The West Lothian Question Reframed
May. 12th, 2010 05:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
f4f3In case anyone hasn't noticed, the Tories managed to get one seat in Scotland at the election.
One out of 59.
The Tories finished fourth up here, and their share of the vote was less than 17%.
Labour's vote increased in Scotland, as did that of the SNP.
The LDs also lost vote share, though the unfair first past the post system gave them a disproportionate amount of seats. I haven't heard them complain about that yet.
I'm setting this out plainly by way of stating my problem.
Scotland voted very strongly for a Labour government. The Tory party didn't just lose in Scotland, it was a pathetic, irrelevant, distant and despised fourth place.
And now, thanks in part to the LDs, we have been told that they will govern Scotland for the next four years.
This isn't a new situation for me. From 1979 to 1992 Scotland voted Labour and got Tory. I know lots of Britain (and Northern Island) suffered under Thatcher (and I know parts of the South East of England prospered), but she seemed to loathe Scotland almost as much as Scotland loathed her, and we were beaten severely for our temerity.
I'm socialist to the core. Good times, bad times. And I voted Labour all through those years. There was no choice. Now though, there is a choice. A year to eighteen months from now Scotland will vote on independence from the United Kingdom. Not devolution, a full separation.
I've always put Socialism first and Independence second. Despite the fact that I'm convinced by the economic case, by the morality of a country exercising its right to self determination, by the fact that every advantage we gain from the Union can be matched as fellow members of the EU, I've always believed that more good can be done for the UK by Scotland staying a part of it.
Before the election I said that I would do everything I could to help Labour get elected as the UK government. And I did, and so did the rest of Scotland. 42% of the vote. 41 seats. Scotland could not have tried harder, could not have hoped for a better outcome (and even if they had secured the other 18 seats, it still wouldn't have given Labour a UK majority.
I'm tired. Tired of being saddled with the government England wants. Tired of seeing Cameron proclaim his mandate for "the country".
Enough.
I'm sorry, England, Ireland, Wales, but I don't want to be part of this union anymore. I'll be campaigning for a "Yes" vote in the referendum, for full independence. And I'm sorry if that leaves England, Wales and Northern Island with an inbuilt Tory majority, but, really, that has to be your problem.
This isn't an anti-English statement. Not even an anti-Tory statement. It's about being pro-Scotland, and pro-what's good for Scotland. It's not you, it's us.
One out of 59.
The Tories finished fourth up here, and their share of the vote was less than 17%.
Labour's vote increased in Scotland, as did that of the SNP.
The LDs also lost vote share, though the unfair first past the post system gave them a disproportionate amount of seats. I haven't heard them complain about that yet.
I'm setting this out plainly by way of stating my problem.
Scotland voted very strongly for a Labour government. The Tory party didn't just lose in Scotland, it was a pathetic, irrelevant, distant and despised fourth place.
And now, thanks in part to the LDs, we have been told that they will govern Scotland for the next four years.
This isn't a new situation for me. From 1979 to 1992 Scotland voted Labour and got Tory. I know lots of Britain (and Northern Island) suffered under Thatcher (and I know parts of the South East of England prospered), but she seemed to loathe Scotland almost as much as Scotland loathed her, and we were beaten severely for our temerity.
I'm socialist to the core. Good times, bad times. And I voted Labour all through those years. There was no choice. Now though, there is a choice. A year to eighteen months from now Scotland will vote on independence from the United Kingdom. Not devolution, a full separation.
I've always put Socialism first and Independence second. Despite the fact that I'm convinced by the economic case, by the morality of a country exercising its right to self determination, by the fact that every advantage we gain from the Union can be matched as fellow members of the EU, I've always believed that more good can be done for the UK by Scotland staying a part of it.
Before the election I said that I would do everything I could to help Labour get elected as the UK government. And I did, and so did the rest of Scotland. 42% of the vote. 41 seats. Scotland could not have tried harder, could not have hoped for a better outcome (and even if they had secured the other 18 seats, it still wouldn't have given Labour a UK majority.
I'm tired. Tired of being saddled with the government England wants. Tired of seeing Cameron proclaim his mandate for "the country".
Enough.
I'm sorry, England, Ireland, Wales, but I don't want to be part of this union anymore. I'll be campaigning for a "Yes" vote in the referendum, for full independence. And I'm sorry if that leaves England, Wales and Northern Island with an inbuilt Tory majority, but, really, that has to be your problem.
This isn't an anti-English statement. Not even an anti-Tory statement. It's about being pro-Scotland, and pro-what's good for Scotland. It's not you, it's us.
Full Scotland Scoreboard
| Party | Seats | Gain | Loss | Net | Votes | % | +/-% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 41 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,035,528 | 42.0 | +2.5 |
| Liberal Democrat | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 465,471 | 18.9 | -3.7 |
| Scottish National Party | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 491,386 | 19.9 | +2.3 |
| Conservative | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 412,855 | 16.7 | +0.9 |
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no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 06:13 pm (UTC)Which is a shame, because whilst I'd have voted for more devolved powers I won't vote for independence. Effectively removing the middle ground polarises everyone. It's a bit like removing the "Lib Dem" option.
Having said that, I'm pro-asking-the-people and if it goes against me I may well have to consider my place here, but I'll have to accept that I didn't get the outcome I voted for, because that's how democracy works.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 07:15 pm (UTC)As you know, I'd only be interested in getting independence and then the SNP should wither away - I find it hard to trust any party with "Nationalist" in their name.
Also, and I won't let it go without saying, you're exactly the sort of person who I'd want to stay.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-12 07:18 pm (UTC)Oh, and thank you. I hope Scotland remains a place I want to be.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-13 05:37 am (UTC)I suppose it depends to some extent on what Labour in Scotland do. I'd imagine there would have to be a Scottish Labour Party, which I'd certainly sign up for, and I don't think the SNP would fill that gap. If anything, they would fill the place the Tories do in England. But if that happens, they won't be the same party they are now.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-13 01:37 am (UTC)You know, like, there are left-leaning, centrist, and right-leaning parties in the UK, and there are left-leaning, centrist, and right-leaning voters (if not parties) in the US. But our left is further to the right than Scottish Labour, and even in the UK our right-leaning voters look utterly wackadoo.
Whether or not this would be the case in the long run, however, doesn't change the fact that just now a vote on independence would polarize people living and voting in Scotland.