An amusing, imaginative article from regular correspondent Iain Bruce, from Nairn.
So there we have it at last. It’s a bright June day as His Majesty’s Officers of Arms in their pantomime outfits, sorry ceremonial uniforms descend the steps of Edinburgh mercat cross having accompanied the Lord Lyon whilst he read the king’s proclamation that the Parliament at Holyrood is hereby suspended.
They rejoin the Guard of Honour from the Royal Regiment of Scotland and accompanying band and the parade moves off completing another quaint ritual of the imperial power for the tourists to add to their selfie collection except that the suspension of our parliament is hardly quaint.
But it has ended months of speculation and rumour.
Ever since the Presiding Officer appeared to miss the deadline of calling time on the fixed parliament term due on Thursday 7 May 2026, rumours were swirling about why she didn’t appear to be sticking to the rules particularly when, although she did have some flexibility in announcing the date, she became increasingly evasive about the situation.
Having taken the predicted pasting at the 2024 General Election, the SNP were quick out of the blocks for this Holyrood election with a re-structuring which attracted a considerable return of lost members and corresponding funds and promoting an all out strategy for a plebiscite election this year (2026).
The campaign had been going well and there were reports from activists across the country that the heady days of September 2014 were back again and the polls were confirming their confidence. Strangely though the SNP government took their feet off the gas in February. The Secretary of State for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture known affectionately to independenistas as Di-Di, some say he was the Daniel Defoe of our age, had become less and less visible and latterly conspicuous by his absence.
The hope had been that he was preoccupied with planning the strategy for independence negotiations. Then again perhaps he knew what was coming so was having his own game of hide but no seek.
Unrest across Scottish society had been building on a number of issues not least a Council Tax strike in rural Aberdeenshire when the Planning Authority’s refusal for yet more 60m high pylons across valued scenic landscapes was overturned on the grounds of national security. And on the same theme there was a month long blockade of the Skye bridge. There was also large demonstrations and disruption to the site of one of the new modular nuclear power stations at Torness.
It appears that getting Scotland’s bounty of renewable energy to the south coast of England with minimal cost to shareholders of SSEN constituted a national security threat and as Energy was a devolved matter, nothing Holyrood could do or say, mattered.
It was also interesting that Queen Elizabeth House off Edinburgh’s High Street was now under the security of the Army but it wasn’t clear if it was the Royal Regiment of Scotland or others who were wearing the trousers. Wags put it about that they were in fact warders making sure that Ian Murray, the original union-jaiket-man and now Secretary of State against Scotland didn’t escape. Later it emerged that Westminster, following secret polling had issued the threat of a barrage of Section 35s to the SNP government prohibiting the appointment of Returning Officers and the use of public buildings as polling stations, not only emphasising the true nature of the pretendy parliament but highlighting in red pen that the Constitution is a reserved matter. And as such ‘plebiscite elections’ had no place at Holyrood.
It was also rumoured that the former Chief Constable of Durham and now Scotland’s principal police officer was reminded of her solemn oath to her king should the need arise to order her officers to prevent access to any spontaneous and unauthorised polling places.
Surprisingly the SNP had their dander up and obviously these threats hadn’t been taken seriously enough hence the ultimate sanction at Edinburgh’s mercat cross under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998.
I suspect if you’re a British patriot with Scotland under direct rule again you’ll take to singing rule Britannia in the shower every morning and be looking forward to the next hundred years of the undimmed Britishness of your future.
If you’re a Scottish patriot what would you be doing?
Iain Bruce
Nairn
YOURS FOR SCOTLAND 
Iain (Bruce) may be jesting but suspect that his tongue is not particularly firmly rammed into his cheek.
The pattern of aggressive British Nationalism continues to accelerate. This started on 19th September 2014 with Cameron’s EVEL speech, continued through the Smith Committee whitewash, onwards to the Internal Markets Act, the construction of the brand new Queen Elizabeth House building in Edinburgh replete with transported Whitehall civil service staff, direct funding of Scottish local authority councils, the setting up of extensive stretches of Scottish territory as ‘Green’ Freeports and Special Economic Zones and the increasing use of Westminster’s (Section 35) veto on legislation passed in the Scottish Parliament.
In the relatively recent past the Britz seemingly felt they had to use bombast when declaring their intent to ride roughshod over Scotland and her people such as when House Jock Jack’s colleague Andrew Bowie screamed in 2020 “The UK Government is back in Scotland. Get used to it”.
Last month, however, the British Secretary of State for Scotland mentioned in the manner of a mere causal afterthought that a new nuclear power station will be built in this country without any reference to whether or not that is what the people of this country want. This was met by a somewhat feeble response from John Swinney. (No surprise there).
The British Nationalists of the British state are both increasingly bold in asserting their power and being simultaneously dismissive of the Scottish public and their political representatives, especially the latter.
With the gravy-slurpers presently occupying the seats in Holyrood now held in fairly low esteem by the Scottish public the shutting down of the Scottish Parliament might not be met with much public outcry. Certainly the kowtowing members of the White Feather Club won’t be either ‘standing up’ or ‘standing strong’ for Scotland. Since the Great Brexit Bottling they are more likely to squeak, rather than speak, up for Scotland.
So, yes Iain (Lawson), in my opinion the suspension of the Scottish Parliament with administrative functions taken over by the 3000 Whitehall civil servants squatting in The Hub in New Street certainly could happen.
By 2026 it may be more likely than not.
LikeLiked by 24 people
Agree all the points you list. Scotland is easily blockaded, by overt and deniable means, something the SNP have done nothing about since 2014.
LikeLiked by 6 people
They have done nothing about it because they have chosen to collaborate with our oppressors.
So it’s worse: The SNP are roadblock.
LikeLiked by 12 people
Operation Yellowhammer? Turn Scotland into 1970s Belfast? Gaslighting Gilligan has written extensively on this. I’m not totally up to speed as I’ve recently discovered him but in essence that’s what this is.
LikeLiked by 9 people
Totally agree that we’re in this position because of the lack of fight and ‘rolling-over’ of those who asked for our votes, with the unfulfilled promise of the Restoration of Scottish Independence.
There was never any need to ‘ask/translated ‘beg’!
They chose to ignore what should have been used, instead they afforded power to a
FOREIGN ENGLISH ESTABLISHMENT
There’s NOTHING ‘S’ about “The Treaty of the Union”
ScotGov/SNP want to ignore the Ancient Treaties of Scotland
YET
They totally accepted the NOT SO ANCIENT but ANCIENT HENRY VIII rule,
used by the FOREIGN ENGLISH GOV
without any fight/objection by the SNP.
Where we are, is the fault of the SNP and their gutless stance/intransigence against working with/listening to Scots with researched knowledge that WILL FREE SCOTLAND.
SNP NEED TO STOP ASKING THE FOREIGN COLONIAL DICTATORS
and
LISTEN INSTEAD TO SCOTS, LOYAL TO SCOTLAND AND NO OTHER
LikeLiked by 1 person
An amusing exchange on the comments section of another site (I paraphrase):
Q. If the Brits had an agent inside the IRA codenamed Stakeknife, would the SNP’s equivalent be Spurtle?
A. Only if you like marmalade in your porridge.
LikeLiked by 17 people
heaven forfend
LikeLiked by 3 people
This seems like a recurring nightmare – but what should we do ? There’s nothing special about Holyrood, the place. We should re-convene the real Scottish parliament at The Meadows, Bannockburn, Glasgow Green, or the North Inch in Perth – and declare the parliament properly re-convened after 319 years.
LikeLiked by 17 people
Oh, yes, it could, and probably would, happen, if we won a plebiscitary election and declared our independence immediately thereafter. That is the risk we have to take. Faint heart never won fair lady – or Scottish independence.
LikeLiked by 21 people
From becoming leader of the SNP to becoming FM, sturgeon made no effort secure Independence she actively made more of an effort to destroy the movement and disband it and then started calling herself British and yet loyal supporters didn’t see anything wrong with that.
Before Sturgeon reign, the SNP had only one asset at its disposable and that was Independence and with Independence what it could bring to Scotland and our people no other party could anchor that to their cause, it’s the sole reason the SNP has been in government for the last 17yrs.
Instead Sturgeon took over and has used it as a weapon not to achieve Independence but to destroy it entirely, even today her puppets are welding the cause of Independence in this election on promises of making Scotland Independent within the next 5 years, I ask again why wait, if the idea of Independence solves all Scotland problem and her is the answer we’re being conned again, the SNP and its misuse of the Indy cause is doing irreparable damage to the cause by dangle the carrot and then taken it away again only to be rolled out In 2026, what’s going to happen is people are going to get so fed up of the promise of Independence that when they hear it they’ll just ignore it as another stunt of leading us up the hill on election night only to bring us back down and to be slaughtered by the SNP promise of Independence.
Scotland can become Independent and the only way its going to happen if we elect someone who prepared to put country before greed and Kate Forbes or Stephen Flynn aren’t these people neither. If Scotland had the right leader who actively wants Independence, would have to set out a policy of defying English rule and this is the correct way to go it can be done peacefully and when people see the truth about Britain and how Scotland is a prisoner then support for Independence will grow well past the 60% and the support for that leader of party putting Scotland first will also grow, people aren’t interested in promises there interested in active action something the SNP has lagged for the last 10 years. Sturgeon was never a leader I wouldn’t even say she was a deputy and neither is Swinney or deputy Forbes.
LikeLiked by 17 people
Totally agree!
No more of the FALSE vote to give … then we ASK FOR PERMISSION FOR A REFERENDUM.
No, we vote FOR INDEPENDENCE and NOT IN FIVE YEARS.
Flynn ‘Two Questions’, is enjoying his time in England, where his high salary and the rest, buffers him from being ‘held in contempt’ by his ‘betters’!
These pretenders, happy NOT to progress and RESTORE INDEPENDENCE are doing nothing to
RESTORE SCOTLAND’S RIGHTFUL STATUS.
Why would ANY SCOT who supposedly wants our own Nation back under our control,
choose to ignore Scots who are showing another way.
I’ve defended them in the past, because I couldn’t/maybe didn’t want to, believe that we were being led down dead-ends and fed lies.
I’ll no longer defend ANY who want to delay/stop Independence.
They’re not only GUTLESS, they’re as SLEEKIT and I do question
WHY IS
Freeports Forbes/INVITED MEMBER OF THE ‘BRITISH-AMERICAN PROJECT’
NOW
Deputy FM.
No Scot should be ok with the above.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Two thing I’m looking forward to in this election 1 Independence from the SNP 2 who Sturgeon going to blame Swinney or Humza and the truth is neither she to blame.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Irrespective of whether external rule of a country happens to be carried out via ‘direct’ or ‘indirect’ means, it is still external rule.
There is perhaps less ambiguity with direct rule, but colonialism is always ‘a co-operative venture’ with native elites.
LikeLiked by 18 people
I think we need more use of this “storytelling ” approach to engage more people, a good story can stir imaginations more than lists of facts and stats and open up bold (&terrifying) visions of what could be if we really work together with clarity and motivation and put our egos in the Left Luggage. Thanks for posting this.
LikeLiked by 10 people
Would anyone really notice a lot of difference in terms of governance with direct rule? Perhaps, that’s what we need to happen so as to make people really unhappy and mobilise themselves accordingly, on to the streets.
LikeLiked by 7 people
Looking at the actions of the British/American project in Gaza, far worse could happen. Never stand in the way of imperialists and ‘their’ resources. As we have seen in Gaza, the U.N can simply be ignored.
LikeLiked by 9 people
Given that the British establishment are in such turmoil just now, I think we’re safe, in fact now would be a good time for a bit of non-cooperation with the state, unfortunately it won’t happen, it never does, like me, lots of folk must think, F*** it! I give up. I hope the SNP (Scottish nonce party) are decimated next month.
LikeLiked by 8 people
My, how you have all been taken in by ‘plebicite election’. You must all be so in awe of a classical education that you can’t be bothered to understand the words. Because it is a nonsensical contradiction. The real words are ‘single issue election campaign manifesto’. I think they came up with a Latin contradiction because they think most independence supporters are stupid and beholden to their betters.
LikeLiked by 4 people
“His Majesty’s Officers of Arms in their pantomime outfits”… well, why not? After all ‘Unreal Kingdoms’ can only exist in REAL Pantomimes! Instead of Real Politicians the “UK” can only present Pretentious-Political-IDIOCY ~ We are ending the so-called ‘Union’!
LikeLiked by 5 people