[SCOT goes POP!] Carrot and stick: The Wishous Circle

[ALBA-Bot]

Carrot and stick: The Wishous Circle

"We cannot risk calling a referendum unless we are 100% certain of victory.  To lose again would be catastrophic, there would be no possibility of a third referendum."

"Your premise that there can't possibly be a third referendum seems a bit dubious, but if you really think you're right about that, clearly it's always going to be far too risky to hold a second referendum, because referendums are fundamentally unpredictable things and there would never be a 100% chance of victory.  So it looks like the onus is on you to come up with an alternative to a referendum.  What do you propose?"

"A referendum is the ONLY conceivable route to independence! It's the gold standard!  It's the only mandate the international community would ever regard as valid!  To depart from the one true golden path is deeply irresponsible!"

"Well, departing from it wasn't my idea, but it seemed to be the inescapable logic of your own position.  OK, so you're now saying a referendum is our path to independence.  When are we going to hold one?"

"We cannot risk calling a referendum!"

"OK, so what's your alternative to a referendum?"

"A referendum is the ONLY conceivable route to independence!"

"This sounds like a vicious circle."

"You're only saying that because you're a BLOGGER.  Urgh.  Shudder."

"You seem pretty disgusted about me being a blogger."

"I am.  In fact I'm going to write a blogpost about how disgusted I am and call it The Blog That Everyone's Talking About."

"Doesn't that make you a blogger too?"

"ABSOLUTE MENACES!!!!!"

"Would you like a carrot?"

"Oh yes, I'd love one, thanks so much."

*  *  *

Do you want independence? - 5 points

Do you want the mandate for an indyref to be used? - 7 points

Do you write longer-form online posts? - 11 points

Have you ever consumed a carrot in Perth? - 16 points

If you scored 20 points or higher, you are officially an #AbsoluteMenace

— James Kelly (@JamesKelly) December 15, 2021

 *  *  *

You can catch up with my Scot Goes Popcast interview with iScot editor Ken McDonald HERE (on video) or HERE (audio only).

Source: Carrot and stick: The Wishous Circle