IN just over 24 hours the SNP have come under fire from their own membership for blocking debate on the party’s independence strategy and subsequently published a draft referendum bill.
The approach to securing Scotland’s exit from the Union by John Swinney’s party following the Holyrood election has caused a mixed response from those in and out of the party.
Before the election, the First Minister sought to use the political precedent of Alex Salmond’s 2011 majority to secure a mandate for a second independence referendum. But the SNP did not return a majority of MSPs, but with the addition of the Scottish Greens there is a record pro-independence majority in Holyrood.
With the legal route closed – the Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that Holyrood did not have the powers to legislate for an independence referendum as the constitution is reserved to Westminster – the publication of the draft bill has prompted some ire.
The lack of any resolutions on independence strategy – of which The National understands there were many – being included in the draft conference agenda has also prompted fury from members who had hoped for an open debate.
However, others have defended the leadership’s approach and said that the focus should be on convincing voters to back Yes, rather than going round in circles on independence.
Robin McAlpine, founder of Common Weal, said that the SNP’s current approach was “genuinely pitiful”.
He told The National: “The last decade has been a pantomime, the performance of doing something without taking a single credible step towards independence.
“The SNP is patronising its members whose voices have been all but silenced by the de-democratisation of the party. It is now a vehicle for independence like Scottish Labour is a vehicle for socialism.”
McAlpine added that this is one of several conferences where members have been “prevented from having an open debate about independence”.
“If this all wasn't bad enough, this is also shaping up to be the dullest, least ambitious and least visionary administration in the history of Holyrood,” he added.
“This is a party out of ideas, out of steam and out of talent. It has shunned multiple opportunities to refresh itself, to renew itself and to start again. It seems that keeping a small clique of officials at the top of the party in employment forever is the only priority left.”
McAlpine argued that there should be a “new SNP” because the party is “no longer a viable vehicle for independence”.
“Unless the party's members and the wider movement rebels, that's your lot,” he added.
“On the upside, I'm sure there will be another referendum bill in about a year and a half's time so at least you won't have long to wait for nothing to happen again.”
One SNP member, who wished not to be named, was also unimpressed by the publication of the draft referendum bill.
“Oh what strange timing, a totally pointless and performative bill gets dragged out the cupboard of empty ideas,” they said.
“This is the kind of rubbish we have been fed for years, performance over anything that advances independence. The time is now for John to go and take his clique with him, the SNP needs a leadership contest that is a battle of ideas on independence, not how we can manage a pretend parliament.
“John was a terrible leader first time around, he has been better this time, but that's a low bar.
“The SNP's very own John Major has lost the dressing room again.”
It comes as SNP councillor Mhairi Hunter argued that independence is “not being ignored” as there was a National Assembly on independence strategy “literally last weekend”.
“But constantly obsessing about a route map is holding back the real work that needs to be done on fleshing out indy policies for a post-brexit UK scenario,” she said.
“The 2014 case needs updated in every respect. My constituency has put forward two resolutions that are on the long list, both calling for detailed work to be done on policies for independence.
“You can argue independence on principle but you also need to argue it on detail. What difference will it make? What will we be able to do in an indy Scotland that we can't do now? “Some folk seem to think this doesn't matter any more, that we have already won the argument. We haven't. There's a great deal of work still to do so let's get on with it instead of endlessly having the same debates that take us no further forward.”
Former SNP MP Stewart McDonald also took a sceptical view on criticism that debate was not going ahead at the party’s conference. He wrote on X: “In a way it’s a shame as it would be good to see the idea of a de facto referendum defeated. It’s an appalling idea for so many reasons, the main one being that it cannot deliver independence.”
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay, who has called on the Scottish Government to focus on building support for independence, called on Westminster to respect the will of the Scottish people following the publication of the draft bill.
“There is a growing demand for it, the people of Scotland made that clear when they voted the largest group of pro-Independence MSPs only four months ago,” she said.
“It is an anti-democratic outrage that the Tories and Labour have lined-up to cast a veto against our parliament. Any union of countries should have clear mechanisms through which members can leave, but Labour has refused to even spell-out what it thinks would be legitimate.
“Scotland can do so much better than a broken Westminster system, a Tory Brexit that has cost us jobs and raised prices, and a so-called Labour government that armed Israel’s genocide against the people of Palestine.
“Andy Burnham promised a new approach to politics and an end to a broken and centralised Westminster system, and this will be a major test of that commitment.
“Any attempt to halt our right to choose our own future will not only show contempt for our parliament but also for our democracy.
“Scotland is not a region, it is a country. Our future must be decided by the people who live here, not by Westminster.”
Unionist politicians reacted as expected to the publication of the draft referendum bill.
Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay wrote on X that “Swinney's at it again”.
“He COULD choose to reduce NHS wait lists, cut taxes and benefits, fix public services, clean the streets, fill the pot-holes, tackle crime etc,” he said.
“But instead it's the usual tedious and time-wasting SNP obsession of breaking up our great country.”
Meanwhile, the Scottish LibDems issued a press release on the publication of the bill, with a quote from MSP David Green which read: "Yawn."
