Why does the SNP own Independence?

I was talking to some folk on twitter last night and it helped to sort my problem of why I was voting SNP. For as long as I remember I wanted Independence for Scotland. I even stood for it in a debate in college in 1968. I lost the debate, Nationalism was not very popular in those days, especially in Aberdeen.

I have never been a great supporter of the SNP except for one policy, Independence. I am much more at home with the Liberals and then grudging the Liberal Democrats. That was until May 2010 when my trust was shattered and remains so. On twitter last night, amongst others, I meet a guy called Andrew and he writes a great blog http://scottish-liberal.blogspot.com/ I thought your views are similar to mine but you stayed in the LibDem party. How many others are there from all parties who want independence who have stayed in their parties or like me who have left and voted SNP but whose's heart is not really in that party. Not as because they are voting as a protest vote but because they want Independence and see no other way of obtaining it.

The Case for the Union, shouting?

The unionist parties have started their defense of the union. Danny Alexander & Micheal Moore, both Scottish LibDem MP's have made speeches this week on the value of the Union.


I have not been able to read their speeches in full and so have had to relay on newspaper reports. From these, it seems as if the same old arguments are being trotted out. Is it the correct way to defend the union, by attack independence and Scotland's ability to be an independent nation? As the Guardian today put it "Alexander said it would have been "catastrophic" for Scotland to deal with a collapsing banking sector had it not been part of the UK and said that if it had stood alone "Scotland's deficit would have been one of the largest in Europe"."

why scotlands neds arent rioting

How should we describe these riots as UK or England's riots? Also was it wrong for the First Minister to point out that the riots were only happening in England and not the rest of the UK?

This came to a head when several English journalist recommended on Twitter that we read a blog about the question why scotlands neds arent rioting This blog is written by a scotsman living in London, actually a Westminster correspondent. I have become aware of how some Scots who head south in the media become very 'British' and start viewing Scotland & the Scots from a different view point as resident Scots do. It is also obvious that Tourcil (the blogger) is not a SNP supporter. So how much of his dislike of the First Minister affected his views.