File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9709, message 212


Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 13:01:13 +0100
From: James Heartfield <James-AT-heartfield.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: M-I: Freedom for Scots and English


In message <3.0.2.32.19970912072636.0071ea50-AT-pop.gn.apc.org>, Chris
Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org> writes
>No nation which oppresses another can itself be free. 
>
>The decisive victory for a Scottish parliament (74%) with tax varying
>powers (63%) in the referendum is therefore also an important step forward
>for freedom of people in England. Opinion polls in England have in the past
>recorded very substantial majorities for Scottish Home rule and even 40% in
>favour of Scottish independence. The approach of the two peoples to this
>question is as civilised as the process Lenin commended in the achievement
>of Norwegian independence from Sweden.

I really think you have misread this event.

The Scots did not vote for independence, they voted for an assembly with
voting powers. Since the vote the Westminster government, principle
campaigners for the reform, have made it absolutely plain that they see
this as the best way to secure the United Kingdom. What they mean is
that the power of the state remains intact, but its representative
function divided: the ideal situation for capitalist rule, what Lord
Acton called the 'separation of powers' or Curzon called 'divide and
rule'. Blair's programme of constitutional reform aims at neutering
whatever residual popular pressure there remains upon the national
political process, by regionalism in representation and bureacucracy in
administration.

The popular support for the reform was not as overwhelming as it
appears. The BBC's figures on the turnout have been fudged throughout
the night, but it appears that a smaller percentage of Scots voted in
the referendum than did in the 1978 poll, when the numbers were deemed
to be insufficient to push through the change. More pointedly less
people voted in this referendum, to launch a 'national' parliament, than
participated in the British General Election a few months ago (about 70
per cent).

More importantly, and this is less easy to convey than numbers, the
entire campaign was a non-event for Scots. There were no large rallies,
canvassing was unspectacular, and there was little popular participation
beyond the polling stations. Scots I have talked to make the point that
they feel little identification with this new layer of regional
government. Little wonder. The most vociferous campaigner for the
reforms was the English Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
-- 
James Heartfield


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