And the problem with Nicola Sturgeon

I'm a Scottish Green. I share Green principles of fairness and tolerance which are far enough to the left to satisfy my wish for Scotland to become an independent social democrat republic. That's never been my view of the SNP, which strikes me as lacking in left-wing beliefs. In fact, to be honest, the SNP doesn't seem to have a lot of beliefs, other than independence, although it's done a great job on moving us closer to that goal in the last 20 years. For about 10 years, I've lent my vote to the SNP at certain elections in hopes of changing how Scotland is governed. Other people have no doubt done the same.

However, about 3 weeks ago, I thought of jumping ship and joining the SNP. That was about the time that the Coronavirus began its deadly journey across the world.

The Scottish Government was - in my opinion - doing a good job: the First Minister, backed by the health minister, the head of Public Health Scotland and party stalwarts like John Swinney and Michael Russell at Holyrood, looked as if they had a handle on what was happening - and what needed to happen to protect us all.

They are, of course, being held back by the UK government in Westminster, which has put together the worst possible cabinet to handle a crisis: a bunch of inexperienced chancers who thought they would get their 15 minutes of political fame, after which they could pick up well-paid jobs as company directors in the city and disappear from view, but instead have ended up in a crisis that they're incapable of understanding, let alone managing. And they are led by Boris Johnson, a man without an idea in his head. When he speaks on camera, you can almost see his shifty wee eyes seeking out his pal Dominic Cummings for help.

To manage a crisis like the Coronavirus, you need to be able to see the big picture, be ready to work with colleagues who don't share your political views and to drop your urge to grandstand in front of the cameras. When the going gets tough at Holyrood, the leaders step up. Labour and Tory leaders have made good appearances during the crisis. At Westminster, when things get tough, the prime minister and his health minister bugger off, replaced by people like Michael Gove who love standing in front of cameras but have a tendency to lie every time they open their mouths and always - always - get found out, not just by the Guardian but by the blue rinses' favourite journalist, Robert Peston.

Westminster rejects offers of help from the EU and from companies that are not Tory party donors and is now trying to sideline the devolved governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over testing. They plan to make all decisions themselves, something they've shown no sign of being very good at.

So why didn't I join the SNP three weeks ago? Frankly, dear reader, it was mainly about the membership. 

There's an element in the SNP that knows nothing about politics. They don't understand, for example, that the COBRA group at Westminster controls the Coronavirus budget (because COBRA is about defence and defence is reserved to Westminster). That doesn't stop these people hitting the keyboard and making as much noise as possible on social media about how the Scottish Government is not standing up for Scotland.

They don't seem to know about strategy. They want independence done now. Mid-crisis. That is not going to happen.

These people have taken against Nicola Sturgeon. They want rid of her. They don't like her approach: Aye, she's okay on the process of working in a devolved parliament and winning elections, they say, but she's never going to get us independence.

In fact, some of these people want Alex Salmond back, not just in the party but in the job of First Minister.

Here's my opinion of that idea - and it has got me pelters so far this week on Facebook, so I might as well carry on. It'll save anyone else getting drawn into it.

Alex Salmond failed as First Minister. He went all out for independence in 2014, despite the polls being against him, and he didn't get it. He resigned as FM because he had failed. Politics isn't usually a place for second chances. People like me, who lent the SNP our votes (and there were a lot of us) won't let him fail all over again.

The SNP keyboard warriors I'm talking about don't like it but a new approach was needed after 2014 and Nicola Sturgeon is what we've got. She is personable, hard-working, able to rise above the stupid remarks of people like Boris Johnson (who recently called her Wee Jimmy Crankie, remember), capable of building friendships with other small countries right across Europe.

It's true the Scottish Government doesn't spend its time refuting the lies Westminster and their tame newspapers tell about Scotland. They'd never have time to run the country if they did.

So let me ask my pro-Salmond, anti-Sturgeon FB friends this: if you're that great at SNP politics, if you know so much better how to run the country - especially one in thrall to Westminster and in the middle of a crisis - how come you aren't up there doing it?

Now we have the awful embarrassment of Nicola Sturgeon's sister putting the splits in the SNP in writing on social media. That should never happen. What if the UK press gets hold of her letter? The unionists just love the idea of any kind of split in the SNP. If this blows up, it will be the responsibility of the SNP membership, no one else.

Some of the SNP continue to pretend independence depends only on them, when the polls keep telling them they need to attract a much wider audience - people from all parties and none to push the pro-independence vote high enough to get us out of the union.

You think people like me are going to throw in our lot with the SNP while you are out there on social media behaving like chimps at a tea party?

If you want to answer this blogpost the way you did my last one about Alex Salmond, that's fine. I am getting used to being told what I think is 'shite' and 'nonsense'. Just as long as you understand neither answer is a political argument. And doesn't change the fact that you lot need to pull together.