The new Scottish ALBA party - led by Salmond announced just now. Wowzer ‼️

Lucca

Alegrias I’m being thick but why is it al u b a? (Alooba? Or aluhba?)

Its Gaelic .

Blast from the past: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIjBcSQkMYE

My husband used to think they were singing "Halibut"

Notice our esteemed SNP MP for Perth on drums - Pete Wishart.

Alegrias1

The website reckons they can get 20-25% of the list vote. Seems ambitious, but one thing Alex has never lacked is ambition.

I can't see him and the Alba party getting votes from anyone who was previously Unionist, though, surely? So I agree, probably the effect on independence is minimal.

Agreed again, but there are people who didn't vote for one of the pro-independence parties who are not Unionists. But we'll see when we see.

Because it’s a PR system he is bound to get some seats, Sturgeon has plenty of enemies, it will likely end up with her having to “deal with the devil”.

Can’t find any reference to Aluba either, although one pronunciation site says
al-buh. I’ll wait for clarification too Lucca.

Crossed post Petera . But mine has a video

Casdon

There’s a simple guide to how the election voting system works in Scotland on the BBC News website, and if I understand it correctly, each region has 7 regional seats as well as the constituency MSPs. This is a similar system to Wales, and we know here that the system gives minority parties a high chance of getting a few seats - it’s a very different system to the UK Government elections.

The SNP will now need to do extremely well to counteract the system to gain an overall majority I would think, but maybe this will galvanize people into giving them both their votes. It makes the forthcoming elections in Wales, happening on the same day, look very tame in comparison.

Thanks for this - I’d completely forgotten about this crucial aspect of your voting system. Sadly we’ll never be allowed it ( have you seen what is going to happen to our mayoral elections - deserves its own thread)

Mollygo

Can’t find any reference to Aluba either, although one pronunciation site says
al-buh. I’ll wait for clarification too Lucca.

It’s Gaelic for Scotland !

God only knows what will happen. Fireworks if Salmond gets voted back to Holyrood. Interesting times indeed.

As my MP said - this is all about Salmonds and Sturgeons ego driven squabble, not the economy, not the country, but them.

This

Whitewavemark2

Love it WWMK2 ?

Sion Alba going legit ?

Britain was called Albion at one time, although the Romans then rechristened it Britannia, maybe we should go back to Albion as it sounds rather nice.

Love the mock up of Meghan/Harry replaced by S and S.
Perhaps Nicola is saying ‘ nobody asked me how I was’.

Be interesting to see how well Salmond and the Alba party does.?

Must have been kept under wraps no-one saw this coming!

Oh, I think some of us did! In fact, DH and I thought this has been his plan for a while and that is why he has been trying to trash Nicola Sturgeon's reputation.

Hell hath no fury like a Salmond scorned.

Whitewave someone sent me that yesterday and I was trying to download it and post ? but failed!

Alegrias1

Crossed post Petera . But mine has a video

That could go on the Oneupmanship thread!

Alex Salmond is a discredited yesterday's man.

Join the club Alex. Farage tried to set up another party
.
"Nigel Farage quits as Reform UK leader in step back from party politics"

www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/mar/07/nigel-farage-quits-as-reform-uk-leader-in-step-back-from-party-politics

Having pointed out the pitfalls for yesterday's men, I have to admit that the voting system for the Scottish parliament may make a difference.

I loved that meme WWmk2!
Clever name for the new party. ‘Scotland’. Some good PR work has been done here.

I think there’ll be some wavering voters who like the idea of going for independence but are, after the last week or so, less sure of Nicola. Those will be the votes Salmond hoovers up I think?

Isn't Alba, no matter how well based in Celtic, a bit close to the Roman name for Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) - Albion. I am sure Alba is on the lips of the Scots all day and everyday, but I would think that the similarity will provide good political fodder at some time

Perfidious Albion?

Aveline Got it one! 'Perfidious Alba' just trips off the tongue

Lucca, my computer must be English, because it pronounces it as Alba, as does Alex Salmond in his announcement of a new party for Scotland.
I did manage to find a couple of sites where it says Alooba, but I expect the majority of Scotland will go with Alex’s pronunciation.

I'm not a gaelic speaker so I don't use gaelic pronunciations for names just as I don't use French pronunciations for French words when speaking English. eg I don't talk about 'Paree' when taking about Paris etc. Alba is how it's spelt so that's OK with me. (I'll not be voting for them though!)

Krishnan on Channel 4 News just asked him why he's not pronouncing it properly ?