The historic victory of the SNP at Holyrood places the UK’s very existence in grave peril writes Marcus Booth.
By Marcus Booth, who stood for the Conservative Party in Angus in the 2001 General Election
The biggest cheer at Conservative HQ may have been for the defeat of AV, but the real story of this election is, in fact, the victory of the SNP at Holyrood. The historic result places the UK’s very existence in grave peril.
The prime minister is about to find that the ‘Scottish Question’ is going to be the defining issue of his premiership. David Cameron could be the last prime minister of the UK.
The collapse of support for the Liberal Democrats may have been a principal cause of the SNP victory (the Tory and Labour vote actually held up) and it may be the case that the Scottish electorate were not voting for separation but the shift is seismic and SNP strategy is never accidental.
This is nothing personal; Alex Salmond was the Hon President of the St Andrew’s Students’ Association when I was President. I admire Alex Salmond; he is one of the UK’s most talented politicians. I also like the SNP leader at Westminster, Angus Robertson, who is one of the finest campaigners I know and who has been a friend for over ten years. But as a one-time Tory candidate who fought the SNP machine in an area under SNP control, I learnt that we underestimate them at our peril – they are brutal, disciplined and effective opponents. Once in power the SNP ruthlessly use every means at their disposal to advance one cause – separatism. There is cold calculation behind the bonhomie.
The electors in Scotland may not have voted explicitly for separation but the SNP will now use every effort to create the conditions surrounding a referendum (including setting the rules and the question) that will deliver their desired result. Salmond will only go to the people when he knows he will win.
Those of us who oppose the break-up of Britain have a duty to prevent separation becoming a ‘fait accompli’. The dangerous cocktail that must be faced down includes:
Inertia south of the border – in particular the Tory leadership need to confront the ‘little England’ tendency of some in the Tory ranks. Short-sighted and misplaced self-interest has led some in England to think “we are better off without Scotland”. This is not the case. SNP MPs at Westminster are happy enough to encourage this misinformation.
Weakness of opposition to Salmond in Scotland – the strongest politicians of the principal unionist opposition party in Scotland (Labour) are in Westminster and many of the strongest Tory Scots represent English seats. The likes of Douglas Alexander may well be the brightest stars in the UK political sky but they may be packing their bags and heading North sooner than they intended. We need all hands to the pumps now – the Scottish political leaders of the unionist parties cannot remain detached from events in Scotland any more.
There is nothing progressive about the SNP’s so-called “Civic Nationalism”; there is nothing progressive in nationalism full stop. This is not about reviving ‘Rule Britannia’ but in acting together the nations of the UK can yet be a force for progressive values, a force for good in the world. We are stronger together.
In the coming weeks and months a new cross party group ‘Stronger United’ will be joining those making the positive argument for a modern devolved union; north and south of the border against both the ‘little Englanders’ down south and narrow nationalism in all its guises – fighting the politics of division with the politics of unity and hope.
We must work harder than ever to ensure that there is nothing inevitable about the break up of Britain.
53 Responses to “Britain – sleepwalking to separation”
Duncan
Ah, see here we have a classic error in editorial decision making. The choice to write an article on independence at all attracts to the comments that special brand of nutters known as ‘cybernats’ (whose bizarre lifestyle apparently allows them to scan every online newspaper and swarm the comments thread whenever anything remotely critical of the SNP is released) and the choice to have a Tory write it (and a Scottish Tory, no less – a very strange beast) practically guarantees he’ll discredit himself by trying to hard to ingratiate himself with an unfamiliar audience. “Well… I know that lefties hate the Daily Mail, so I’ll make a crack about Little Englanders”. Recipe for disaster.
@Seon and everyone else likeminded – Do you honestly believe that the massive swing of LibDem voters to yourself was because after decades of voting for a unionist party they’ve finally drunk the independence Kool Aid? I’m not saying that an independence referendum is unwinnable, nor am I saying there isn’t a mandate for a referendum but don’t kid yourself that every vote for the SNP was a vote for independence, it just ain’t so. I suppose what a lot of us ought to ask is why someone voting for the LibDems – an economically liberal, socially liberal unionist party would decide to vote for someone like John Mason, an economically socialist, socially conservative nationalist. I suspect it’s because you managed to fight a very politics-free campaign, the question is how long you can manage to maintain a politics-free government.
Anon E Mouse
Ash – Which is my point exactly. If one voted Labour as my family and I did our whole lives we knew they couldn’t handle the economy but we voted anyway. Especially as we knew public services would have money lavished on them (practically my whole family works in public service).
The interesting thing in this country is that essentially the nation is centre left in it’s heart but no one, not even the most tribal Labour Party supporter, could argue that the behaviour of Gordon Brown and his his thuggish leadership methods were acceptable from any political party.
Spectre Haunting Britain
Left Foot Forward? Surely some mistake? Left Foot Forward, Right Foot Back. That’s better.
So, “Salmond will only go the people when he knows he will win”. Gosh, do let us know when you discover the moon! I take it you didn’t study politics at St. Andrews.
I’m confused though. On the one hand, I keep reading in the press and the blogosphere this mantra from Scottish unionists that Scots don’t want independence. On the other hand, I also see this frequent reference, in the same sources, that the ‘wily’, ‘mischevious’, ‘canny’, ‘cunning’ Alex Salmond will only hold a referendum when he knows he can win it. Could I suggest that Scottish unionists make more of an effort to reconcile these contradictory statements as this is beyond parody now. It might also help your cause if you didn’t characterise Salmond as part of the axis of evil.
Rather than adopt the desperate measures that you recommend here, could I suggest that it might be a better idea to let the democratic process run its course? Oops, silly me, I forgot, we’re talking about the British here.
Spectre Haunting Britain
A more appropriate title for this piece, in fact, a more appropriate piece altogether would have been: ‘Scots, once again, sleepwalking into another generation of Westminster Tory governments that they don’t want’.
The only appropriate reply to this, after last Thursday’s result, would be: well it looks like they’ve woken up at last.
jimmy
i dont see what the problem is its up to the scotish voter to break up the uk not england you stole our land our industry and oil you can take your royal family and union and stick it face the union is over we hate you always have and always will.