London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

SNP conference: A calm event amid stormy times

SNP conference: A calm event amid stormy times

After the febrile atmosphere of the Conservative and Labour conferences, perhaps the SNP's gathering in Aberdeen was always going to feel like a drama-free affair.

But it still feels like a remarkably calm event amid stormy political seas.

There are no vicious anonymous briefings; no political grenades being hurled by disgruntled grandees at fringe events; no plots being hatched at the bar.

This is in part because Nicola Sturgeon is in total, uncontested control of her party.

Any internal critics left to join the Alba Party under Alex Salmond, and there are no alternative leaders agitating in the wings.

Indeed the only person who has made any trouble for Ms Sturgeon at this conference has been herself, with eyebrows raised over an interview where she somewhat bluntly said "I detest the Tories".

It's also a reflection of the fact the first minister has already set out her plans and indeed her backup plans - A, B and C - for independence.

In brief, the first remains to win an agreement with the UK government for a "gold standard" deal like the one which underpinned the 2014 vote.


The second is to set up a referendum without Westminster's backing, with the Supreme Court set to deliberate on whether MSPs can legislate for one.

And should UK ministers continue to stonewall and the court throw out the Scottish government's case, plan C is for the SNP to fight the next general election on a single-issue ticket, hoping to trigger independence negotiations by amassing more than 50% of the vote.

This feast of plans caters for almost every element of the party's membership, from those who back a cautious approach to the more gung-ho. More or less whatever they want, Ms Sturgeon has committed to it at some point.

The "de facto referendum" plan could even soothe some in the wider independence movement who called for such an approach previously - only to see Ms Sturgeon dismiss it, at the time, as a unionist trap.

So in some ways, there is less pressure on Ms Sturgeon at this conference than in previous years.

Particularly given the Supreme Court case starts 18 hours after her speech ends, there is no expectation on her to come up with fresh red meat. It also means she can push knotty questions about future elements of the plan down the road.

The Supreme Court case will be heard next week


Where there will be acute pressure, of course, is in the delivery of these plans.

And whether members think the referendum will happen as planned is a complicated question.

There is total belief in Ms Sturgeon as the party's figurehead, and a sense of confidence that she is leading the party in the right direction.

But in all honesty, this doesn't feel like the gathering of a party that's a year away from a referendum.

OK, there are still queues out the door of the more popular fringe events. The party merchandise stall is doing a fine trade in branded tea towels, T-shirts and tote bags.

There's a gigantic screen displaying a rolling list of the SNP's achievements, from recent rent freeze legislation to big infrastructure legacies like the Queensferry Crossing and the Aberdeen bypass.

And yes, there is someone outside the front door dressed as a dinosaur, protesting against gender recognition reforms.

There's all of the grand scale that has accompanied SNP conferences since the party's membership ballooned post-referendum.

What there is not, however, is a palpable feeling of urgency.


The cavernous size of the venue may not help - even a big crowd can look small inside an aircraft hanger.

There is plenty of buzz around the coffee shop and in the hotel bars surrounding the venue, but such energy dissipates easily in the enormous halls in between.

This is not to say there is torpor, or any kind of despondency. Quite the opposite - this is a confident party, comfortable with its continued dominance of Scottish politics.

There is a sense that history is edging in their direction, even if there are considerable hurdles standing in the way of Ms Sturgeon's strategy.

When the UK government is mired in chaos, SNP members are confident that can be used to build support for independence.

And the leadership is keen to keep them focused on the long-term project of winning round the country as a whole.

"Don't ask when the campaign is starting," party President Mike Russell told delegates. "We are the campaign…it's what we're here for."

It remains unclear, though, when that campaign might come to a climax.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
×