The Yes Community has never been faced with a bigger challenge. In 2014 we stood to gain everything or perhaps just a little by way of consolation. This time we stand to gain everything or lose everything – so let’s just let that sink in. Now let’s think about Nelson.
Nelson knew a thing or two. There is even a square named in his honour. Sunday afternoon sitting with the cat in the square, giving it a bit of exercise chasing the pigeons to no avail. Are you thinking Mandela Square? NO, Trafalgar Square. Admiral Lord Nelson is the guy, First Lord of the Admiralty; smart as a tack.
Now if he was a YES we would have our Restitution now, for sure. He has beaten the odds before. Against the odds he had a winning strategy – we should pay attention to his lesson in history.
It’s 1805, 21st October at Cape Trafalgar. Nelson was up against the combined navies of France and Spain. They had 33 ships to Nelson’s 27. Nelson outnumbers them. Hold the front page, can’t I count? Let me explain.
the French and Spanish line up in a row showing off their mighty fleet. These ‘Man O’ War’ class vessels on both sides have a similar kill rate so numbers are critical. Nelson knew this.
He lined his ships up in a line like an arrow heading towards the French and Spanish. As they move close they split left, right, left right, left, right. Seeing this the French and Spanish split their forces left a right so about 16 one way and 17 the other. Nelson then, without the benefit of Twitter, shifts his forces to one side and in so doing outnumbered and overwhelmed one half of the enemy. Now he outnumbers the other half and it was game over for the French and Spanish. Britain went on to rule the wave for the next hundred years.
ONE SIMPLE PRINCIPAL – DIVIDE AND CONQUER – DO IT TO THEM BEFORE THEY DO IT TO YOU
In Scotland we do not have a navy as such although we have probably built more shipping tonnage then any other country in history. So where is the relevance?
I will now hand you over to Lord Nelson… clap
Scotland, as a nation is faced with two specific and discreet challenges: a) the function of Governance and b) the future Constitution of the Nation under the Will of the People.
These two challenges are entirely exclusive, EXCLUSIVE. They may at times have a perceived confluence but this must be regarded as welcome or unwelcome interference. For example, the GDP of the Nation has an impact on the provision based on its wealth such as its ability to build infrastructure but it must not influence or determine the Constitutional ambitions of the people. In common parlance linking Independence to whether or not we have a currency, how much oil there is, what we do with our pocket money, we are so small we really need big England and all its alliances is A NONSENSE.
Scotland sleep walked into serious trouble in 1603 when Queen Elizabeth 1 of England died without an heir and her cousin James acceded to the throne of England as James 1. He was already James VI of Scotland, so we had the Union of the Crowns; two beasts with one head if you will. The rest is history – well of course it is?
We have a First Minister charged to address both these challenges, both these separate challenges. Can we all see the problem here? we live in hegemony with England – they rule supremely over us, or at least that is their assertion in law; THEIR LAW. Oh, that’s convenient.
If England wishes to hold on to Scotland because it is very rich and they are very poor, or rather in massive debt then they may choose to challenge any and every attempt we make to break free. This of course is a statement of the bleedin’ obvious. But how could Westminster phrase that, or play that out? Here is an example:
‘Scotland has made such a mess of the devolved Health Service, they are not fit to be Independent’, there oil is running out (we know that because we are nickin’ it), anyway they are drunk and fighting with each other most of the time. You see, we have two challenges. They attack challenge 1 to defeat challenge 2.
Nelson says:
Did you fail to learn the lesson from James VI & I. Why do you insist on having two beasts with one head. Give each beast a head. I will repeat this and bring it up to date.
Why have two challenges, discreet challenges and give them to one person-our First Minister?
Nelson was not wrong at Trafalgar and he is not wrong now.
How would this work?
Without a doubt. Nicola Sturgeon is doing a great job as First Minister running the country on a day to day basis. Full stop. We don’t need to say any more. We have our champion for challenge number 1.
Challenge number 2, Restitution of our Constitution is alarming simple, and must be taken back. There are a number of potential candidates whose passion for the role and ability to deliver is unquestionable. That said, this is a challenge 313 years in the making. It would be great to have a candidate who has the passion, the qualifications, the experience and a proven track record. That narrows the field down to one. Joanna Cherry is the consummate politician. She can hold an audience, argue on her feet and command the floor. She has presence, determination and, as her performance challenging Westminster on Article 50 established her ability to think past success. As a QC she is a legal strategist. She does not follow a legal route she will beat a legal path to success. That is exactly what is required to restore our Constitutional Rights.
Let’s call an Interim Joint Leader our Constitutional Tsar. This role can forge the vital link between the Yes Community and the Scottish Government. If this was an interim pseudo political party it would be the largest political party in the UK, bar none. Just think about that. How simple would it be to establish such a force for change.
This restructuring of our forces for change can and should happen very quickly. This could be completed soup to nuts in a week – there is nothing in our way other than unwillingness or perhaps it is fear?
I would like to jump a little ahead and envisage what it looks like and feels like to have this two million strong pseudo political party.
Let me play out a few scenarios to give you a feel for what is possible:
On a daily basis the Scottish Unionist Party aka the UK Tories, Labour and LibDems in Scotland and the Westminster Government round on Nicola Sturgeon conflating normal business of Government and ‘Independence’. The allegation is consistent. She takes her eye off the Governance ball to focus on Independence. Immediately, her job is so much easier because her eye is clearly not on ‘Independence’. That role sits with the Constitutional Tsar CT.
The CT and FM agree a Chinese Wall between their two roles. Any challenge on Restitution cannot be conflated with the performance of Government. The Chinese Wall properly prohibits that. Matters of Constitution must be dealt with purely on a constitutional basis. The CT has the uniformity of the biggest team in the UK and as the Political Lead of this Interim Team is able to retain the political focus on Restitution and nothing else.
As a separate entity this interim team that should rightfully include the Yes Alliance and it’s many disparate but aligned groups is not constrained by the normal rules governing political parties. This would be a group of like minded people with a shared goal. That goal would be to achieve the Restitution of the Scottish People’s Constitution. Once agreements and the appropriate declarations made by the elected Political Party the group would simply cease to exist in its chosen form.
The main advantages of such an apolitical group would include the absence of rules regarding funding and investment in activities outside the normal rules that would apply to a non incorporated club. As a group of individuals a Political Party would be required to exercise caution when criticising, attacking or sanctioning what is effective a group of citizens.
Of course a large group of individuals with a specific passion can quickly become a sack of cats. There will also be intruders, 5th column and Trojans within the mix. There is a way of dealing with this – be open and honest and clear with everything and everybody and make that central to everything that is said and done. What the Yes Community want and is determined to get is lawful, just and righteous in the eyes of every decent person on this planet – and the other don’t matter.