At the end of last year a question and answer conference was held in the pleasantly snug Fraser Centre in Tranent, which for the tourist’s guidance, is on the East Lothian side of Edinburgh, the event organised by the industrious Yes Haddington Group.
The three distinquished speakers were Professor Alfred Baird, Dr Ian Grant, and ALBA MP Kenny MacAskill. The evening made for a lively discussion – especially when I got very angry with a Brexiteer in the audience – but mainly because the speakers are all erudite, articulate, long-term supporters of Scotland’s right to exist again as a free state. They have things to teach us.
As a positive start to 2022, I recommend readers to watch them, each as you find the time, each around fifteen minutes, that and please buy my book ‘Essays‘ from Amazon, if not already done so. (Shameless plug.) Writers deserve a living, same as other folk. The video links are below.
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Grouse Beater 
Happy New Year, Gareth, but ah cannae find the links, ken?
Wait a few seconds Peter, for the images to appear!
❤️🏴
As ever Alf Baird is to the point and on the money. He is coldly rational and factual, something that is sadly lacking in some of the discourse on the restoration of Scottish statehood. His “Determinants of Independence” framework is an ideal theoretical and practical structure for explaining the current weaknesses of and threats to, as well as the strengths of and opportunities from, restoring nation-state status. I look forward to acquiring his book “Doun-Hauden” and exploring his arguments in greater detail (as I do to purchasing and reading your own recently published “Essays”).
This is first time I have heard (or read) any output from Dr Ian Grant. The latter makes some good points on the resulting labour supply shortages affecting Scotland after Brexit, especially in the hospitality and health sectors. However, whilst I do agree with Ian that we have to be careful that we don’t criticise the SNP just because they are the SNP I do take a harder line regarding Nicola Sturgeon and the leadership on many grounds. Apart from the authoritarianism now emanating from the top hierarchy of the SNP whenever there is disagreement with the direction or decisions of the party (which seems to me to be on a par with some of the most paranoid totalitarian regimes of the 20th century) I simply cannot ignore what I have read and researched from various sources covering Mark Hirst, Marion Millar, Craig Murray and, most notoriously of all, Alex Salmond. There must surely be an accounting for all of the shenanigans in the harassment of the foregoing individuals.
With regard to Kenny MacAskill he is absolutely correct that we are facing economic catastrophe with all the social damage implications for our society that this implies. Despite what the likes of Messrs Blackford, Wishart and Smith say we are now further away from Independence than we were on 19th September 2014. And this is despite such favourable circumstances such as the Brexit fiasco which presented England with its little difficulty and Boris Johnson as PM who is almost universally despised north of the border. After 7 consecutive elections – Westminster, Holyrood, European and Council – returning overwhelming majorities of (at least supposedly) pro-Independence representatives no action what so ever has taken place. The SNP leadership have handed Westminster a veto and have abdicated responsibility from pursuing The Cause, distracted as they now are by other priorities of highly dubious GRA and extremely dangerous justice reforms. I hope that when a convention of MPs, MSPs and Councilors is called there is there is a deadline set for responding and that the names of those elected representatives who do not reply in the affirmative are publicised loudly and widely.
Peter Grant mentioned that some would not attend his meeting because AUOB would be there? I find that slightly disturbing. They aren’t a controversial group. The marches were getting seriously big prior to covid and demonstrations of that size tend to change things. AUOB have met a fair bit of official resistance. I am not sure why that would be perhaps the answer is not to invite those folk and let them drift off to do something else with their time.
Good speakers though.
Dear Gareth, Happy New Year I love all your posts, please keep it up.
Im on your mailing list so rarely click in the link to your website. Today I did click the link and it appears that there may be some jigery pokery going on as all I’m getting its the introductory photo and the three paragraphs! No website, no links! Kind regards,
Stewart.
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The three videod talks are large images and so take a good few seconds to buffer down, Stewart. Stay on that page a minute and then scroll down. Let me know if that does NOT work. And wishing you and yours well for this bumpy new year.
An illuminating set of videos which help a Scot from Australia understand more about Independence. Keep it up. We will succeed!
A Guid New Year tae you and yours Gareth, thanks once more for providing the links to the presentations. I very much agree with Duncanio in his commentary, particularly with the sentiment expressed in the second paragraph. My concern there is that anyone would attempt to give credit to any aspect of Sturgeons competence in her role as leader of the SNP and First Minister given the opportunities she has wilfully scorned during her tenure.
On a positive note, we in this household have received our copy of a book entitled ESSAYS authored by Gareth Wardell and would thoroughly recommend the content therein to yourself and all who are in search of truth and inspiration!
Yes, the author of ESSAYS has Irish parentage on the distaff side where live independent thinkers in an independent country; must be something in the water. 🙂
I wish you and those you care for happiness in whatever form it can be grasped.