This weekend, the Scottish National Party (SNP) is convening in Edinburgh for its annual three-day conference, following a poor showing in the UK general election in July that cost them 39 out of 48 seats in Westminster. The summit has kicked off with an unexpected overture to the potential for collaboration with rival nationalist group Alba, spearheaded by the SNP’s former leader, Alex Salmond.
Keith Brown, the SNP’s deputy leader, raised the prospect during his public keynote speech in the main hall, that the party might consider working alongside other pro-independence parties like Alba. The collaboration would aim to establish a comprehensive “convention” to collectively advocate for an independence referendum.
He stated that the aim was to unify all sectors of the Scottish civil society ready to advocate for self-determination and to publicise this support via all available democratic means.
Interestingly, Alex Salmond, who had a fallout with the party’s ex-leader, Nicola Sturgeon, leading to his exit from the party, had also previously advocated for pro-independence parties, such as the Scottish Greens and the SNP, to join forces.
Despite these suggestions, numerous high-ranking SNP members have previously rejected the idea. However, Brown’s proposition has resurrected discussions within the party this weekend, previously stifled attempts to call for a new referendum by the UK government in Westminster.
Held at Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre, this year’s SNP conference has seen a downturn in attendance compared to previous years and particularly its heyday under Sturgeon. Following her resignation last year, she was detained by the police amidst investigations into the party’s financial matters, although she maintains her innocence.
The conference was hosted at a much larger venue in Aberdeen last year, which became overwhelmingly sizeable for the then dwindling numbers, leading to the decision to move to a smaller venue, this year’s Edinburgh conference centre.
During an early morning session preceding Mr Brown’s speech, John Swinney, the current Scottish First Minister, was privately scrutinised by party representatives due to the unimpressive show in the UK elections held in July. The SNP was quite notably outplayed by Labour in Scotland and the latter is now poised to challenge them for the leadership of Scotland’s devolved government in the approaching 2026 Holyrood elections.
Later in the day, Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister who also heads the economy in Scotland’s devolved administration, made attempts to boost the morale of the members with an optimistic evaluation of Scotland’s economic potential. She spotlighted the country’s enormous exports in the food and drink sector and the recent influx of visitors to Edinburgh festivals as indications of the opportunities available to Scotland.
She added, “If only we saw ourselves through the eyes of others”, which was a critique of the prevalent ‘doom and gloom’ atmosphere usually associated with economic discussions in Scotland.