Well done, Patrick!
In an earlier post for IndyRef1 I quoted my old friend Thingy, who said (basically), "It was always an English Empire! - go for it!" Now my friends Whatsit, who live in Scotland but spend time in France, and have children and grandchildren in Spain and Switzerland, have emailed to say:
You may think that their responses are overstated, but these are ordinary middle-class Scottish citizens, who are totally pissed off with the UK response.
On a less despairing note, our constituency MP for Glasgow North, Patrick Grady, convened a meeting today to reassure those of his constituents who were frazzled by the EU referendum result (that's 78%, for heaven's sake!). A wise and encouraging move, with the results I note below.
Points that were made by me and others:
- The conduct of the referendum was a disgrace, with lies and deceptions left unchallenged. The BBC was complicit in this, because of "impartiality": it gives a three-minute slot to one side's well-researched and reasoned argument, and then an equivalent three-minute slot to the other side to slag it off with emotional slogans. ACTION: Could we have a properly informed moderator for these interviews - even when both sides are not present simultaneously - rather than a struggling journalist?
- The conduct of the referendum (i.e. lies and deceptions) gives the UK government an excuse for non-compliance. But there's no realistic prospect of that happening (whatever various citizens' movements might say). ACTION: individual choice, but no political momentum.
- The fact that Scotland voted decisively to Remain needs to be deployed with care, because it's circular. The democratic unit here is the whole of the UK, so the fact that Scotland voted differently cuts no ice. For it to cut ice, we need to show that Scotland is different, and not different just because it voted to Remain! Cameron pointed out that although his Oxfordshire patch voted to Remain, that doesn't entitle it to negotiate a different deal with the EU. Now, we know that Scotland isn't Oxfordshire, but we also need to show how and why that isn't a parallel case - for example from a cultural and historical perspective: Scotland has a different legal system, a different educational system, a different variety of the English langage, and, of course, a different mindset. ACTI0N: Keep on saying (in diplomatic language) why we're different from those English b*st*rds (and I speak as one of them).
- The most important lesson from the EU referendum relates to the mooted IndyRef2. We absolutely must not repeat the EU Referendum behaviour. In particular, we must not: peddle half-truths ("We must regain control of our borders, so that we can keep immigrants out"); slag off the opposition ("Treasury forecasts have always been wrong"); or raise a mindless emotional fervour ("Breaking Point" and the xenophobic poster). In particular, we should not bang on about Scotland being "dragged out" of the EU aginst its will (**RAISING EMOTIONAL FERVOUR**), but simply say "removed from" the EU. The EU campaign was shameless in all these respects, and it's left a legacy of division, hatred and uncertainty. If an independent Scotland is to have legitimacy, it must not have such a shameful birth. (My personal view: Scottish people will relish engaging in a more moderate and judicious referendum debate, in defiance of the English demagogues.)
- Scotland's best prospect is to leave the UK before the UK leaves the EU, and so remain in the EU. This could have attractions for a UK government - it gives them a border with the EU which they wouldn't have to close, continued trade, and a friendly door to the EU via a trusted member. This course of action would require IndyRef2 to take place within two years of the invoking of Article 50 - with the Scottish Government judging the best time-slot in the light of the Brexit negotiations and other seasonal and political factors.
- The most likely outome for the UK is more-or-less-full access to the single market, with more-or-less-full concessions on product compliance, and more-or-less-full acceptance of free movement of people (or "immigrants", as they're called in rUK). And in return, we can make our own trade agreement with Finland! Not f*cking worth it!
But time to stop losing the place, and think positively. It was a disaster, but a mitigable one. Keep bullying your MP, your MSP and your MEP. Hope in any case for better politicians (and keep on arguing for same). And above all, get stuck into an informed debate - email your parliamentary representatives (you have three of the buggers) now!
D and I have been so distressed and confused recently it has been difficult to know what is best to do;"
and:
"We have certainly been through all the obvious feelings of anger, disgust, frustration, feeling sick, sadness, mounting to fury at the complete idiocy of what has happened and spitting blood at the awful people who have allowed it to happen!
You may think that their responses are overstated, but these are ordinary middle-class Scottish citizens, who are totally pissed off with the UK response.
On a less despairing note, our constituency MP for Glasgow North, Patrick Grady, convened a meeting today to reassure those of his constituents who were frazzled by the EU referendum result (that's 78%, for heaven's sake!). A wise and encouraging move, with the results I note below.
Points that were made by me and others:
- The conduct of the referendum was a disgrace, with lies and deceptions left unchallenged. The BBC was complicit in this, because of "impartiality": it gives a three-minute slot to one side's well-researched and reasoned argument, and then an equivalent three-minute slot to the other side to slag it off with emotional slogans. ACTION: Could we have a properly informed moderator for these interviews - even when both sides are not present simultaneously - rather than a struggling journalist?
- The conduct of the referendum (i.e. lies and deceptions) gives the UK government an excuse for non-compliance. But there's no realistic prospect of that happening (whatever various citizens' movements might say). ACTION: individual choice, but no political momentum.
- The fact that Scotland voted decisively to Remain needs to be deployed with care, because it's circular. The democratic unit here is the whole of the UK, so the fact that Scotland voted differently cuts no ice. For it to cut ice, we need to show that Scotland is different, and not different just because it voted to Remain! Cameron pointed out that although his Oxfordshire patch voted to Remain, that doesn't entitle it to negotiate a different deal with the EU. Now, we know that Scotland isn't Oxfordshire, but we also need to show how and why that isn't a parallel case - for example from a cultural and historical perspective: Scotland has a different legal system, a different educational system, a different variety of the English langage, and, of course, a different mindset. ACTI0N: Keep on saying (in diplomatic language) why we're different from those English b*st*rds (and I speak as one of them).
- The most important lesson from the EU referendum relates to the mooted IndyRef2. We absolutely must not repeat the EU Referendum behaviour. In particular, we must not: peddle half-truths ("We must regain control of our borders, so that we can keep immigrants out"); slag off the opposition ("Treasury forecasts have always been wrong"); or raise a mindless emotional fervour ("Breaking Point" and the xenophobic poster). In particular, we should not bang on about Scotland being "dragged out" of the EU aginst its will (**RAISING EMOTIONAL FERVOUR**), but simply say "removed from" the EU. The EU campaign was shameless in all these respects, and it's left a legacy of division, hatred and uncertainty. If an independent Scotland is to have legitimacy, it must not have such a shameful birth. (My personal view: Scottish people will relish engaging in a more moderate and judicious referendum debate, in defiance of the English demagogues.)
- Scotland's best prospect is to leave the UK before the UK leaves the EU, and so remain in the EU. This could have attractions for a UK government - it gives them a border with the EU which they wouldn't have to close, continued trade, and a friendly door to the EU via a trusted member. This course of action would require IndyRef2 to take place within two years of the invoking of Article 50 - with the Scottish Government judging the best time-slot in the light of the Brexit negotiations and other seasonal and political factors.
- The most likely outome for the UK is more-or-less-full access to the single market, with more-or-less-full concessions on product compliance, and more-or-less-full acceptance of free movement of people (or "immigrants", as they're called in rUK). And in return, we can make our own trade agreement with Finland! Not f*cking worth it!
But time to stop losing the place, and think positively. It was a disaster, but a mitigable one. Keep bullying your MP, your MSP and your MEP. Hope in any case for better politicians (and keep on arguing for same). And above all, get stuck into an informed debate - email your parliamentary representatives (you have three of the buggers) now!
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