By Calum Wright
That the SNP landslide was a momentous event in Scotland’s political history is almost beyond dispute. The seemingly impossible happened, taking almost everyone off guard. The Labour Party is still having trouble understanding what happened and why, seemingly incapable of conceiving of a Scotland that is not their uncontested fiefdom.
"People won’t vote SNP at a UK general election," they say. "A vote for the SNP is not a vote for independence." The implicit message seems to be "Scotland is still ours".
Of course there is some truth in these claims, but one outcome of the SNP’s triumph has been that everyone is talking about independence. A referendum has never really been possible; now that the question will be asked, people are beginning to seriously ponder what their answer to it will be. "Why not?" seems to be a predominant line of thought. This immediately puts defenders of the Union on the back foot, pushing them to fall back on the old negative arguments about the unviability of separation.
So what should Labour’s position be in the already unfolding discussion about the future of this nation? It needs to act quickly and it needs to ignore those opinion polls which suggest only a maximum of a third of Scots favour independence. Complacency, Labour should now at long last realise, is the beginning of defeat.
Firstly, Scottish Labour should be free to elect their own party leader, not simply a leader of the group in Holyrood. This should be the first step towards asserting a more distinctive and Scottish vision. Labour needs to show that it is a party for Scotland with a plan for the future, not simply the managerial arm of a UK-wide organisation. One highlight of the otherwise incoherent jumble of stolen ideas and unrealistic promises that was Scottish Labour’s 2011 manifesto was the pledge to introduce a living wage. This was a bold, distinctive and firmly Labour policy.
Of course there should be co-ordination with the Labour Party at Westminster as it too goes through a process of "re-founding". Scottish Labour needs to follow their lead and involve intellectuals, ordinary party members, MSPs and the public in this process. The feeling that Westminster does not work for Scotland needs to be challenged, and instead Scots need to be convinced that Labour at an empowered Holyrood and Labour at Westminster represents the best deal for Scotland. Ed Miliband’s apologies for the party’s past mistakes is a good beginning and something the next leader of Scottish Labour should consider.
Secondly, Labour needs to outflank the Nationalists. They can do this, I believe, on at least two fronts: defining what "independence" means and how far down that path Labour is willing to go, and in championing localism. The SNP’s conception of what "independence" actually means has been the subject of much speculation of late, and Labour should seize this lack of clarity to offer their own vision of Scotland’s place within the Union. Most Scots want more powers for Holyrood, more independence from Westminster: a balancing of the Union, if you will. But the "break-up of Britain" does not, I think, galvanise much support.
If Labour can outline what exactly they believe the constitutional future of Scotland could entail – while providing a convincing case for why the Union should, in some form, remain – they can seize the initiative from the SNP. Alex Salmond knows that complete separation is a thought that unsettles many, hence a multiple-option referendum looks likely. If this is the case, Labour can plausibly campaign for something rather than against independence.
Further, in advocating localism, Labour can expose one of the SNP’s glaring contradictions: a party devoted to securing greater power at a national level seems unwilling to devolve that power any further. The council tax freeze is a good example of this. Clearly it is an unfair tax that needs replacing, but in reaching a concordat with local authorities the Nationalists stripped them of the ability to raise any of their budgets locally. The Labour Party began outside of parliament and it should seek to return to a role where it seeks the empowerment of local communities.
Thirdly, Labour should embrace Salmond’s invitation to co-operate. He said that the SNP does not have any monopoly on wisdom; Labour needs to show that it has some wisdom to share. The Nationalists have cultivated an impression of themselves as a party working as if it lived in the early days of a better nation. Labour needs to do the same, though its vision of the future of that nation may be different.
– Calum Wright blogs at north by left.
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