There are many considerations for voters in general election but this time of crisis I suggest that only one counts: does the candidate support individual bodily sovereignty over the attempted appropriation of negative rights by the State?
Positive rights mean that you must do something to me or on my behalf. An example is, when I turn up at my polling station, you must give me a ballot paper and a private place to fill it in, then securely store and fairly count my vote.
Negative rights mean that you must not do something to me or on my behalf. An example is, when I turn up at my polling station, you must not interrogate me about why I am not wearing a mask, seeking to extract personal (sensitive) data about my state of health or ability.
There is much confusion about this distinction but it’s important that we understand it. Abortion, like all medical procedures, is a positive right for the pregnant woman yet often described as if it’s a negative right for her (as for the rights of the life developing in her womb, that’s controversial and my Life-Choice book is about that). I’m stressing this point because different parties standing candidates in Scotland have very different views about positive and negative rights. The Scottish Libertarian Party, for example, overwhelmingly values the latter over the former. The Labour Party, Greens and SNP, typically of parties that support massive interference of the State in individual lives, value the former over the latter.
In this informal and ad hoc survey of the Parliamentary candidates standing for election in Scotland in July of this year, I am focusing on negative rights because these have been so egregiously violated by the State in the last few years. Very few parties have resisted this violation and a few others actively supported it but now have changed their tune. Famously, rather infamously, the latter group includes Reform UK. They are standing in every constituency in Scotland and so are at least a possibility for anyone who does not object to voting for unionists. However, I know very little about their candidates (other than observing that their quality seems to vary greatly) and therefore can’t recommend them. In any case, I would much prefer that you voted for one of the parties in the former group. These are the very few who have courageously stood up for your rights, and suffered for it.
Of these courageous few, the one I prefer is my own party Freedom Alliance, standing only one constituency in Scotland: Paisley and Renfrewshire South. My personal preference after them would be for Sovereignty, I say why below. The Scots Libertarians are awake about everything and have a consistent free-market solution to political and social problems, which I feel doesn’t do justice to the vulnerability of women and girls. However, while the Scottish Family Party are certainly more focused on that protection, their social conservatism verging sometimes on the inability to see violation of civil rights abroad, can grate on me – as can some aspects of their PR. Though often the best option, I point out alternatives for both.
As for Independent candidates (which means not attached to a party, it has nothing to do with their views on the constitution of the United Kingdom) I’m not automatically in favour. Some candidates are supported by a party and only technically Independents. Others have left a party but clearly maintain its values (perhaps not according to the party). So they really need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis but I will mention them.
So, from north to south, here’s who I would vote for in Scotland.
Orkney & Shetland tend to vote by individual rather than by party. I think those good people have had rather enough of Scotland telling them what to do so I simply trust them to do the right thing. If I was voting there, I would ask my neighbours their opinions about the character of the individuals and not trust anyone who was parachuted in.
In Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross there’s Steve CHISHOLM of Alba, an independence party that (more or less) knows what women is, and a Reform candidate.
In Moray West, Nairn & Strathspey is the first of the courageous parties: Euan MORRICE of the Scottish Family Party, that definitely know what women is although they are rather socially conservative (which is why gender critical feminists tend to ignore their existence.)
In Inverness, Skye & West Ross-shire there’s a Reform candidate.
In West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine there’s an Independent and a Reform candidate.
In Gordon & Buchan there’s a Reform candidate.
In Aberdeen North there’s Dawn SMITH of the Scottish Family Party.
In Aberdeen South there’s Graeme CRAIB of the Scottish Family Party.
In Aberdeenshire North & Moray East there’s a Reform candidate. There’s also Douglas Ross, who is not the worst Tory.
In Na h-Eileanan An Iar (Western Isles) there’s Steven William WELSH of the Scottish Family Party, Donald Macleod BOYD of the Christian Party and Angus Brendan MACNEIL,Independent. I do wish these three had spoken to each other. The SFP tends to be a bit isolationist, which is annoying.
In Angus & Perthshire Glens there’s an Independent and a Reform candidate.
In Perth & Kinross-shire there’s an Independent and a Reform candidate.
In Dundee Central there’s Susan ETTLE of the Scottish Family Party.
In Arbroath & Broughty Ferry there’s Moira MacPherson BROWN of Sovereignty.
In Argyll, Bute & South Lochaber there’s an Independent and a Reform candidate. There’s also Amanda Jane Hargreaves HAMPSEY, a Tory, whom I’ve met personally and find friendly and who’s a sailor. That doesn’t say anything about her politics, admittedly.
In Alloa & Grangemouth there’s Eva COMRIE, a feisty gender critical Independent and Kenny MACASKILL of Alba. Again, these people really should have spoken to each other before close of nominations.
In Bathgate & Linlithgow there is John HANNAH of the Independence for Scotland Party. There’s also an Independent and a Reform candidate if you can’t bring yourself to vote for an independence party but the ISP has always been very clear about their support for women and girls (and haven’t muddied the waters, with legal sex and gender recognition reform, the way that Alba have). Also the ISP has started speaking up recently about the vaccine injured. In fairness, so has someone in Alba. We’ll get to him.
In Stirling & Strathallan there’s a Reform candidate.
In Falkirk there’s an Independent and a Reform candidate.
In North East Fife there’s a Reform candidate parachuted in from Horsham. He’d probably feel at home in St Andrews, as long as he didn’t cross the Lade Braes.
In Dunfermline & Dollar there’s Danny SMITH of the Scottish Family Party.
In Glenrothes & Mid Fife there’s a Reform candidate.
In Cowdenbeath & Kirkcaldy there’s Calum John PAUL of the Scottish Libertarian Party, and also Neale HANVEY of Alba. This is very annoying indeed and Alba really need to start talking to smaller parties. I’m a big fan of the SLP and also of Neale Hanvey, who is the Scottish equivalent of Andrew Bridgen. Both parties are for Scottish independence, so that doesn’t help anyone decide, but their attitude towards the State might: the SLP are basically anarcho-capitalists and Alba (I believe) centre-left.
In West Dunbartonshire there’s Andrew Joseph MUIR of the Scottish Family Party and Kelly WILSON, of Sovereignty. This split could have been avoided with better communication on the part of the SFP and the choice will probably come down to constitutional views: the SFP are officially neutral on Scots independence while Sovereignty are explicitly in support – with the caveat that they also want independence from Europe. I believe they are the only Scottish independence party with that very coherent stance.
In Cumbernauld & Kirkintilloch I have a vote and I intend to use it for Billy ROSS of Reform. I’m not a fan of his party. I do believe that they are most likely to turn out to be controlled opposition. However I’m not going to vote for any of the usual suspects, including for Stuart Campbell MCDONALD even though when I met him at a surgery appointment some years ago he did listen politely to my concerns about the impact of self-ID on female single sex space. Perhaps if he had not only listened but put into action what I proposed, the SNP would not have just lost around 25 by-elections in a row. (I hope to make it 26 on the 18th July in Kintyre and the Islands.) I am a fan of Alistair McConnachie of Alternative Green Voice and he is a fan of Billy Ross. That’s good enough for me.
In Mid Dunbartonshire there’s a candidate from Alba and also one from Reform.
In Coatbridge & Bellshill there’s Leo Francis LANAHAN of the Scottish Family Party.
In Airdrie & Shotts there’s John Jo LECKIE of the British Unionists, a party I was pleasantly surprised to discover in Bellshill to be wide awake. If you can’t vote for them, there’s Alba. Reform should not be opposing the British Unionists. That makes absolutely no sense.
In Paisley & Renfrewshire North, however, Reform may be the best option.
In Glasgow North there’s Alba and Reform.
In Glasgow West there’s John CORMAC of the Scottish Christian Party and Dionne MOORE of Reform.
In Glasgow North East there’s Catherine MCKERNAN of Alba. (Presumably, also a Reform candidate but I don’t have that noted.)
In Glasgow East there’s Donna MCLEOD of Reform but also Thomas Jordan KERR, a Tory who makes a lot of sense.
In Glasgow South there’s Alba and Reform.
In Glasgow South West there’s Alba and a Reform candidate parachuted in from South Derbyshire.
In Paisley & Renfrewshire South there’s only one sensible candidate and that’s Mark Niven TURNBULL of Freedom Alliance and if you don’t vote for him don’t expect any presents from Santa because I’ll be having a word.
In Motherwell, Wishaw & Carluke there’s Gus FERGUSON of the British Unionist Party as well as Ross HAGEN of the Scottish Family Party. You know what I’m going to say. (There’s also Reform and UKIP pointlessly opposing each other, get a grip guys!)
In East Renfrewshire, annoyingly, we have Allan STEELE of the Scottish Liberal Party opposing Colette WALKER of the Independence for Scotland Party, who is the correct choice. (Answer your email Allan!) There’s also Maria REID of the Scottish Family Party, all splitting the sex realist vote. (The SFP cannot really be described as gender critical.)
In Inverclyde & Renfrewshire West there’s Alba, an Independent and a Reform candidate.
In Lothian East there’s Alba and a Reform candidate.
In all five Edinburgh constituencies there are candidates from what appears to be a micro-party made up of posh English students who possibly never made it home after last year’s Fringe and decided to interfere unhelpfully in Scottish politics, without consulting the natives first. I’m annoyed with them in every one of these constituencies.
In Edinburgh West they are stupidly opposing Tam LAIRD of the Scottish Libertarian Party. (So is Reform but then they are opposing everyone everywhere – see conspiracy theory at the top of the page.)
In Edinburgh North & Leith it’s Niel DEEPNARAIN of the Scottish Family Party.
In Edinburgh East & Musselburgh they’re only opposing Reform.
In Edinburgh South it’s Phil HOLDEN of the Scottish Family Party.
In Edinburgh South West they’re only opposing Richard Crewe LUCAS of the Scottish Family Party but also Joanna Cherry. Yes, she’s SNP but very much the best of the bad bunch and she has a huge gender critical following. So this is simply arrogance on the part of the SFP and utter folly from the students.
In Livingston there’s Alba and a Reform candidate.
In Midlothian there’s Daniel FRASER of the Scottish Libertarian Party, and a Reform candidate.
In North Ayrshire & Arran there’s Ian Charles GIBSON of the Social Democratic Party (who stood for the Scottish Family Party beforehand, there’s a wee story and it’s really not that bad, so don’t let that trouble you). The SDP were another pleasant surprise to me. Of course, at my age, I remember them from of old but I didn’t realise until this year that they were awake. They are! Constitutionally, they are very definitely unionists and economically (I believe) centre-right.
In Rutherglen there’s John MCARTHUR of the Scottish Family Party. There’s also Alba, an Independent and (presumably) a Reform candidate.
In Hamilton & Clyde Valley there’s a UKIP candidate pointlessly opposed by a Reform candidate parachuted in from North West Leicestershire.
In East Kilbride & Strathaven there’s David RICHARDSON of the Scottish Family Party.
In Kilmarnock & Loudoun there’s an Independent as well as Reform.
In Central Ayrshire there’s Allan MACMILLAN of the Social Democratic Party, who is a lovely and very sensible young man.
In Ayr, Carrick & Cumnock there’s Alba and a Reform candidate.
In Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk there’s Hamish GOLDIE-SCO of the Scottish Family Party, as well as Reform and an Independent.
In Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale & Tweeddale there’s Gareth KIRK of the Scottish Family Party, as well as Reform.
Finally, in Dumfries & Galloway there’s David Philip GRIFFITHS of the Scottish Heritage Party.
Make your own mind up and do check the options. I could be wrong and things could have changed. The Who Can I Vote For? Website is useful but the websites of the relevant councils, postal votes, and ballot papers, are your definitive sources of information.
One thing I will say. All mainstream parties are gearing up for war with Russia, according to many alternative reporters. Don’t vote for war.
(Promoted by Alan McManus of Freedom Alliance, 83 Ducie Street M1 2JQ)
alchemicalquality 