THE SETTLED WILL OF THE
SCOTTISH PEOPLE
With parliamentary elections due in May, former SNP National Secretary ANGUS MacLEOD gives a view of all things Scottish from independence to Brexit and a future on “Boris Island”
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t was a mantra of the slogan-heavy 1999-2007 era that the “Settled Will of the Scottish People” was devolution and that this had now been fulfilled. The phrase had first been uttered by the Labour leader John Smith in a prophetic conference speech in 1994. Then, in 1999, Scotland reached its promised land. Regardless of the choices of the voters of England, Scottish voters could have their say on the majority of issues they were permitted to be interested in; healthcare, education, and the emptying of the bins. We were even afforded a toy spanner from the economic toolbox; the ability to shift income tax by 3p in each direction. The fact this had to be done uniformly across all tax brackets meant it was never used. We were told by the First Minister Jack McConnell that we could be the “Best Small Country in the World” in one of those consultant-crafted slogans that said more about those promoting it than the country it was describing. However, just as Labour told us “We have abolished boom and bust” whilst flogging the family pensions, the Settled Will of the Scottish People has never been a matter to be determined by politicians. And, unfortunately for Labour and their Unionist brethren, the “settled will” appears to have changed. Since June 2020, there has been clear daylight in the polls in favour of independence; for the six months prior to that, they were more or less in the margin of error. Now, the “settled will” is invariably accompanied by a question mark in the Scottish commentariat. Now is the first time since polling began that there has been a sustained majority for independence over a period of months. Over 20 consecutive polls have shown support for independence, most conducted by the larger polling companies such as YouGov, Panelbase, Ipsos Mori, and Comres. anphoblacht UIMHIR EISIÚNA 1 - 2021 - ISSUE NUMBER 1
Does Scottish Unionism have the capacity or creativity to respond to this crisis? Time will tell, but the portents so far are not positive. In reality, Scottish Unionism is staggering from one shambles to another. Like bringing a coked-up city trader to a family funeral, Scottish Unionists cannot escape the fact that their Westminster leaders are clueless and politically tone-deaf when it comes to Scotland. The uncomfortable truth for Scottish Unionists is that a Westminster Tory can spend their entire career not caring about anything north of the City’s square mile and live quite comfortably. A Glasgow Tory councillor recently resigned upon the startling revelation that his nominal colleagues in Westminster had absolutely no interest in supporting his local gym businesses. This naivety encapsulates the problems facing the Unionists here and elsewhere. For all they consider themselves to be British patriots, the heart of the British state seldom considers them at all. Given that an appeal to good governance is out the window, the Tories have doubled-down on a Unionist base level of support. Whilst this allowed them to leapfrog Labour in 2016, it presents a problem if they are ever to challenge to be the largest party. There are unionist ex-Labour voters who will never vote Tory, who can still recite the litany of communities decimated by Thatcherite industrial policy; Gartcosh, Ravenscraig, Monktonhall, Linwood, Methil, and on it goes. The Tories will not penetrate the distain that these people have for them and all they stand for. Even on a bad day for Labour, of which there are many, the Tories will unlikely hit 27.5% of the vote, or half the Unionist vote of 2014 come May’s Holyrood election. The Tories have therefore followed the GOP and Trump playbook of using identity politics to motivate their base,
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