The SNP continue to make convincing arguments against separation.
So far they have said that it makes no sense to separate Scotland from the UK's currency, monarchy, fiscal policy, income tax rates, DVLA, energy policy, HSE, embassies, central bank, broadcaster and very soon its defence policy.
They are edging ever-closer to ditching full-blown 'independence' in favour of a turbo-charged devo max option. This is a perfectly respectable position but I just wonder when the more (ahem) enthusiastic SNP members notice that their core policy has shifted from freeing us from the tyranny of an evil empire to embracing it.
I jokingly made up the slogan 'Independence in the UK' a year or so ago to highlight the absurdity of the SNP's position where they claim to be independent but still cling to the security of the UK.
Now, far from being absurd, it pretty much accurately describes the SNP's position.
*Apart from Jim Sillars and a handful of deluded cybernats who are too dim to get with the programme..
The snp 'CLING' to power at all costs even a limited amount of 'Devolved' power Alex fears tremblingly to lose the Referendum(they will) and have no consolation prize.
ReplyDeleteFor him his goose will be well and truly cooked game over after all he did say it was a one chance in a generation. Now Alex is adept at weaseling out of his promises commitments etc but thats what he said.
Is it really just a year since you said the SNP would crash and burn in the election? Doesn't time just fly by when you have such embarassment to live down?
DeleteDon't agree.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that being independent meant that there would be no co-operation between an independent Scotland & the rest of the UK is one that is held by unionists in my experience & not nats (real ones as opposed to the cyber ones).
The ability to make decisions on where to co-operate or not *in Scotland* is what is important to me. If a measure of union remains through choice then what is the problem with that?
I think you make the assumption that independence is about getting away from England as opposed to strengthening Scotland.
All the issues you raise are up for debate, there is nothing carved in stone & neither should there be. The SNP can't make decisions now for Scots of the future. This is something that many unionists don't seem to understand.
Observer
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post.
I don't believe for a minute that many nats would describe the Bank of England dictating a separate Scotland's interest rates, borrowing limits and overseeing its fiscal policy as 'co-operation'.
You state that: "The SNP can't make decisions now for Scots of the future." Which is perfectly true, however the SNP need to tell us what their vision of a separate Scotland is.
So we need to know about everything from the Beeb to the DVLA, from HSE to the monarchy.
I suspect we are about to see a hardening on both sides in this debate. I think we are also seeing a realisation on the UK side that 2014 will suit them just fine too.
The MOD coming out this week and saying bluntly that all warship contracts on the Clyde and Forth will be cancelled if Scotland becomes a foreign country is just the start of what could be a very bruising few years for the SNP...
I don't see any other option other than sterling in the immediate future. That does not mean that a Scottish government would be tied to it for all time.
ReplyDeleteI think the position with the Beeb, the HSE & the DVLA is quite straightforward. The proportionate share which Scotland inherits will just re-organise & do the same stuff. Anyone who has worked in the public sector knows that re-organisation is a constant state - it would just be another one. We would also be likely to keep H&S law as well as other good things like TUPE, which the Tories are determined to dismantle as quickly as they can.
I do admit that it is likely that the MOD would cancel contracts out of spite, although I can foresee some trouble for them if they do that, as they are subject to the same EU laws as everyone else. The MOD currently procure overseas so they would have a hard time arguing why they want to discriminate against Scotland.
But to get back to your original point - saying that independence won't lead to separation in all contexts is actually arguing in the SNP's favour. It shows that their argument is a pragmatic one as opposed to a ''nationalist'' one.
Regards the monarchy - I think we stand a better chance of being a republic in Scotland than in the UK. There is a reverence for the monarchy in parts of England which simply does not exist here, other than in a few peculiar individuals.
A few points:
DeleteThe SNP are not talking about the immediate future or indeed a period of transition. They are suggesting having the Bank of England dictate a separate Scotland's interest rates, borrowing limits and fiscal policy for at least a decade.
Do you think that there will be a separate Scottish DVLA and HSE?
The MOD have not ordered a warship from a foreign country in fifty years. There have been no problem from the EU. Why would problems start post Scottish separation and why would continuing that policy be spiteful?
My original point was not that independence won't lead to separation. My original point is that the SNP no longer advocate independence, they are now the party of devo max.
It's time they were up front and honest about it.