My column in The National in Scotland published yesterday is one that could have been written just as easily for here.
For copyright reasons you have to read it on their website. In it I argue that:
However well nationalists do - and I sincerely hope they will - the crisis that corruption has brought centre stage into UK politics as a whole is not going to be resolved by the elections. I cannot find a single prediction suggesting that the Tories are going to be punished for the quite astonishing abuses of power that have been the hallmarks of Johnson's period in government.
And I conclude:
The UK faces an existential threat as big now as any seen since 1940. But this time that threat comes from the Government in Westminster. It's in Scotland's best interests to be rid of it. It must call on Labour and others to join it in freeing us all from its yoke of corruption. That is the task from Saturday. Peaceful, enduring, unchallengeable independence depends upon it.
My suggestion is simple. We are in crisis. Politicians who oppose corruption have to come together to stop this crisis. Come Saturday this is the biggest crisis that we face. Only a coalition of the good can defeat the evil that the Tories are now creating.
It really does have to happen.
And it looks like people might agree. According to this morning's mail from The National this was the best-read article in it overnight:
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Great article.
I agree completely that the UK is in crisis. I’m a Scottish political activist and my experience has been that the indy supporters are buoyant and optimistic while supporters of unionist parties look like they’ve sucked a lemon when talking about politics.
However the vote goes my feeling is that we’re gaining in optimism and enthusiasm and the other side isn’t. Perhaps Sarwar is a limited exception as he does seem to making the best out of what I believe is an exceptionally difficult postion for Labour Scotland.
Another interesting development is the Northern Independent Party (for Northumbria). Their candidate Thelma Walker has built a similar atmosphere of enthusiasm and it will be interesting to see how she gets on in Hartlepool.
Independence is becoming increasingly seen as the fix for the various problems. Every corruption story, every business that suffers because of Brexit, every act of belligerence towards other countries just makes people in Scotland and anywhere else that has a chance of getting out of the UK more keenly aware that we have a parachute chord.
I do agree with your contention that we nationalists need to reform the rest of the UK. I’m frankly nervous even if we get a referendum – going in at about 50/50 against the formidable Conservative/British campaigning machine is a daunting prospect. As someone committed to independence I’ve thought about how we pick ourselves up and go again if we lost again this time round.
And a big part of that is developing a broad common sense across the UK that remote and cold-hearted government is wrong. It was wrong when Westminster denied Manchester fair covid funding last year. It is profoundly wrong how casually they’ve mucked things up in Northern Ireland. It’s deeply troubling that devolution is under attack, is effectively being rolled back by stealth.
So we won’t give up and we won’t stop and for that reason the constitutional entity called the UK is in trouble. But not its people. For the people of these islands a future dawns of a genuine post-imperial settlement that consigns some of our worst tendencies to history and builds upon our strengths and our affection for each other.
Thanks
I think you’re being a tad too melodramatic. Most people view the antics of the current government as how most governments behave or would like to behave – and put a huge amount of effort in to concealing it. It’s just that this lot are more shameless and blatant than previous governments. (We’ve had Tony Blair’s ‘sofa government’ and remind me who the MP for Hartlepool was between 1992 and 2004.)
For a lot of voters, despite serial incompetence last year, they’ve gotten some big things right – they’ve gotten Brexit done, the vaccination programme is a success and the progressive easing of the lockdown is coinciding with longer days and (slightly) better weather. And most voters in owner/occupied households are happy that they’re continuing to facilitate the accumulation of unearned economic rents in the value of their houses.
And who will make up this ‘coalition of the good’? Labour and the Lib Dems, who, together, secured almost as many votes as the Tories in the 2019 general election, have spent the last few weeks kicking lumps out of each other in the run-up to today’s elections.
A lot of voters, and a lot more voters than many people expected, are prepared to stick with the Tories – irrespective of their antics – because they don’t see a credible, electable alternative.
I must say there’s plenty to dispute in your post.
This administration has practiced corruption on a massive scale, where did the 30 odd billion go for the track and trace? ‘Gotten’ (are you from over the pond?), Brexit done. Oh no, Brexit will never be done. We’ve only just started, just wait until the relaxed rules become firm.
Good point you make about the vaccination program because it was the only success probably due to the fact no private enterprise was involved!
Yes, owner-occupiers are sitting pretty. However, a large proportion of the population cannot afford to join that bandwagon. Rashi’s stamp duty holidays just add fuel to the fire.
I agree a lot of voters don’t know or care about the mechanics of politics, they just think Johnson is good laugh, one of the lads when in fact he is a mendacious oaf unable to concentrate on any one thing. Tells lies as easy as breathing. There are a lot of issues with the opposition for sure.
@ Ian
“‘Gotten’ (are you from over the pond?)”
Not sure why you felt the need to “dispute” this.
‘Gotten’ originated in British English but is now frequently (and erroneously) hijacked by those who wish to ‘other’, and pour scorn on, those they view as lesser English speakers…
Perhaps read this for clarity:
https://grammarist.com/usage/got-gotten/
Stay classy!
Agreed. Collaboration and working together is so, so important. But, it needs something or someone to bring it all together. To have that overriding common goal to get behind and work towards achieving.
Craig
The Tories seem to be totally unaware that the whole drive for independence is because of continuous Tory rule from Westminster punctuated by almost as bad New Labour, Iraq War and nuclear occupation.
A couple of weeks ago we were discussing Johnson’s “amoral cesspit” where I suggested there is a PR conundrum in that only Labour are likely to support it, but to get into power they need to win by FPTP and having won (if..) by FPTP there is then no imperative for them to change the system that brought them to power.
A poster called Steve replied arguing that if Scotland goes, and with previously solid Labour seats lost, “there is practically no chance of a Labour majority at Westminster under the current FPTP system” and, he continued, “boundary changes/consolidation of constituencies to come serves little more than to gerrymander for permanent ascendancy”. (plus voter ID on the cards)
He concluded, like you, that co-operation with other smaller parties would be essential for Labour. But, his sting in the tail was incisive: “It’s amazing how we are so close to Westminster becoming a one party system and no one in Labour is even acknowledging it.”
Labour still seems to cling to one party rule as the only “true way” and eschews coalitions or even co-operation, as if that signalled defeat.
Electoral reform is not a silver bullet but it could be an important part of a programme of constitutional reform. One of Labour’s policies in 2019 was a constitutional convention. From the manifesto:
“A Labour government will establish a Constitutional Convention to examine and advise on reforming the way Britain works at a fundamental level. We will consult on its form and terms of reference and invite recommendations on extending democracy.
“This is about where power and sovereignty lies — in politics, the economy, the justice system, and in our communities.
“The Convention will look at extending democracy locally, regionally and nationally, considering the option of a more federalised country.
“Our fundamental belief is that the Second Chamber should be democratically elected. In the interim period, we will seek to end the hereditary principle and reduce the size of the current House of Lords as part of a wider package of constitutional reform to address the growing democratic deficit across Britain.
“We will extend the Freedom of Information Act to private companies that run public services.
“We will reduce the voting age to 16. At 16, you are eligible to pay tax, get married or even join the army. You deserve a vote.
“We will safeguard our democracy by repealing the Lobbying Act, which has gagged charities, and introduce a tougher statutory register of lobbyists.”
PR is not Labour policy and I don’t know whether it ever will be but IMO a constitutional review would be a necessary precursor to its adoption as Labour policy.
And that is the problem with Labour
If prevarication is possible it will do it
You wonder why people think in comparison the Tories govern?
A constitutional convention would be an essential first step to lay out the road map for constitutional reform. Blundering in and making random changes is the way Johnson operates, and needless to say not a model for responsible government.
The convention may well have recommended electoral reform and even if it didn’t it’s odds-on that it would happen because people will demand it when they start to see the benefits of a fairer society taking shape.
As I have said before, the danger of going for PR on its own, without that broader framework of constitutional reform, is it probably won’t work. It won’t work because the system as it stands is so heavily rigged in other ways that the rich and powerful will simply find new ways to game it.
And as a footnote, the Conservatives haven’t been idle on that front. In the last 10 or 11 years they have rigged the system even further in their favour with:
1) Brexit and the shift to the far right, to neutralise UKIP
2) Restructuring the BBC to give them editorial control, amongst other things
3) Attacks on the Judiciary
4) Attacks on the Civil Service
5) Attacks on the Constitution
6) Culture wars
7) Attacks on teachers and education
8) US-style voter suppressions
9) Clamp-down on legitimate protests
And soon to come GB News, the UK’s very own Fox.
We don’t need a convention
We need PR now
How hard is it for Labour to recognise it is the problem whilst it blocks this?
Richard
The way you are arguing this point reminds me of the way Remainers argued during the post-referendum, pre-Johnson years.
I would say something like: if Labour supports another referendum, the Remain vote will be split (in the general election) while the Leave vote will go to the Conservatives so Labour will lose and we will end up with hard Brexit.
Usually the reply would come back: I don’t care if Labour lose, I want a second referendum.
We all know what happened next.
This debate now is somewhat academic because Labour did lose the GE and the chances of the Conservatives introducing PR are only slightly better than the chance that Johnson will stop lying. I.e., the square root of sweet fa.
However, constitutional change as proposed by Labour in 2019 implies and would lead to PR, whereas the Conservatives will only make changes to further consolidate the wealth and power of the small elite they represent.
And constitutional change was just one of the many excellent policies that were offered in 2019. Will it be offered again in the forseeable future? It doesn’t look very likely at the moment.
I admit your reasoning seems very odd
Or just wrong
All I am saying is Labour has to stop playing stupid internal politics and do actual politics
You don’t get that
You are the problem