More Fake Yessers

In my last article, I talked about the way the state could and probably does try and influence the outcomes in Scottish politics by trying to sow division and disenfranchisement amongst Independence supporters.

But there are other groups trying to influence the outcomes of the election to further their own agendas.

And let's be clear, there is nothing wrong with any group trying to influence people to vote in a certain way, so long as you do it honestly i.e. make your case and persuade voters or the merits of your agenda.

Where it becomes a problem is when agendas are hidden.

Now we step into the controversial issue of gender politics in Scotland.

Let's be clear, in this article I am not advocating for one side or the other in the gender reform debate, as that would detract from the whole point of the article, although so toxic is this debate that I am sure I will get abuse for pointing out what follows.

On social media platforms like Twitter, you will see a lot of people advocating SNP 1&2 or SNP 1 Greens 2.

Some of them will genuinely believe these are the right options, however, a significant number are being disingenuous, and it those people I will be addressing.

One thing the SNP and Greens have in common is their support for gender reform.

The majority of Scottish voters have either not really paid any attention to this issue or are largely unaware of the in and outs of the debate.

Indeed polling on this issue can produce very different results depending on how the question is asked.

This in itself would make the issue an ideal topic for a strong and clever opposition party to be attacking the Scottish government on.

However, the policy of those who support gender reform has been to seek positions of influence and keep the issue out of the media and the general public consciousness.

They have been quite successful at this and are very close to achieving their aims through the influence they have with both the SNP & the Greens.

And the SNP & Greens were perfect vehicles for achieving their goals, both being Independence supporting parties with leaders with positive public images who liked to appeal to left of centre voters.

And it has been relatively easy going for them so far.

They have had some minor setbacks like losing seats on the SNP NEC after a coordinated campaign to oust them in NEC elections, but they were able to overcome that by getting back into the NEC in unelected positions.

They have had little to no opposition from unionist party leaders because those leaders are simply too weak to take them on and have no stomach to deal with the accusations of transphobia and homophobia that would ensue.

And everything looked like it was going to be relatively plain sailing.

Then Alex Salmond launched Alba.

This was a significant political figure who supports Independence and who is taking seriously the fears that women have voiced over protection to women-only spaces.

This is an obvious position for Alex Salmond to take, his opponents accuse him of being misogynistic and he can point to the Alba policy on this issue as proof that he is not.

So now the gender reform activists have a real threat, someone who can not only garner support from Independence supporters but also garner support from anyone who has fears or concern about gender reform and self-id.

The gender reform activists find themselves so close to the finish line and they now have the prospect of a politician in Holyrood who will not be scared to challenge their agenda in Holyrood and by doing so will positively benefit the public perception of him.

Now the gender reform activists have to switch from simply campaigning for the inevitable SNP election victory and have to fight a real threat.

They choose not to do this honestly and campaign on the merits of gender reform, instead, they go with smears and lies, because remember the strategy is to seek positions of influence and keep the issue out of the media and the general public consciousness and that strategy must continue.

So anyone associated with Alba become homophobes and transphobes at the merest mention of gender reform or women rights.

Any polls become proof that Alba votes are wasted votes, any polls showing any prospects for Alba are flawed, or the validity of all polling and seat projections are rubbished. 

Any evidence that Alba list votes are more valuable than SNP list votes is called misinformation, despite it being simple undeniable arithmetic.

Any proof that SNP list votes are wasted votes, even in regions where the SNP will take all the constituency seats, is shouted down as lies.

If they think you might not vote SNP 2, the Greens become the option to promote as an Independence party, when what they really mean is as a gender reform party.

You are left with people denying the reality of our electoral system, simple arithmetic and quite frankly making themselves look like imbeciles.

How anyone can think that publically looking like an idiot is a good look and will persuade people to vote the way you want them to is beyond me.

To me, that sends out the message that supporters of their chosen party are idiots, are you an idiot too?

Not a persuasive argument.

I would suggest in their efforts to promote the SNP and the Greens they are actually doing damage.

Many are left with the same feeling as they had in the referendum, talking to No voters who would just not accept simple facts because they were so entrenched, except for one major difference. 

The views of those No voters came from fear, ignorance or bigotry, the views presented by the gender reform activists come from a position of deliberate deception.

The simple fact is, to the gender reform activists, Independence is either a secondary issue or an issue they do not care about at all.

If you want to look like an idiot because you think it furthers your cause, then go ahead, but I would suggest if your agenda has merits it would be far more effective to campaign on those merits.

So when you see someone advocating SNP 1&2 or SNP 1 Greens 2, have a little look at their bio and some of their tweets.

Do they only talk about Independence or do they have a hidden agenda?