London based politicians have for generations got Scotland wrong. This is particularly true of the right wing Conservative party who have practically no representatives in the land of the Picts. But Independence could change all this.
So far, the Tory party has been the staunchest opponent of an Independent Scotland and the loudest advocates of centralisation of power to London. It can hardly be any surprise then that independently minded Scots have taken umbrage to this; it’s really got under their skin. They want to be independent, and anyone who stands in their way has no chance of their ideas – good or bad – being given a moment’s thought.
It was the same in Vietnam – the Vietnamese wanted independence, but the French wouldn’t let them have it. This pushed the country to the left, allowing in the Viet Cong, this brought in the Americans and the rest is history. But look at Vietnam now, gradually re-entering the world of Capitalism because at last they have what they were fighting for – their independence. They are dispensing with the left wing tool that brought it to them as it is no longer needed.
I suspect the same will be true for Scotland. Once the country becomes independent, people will begin to look at the policies of each individual party. Instead of deciding based on how much they hate London, people will move on and begin to look at policies. The wind will come out of the SNP sails, and the remaining parties will gain ground. There is a Middle Class in Scotland, and so there is a base for more right wing politics to grow – but not if they take the line of “We want to rejoin London!”
However, right wing politics these days has lost its pragmatists and replaced them with ideologues. Perhaps there could be an opportunity for the right to regain some power in an independent Scotland. Just not if they stick with London based thinking.
Fifth Decade 