The more I read about Lisa Cameron’s thinking about her decision to join the Tory party, the more I think that a) she’s extremely muddled, and b) she’s thrown away a golden opportunity to advance the causes she really cares about. On the muddled aspect of it, she can’t seem to make up her mind whether she still supports independence or not. She’s given several different versions of that to the media. I was quite tickled by the version in which she still supports independence in principle but doesn’t trust the SNP to run an independent Scotland (rather similar to Stuart Campbell’s claimed reasons for drifting towards voting for the Tories and away from supporting independence-in-practice), because that would have technically meant the Tories were stuck with their first ever pro-independence MP. But presumably her new handlers quickly realised that would never do, and primed her with the new “oh I’m just so exhausted with nationalism” schtick.
The missed opportunity, though, is on her thoughts about intolerance within the SNP towards religion, and anti-abortion views in particular. My own party Alba is by no means dominated by pro-life Christians, indeed if there’s any dominant worldview within the party it’s radical feminism. But its tolerance towards the type of views Lisa Cameron espouses is beyond question – you need look no further than the identity of the Alba General Secretary. By joining Alba, or even by following Angus MacNeil’s example of becoming a non-partisan pro-independence MP, Ms Cameron could have really made a difference and opened some minds among her constituents about how it’s possible to vote for independence without necessarily always voting for the SNP or signing up to the SNP leadership’s increasingly narrow and intolerant worldview.
But who in East Kilbride will follow her to the Tories? Who will even give her a hearing now? All she’s done is trash her own reputation, made herself a hate figure, and closed off any chance of a lasting legacy. I get the impression it was almost wholly an emotional decision based partly on strategic flattery and lovebombing from the Tory side, and partly on a desire to maximise the sting of her own personal revenge against the SNP. She probably should have followed the old advice to count very slowly to 1000 before finalising her decision.
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If you’re a member of the Alba Party, and haven’t yet voted in the party’s internal elections, I’d be grateful if you’d consider giving me your first preference for Membership Support Convener. The email link to vote should be in your inbox from last Friday.
