Scottish Unionist group, A Force For Good, points out that at the start of the year, many of us had been looking forward to leaving the EU this Christmas. Now it looks like we'll just have to settle for being able to leave the house! In this, our 28th Saturday Street Stall (10-10-20), we lay into the SNP and the extent to which it is keeping the country in lockdown in the face of contrary evidence and increasing economic problems.
We point out that the new hospitality lockdown is so unfair for all those places who have been trying to follow the rules, and who have spent a lot of money to do so, but have now been rewarded with a slap in the face!
Unfortunately, all the opposition parties can't really capitalise on this because they all go along with the Covid Consensus – they are all invested in the strategy that the virus has to be eradicated rather than a strategy to live with it. This limits their ability to respond to the very unsatisfactory position of just...sniping about who is having the best lockdown.
We detail these two different strategies and we mention some good references advocating the alternative approach. We also remind listeners to be alert to how the statistics can be presented in a way to make them sound scarier. For example, saying "50 in 100,000" rather than 1 in 2000.
One thing is for certain, if MPs and MSPs had to take a pay-cut, or lose their jobs, every time they supported lockdown, then they wouldn't be so keen on it!
SNP GERRYMANDER SCOTTISH ELECTIONS FRANCHISE
We also show that the franchise for Scottish elections was changed this year to include everybody who is legally resident in Scotland, regardless of whether or not they are a British citizen (from 30.00 mins). How did that policy "sneak in"? We explain the how and why.
What we have to ensure is that if there is another separation referendum then the British General Election franchise must be used (rather than this Holyrood one). Otherwise we are going to have 10s of thousands of residents of Scotland who will be able to vote – and who are not even British citizens – and who will be highly vulnerable to being pandered-to directly by the SNP.
As usual, we highlight some fascinating historical dates from "the coming week in British history" and much more...
REFERENCES
COVID
Neil Oliver on the Lockdown (Talk Radio, 8-10-20)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rDM9EXVOLgLord Sumption: "Government may increase the death toll with unjust and insane measures, why are they doubling down on failure?"
The Sun, 9-10-20
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12886627/lord-sumption-government-death-toll-coronavirus-crisis/IVOR CUMMINGS
Talk Radio 6-10-20
Lockdown sceptic Ivor Cummins says there is "essentially no substantial connection" between lockdowns and Covid deaths: "I don’t know why government isn't reading the published papers that have done the analysis”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpInci1g1RMPOLITICS
DISSOLVING NOT DEVOLVING BOOKLET: Available at
https://www.aforceforgood.uk/product-page/danger-of-devolution-pamphletsSNP/Scottish Cabbage Proposal to Give Everybody the Vote
https://www.aforceforgood.uk/single-post/2018/09/05/SNP-and-Scottish-Cabbages-Proposal-to-Give-Everyone-the-VoteBeing British: Some Practical Benefits and Spiritual Elements