By Rab Bruce’s Spider

At the weekend, I tweeted that the chances of a second IndieRef rest on the SNP gaining a majority in Holyrood once again and that, whatever people’s political affiliations, it would be better not to take the risk of them not achieving that allegedly impossible feat for the second time. This Tweet evoked a fair bit of response and two things were mentioned by people who were having second thoughts about supporting the SNP.

The first came from a fairly lengthy exchange of Tweets from people who object to the Offensive Behaviour at Football Act; the second was a complaint that Nicola Sturgeon had posed for a photograph in The sun, a newspaper which has rightly been excoriated for its appalling stance on the Hillsborough Disaster.

Both of these responses actually confirm the point I was trying to make. In the first place, it is everyone’s right to decide which Party to vote for based on that Party’s policies. If there is one policy you feel particularly strongly about, then you have every right not to vote for that Party. However, I challenge anyone to find a Party with which they agree on every point. Indeed, a Party which might have a different stance on the policy which concerns you might well have other policies you disagree with even more fundamentally. There is also the issue that what a Party says and what it does are not necessarily the same thing. Yes, I’m looking at you, Labour.

As for Nicola Sturgeon appearing in The Sun, that’s a move which is bound to upset some people. The Sun is an appalling newspaper but, much as I would not blame the SNP for refusing to have anything to do with any of the mainstream newspapers or the BBC in view of the constant stream of anti-Scottish and anti-SNP propaganda these outlets constantly churn out, we should not forget that the SNP politicians are just that – politicians. As the estimable David Halliday pointed out on Twitter, politics is the art of persuading people round to your point of view. It is hard enough for the SNP to get their message across against the outrageous media bias but to cut off all contact with media outlets is clearly a step they regard as being one too far. I was at a public meeting once where Nicola Sturgeon was speaking and, when asked about the media, she said that it was what it was and she would have to deal with it, much as she wished it might be otherwise. She obviously hasn’t changed her mind on that. IN her place, I might well let my temper get the better of me and refuse to have anything to do with the rags which pose as purveyors of news in the UK but can you imagine how the already hostile media would react to that sort of stance? The SNP have clearly decided that they need to play the politics game and maintain contact with the media, even though that decision has upset some people. But, if your job is to persuade people to come round to your way of thinking, refusing to speak to them probably isn’t the best way to go about it, no matter how much personal satisfaction it might give you to tell them where to go.

But, to return to my main point. If you support Scottish Independence, the reality of the matter is that the SNP represents our only real choice on Thursday. Refusing to vote for them because you are annoyed about a particular policy or a specific interaction with the media isn’t going to help the Yes movement because the Unionist Parties have all nailed their colours to the Union Flag mast and declared that, whatever the wishes of the people of Scotland, they won’t allow a second IndieRef. This is particularly important when a recent Opinion Poll has suggested that Yes now has a lead in the event that a second IndieRef were to be held soon. Because the reality is that, without a majority, the SNP cannot push through a referendum at all. Putting aside the important constitutional issue that Westminster may well refuse to allow another IndieRef, the Scottish Unionists have made it plain that they would ignore the wishes of the scottish people and would kill the chances stone dead if they can. The only way to avoid this is for the SNP to repeat their astonishing success in gaining a majority of Holyrood seats.

To those who say that they would prefer a wider pro-Yes Parliament and intend voting for the greens, I would point out that, while the Greens have said they would support a Yes vote in a second IndieRef, they have been very ambivalent about whether they would support the call for an actual referendum. It’s an odd stance but that seems to be their official position.

As always in Scottish politics, the Holyrood vote is influenced by the IndieRef question. It boils down to whether you think obtaining independence is the priority or whether you’d rather see a more diverse Parliament. If you want the latter, that is your choice but don’t forget that a more diverse Parliament may well kill off any chances of having another IndieRef.

For me, Independence is the priority. Once we have that, I’m all for changing the voting system to a fully proportional one so that a majority Government is even less likely than it is under the current system. I’d like to see the greens have more seats and I’d like to see some effective opposition from the other Parties who, once the question of independence is off the agenda because we have achieved it, might actually begin to free themselves from the shackles of their Westminster overlords and concentrate on issues which directly affect Scotland.

But we don’t have that yet and we might never get it unless we demonstrate, through our votes, that we support the SNP’s primary objective of obtaining independence and becoming a normal country.

So, to those who are having second thoughts about supporting the SNP because of a single policy or a single newspaper photograph, I’d say again – be sure that is your priority because you might well lose the bigger prize.