Ep 006 General Election Special: What The Hell Just Happened?
A Scottish Nightmare has begun. Someone needs to wake them up.
“Stalinist”?
Fifty percent of Scots voted for the Scottish National Party, which some people consider Stalinist – I confess that I am no authority on Stalin, so I had to look it up but it does seem to tick quite a few of the boxes so it isn’t an entirely unjustified label. I do feel sorry for the other half. There are very many fine people in Scotland, many are my friends, and they deserve better. But as the old Scottish saying goes, ye cannae overestimate the stupidity of the man in the street, and they turned out in droves to vote in the SNP.
Now that the election is over, the SNP wants another independence referendum, or at least Salmond does. Prior to that they want full fiscal autonomy and the government is already hinting at that, in fact you could well argue that the SNP is playing right into their hands…
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Another Referendum?
Lots of people it seems are getting quite excited about the prospect of another independence referendum in Scotland. In large part this is due to the double outcome of the recent UK election – a massive win for the SNP in Scotland alongside the return of a Tory government at Westminster. Some people are keen to start a campaign to put pressure on the SNP to hold another referendum in the near future. I think this is unwise. First of all because the SNP made it clear that this election was not about another referendum. For them to suddenly change their mind on this would be severely damaging to their own credibility with the Scottish electorate. But more importantly to call for another referendum without the confidence that we will win would be disastrous for independence. To lose another vote close after the first would set back the prospect of…
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“Aye We Can”
From the Scottish referendum last September to last week’s election result, Scottish politics has been the topic of many column inches, radio broadcasts, and top of the bill for what must feel like eternity and it shows no signs of stopping. Confusion and, at times, utter disdain have been shown in some commentary as bloggers and hacks try to understand the situation.
Confusion is understandable – a nation that refused independence by 10% just a few months ago has now returned 56 Nationalist MPs. What is the cause of this apparent political schizophrenia? It seems incredible that 55% of the electorate in Scotland backed the Union and yet all but three constituencies are now represented by the SNP.
The fact is, the SNP have been very careful to fight a campaign that was removed from separatist ambition and focused on Social Democracy – the hallmark First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s leadership of the party. Independence was a hot topic for opposition parties and the media, but was not on the lips of SNP activists going door to door in the run up to the general election. While Labour shifts further right to chase “middle England” and Tory votes, the SNP has shifted left (remember the “Tartan Tories”?) to collect the disaffected “old” Labour voters with brutal efficiency. The SNP discussed inequality and poverty with a vigour expected of, but absent from, Labour.
All of the SNPs manoeuvres have been further helped by the way the referendum was fought by Labour – “shoulder to shoulder” with the Conservatives. Labour did enough to plant doubt in many voters’ minds concerning the SNP’s economic policy for an independent country, but were often accused of portraying Scotland as the UK’s poor sibling, relying on the generosity of England.
No one votes for negativity and, my goodness, Labour were negative. Scotland’s chief Blairite, Jim Murphy, made much of his plan to fund 1000 nurses on the back of well heeled London property owners; but offered no inspiration where Scotland as a self reliant nation is concerned. On the other hand, Nicola Sturgeon faced Scotland’s many issues head on and argued for action and for Scotland to step forward and take responsibility.
This, to the man and woman on the street, seems to be the key: Sturgeon runs on a premise similar to a young Obama – “aye we can”.
The Tories Are Coming
Board up the windows, batten down the hatches and organise a guard shift rota because as sure as the sun will set the Tories are coming. It is a strange kind of democracy we live in where a party who get roughly a third of the overall vote get the keys to power. A party who some how inspire votes but not public support. I have to say that I, like everyone else, was not expecting the result that came in. The ruling party, having brought in cuts to public services, demonised the poor, extended privatisation to the NHS after massively damaging top down reform they promised they wouldn’t have, failed to meet blatantly bullshit promises on immigration, cut benefits to the disabled, invented sanction targets for the unemployed when full employment is not being provided, published plans to reduce the top rate of tax, increase the inheritance tax threshold…
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