The election has passed. The electorate has spoken and has, for the time being, declined the opportunity offered by the SNP to move on to independence through a referendum. The second term of the devolved parliament has commenced and there is uniformity in the view that it must do better.
So where does that leave the SNP and Scotland? Does the SNP ditch the referendum? Does it abandon independence? Does it shout it louder and more often? Is it simply business as usual in parliament, with no change in attitude mirroring the little change in cabinet? Is “doing less, better” acceptable? The answer has to be a categorical no to each. Change there must be, both for the SNP and for Scotland.
The status quo is not working and cannot remain an option. Scotland is stagnating. The lowest growth in Europe and decaying grandeur for a few among growing poverty for many is simply unacceptable. European enlargement will see Scotland overtaken by new entrants from the east, never mind being left behind by the Celtic tiger in the west. The powers of the parliament are simply inadequate for the task before it. Change there must be — whether independence, fiscal autonomy or simply a further repatriation of currently reserved powers. The present division of powers is arbitrary and, in many instances, nonsensical: the Scottish parliament’s powers include justice but not drugs and firearms; dentists but not vets; euthanasia but not abortion.
But clearest of all is that Holyrood must move from being a “spend, spend, spend” parliament to a “spend what you raise” one. There must be fiscal responsibility to ensure that both the electorate and the elected realise that nobody owes us a living and that government is about hard choices. The “we want this and they are paying” attitude must cease. Scotland must go forward and to do so the parliament must grow in powers. SNP successes in Aberdeen, Dundee and Ochil, combined with the necessary transformation from a party of protest to a party of government, cannot mask the disappointment felt by activists — never mind the public perception of an electoral reversal. Shouting “independence” louder is no more likely to increase the vote than would wearing a darker shade of wode. Lecturing the Scots that they failed to vote for independence therefore they must live with the consequences of it is a counsel of despair. It is a political version of mortal sin with the price being unionist damnation. It alienates potential supporters and fails to advance the cause.
Moreover, it forgets that this is our home. I want an independent Scotland and believe it would be best for Scotland. However, until such time as people vote for it — indeed, even if they were never to do so — it is still my responsibility to improve the land in which I live. I want it to be a better place for myself, my family and my community — even if there are constitutional constraints on our ability to deliver it.
SNP membership is not only about independence but the advancement of Scottish interests. That means being all we can be for the present until we are the best we can be in the future. It means delivering an improved today as a gateway to a better tomorrow. This does not mean an abandonment of the unshakeable commitment to independence, but recognition that its delivery has been postponed. It’s not “free by ’93” or 2003, or any other random date. The route to independence is through a referendum. To seek to roll back from that commitment would be fundamentally undemocratic. The catalyst for a referendum is a government in the Scottish parliament committed to one. Of the new independent nation states that have arisen in Europe over the past decade, almost all have sprung from existing — albeit limited — political structures, such as former Soviet republics, followed by referenda.
In the case of the Baltic states, they are moving from subservient republics in the Soviet Union to full membership of the enlarged EU. The obstacles facing Scotland are insignificant in comparison with the ones they faced. The answer to the question of when will there be an independent Scotland is simply when the people of Scotland want it. The real debate is about how, not when.
The first term of a devolved parliament for Scotland saw many of its most committed supporters badly disillusioned. The farce over medals was compounded by salary rises and the building fiasco. Far from delivering the promised land, it brought small improvements on the margins.
Pensioners remained in poverty, children grew up in despair and factories continued to close. It could only ever have been thus given its limited powers to manage the economy.
Not only must parliament re- engage with people, but the party of independence must re-engage with its core supporters. They must be persuaded that the Scottish parliament can deliver tangible benefits and lead the way to independence. They must have their self-confidence restored if we are to increase the collective self-confidence of the Scots, which is a prerequisite to economic and social progress.
The SNP must put itself in the vanguard of mainstream Scotland leading the demand for greater powers. Shriller cries for independence will simply lead to marginalisation at the extremities of the political debate.
Rather than fighting on the fringe with the reds and greens, it must lead from the front as the political representative of a broad coalition in civic Scotland.
Recognising the need for political, fiscal and social responsibility is the only way forward for Scotland. That is not to deny support for independence but to recognise that it is a process, not an event — one that will evolve by stages and stepping stones at a pace decided by the people. We waited nearly 300 years for the restoration of a devolved parliament and will have to wait a few more for independence.
Public confidence in the current parliament needs to be restored. To achieve that it is essential we enhance it with increased powers and responsibilities. Only then will it be capable of delivering the economic and social changes that are needed. Flanders or Catalonia may not be independent nations but they are at least delivering for their citizens. It’s time to move on.
The people of Scotland require tangible benefits delivered by their parliament, not to be told to charge the enemy yet again. Better to move forward to Catalonia than re-run Culloden. Then, and only then, will they have the confidence to move on as participants in a new world rather than dependants, forsaking the whinging Jock attitude and accepting responsibility for our own independent country and participating in an interdependent world.
We need to encourage the Scots along the path to independence. The time has come for the SNP to lead from the centre of the political debate rather than shout from the sidelines. It’s time for Scotland to stop muddling by, to start driving ahead and do better than hope.
Allan Massie is on holiday
