Salmond Offers Yousaf Scotland United Alternative To Rutherglen Reverse

In an open letter to the First Minister, Alex Salmond reiterated his letter to Humza Yousaf to consider calling for a single Scotland United for Independence candidate in the upcoming Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election.

He said;

"Humza Yousaf and the SNP are on a slippery slope to electoral disaster.

Unless he takes averting action there are likely to be no less than FIVE pro-independence candidates in Rutherglen.

The danger is handing the seat to Labour on a platter. There is no surer way of inviting a major reverse in the first significant test of Humza Yousaf’s leadership.

If Humza were to commit to even properly considering the Scotland United proposal at the SNP Conference in October, then I am sure that the other pro-independence parties would rally behind the SNP candidate. Certainly I believe ALBA would.

I have asked to receive a reply by next Friday 25th August in time for the ALBA National Council scheduled to be held in Rutherglen the next day which will decide on whether to contest the seat."

The Scotland United proposal is that the pro-independence parties field a single candidate in each constituency at next year’s General Election. All sitting SNP candidates would be readopted and the remaining seats divided by agreement between the participating political parties. Each independence party would have as a first paragraph in their manifesto that they were uniting to seek a popular mandate to begin independence negotiations with the Westminster Government.

You can read the full letter to the SNP Leader below.

Dear Humza

I was surprised to see you quoted from the Edinburgh Festival that you had no approaches from me with regard to an electoral proposal.

This is untrue.

I wrote to you first on 13th May and then through your staff privately in July, for a meeting.

I have yet to receive a reply to the letter.

To consider the possibility that you are in the dark about these approaches, I have now released the attached open letter asking you to consider the Scotland United for Independence proposal for the next General Election at the SNP Conference in October.

The process of replacing Labour as the dominant party in Scottish politics started well before you even joined the SNP. It would seem more than a setback to the independence cause to let them regain a foothold by fielding multiple pro-independence candidates in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election. 

I would be grateful if you would reply to this letter by next Friday 25th August for the reasons stated in the open letter.