Scottish Tories slam SNP over independence infighting
They argue that a pro-independence majority on the regional list in 2026, rather than an [[SNP]] majority, as John Swinney has argued, should serve as a mandate for independence negotiations with the UK Government.
Reacting to The Herald's report, Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: 'This spat just demonstrates how out of touch John Swinney and the SNP are with ordinary Scots.
'Under the nationalists, our public services are in meltdown and taxes are sky high. But instead of fixing the mess they've created, they're fighting about how best to push their independence obsession.
'John Swinney should stop fixating on tearing up the UK and focus on his day job.'
Longtime party activist Graeme McCormick, who once described the party's independence strategy as 'flatulence in a trance,' told The Herald:
'As you can imagine in the SNP, there are lots of views on how to achieve independence. A few of us who have been involved in the movement for a long time came together to propose this plan.
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'If we get a majority of pro-independence votes on the list, we'll open negotiations with the UK Government around independence. If the negotiations aren't successful, then we'll move to dissolve the union. It's perfectly legal to do so.'
The plan, which will be discussed on August 9th in Perth, has been welcomed by the leaders of other pro-independence parties.
Kenny MacAskill of Alba told [[The Herald]] that he welcomed the 'old radical fire' present in the [[SNP]] members who submitted the motion. These sentiments were echoed by Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater, who said 'we all want to build a fairer, greener Scotland.'
A motion laying out the rival plan has been submitted to the SNP's conference committee, and a decision on the final agenda for the national gathering will be announced on August 8th.
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