Scotched independence

Humza Yousaf has won the Leadership of the Scottish National Party (SNP) by the now seemingly mandatory 52-48% split and, barring some unforeseen mishap, will be elected Scotland's First Minister by the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood tomorrow.

As a 'Sassenach' I've long supported the concept of an independent Scotland but now I hope Mr Yousaf fails in his efforts to take Scotland out of the Union. I'll come on to my reasons in due course but firstly, to allay any suspicion of Islamaphobia or racism, I'd like to address the much-discussed issue of Mr Yousaf's religion and ethnicity.

I genuinely rejoice that people of colour, and adherents of faiths other than Christianty, can become leading politicians in our democratic system, even where I don't agree with their politics - or, as an atheist, their religion. I deprecate Rishi Sunak's politics while celebrating the fact that it is possible for a Hindu of Indian descent to aspire to, and win, the highest political office in the land (albeit, like Mr Yousaf, not yet by popular consent - which, in both cases, is by no means assured).

As a Londoner, I support our Labour Mayor who, like Mr Yousaf, is a Muslim of Pakistani descent. I don't, however, support my local elected Mayor, a Muslim of Bangladeshi descent. In neither case has this anything to do with religion or ethnicity, it's all about party political affiliations. For example, I support my local Labour MP, a woman of Bangladeshi descent, and my local Labour Group Leader, who is from the same community.

I'm delighted that the Scottish Labour Leader, Anas Sarwar, is, like Mr Yousaf, a young Scots-born Muslim of Pakistani descent. My only sadness is that, in gaining so many minority ethnic political leaders, we seem to have lost all the women. Nicola Sturgeon, Ruth Davidson and Liz Truss (my sadness in the latter case not being unalloyed) have all left (or, in Ms Truss' case, lost) their leadership roles, to be succeeded by men. 

The fact that their male successors are all of minority ethnic backgrounds, while interesting, is hardly germane. Their gender is. Having said that, Kate Forbes' ultra-conservative, socially illiberal brand of Christianity ruled her out of contention for me as the leader of an avowedly social democratic party in a modern, secular, democratic system.

But back to my erstwhile support for Scottish Independence. I admit that this was a rather Romantic, almost Byronic, yearning when the UK was part of the EU. My understanding of the EU principle of 'subsidiarity' was that any viable national or regional entity was able to attain, or at least aspire to, secession under the umbrella of the EU if a majority voted in favour of it in a referendum. That principle was dashed by Carles Puigdemont's catastrophic attempt to gain Catalunyan independence from Spain in 2017; a huge setback for other such independence campaigns in the EU, including Scotland's, whose moment I fear has passed.

With Scotland dragged out of the EU against its democratically expressed will after the 2016 referendum by the weight of English (and Welsh) 'Leave' votes (though hardly by a hefty margin), the struggle for independence now seems, to all intents and purposes, unachievable and, frankly, quixotic.. The greater imperative, now that Scotland languishes outside the EU, along with the rest of the UK, is to get rid of the dreadful Tory Westminster government which is doing so much to hold it back. 

The Labour party used to rely on its Scottish vote to form governments at Westminster. The rise of the SNP put paid to that, with its MPs forming the third largest grouping at Westminster. I suspect that Labour will significantly increase its tally of Scottish MPs at the next general election (it currently holds only one Scottish seat so can hardly fail to improve on that, especially now the formidable Ms Sturgeon has left the stage) and that Keir Starmer's Labour Party will sugar its Unionist pill with promises of increased devolved powers. 

It also seems clear that EU leaders have resiled from whatever tacit support they may once have had for Scotland's Independence aspirations. Many have their own regions straining at the leash and it's hard to see, for example, Emanuel Macron of France rushing to revive the historic 'Auld Alliance' with Scotland against England when he has his own separatist movements to contend with (Alsatians, Basques, Bretons, Corsicans, Flemings et al) and has just had a love-in with the UK's Unionist PM and is hoping to welcome its new King (French riots permitting).

Sadly, I fear Scottish Independence will now recede into the Scotch mist.

Popular posts from this blog

Looking to Africa - long read

As I sit here on an island just off the coast of North-West Africa I can't help pondering the future of that vast and seemingly unknowable continent, so near and yet so far. I'm writing this in Tenerife, one of the eight Canary Islands forming an archipelago off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara - tantilisingly close and yet a world away from the 'mainland' of continental Africa. As an Autonomous Community of Spain, the Canaries form an outpost of the European Union (EU). Yet, despite their proximity to Africa, their outlook, politically, culturally and economically, is resolutely European. Africa may as well be Mars, though only a narrow gulf of the Atlantic Ocean separates these offshore islands from their continent. I say resolutely European but that resolve may, little by little, be weakening. There is a growing sentiment, especially, though not exclusively, amongst young Canarians, that they have been sold a pup. True, the economy is superficially buoyant, du
Read more

On old age

"The fact is that when I come to think it over, I find that there are four reasons for old age being thought unhappy: First, that it withdraws us from active employments; second, that it enfeebles the body; third, that it deprives us of nearly all physical pleasures; fourth, that it is the next step to death."  Writing his essay,  De Senectute (On Old Age), in 44 BCE, Marcus Tullius Cicero went on to refute these four supposed reasons in characteristically robust and forthright manner. Cicero wasn't one to sit about moping in his own old age; he remained actively engaged in the political life of the Republic whose survival, in the face of tyranny, he championed so fiercely.  Cicero was nine years younger than I am now when he met his untimely end yet he considered himself already an old man; or, rather, his society judged him to be so. His second point about age enfeebling is more germane. Physical decline had not yet impacted him but, six years on from my retirement, I
Read more

Born to rule

When, ten days ago, I posted my piece about the manipulated image of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and her children (see Snap Judgment) I didn't know of her cancer treatment. Had I known, I would have adopted a gentler, though I hope no less critical, tone. But I didn't know, and nor did any of us outside the immediate royal circle, which rather goes to strengthen the case against the monarchy. For Kate and her family the diagnosis of cancer (as yet unspecified) will have been a devastating blow, as will the chemotherapy she is currently undergoing. On a human level, of course I sympathise and extend my best wishes for a full recovery as, indeed, I did at the time of her father-in-law's diagnosis. It is particularly cruel, then, that on top of all this she has been obliged to record a video statement to reassure the public. As if she didn't have enough to contend with already. But such is the unpalatable obligation placed upon any royal personage - noblesse oblige. Whic
Read more