Scotland: avoiding the obvious

Master strategist Cameron thought he would lay down some rules for the Scots about their coming independence referendum.  Bullingdon boy decided to flex his westminster muscles in favour of the union. Within 24 hours the Lib Dems, in the the shape of hardy Scot, Minister Michael Moore, had to bail him out. We just want negotiations with Alex Salmond he claimed.

All this manouvering served to hide two key facts. One, the results in the last Scottish elections, under a much more democratic system of voting than applies in Westminster elections, was as follows; SNP, 73 seats; Labour, 30 seats; Tories, 16 seats; LibDems, 9 seats; Others, 1 seat. Two, the key to Cameron's antics at Westminster and the key to the result of a referendum in Scotland ... is the British Labour Party.

Cameron knows the Tories speak for very few in Scotland. One westminster Tory comes from a Scottish seat. Cameron also knows the Liberals got pasted in Scotland because of their alliance with the Tories down south. It was the Labour Party's position which allowed him to open up his anti-Salmond barrage.  Labour still represent something in Scotland. They are the only British party left that represents Scotland in westminster. And they back Cameron to the hilt.

Equally, the grand alliance of British political forces that is apparently to be lined up against independence also, critically, depends on Scottish Labour for any credibility ... in Scotland. Yet again, Labour show that, when it comes to the defense of the status quo, they would rather commit political suicide in Scotland than be seen to challenge the desperate politics and economics of a system of insecurity and failure.

All of which is little to do with the rights and wrongs of Scottish independence as such. Because all the fools and knaves in the establishment, with a top cheerleader from Bullingdon, line up against Scottish independence, does not mean that good politics consists of simply adopting the reverse. That would make life very simple. It's for Scots to decide - in whatever way they see fit. But everybody interested in the future of Britain should join the argument.

Me included!