From Prof Alf Baird: Recent articles in The National questioning “Why are SNP figures not making a compelling case for independence?” It seems as if intellectuals on the left, including Shafi, Riddoch etc, still ignore postcolonial theory, which tells us the answer, as Fanon explained: – the dominant national party ‘makes an accommodation with colonialism’; – the party becomes ‘infiltrated’ by colonial actors; – the party elite ‘feathers its nest’ and ‘builds up its pensions’; – it ‘takes the movement up a blind alley’; – the party elite refuse to act on the most urgent matter of ‘freeing the people’ because they ‘fear the colonizers tanks and planes’; – it ‘attacks the radicals in the party’ also ‘using colonial forces’ to punish them; – it ‘behaves like a gang’ and appoints its friends to key positions; – the party ‘depends on slogans’ and leaves the matter of independence’ to future events’; – the party ‘becomes calcified’, immobile, unable to move forward; – it lacks any ‘innovation’ on the cause; – it ‘delays independence’ which is what leads ‘to conflict’; – it ‘ruptures the movement’; – it works ‘to keep the racket going; – the elite become ‘colonial watchdogs’; – and, finally, once the people figure out they have been duped, ‘the national party disintegrates’, which is what we are seeing now.