RICHARD LUTZ reports from north of the border on independence fever.
It is now apparent that every time either David Cameron or George Osborne open their mouths, it is another vote for independence.
The very sound of those drawling Etonian voices are so grating, so annoying to the Scottish ear that a word from the Prime Minister or Chancellor, no matter how perceptive or careful, sends thousands running to the Yes camp.
Add the fact that Cameron will not come north of Carlisle to vent his dire warnings and the result is even more anger and annoyance.
You want independence? Send Cammo and Ozzie to Scotland. It’ll break up the 307 year old union faster than a hot knife through a McSween’s haggis.
Of course, it is beyond a doubt that the Whitehall/Westminster cabal don’t want this.
petrified
David Cameron is petrified (that is the only word for it) he will go down in history as the man who was signing cheques when the UK broke up come the referendum. Labour is terrified it will lose a large rump of loyal and knee jerk voters. And, of course, the Libdems only want to hang on to the coat tails of whoever is in power – the sign of a spineless party that cares only for the whiff of power rather than what it achieves. I think Clegg and co would link up with the cretins at UKIP if it helps him and his pals.
Recently, I was in England, Birmingham in fact, when I noticed that people in Middle Britain are starting to perk up their ears when the independence issue is raised.
Some were perceptive, some worried, some, amazingly, thought it wouldn’t matter if Scotland goes its own way.
For those with their heads in the sand and saying a Scots vote is irrelevant, here is one scenario that could be rolled out:
Scotland goes its own way. Then it applies for European membership. In 2015, the rest of the UK votes to leave the EU in its own promised referendum. Then Scotland is European and England/Wales/Northern Ireland is not.
That may just happen whatever the Euro-insiders say. And they say it doesn’t matter that Scotland goes separate.
Or take defence.
Nuclear submarines have pens on the Scots west coast. Come the split, what happens to these expensive machines that lurk in the lochs? Who owns them? Scotland is anti-nuke. It may dismantle them. It may sell them to the remaining Brits, who have nowhere to put them.
And what about the relationship between the new Scotland and what Is left of the UK? There is no doubt in my mind that the Westminster clique, currently led by the unionist Tories, will make it nasty. ‘You split up my country- I’ll really make you pay.’ The Right says with a visibly menacing sneer
There’ll be hell to pay over the £ sterling, shared communications (such as the BBC), natural resources and transport (a border on the Cumbrian/Northumbria border?). Whatever government is in power in London will ensure that a new Scotland would get zip from its new neighbours
So, the shrug that a Yes vote will not matter is flippant, short sighted and dead wrong. Middle Britain, I notice, is slowly waking up to the possibility (a possibility that the polls show may just happen) that Great Britain may just crack.
And then it’ll get real nasty, really vindictive with real ramifications on the economy (which does matter), Europe, the civil service and the £45bn per year defence industry.
Some good points Rich L…and glad to hear that the issue is being taken seriously down In the Deep South. If someone had told me 20 years ago I’d be voting for Scottiah Independence I’d have laughed them out of the pub! But here I am today and that’s just what I’m going to be doing…and for a plethora of reasons which are too numerous to detail here. Let’s just say, consider the UK stance on a raft of national, international and humanist issues over that period and jot down the ones you haven’t liked much and you’d have my starter for 10.
In brief, tthe shift by all the main parties to the right, the collapse of the left and even centre left (and resultant disappearnce of the Labour Party) along with any pretence of social democracy and social justice in public policy ……and the deliberate and deepening chasm between rich and poor and you’d have some of those that would be among my top 10…….not to mention rampant privatisation, illegal wars and the use of mass unemployment as a means of creating a subservient workforce (the latter having been particularly effective in giving us, for example, the Zero Hours Contract phenomenon).
It has however been the dissapearance of politics that has saddened me most perhaps.The current ruling elite now consistently and endlessly are ‘created’ by output from 2 or 3 courses from 2 or 3 universities who choose by ‘lineage’ ….of one kind or another. These people are not politicians as I grew to understand the term…..with beliefs, principles, passions and visions, but people who self select with a view to assuming power for its own sake. They don’t need the ‘job’ or the money and they don’t even pretend to want to improve the world or make it a better place…..their role seems to be to get people to behave in order to sustain the lifestyle of those in the club. I increasingly have the feeling that for them it’s a kind of sport gifted to them for self amusement and self aggrandisement.
So to Scotland! Could it do better on its own?
It wouldn’t be difficult and when I look at the public policy direction of the last 6/7 years ‘up here’ I am filled with some hope.
If for no other reason…as a de-constructed child of the 60’s, I’ll be going with the guy who says he wouldn’t go to the illegal war on a lie……in the absence of political philosophy, that’ll do for me….!!
PS….you’re main observation is spot on……..keep sending up the Bullingdon Boys…….they’re doing Wee Alex’s job for him…..in fact I’m sure he’d pay their expenses if needed…!
Fine, trenchant stuff! Of course, if I was a Scot I would almost
certainly vote “Yes”, but as a North Briton who lives south of the border,
I’m hoping like hell for a “No” vote. Quite apart from their votes, the
Scots still hold to the democratic Socialist value I’ve believed in all my
life. Without them we’ll be a poorer, more selfish society and without
their votes we are doomed to centuries of Tory government.
If you get a chance have a look at the Ian Nairn programme on BBC 4 on
Thursday night at 10 – not sure about my own contribution but it does add up
to a fitting tribute to the great maverick.
…and to your list can be added the systematic dismantling of local goverment in England. Meanwhile Mr Barosa’s comments were somewhat amusing, warning the Scots that if they vote for independence they could be out of the EU for good. Not much of a threat given that if they vote No that fate may await them anyway!
If only the rest of the UK had the cahnce to jettison the stranglehold Whitehall has on our lives. If I was Scottish I know which way I’d be voting but gien that this may result in almost permanent Tory governments and our exiting the EU, you might find millions of us applying for citizenship north of tthe border around 2018.
But it raised a question. What opinion, if any, do I – a British citizen living in the south of England – have a right to express? The events of the last week have made it very clear that Scottish independence would affect all of the UK. I have no vote in this referendum, but I definitely have an interest in its outcome. It is therefore wrong to suggest (as some do) that I have no right to comment AT ALL on Scottish independence and its effects. Scottish independence would affect me. Therefore I have a right to express an opinion on it.
here
I thought Barosso’s intervention the other day was a cynical attempt to support the No campaign. Sure getting all the EU members to support Scottish membership would be difficult, but he does that kind of thing everyday. I assume he has his eye on the possible UK referendum on the EU
I fully accept your point Sharif and I genuinely fret for the future of England if the notion of Great Britain starts to disintegrate, but the temptation for myself as a Scot (and committed European….ignore Barosso’s ‘Rajoy- Cameron led pre retirement rant), is too great. I appreciate it is a slightly selfish act but you have to excuse us….Scotland has never in my lifetime voted Tory but it didn’t save us from the worst excesses of Thatcher and the Bullingdon Boys. There is a chance that this vote can MAYBE just change things up here…you guys need to find your own driver for change. Looking at Steve’s point above…there could perhaps be a future if truly regional or local democracy were to be given a chance through re-empowered and meaningful local/regional government tho’ that won’t happen overnight.
Of course Barosso’s also worried about anything which might encourage Catalan independence. But the impact on the next Westminster parliament is also massive, as Labour could conceivably go from being the majority party to a minority party once the Scottish MPs become disenfranchised, presumably about a year after the General Election (am I correct in thinking that independence would happen in Spring, 2016?)
True…Barosso will have come under tremendous pressure from both Cameron and Rajoy and there are a few other member states (the more centralist ones) who are paranoid about regional power. In this sense I see my ‘Yes’ vote as a vote for Regionalism…not Nationalism. Europe is about the regional and the national and it supports Regional Policy more than most member states, so Barosso’s mistake is that he has signalled primacy of the national over the regional and he has compromised himself and the Commission…but that’s a sideshow.
Your point about the problems for the ‘rump’ of Westminster Labour post any Yes vote is indeed serious for ‘rest of UK’ democracy. It is obvious to all in Scotland why the London Labour machine is so anti independence…this would be awful for them! As I said in my reply to Sharif, this stuff gives me no pleasure….I do worry about what this means for the UK and sane minded social democrats in England and Wales….but I’ve no means of addressing any of that!
The implementation date yes, is planned for 24 March 2016
on sort of same theme from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/opinion/cohen-britannia-rues-the-waves.html?hp&rref=opinion
Thanks for the update — the Scots election news is thin here in Seattle.
Absolutely right
….a piece from one of our finer columnists here in Scotland-shire http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/columnists/the-big-guns-turned-their-fire-on-scotland-but-courage-can-still-trump-fear.23444291
have been thinking: if scotland votes yes it has to re-apply for EU membership because it is a new entity.
But that surely also applies to the UK because from then on it will be minus Scotland and hence also a new entity.
How did Barosso not see that!