03 December 2020
Nicking it from the Nats
Pressure from the Highlands.
By J R Thomas
Just occasionally Boris does it hit it right, squarely, precisely, on the head. Not that anybody will give him credit for getting anything right at the moment. But let us be kind and generous, as we are so often urged in these times, and allow the tousled hair one credit where it is due. Boris, in a conversation a couple of weeks ago, said that Scottish devolution was Tony Blair’s “biggest mistake” and “a disaster north of the border”. In its usual way, Downing Street began mopping up immediately, saying that the PM had been misreported and taken out of context. What they should have said of course was “So what, it’s true” and “Why did he not include Wales?”
But the result was much exultation from the Scots Nats and glorious gloating from the First Minister, the embattled yet ever-triumphant Ms Sturgeon, who welcomes every intervention that underpins her ability to show further what a beastly lot the English are, and what a rotter Mr Johnson is. The sage of Kirkcaldy, former Premier Gordon Brown remained silent, but every other anti-Tory force joined the torrent of abuse, even the Scottish Conservative Party.
The slight niggle that one might have with all these Boris attackers is that what he said does appear to be entirely correct. Devolution has been a disaster north of the border (and west of it as well), and given Mr Blair’s objective in creating a devolved government for the north and west of these islands was to head off independence movements, it cannot be counted a major success. The Scot Tories stance is especially difficult to understand, given they supposedly support the union of the Kingdoms and the suggestion that devolution was disastrous might be thought grist to their Scottish mill. But apparently not.
Which, it should hastily be said before you ScotsNats and Plaid Cymru readers cancel your subscriptions, is not to say that the nationalist cause is ill-founded or that independence is undesirable. Far from it; if enough persons in a defined area think that they should be self governing, it is hard to deny them that right. They may be motivated by the emotions that are not desirable, such as dislike of others rather than a pride in their own lands (Ms Sturgeon has not been asked for comment on that but maybe she should), and the economics of self government may be bleak (consider carefully the case of the Republic of Ireland and of the small Baltic states before pursuing that argument too vigorously though) but, generally, government works best if it is popular with those governed and they feel not too remote from those doing the governing. In truth, there is no reason to believe that Scotland and Wales would fail as independent countries should the day dawn when border posts go up and the Cross of St Andrews flutters over Edinburgh Castle and the fiery dragon over Wales.
But here we must return to our unfashionable support of Mr Johnson. Because devolution has indeed been a disaster. Not just in the Blair sense, in that it has promoted rather than squashed the concept of independence. But in that it has introduced another layer of bureaucracy into the government of Scotland and of Wales, that it has increased the costs of administering what are after all small countries, and that it has, especially in Scotland, become a focus for anti-English feeling. There is nothing wrong with being anti-English of course; if that is your thing, please feel free to indulge. But when it becomes the go-to excuse on every conceivable occasion (and some inconceivable ones) for politicians wishing to find an excuse for their own failings then it is dangerous territory indeed.
Scotland has become a virtual one-party state, a democratically elected one-party state it is true, and one where the electorate could still vote the SNP out of power. That however seems unlikely given the state of the opinion polls north of the border at the moment, and Ms Sturgeon seems set to win a very convincing majority in the May 2021 elections. (More so because the Labour and Conservatives are evenly divided and that split of the anti-SNP vote guarantees the Scots Nats many extra seats.) The SNP is fighting as the nationalist party; the opposition, divided by their philosophies, are fighting, but very weakly, for the union.
But if the SNP or Plaid Cymru were assessed on their records in government, the electorate would surely turf them out. Their economic mismanagement is appalling, their misuse of patronage horrifying, particularly in Scotland (SNP supporters occupy many, most, key appointments), their lack of encouragement of enterprise amazing. Most of all, and this is all we are going to say on this matter, the treatment of former SNP leader Alex Salmond in his native land is deeply… um… controversial. All this incompetence (and a deeply divided party controlled by Ms Sturgeon and her friends) is seemingly almost entirely masked by the constant tirade against their neighbours south of the border.
Yet there is a solution and we do not need Dom Cummings to think of it. Seize the initiative for the union. By making a radical change to the constitution the wind could be removed from the nationalist party sails. Give Scotland independence; but under a common crown, reverting in effect to the constitutional position before 1707. Give Wales independence in the same way. Let self-governing politics move on from tribal chanting, back to the normal troubles and issues of modern Western political debate. And to ensure that the voices of those countries, and English regions, be heard in Westminster, abolish the House of Lords. Make the other house (no more an “upper house”) geographically chosen, a forum for common United Kingdom interests and for regional voices, with very restricted rights to block legislation passed in any of the national chambers, similar to the House of Lords limitations now. Perfection! Nationalism defused and an undemocratic insult to our constitution done away with.
No doubt the Scottish Nationalist Party and Plaid Cymru would not vanish instantly, to be replaced by regional Labour, Liberal Democrat, and even Conservative governing parties – and maybe a Shetland Independence Party, those feisty islanders being very opposed to government from Edinburgh. The Scottish voters at least would surely feel some gratitude to Nicky and her merry throng for setting them free of the English yoke and give them at least one more term in control of Holyrood. But once the excuse of the awful neighbours had been removed, and the nationalists assessed on their records, the voters would revert to their normal concerns of taxation, law and order, defence, economic competence and growth, proper social care policy, and even health services. And in the long run, as it has been in Eire, that would be an end to the nationalists.
The Conservative Party should have worked all this out decades ago. The Tories are supposed to be the patriotic small government party and it does not take much brain power to work out that trying to be a unionist party over divergent tribes that want to go their own way will end in disaster. Remember that slogan that worked so well: “Take Back Control”? Well, Give Back Control, whilst muttering sotto voce “And Take Responsibility”. There is just time, perhaps, for some fancy footwork, for a breath-taking initiative. Go to it, Boris, a new cause awaits to save your premiership.
