Category: Anti-austerity

This is not a SNP bad article more an SNP not great article.  The SNP is likely to be the most popular non-unionist party in Scotland for some time,  while the Tory and Labour comeback was not that impressive considering it was the product of the tactical voting of the Unionist side. The Labour Party siding with the Tories in this matter represents a continuance of their role in the referendum which was the very thing that brought their demise about in Scotland.

Siding with the Tories is not a popular thing in Scotland, this is why I felt some off-message consternation when the SNP decided to do that very thing over the so-called “Russian spy poisoning”.  I am beginning to sense that a Blairite type arrogance is beginning to develop in the top layers of the SNP, that is, a disregard for the feelings of those who support them.  It was bad enough to go along with the blatantly dishonest anti-Russian hype but to prove that you were less independent in this important matter than the UK Labour party really stuck in the craw. The reputation of the SNP as a party of peace took a knock and frustrated many of its long-term activist support.

Further signs of Blairite type arrogance appeared in the replacement of New Zealand over Norway as an economic model  but as Lesley Riddoch noted

“The SNP officially made “no comment”. So was the New Zealand line a misunderstanding by journalists, a deliberate SNP leak to test public reaction towards a possible rightward move in economic policy or an attempt to discredit the Growth Commission by internal party critics? Who knows.”

 https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/lesley-riddoch-scotland-can-follow-wee-country-template-for-success-1-4720785

The worrying thing here is that the off-message SNP appear to think that we need to appeal to the Toryism of Tory-voting Scots and not strengthen the anti-austerity message by showing that the systematic war on the poor that is at the root of neo-liberalism is not only bad for the economy but uneconomic if we define economics properly as the “inclusive and careful management of available resources ”

The next referendum is prefixed by the wording  “Circumstances would have to “materially” change, such as Scotland’s being pulled out the EU against the vote in Scotland”.

Ostensibly, the Tories are in negotiations to achieve this very circumstance.  It is fair to ask the question “Why are we waiting?”.  The only answer here can be clarity.

It is unclear whether or not the Tories want to leave the single market in that they like the Labour party have their eyes on “frictionless borders”.  This contradiction is an impasse and the hiatus point of much of UK politics.

“The Brexit negotiations to date have been an exercise in avoidance. As much as government sources say that things are progressing nicely, in reality it has either had to accept the majority of the EU’s demands or simply postpone the difficult issues to a later date.

A key example of this is free movement of workers – something the government had previously promised would end on 29 March 2019, and which it has now committed to maintaining until the end of the transition period in December 2020. Equally concerning is the fact that discussions around the border issues between Ireland and Northern Ireland appear to have been simply kicked into the long grass for another day.

Of course, Theresa May is in an impossible position – she is trying to negotiate the UK through a process that nearly half of the electorate are opposed to, with a weakened government following the disastrous General Election, whilst also trying to appease the minority of Brexit fantasists that appear to be dictating policy from within.

Once again, the entire process highlights the arrogance and unpreparedness of those at the forefront of this process.”        Gary McIndoe   Latitude Law

The utter mismanagement of Brexit summed up.  What is clear is that clarity, itself, is not on the Tory agenda.

The question of why are we waiting?  Becomes why are we letting the Tories away with this freezing of UK politics; while austerity is not being frozen; discrimination against EU residents is not being frozen,  and the defence budget has increased by hundreds of millions as pro-war hysteria is being fuelled by cold war propaganda.

Waiting for polls to secure a victory neglects the more important campaigning principle to strike while the iron is hot. Everything that was promised by the “Better Together” has been proven to be a lie.  The Tories are a sinking ship and Labour has too much to do to regain the trust of the Scottish people.

There was a relatively low turnout for the Declaration of Arbroath Commemoration which was a great day out. It was sad to see this important historical day by-passed by our high heid yins as they can bring many of their supporters out( as they could have with our relatively successful Hands Off Our Parliament rally.)Yet there was much consensus at both events for an on-message campaigning Yes movement.