Where Scotland Has Been and Where It Goes From Here

Hello all.

     Well, last Thursday was quite sad.  Scottish independence went down by 11%, when it had been projected to lose by only 4.  The “Yes” campaign only took 4 counties, including a seriously underperforming Glasgow which had been predicted to go for them overwhelmingly, whereas “Project Fear” (the No camp’s self-bestowed moniker in internal memos) swept the board, including the Highlands, and Edinburgh.  I shouldn’t be surprised- all major banks threatened to suspend services in Scotland, should it become independent.  That reversed the lead that “Yes” had temporarily taken.  On the bright side, independence did poll 5-10% higher than anyone thought it could back when the referendum was first proposed, so that could be encouraging.

     I’ve previously mentioned why I support Scottish independence- I agree with Scotland’s leaders: Scottish political ideas are increasingly different from English ones- Scotland is on the road of Democratic Socialism and pacifism, while England is becoming more and more neoliberal and remains hawkish.  That’s basically the big difference, and I’m all for Scotland getting the authority it needs to set its own tax rates, fund its branch of the National Health, divert oil revenues into alternative energy and social justice, and divest itself of nuclear weapons.  None of these things is guaranteed to happen now, despite Project Fear’s 11^th hour promise to extend more devolved powers to the Scottish Parliament.  Even now, Cameron is backtracking, now amending the promise by saying that any improvement in Scottish local powers must be matched by reducing the voting competence of Scottish Members of Parliament.  The people of Scotland were betrayed by the British government, and coerced by their financial sector into accepting continued rule by people who profoundly disagree with them over almost every issue of statesmanship.

     The hardest thing for me though, was seeing Alex Salmond sad.  For those who haven’t read my last piece, he’s the leader and face of the Scottish National Party, First Minister of Scotland’s devolved government, and leader of the “Yes” campaign.  For the two years I’ve watched him, he’s projected an image of confidence, (along with oiliness), charm, and unquestionable commitment to his cause.  This is a man who has done the impossible again and again- come back to lead the SNP after moderates purged him in the 80s, keeping the fascists out, reforming the SNP as a Socialist movement, winning two elections outright for his party in a system designed to permanently keep Labour and the Liberals in power, and then going on to do everything cool from lowering the voting age to increasing access to public daycare.  I don’t think he once contemplated losing this election, and I cried a bit watching his resignation the following day.  He is exactly the kind of politician I want to be- one who pulls no punches, delivers meaningful legislative results, expands the public sector, helps the vulnerable first, beguiles his opponents, and thoroughly enjoys his job.  Seeing him defeated put yet another new face on a familiar story: good leftists losing elections through the machinations of big finance and the Washington consensus.  One thing that did make me smile was that he closed his speech with a reference to Ted Kennedy, promising that the dreams of an independent Scotland would never die.  He’s surely done his part to make that the case.

     Other than sentimentality, the only positive I can note is that Salmond’s deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, is almost certain to succeed him.  She’s had a longer career than I thought, and is a second generation female politician for the SNP.  After briefly running for party leader in 2000, she agreed to serve as Salmond’s deputy and Health Minister, in which capacity she spearheaded the government’s successful campaigns to expand daycare and abolish prescription copays.  She’s been in the thick of the SNP’s quest to use government for the people, especially working mothers, and I couldn’t be happier with Scotland’s government than if she is to lead it.

     So where does Sturgeon take Scotland from here?  The first step is to try to negotiate for as much of the powers Cameron falsely promised as possible.  The next step is of course to do what she can with devolved power to follow through on campaign promises of renewable energy.  She’s definitely a leader to keep our eyes on for those days when we desperately need some good news.

Solidarität, Genossinnen und Genossen.