One of the reasons why I despise so many on the British “Left” is their utter and complete hypocrisy when it comes to British Nationalism – or as they prefer to call it: “Unionism”. For you see there are many good and true socialists and social-democrats in Britain who are as every bit as rabid in their allegiance to the concept of “Greater England” as any on the British Right. Forget the BNP or EDL. There are some people in Britain’s Labour Party who would make the average DUP or UUP militant separatist in the north-east of Ireland pale in comparison. Britannia über alles!
Take this article from the New Statesman, Britain’s independent but Labour-supporting magazine of the Left, where many of the great and the good of the socialist and liberal intelligentsia have appeared at one time or another down through the decades. The focus of the article? Why non-other than the SNP, the popular left-of-centre government party of Scotland. So you’d expect something supportive or if critical at least friendly? All comrades together marching towards a brave new dawn? Think again.
“Today politicians are fearful of the potential “breakthrough” of a nationalist separatist party with a charismatic leader. No, not Alex Salmond and the SNP, but Nigel Farage and UKIP. Nevertheless, the similarities between the two parties are striking. When you consider that both are obsessed with constitutional politics and plebiscites; both are derided for their collection of “fruit cakes”; both admire the right-wing economic policies of Margaret Thatcher; both stand on a none-of-the-above party platform, challenging the political establishment; and, ultimately, both believe that the blame for all life’s woes lie with membership of a certain union.”
Oh god… I can feel one of my headaches coming on. Anyway, talking of fruitloops, er, -cakes:
“The SNP’s breakthrough in Scotland did not happen in 2011, nor in 2007 as some would have us believe, but rather over time, and can be traced back to the void created by the 1960s decline of the Tories in Scotland, which the SNP helped to fill, as well as the start of distrust of the three main parties among the Scottish electorate. This was first noticed when the SNP started to win local elections, and come strong runners up in by-elections like the one in West Lothian in 1962, where it scooped most of the Conservative votes. Since then, many of its strongholds are in what were once Conservative areas. Hence the old SNP nickname north of the border: “the Tartan Tories”.
They manoeuvred to collect these initial votes through their embrace of previously Tory values around tradition and, most obviously nationalism, as well as an ownership of rural issues; depicting Westminster as distant and unrepresentative; oh and the argument that membership of the union was not only expensive, but somehow that Scotland was subsidising England. Sound familiar?”
No it doesn’t sound familiar because the Tory Party in Scotland never embraced Scottish nationalism, never campaigned on rural ownership issues, never argued that Westminster was illegitimate and never argued that Scotland was subsidising England. Sometimes when making a clever point a writer’s own cleverness can trip them up. Then again if you are a Labour party activist being given a free platform in a partisan national magazine and website to attack your opponents I don’t suppose you need worry too much about burdensome things like facts.
AN SIONNACH FIONN 
Rather than attack the Brit Left (the Labour Party ditched any pretense of being socialist years ago) pro YES activists and supporters should be engaging those around them in the debate.
Relatives, friends, neighbours and workmates.
And the question voters on the ground want answered.
“Will i be better off if i vote YES”
They don’t want arguments on obscure legal points.
Rather, will their wages and pensions be there the day after a YES vote.
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YES I will be much better off,after independence as the economy of Scotland is a much stronger economy,dig in and find the answers no use me doing it for you,as you would not believe me,so best do it yourself.
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Does the scribe who wrote this know what being a socialist means,and to say SNP and Ukip in the same vein is utterly ridicules,Pity the editor let this one out and mores the pity they have no knowledge of Scottish politics and yes we are a separate NATION.If you people want to see a socialist England and more care for the people you should get behind the SNP and realise that we are a left of centre party,and our ambition is for equality,and care for all.There will never be change at Westminster while the Westminster party is in charge and I think you must have realised by now that the Labour party is just a section of the Westminster party.Scottish independence will force the changes that are needed you just have to wake up and see the possibilities.There needs to be change before there can be change.
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I forgot to say wages and pensions will all be much better with a more secure economy,which Scotland is.
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It does illustrate the real fear of the London Labour Party that minus the Scottish Labour vote the party will be reduced to a north of England and urban rump. I think that is overplayed and that both Labour and the Tories would be more or less equal but obviously the lads and lasses in Brewers Green have themselves in a panic. Conversely some in the Tories and Lib-Dems are engaging in the anti-independence campaign with an obvious lack of conviction or zeal.
Perhaps some politicos in the latter two think they can electorally carve up RumpUK post-breakup?
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In reply to Political tourist Better protected and larger than they are now under this so called equal union. The left in Britain has been abandoned by Labour betrayed by it’s so called standerd bearers in many unions who seek political power via that very party (Labour) Now while the SNP are a broad Church it has a very large streak off social democratic left wing policies and policy makers who are balanced by others within it,s ranks which is why it seems to be able to attract voters of all colours.
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Indeed. And after the gaining of independence Scottish politics will no doubt see new parties of the Left and Right and Centre emerge. Labour will have its Scottish sister party under whatever name it chooses. The SNP will loose some of its wings, further Left or further Right, and politics as normal will resume.
Labour et al are just panicking hence desperate articles like the one in the New Statesman.
That said the SNP needs to get its act together. There is a definite impression of a campaign that is losing direction. It is not so much the strength of the No arguments but the contradictions and confusions of the Yes one that will loose the campaign. Taxes, the Pound, Trident, military bases, NATO, nuclear power. The SNP is increasingly looking like a party in search of a vision of what independence will actually mean.
And that is how we see it at one remove here in Ireland. The impression here is of a weak and disunited No campaign blessed by a confused and visionless Yes campaign.
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As long as the voting public think they will be better off then the YES campaign is in with a chance.
The worst scenario would be to lose the independence vote follows by the Little Englanders pulling out of Europe.
That would be a massive turn to the right.
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Agreed. I think the Yes side must be relived to see the rise of the UKIP and the possibility of an EU vote.
Otherwise there is a definite impression of a Yes campaign that is bedevilled by confusion and a lack of clear (INSPIRATIONAL) policies. Taxes, the Pound, Trident, military bases, NATO, nuclear power. The impression is of a weak and disunited No campaign blessed by a confused and visionless Yes campaign.
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This looks like an excellent initiative to open up the debate on Scottish independence.Sounds like it could open up interesting perspectives
“A group of economists and academics has stepped into the independence debate with their own vision of how Holyrood could transform Scottish society after a Yes vote in the referendum. They argue Scotland can become a new Nordic-style country by cherry-picking the best bits from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Germany and implementing them under independenceIts proponents call it the “Common Weal” model”
For more info see
http://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/referendum-news/a-new-blueprint-for-an-independent-scotland.20985084
http://bellacaledonia.org.uk/2013/05/05/500-days/
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PS here’s the link to download the original paper if anyone wants to have a look at it.
http://reidfoundation.org/common-weal/
Could Ireland learn anything?
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We could definitely learn a LOT. Unfortunately the political, social, business and media establishment in Ireland leans well to the right and that informs our culture. They don’t want a Scandinavian Ireland. They want an Anglo-American uber-capitalist utopia unrestrained and unregulated. Irish politicians worship the euro. Money, power and influence. All else is mere bluff and bluster.
And Irish people do not want to overthrow the establishment. They want to join it and will claw all over each to get there.
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I think your assessment is most probably right Séamas. Nevertheless you are doing your best to show that alternatives exist.
Those ideas deserve rational debate and assessment.
At least afterwards people will hopefully be “informed “voters – whatever the final decision in the polling booth.
Preventing /stifling rational debate throughout the mass media is what it’s all about.
The electorate know nothing about what’s going on
(How the hell was I supposed to know about international finance when even Elizabeth II didn’t? Why am I being taxed to kingdom come if I can’t even find a job?)
But . . . .
“you voted them in – you can’t complain about the outcome of your choices” and anyway
“people get the government they deserve”
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“…people get the government they deserve”
Unfortunately true. But then the media shape our culture, views and opinions in large part. And the media are the plaything of the political establishment in Ireland. Actually, they are the establishment! 😉
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Good to see the UKIP leader being given a warm welcome in Edinburgh.
He had to be saved by the police.
Well done to those involved.
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Saw that, and heard the radio interview this morning on BBC Scotland during which Farage hung up on the journo interviewing him. Fun and games! But it does show the REAL difference in Scottish politics versus English politics. In England Farage is a quasi-hero to some and tolerated (indulged?) by others. In Scotland he is the unacceptable face of Greater England. Though in reality he probably he couldn’t care less about the “UK” as such. The UKIP is a “Greater England” party with London/SE England at its centre.
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