Tommy Sheppard is a former MP. He served as shadow leader of the house of commons.
Elections matter. They are real world events with serious consequences. The results legitimise the arguments put forward by the protagonists – or not. They lead to the holding of executive power, the power to changes lives. Our next election is in just over six months. Its outcome will determine the next steps in our country’s history. Crucially, it will either help us continue our journey to political independence – or set us back.
Support for Scotland becoming an independent country has never been higher. The problem is that whilst support is wide it is not deep. Many, probably more than half of those who say they want Scotland to be an independent country, see it as a longer-term ambition, not relevant to the problems they face today. As socialists we want independence not for anthems or emblems. For us it is not a question of identity, but one of power. The power to harness the natural resources of our country and deliver them for the benefit of all. The power to determine the relationships our country has with others and play our part in fulfilling humanity’s potential.
So independence is not just another issue amongst many. It is the means by which we can change everything, our vehicle to equality and social solidarity. These are views that can command the support of a majority in Scotland. It is essential, therefore, that we persuade and lead our party in expressing them. By being bold and ambitious, by explaining how independence will change our country for the better, we will find success. But whilst we continue to win people to the objective of independence, we have another problem. Many who are already convinced have been so battered by the intransigence of the British state and its denial of Scotland’s wishes that they have effectively stopped believing it will happen. To bring them out of political hibernation we need explain not just why, but how we can achieve independence. This has been an active debate within what we might call the Yes movement for several years now and we are yet to agree an answer. Our conference gives us the chance to get closer to it. Scotland will only become an independent country when a majority of the people who live here vote for it. At some point this will have to happen. There will need to be another referendum.
The problem is that unlike in 2014, the UK is now saying that no matter what Scottish government people vote for it will not lead to a decision on independence. The UK Supreme Court has ruled that Holyrood does not have the power or competence to discuss, never mind act upon constitutional matters. Nothing can happen unless Westminster says so. This effectively means that the right of people in Scotland to determine their own future is being denied. We are back to first principles now. Not arguing about whether to become independent but fighting for the right to decide. The way forward gets clearer if we rule out things that don’t work.
Firstly, let’s consider the response of those who are petitioning the United Nations to “decolonise” Scotland. Their argument is that the 1707 Act of Union was invalid, and they want the UN to declare Scotland’s right to national self-determination. The problem is that more than 300 years of history have passed during which on many occasions the people who live in Scotland have determined that they want to remain in a union with the rest of Britain. The most recent occasion was just fifteen months ago when Scots voted in their majority for parties committed to maintaining the UK and opposed to having a referendum.
We cannot pretend that the union exists because Scotland’s majority have been duped or coerced into it. Unfortunately, they haven’t. We need start from where we are not where we would like to be. Others have argued that if we are denied the chance to have a referendum then let’s turn the election itself into one and seek a majority of votes as mandate for independence. Notwithstanding the many difficulties in persuading people to even regard the election in this way, the central problem is how might such a mandate be implemented.
After all, the problem is not with getting mandates but getting the UK to recognise them. If the UK won’t accept the decision of a majority when they vote for parties wanting a referendum on independence, why would they accept a majority voting for independence without a referendum? There are no shortcuts. We have a fight on our hands for the right to decide. The next step is elect a Scottish government committed to that principle. Then we need to use the executive power that brings to advance the argument, to build a massive civic coalition of the majority, and to apply pressure on the UK to unsustainable levels. That mobilisation can and should exploit political fissures in the UK as its next election approaches, securing the right of self-determination for Scotland. But none of that happens unless the SNP wins the election and leads the government of Scotland with a renewed mandate.
Image Credit: Scottish Independence graffiti by Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons