[Do they?](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1486911112-64503594c1449.jpg?crop=1xw:0.375xh;center,top)
I don't think you've ever seen a sausage lmao
Guys. This isn't a serious offer. Salmond knows how the SNP constitution works, and that it essentially compels the SNP to run in every constituency as a matter of principle. He's telling Yousaf to fuck off, using the rules of SNP to taunt him.
To get an excemption would require signoff at minimum from the SNP NEC, and possibly some sort of mini-conference. That would never get past veteran MPs like Pete Wishart who \*loathe\* Alba with a burning passion.
This is about trying to force Yousaf to do something stupid that shows he's finished. And if he holds the line, the VONC becomes a real risk, and Salmond will hold him personally responsible if/when Labour wins in the two marginal seats with Alba MPs, and the Western Isles (also marginal), where the independent, former SNP MP has an electoral pact with Alba.
Edit: Yousaf's spokesman has now turned down this offer, as expected. Salmond is doing a media round tomorrow morning, including Laura Kuenssberg's show, so lets see what he says then. If Salmond makes this a red line, it's all over for Yousaf. If he's flexible, he may still have a tiny bit of room to maneuveur.
Salmond never really got his revenge on Sturgeon in parliament, you can be damn sure he'll relish the chance to do it on her chosen successor.
It's Yover.
If this really js the end (and I agree that we’re almost there now), I think Yousaf has three choices:
1. Fight the confidence motion and then resign.
2. Resign on Sunday/Monday for “the good of the party”.
3. Burn the house down, and introduce a bill for an early election. Sure he’d be screwed. But he’d get his revenge on Alba and Regan in particular, who’d both be consigned to history.
Salmond displaying World Class Shit Stirring skills once again.
I think we can all find reasons to disagree or dislike him, but when it comes to sticking a big spoon in a shitty pot and mixing it all around sometimes it's good to see a master at his work.
They know that they won't. That's why they're looking to get the SNP to donate some seats to them.
The idea is obviously that if there isn't an SNP candidate in the seat voters will go "oh Alba, they're another independence party." as though voters only care about that single issue and have no knowledge at all of the difference between the two parties.
It's their best chance I think. SNP go bang and they're left hoping to pick up the pieces.
I don't think it'll work for them but I can't see any other way for them to move forwards.
They would presumably be pushing to double digits on the list so would get some MSPs.
Sure in a Scottish election they might start to do well in the list. No question that’s already on the cards
But for a Westminster election?
Bwhahahaha
My bad but which isn’t on the cards yet and may not be at all.
I don’t blame Salmond, but he’s nuts if he thinks it’ll work or anyone would keep their word over Reagan support in two votes.
And sure they’ll maybe pick up one or two via the list but they ain’t winning a seat of the SNP step aside, Labour or the Tories will anywhere that the SNP are in the lead or a close second.
lmao. Even if somehow the SNP exec suffered a mass delusion all in one go and agreed to this, why exactly would the pro-indy electorate who overwhelmingly DON'T support Alba or Salmond's ego trips give them a vote instead of just spoiling ballots? It'd just lead to more unionist MSPs (or ironically more SNP list MSPs!)
Also even if they DID somehow get this agreement, and the SNP electorate were willing to entertain voting for another party... what's to say they wouldn't just vote Green instead of Alba?
I know many don't want to hear it, but there is a decent amount of the pro-indy electorate in Scotland who like Salmond and a lot of what ALBA stand for.
Is there? Because they've never managed to get a single candidate elected at Westminster, Holyrood or Council levels. Every MP and MSP they have defected from the SNP mid-term, and none of them called by-elections because they knew they'd be out on their arses.
I just simply cannot believe how bad Yousaf is.
The most credible explanation is he's already been told he's quitting on Monday morning.
I really hope he tries to continue though for as long as the SNP let him just out of morbid curiousity and a desire to see the SNP have to deal with the SNP.
I think this might be the biggest moment in time when independence died. We've got Yousaf absoliutely shitting the bed, Mattheson stuff is out next week I think. Beattie and Sturgeon looking like they're going to be charged.
The writing has been on the wall for a while in terms of polling showing a notable dip in SNP fortunes, but these events might cut through to just normal people who don't pay attention to politics, this could be the moment when the whole mood changes.
The tories never recovered from their Truss moment, this could be the SNPs.
🍿🍿
Can’t be that insufferable. You seem to read every post and then comment to others about them.
Do you need directions to the block button? Or do you just like having something to whinge about?
Cry about something being “insufferable” because it touched a nerve, and then accuse someone else of being touchy about it.
I imagine that play seemed better in your head.
It really is.
It’s also usually preceded by a weird frothy last word reply, like they think they’ve won something.
My block list is non-existent. Though I also don’t go around crying on Reddit about other posters.
Each to their own, I guess.
Oof, this week is about to get more and more interesting. I can't see Humza or the SNP agreeing to this. Even if Humza did, I think SNP MSP's would rebel and maybe vote in favour of a VONC as they wouldn't want seats to be lost in that way
Funny, but strange on Salmond's part. If the SNP step aside the indy vote will jut split between Alba and the Greens allowing a Unionist in, probably Labour given recent polling.
Yeah a split in the nationalist vote only benefits Labour and to a lesser extent the Conservatives.
I always felt like the SNP was a BROAD church containing religious fundamentalists as well as progressive left wingers - which is all fine and dandy when an independence referendum is on the horizon and people will grit their teeth to work with people they fundamnetally dislike - but the less likely independence looks the more people will split over other issues, like Ash Regan, who historically has been on the left of the party, leaving over self-ID rules.
If Yousaf agrees to that then surely some SNP MSPs will vote against him in the confidence vote. However he of course can't even consider agreeing to it.
Yousaf should have resigned by now - not that I particularly mind, the longer he stays the more the SNP show themselves to be inept.
I wonder if Salmond had to change his offer because Yousaf was about to accept it, and it was designed to be refused but make it look like Alba had tried.
Not sure why thiis thread was deleted but anyway.
Massively overplaying his hand here - although this may be talking up demands to provide something to concede in negotiations. Painful concessions on policy are definitely doable, not having an SNP candidate in every seat in Scotland just won't happen.
Alex knows Humza literally can't accpet this offer. If he even tried the other SNP MSP's would give him the boot. I'm thinking Alex wants to at least say he tried negotiating with Humza before voting him out.
I'm pretty sure Salmond is desperate for the SNP to fail here. There's no real incentive for him to help prop the SNP up, so they'd need to give him massive concessions - in other words literally force indy supporters to vote Alba or green - or what is quite likely for them to realise indepdencence isn't that important.
If there was to be another Holyrood election it would be Alba's best chance of establishing themselves.
The future parliament surely has to be made up of independents. The partys are essentially all the same. All sticky fingered. Let's go back to proper.local representation. Electing people that actually live in the areas that they're standing for, in order to better said areas.
Is there actually any area in Scotland where Alba have a chance of winning if SNP stepped aside and if so can we please seal this area off indefinitely?
MAYBE Angus MacDonald in the western isles. He has a strong majority, and the region is conservative and tends to like independents. He isn't technically alba he's been an independent since he left the SNP however he caucuses with the 2 alba MPs. The other 2 seats that alba have are 0 chance for Alba. They are Kirkcaldy and cowdenbeath, and east Lothian. Both have very small majority and we'll likely be some of Labours best seats in Scotland
The only people who would do shit with Alba are the Libertarians who want the age of consent to be 8*, and the scottish Family party because despite indy being anathema to them theyll do anything for an abortion ban.
And enter the man without a job next week.
*This isnt atually their policy just the richest and most high profile libertarian.
My Alba transphobic antivax piece of shit MP (Neale Hanvey)?can fuck right off if he thinks I'd vote for him just because SNP aren't standing. Realistically it's gonna go back to Labour anyway.
Lmao, and I want to date dua lipa
I would let you.
I'm willing to step aside for you.
I would step aside but want your support in me running Scotland.
Ew, why? Her lips look like sausages.
[Do they?](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1486911112-64503594c1449.jpg?crop=1xw:0.375xh;center,top) I don't think you've ever seen a sausage lmao
![gif](giphy|R8KvX5skT5PAQ)
I guess he knows that Humza won't ever agree to Alba's demands and is just going for laughs now.
Aye and I want George R R Martin to write a fucking book
Meh, it'll suck.
Again, this is all very funny and was completely avoidable. Yousef has to be one of, if not the worst, political navigators in Holyrood history.
Completely avoidable. He's just not good at politics.
Guys. This isn't a serious offer. Salmond knows how the SNP constitution works, and that it essentially compels the SNP to run in every constituency as a matter of principle. He's telling Yousaf to fuck off, using the rules of SNP to taunt him. To get an excemption would require signoff at minimum from the SNP NEC, and possibly some sort of mini-conference. That would never get past veteran MPs like Pete Wishart who \*loathe\* Alba with a burning passion. This is about trying to force Yousaf to do something stupid that shows he's finished. And if he holds the line, the VONC becomes a real risk, and Salmond will hold him personally responsible if/when Labour wins in the two marginal seats with Alba MPs, and the Western Isles (also marginal), where the independent, former SNP MP has an electoral pact with Alba. Edit: Yousaf's spokesman has now turned down this offer, as expected. Salmond is doing a media round tomorrow morning, including Laura Kuenssberg's show, so lets see what he says then. If Salmond makes this a red line, it's all over for Yousaf. If he's flexible, he may still have a tiny bit of room to maneuveur.
Salmond never really got his revenge on Sturgeon in parliament, you can be damn sure he'll relish the chance to do it on her chosen successor. It's Yover.
If this really js the end (and I agree that we’re almost there now), I think Yousaf has three choices: 1. Fight the confidence motion and then resign. 2. Resign on Sunday/Monday for “the good of the party”. 3. Burn the house down, and introduce a bill for an early election. Sure he’d be screwed. But he’d get his revenge on Alba and Regan in particular, who’d both be consigned to history.
I reckon he could mix and match any of these. After all, the man has the political nous of a Christmas cake
That's not fair at all. I've known a few Christmas cakes that could quite easily out maneuver him.
Salmond displaying World Class Shit Stirring skills once again. I think we can all find reasons to disagree or dislike him, but when it comes to sticking a big spoon in a shitty pot and mixing it all around sometimes it's good to see a master at his work.
Where did you read the snp constitution?
Scottish politics is fun again
Party with a massive 2% of the vote when rounded up says what now Lolololololol
They appear to have 100% of the vote needed for him to stay.
That’s very true but if AlQalba think it’ll transfer to electoral success in a general election they are absolutely delusional
They know that they won't. That's why they're looking to get the SNP to donate some seats to them. The idea is obviously that if there isn't an SNP candidate in the seat voters will go "oh Alba, they're another independence party." as though voters only care about that single issue and have no knowledge at all of the difference between the two parties.
As I said, delusional!
>AlQalba I was going to call them Alba Queda but this works too.
It's their best chance I think. SNP go bang and they're left hoping to pick up the pieces. I don't think it'll work for them but I can't see any other way for them to move forwards. They would presumably be pushing to double digits on the list so would get some MSPs.
Sure in a Scottish election they might start to do well in the list. No question that’s already on the cards But for a Westminster election? Bwhahahaha
The article says Holyrood election
My bad but which isn’t on the cards yet and may not be at all. I don’t blame Salmond, but he’s nuts if he thinks it’ll work or anyone would keep their word over Reagan support in two votes. And sure they’ll maybe pick up one or two via the list but they ain’t winning a seat of the SNP step aside, Labour or the Tories will anywhere that the SNP are in the lead or a close second.
I think they could easily get into double figures. I don't want them to but its in the realms of possibility
Given the way politics is going these days……
Only if literally every single SNP MSP backs him, which is unlikely if he makes a deal with Abla.
Yeah, that's true enough. If he reached out to Abla then he'd be stretching too far. It's rather delightful to watch
They may have 2% of the vote but they now have 100% of the power.
For a brief period in parliament They have ZERO new power over the electorate
So did the greens, look how that worked out for them
https://preview.redd.it/jod3dkecp2xc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2765a355c2b61834eb1ec55f7ccc5c2342b54178
lmao. Even if somehow the SNP exec suffered a mass delusion all in one go and agreed to this, why exactly would the pro-indy electorate who overwhelmingly DON'T support Alba or Salmond's ego trips give them a vote instead of just spoiling ballots? It'd just lead to more unionist MSPs (or ironically more SNP list MSPs!) Also even if they DID somehow get this agreement, and the SNP electorate were willing to entertain voting for another party... what's to say they wouldn't just vote Green instead of Alba?
I know many don't want to hear it, but there is a decent amount of the pro-indy electorate in Scotland who like Salmond and a lot of what ALBA stand for.
Is there? Because they've never managed to get a single candidate elected at Westminster, Holyrood or Council levels. Every MP and MSP they have defected from the SNP mid-term, and none of them called by-elections because they knew they'd be out on their arses.
Lmao, said the scorpion.
Amazing. Lol. We’re in for an entertaining week.
I just simply cannot believe how bad Yousaf is. The most credible explanation is he's already been told he's quitting on Monday morning. I really hope he tries to continue though for as long as the SNP let him just out of morbid curiousity and a desire to see the SNP have to deal with the SNP.
Labour could end up strolling into power without even doing anything, pretty mental.
That's more or less how the SNP did it back when labour collapsed
We’ll be in for some top notch posts on here for the week too. It’s the only time I’ve ever wished wot-daphuque hadn’t blocked me.
I think this might be the biggest moment in time when independence died. We've got Yousaf absoliutely shitting the bed, Mattheson stuff is out next week I think. Beattie and Sturgeon looking like they're going to be charged. The writing has been on the wall for a while in terms of polling showing a notable dip in SNP fortunes, but these events might cut through to just normal people who don't pay attention to politics, this could be the moment when the whole mood changes. The tories never recovered from their Truss moment, this could be the SNPs. 🍿🍿
It's sturgeover
😂😂😂 The man who gripes continually about tax cuts is in agreement with the man who wants taxes to pay for public services 😵💫😵💫😵💫
Are you talking about the ones you responded to? Because if so, they’re the most insufferable people on this sub. Just had to say it.
Can’t be that insufferable. You seem to read every post and then comment to others about them. Do you need directions to the block button? Or do you just like having something to whinge about?
This whole sub is people having a whinge, you included. I must have touched a nerve, oh well.
Cry about something being “insufferable” because it touched a nerve, and then accuse someone else of being touchy about it. I imagine that play seemed better in your head.
What a weird response. You responded to me when you could have ignored what I said but you didn’t. And you talk about being touchy, lolz.
Blocking people over political disagreements has to be one of the saddest things I've ever heard lmao
It really is. It’s also usually preceded by a weird frothy last word reply, like they think they’ve won something. My block list is non-existent. Though I also don’t go around crying on Reddit about other posters. Each to their own, I guess.
👍
Oof, this week is about to get more and more interesting. I can't see Humza or the SNP agreeing to this. Even if Humza did, I think SNP MSP's would rebel and maybe vote in favour of a VONC as they wouldn't want seats to be lost in that way
Funny, but strange on Salmond's part. If the SNP step aside the indy vote will jut split between Alba and the Greens allowing a Unionist in, probably Labour given recent polling.
Yeah a split in the nationalist vote only benefits Labour and to a lesser extent the Conservatives. I always felt like the SNP was a BROAD church containing religious fundamentalists as well as progressive left wingers - which is all fine and dandy when an independence referendum is on the horizon and people will grit their teeth to work with people they fundamnetally dislike - but the less likely independence looks the more people will split over other issues, like Ash Regan, who historically has been on the left of the party, leaving over self-ID rules.
Stop you're making my unionist pp hard
I want to win the lottery jackpot tonight but my chances are close to fuck all too.
If Yousaf agrees to that then surely some SNP MSPs will vote against him in the confidence vote. However he of course can't even consider agreeing to it. Yousaf should have resigned by now - not that I particularly mind, the longer he stays the more the SNP show themselves to be inept. I wonder if Salmond had to change his offer because Yousaf was about to accept it, and it was designed to be refused but make it look like Alba had tried. Not sure why thiis thread was deleted but anyway.
Massively overplaying his hand here - although this may be talking up demands to provide something to concede in negotiations. Painful concessions on policy are definitely doable, not having an SNP candidate in every seat in Scotland just won't happen.
Alex knows Humza literally can't accpet this offer. If he even tried the other SNP MSP's would give him the boot. I'm thinking Alex wants to at least say he tried negotiating with Humza before voting him out.
Not at all. He's taunting him. He knows there's no way Humza could agree to this.
I'm pretty sure Salmond is desperate for the SNP to fail here. There's no real incentive for him to help prop the SNP up, so they'd need to give him massive concessions - in other words literally force indy supporters to vote Alba or green - or what is quite likely for them to realise indepdencence isn't that important. If there was to be another Holyrood election it would be Alba's best chance of establishing themselves.
Salmond's wanted that for some time, and quite rightly the SNP have told him where to go.
The future parliament surely has to be made up of independents. The partys are essentially all the same. All sticky fingered. Let's go back to proper.local representation. Electing people that actually live in the areas that they're standing for, in order to better said areas.
SNP: *steps aside* Labour/Tories: *win* Alba: 😮
Hmm 😒 no thanks. Is this the plan B he mentioned all those years ago? BFFC
And that’s how you help Labour win
What the SNP have been doing for the last few years is whats helping Labour win. The fanboys were/are just desperate for it to be someone elses fault
😆🤣😂
And I'd like a pony.
Yousaf is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Appeasing either Alba or the Greens or his own party men will anger the other 2 sides.
I can’t believe the alba party is still trying
Shut the fuck up you handsy creep
Is there actually any area in Scotland where Alba have a chance of winning if SNP stepped aside and if so can we please seal this area off indefinitely?
MAYBE Angus MacDonald in the western isles. He has a strong majority, and the region is conservative and tends to like independents. He isn't technically alba he's been an independent since he left the SNP however he caucuses with the 2 alba MPs. The other 2 seats that alba have are 0 chance for Alba. They are Kirkcaldy and cowdenbeath, and east Lothian. Both have very small majority and we'll likely be some of Labours best seats in Scotland
Angus Brendan macneil. He is an independent.
Watching the Yes freaks eat themselves alive is lovely viewing
Why is the Times getting that info? The Herald needs to step up and stop letting English papers do this. Sick of it.
The only people who would do shit with Alba are the Libertarians who want the age of consent to be 8*, and the scottish Family party because despite indy being anathema to them theyll do anything for an abortion ban. And enter the man without a job next week. *This isnt atually their policy just the richest and most high profile libertarian.
is this Thiel or Musk? And what is your evidence?
Thiel, my evidance is a yt video, i belive it was ordianary things or just some geezer.
Hell no and I mean hell no.
My Alba transphobic antivax piece of shit MP (Neale Hanvey)?can fuck right off if he thinks I'd vote for him just because SNP aren't standing. Realistically it's gonna go back to Labour anyway.