexit and COVID, and rightly so.

Thinking: Scotland’s First Minister in Parliament

One thing is clear, if a second independence referendum doesn’t happen any time soon, someone will have to take the fall, and one can only assume that it will be the First Minister.

So who can replace “Oor Nic”? Kate Forbes is seen as a likely contender, and there is talk of her taking a more senior role if elected in May. Another, Lauren Mayberry, the Westminster leader. She has been given praise for her performances in Westminster and dedication to serving her constituents, throughout the pandemic.

Whatever the future holds for the First Minister, it is clear that the SNP don’t want her gone, anytime soon that is!

Lauren Mayberry

The Tories & Labour Both Don’t Care.

Lauren Mayberry MP

The comments by Alyssa Moritz, calling for Scots to be put in concentration camps, then telling Scotland to f*ck off, were dealt with quickly by the PM, in her being expelled from Labour. But it shows there is that mentality which exists within Labour.

Labour were more than happy to work hand in hand with the Tories to keep Scotland attached to the Union in 2014.

Because when it comes down to it they’re not that different.

They’re both parties of the Union first and foremost in Scotland. They might For a long time, Labour were the party act concerned about the actual issues of Scotland. But recently they haven’t that face the people of Scotland, but done so well. They currently hold a few ultimately they both don’t care, top Scottish MPs, mostly from urban central priority is the Union. And that’ll likely be belt areas. Scotland being a largely their platforms in May this year, when working class nation was practically Scotland elects it’s new Parliament. one big Labour safe seat. However with The Tories talk about independence the rise of the SNP now that’s not the reality anymore. So perhaps Labour are more than the SNP do now, ironically.

Maybe when it comes to what they bitter in a way. think about Scottish people themselves, Everyone has always seen the Tories as they’re not too dissimilar either. that kind of party. The kind of party that would make comments like those from Lauren Mayberry MP Alyssa Moritz. Like when Boris Johnson SNP Westminster Leader published a poem in a national newspaper calling for the “verminous Scots” to be exterminated. Labour were happy to play along with that. But she has shown perhaps it’s not just the Tories who feel that way about Scots.

Perhaps that mentality extends beyond what we have seen, into Labour.

ea k p s g n rli r’s Da u o b a red: L rence u t c i P onfe Tory C

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