Scotland and Social Justice

Those wanting Scottish Independence say it is the only way that Scotland can have social justice.

For many of them this goes very deep and is the main reason they want independence.

But - What do they mean by social justice?

They want a utopia where all are equal, where there are no “haves and have nots”.

Where there are no rich and poor

Where woman and men are equal

Where all races are equal

Where all children have equal opportunity

Etc etc etc

Being reasonable people they realise that a total utopia is not possible, but they want to strive towards one as far as is possible.

I don’t think anyone would disagree with this as an ideal – I certainly wouldn’t.

The Scottish Nationalists are a very idealistic lot. They themselves would agree that they are romantic dreamers, who think with their hearts and not with their heads.

So why do they believe that independence will enable them to achieve their utopia?

If there is a "yes for independence" vote next month, it will not give them power to do what they want.

The opposing factions will first have to come together. The main political parties in Scotland -SNP, Labour, LibDem, Green and Conservative will have to come together and negotiate a divorce settlement with the rest of the UK. 

Then there will be a general election in Scotland. 

The SNP might win this, in which case they will have a few years to try to implement some of their policies.

However – traditionally - Labour is the strongest party in Scotland, and it is quite likely that they may win and the SNP having achieved independence, will disappear.

This perhaps is the nub of the matter

For decades now – the majority of Scots have voted labour and the majority of English have voted Conservative. The small variations in this, decide which party governs Britain.

If the 2 countries split up - England will get successive Conservative governments and Scotland will get successive Labour governments.

Conservatism is a belief in Capitalism

Labour is a belief in Socialism

This is why many Scots want independence. They want Labour and socialism and social justice. The irony is that under Tony Blair, the Labour party came to accept that a certain level of Capitalism is essential to make the wheels go round, just as modern day Conservatives realise that it is essential to have a certain amount of socialism.

The 2 party’s beliefs are now so similar and middle ground that they keep stealing each other’s policies.

Yet the dreamers in Scotland still carry the old fashioned way of thinking.

They also feel that a great injustice is done to Labour-voting Scots when the Conservative party is in power, although the English do not seem to feel the same way when the Labour Party is in power.

Those wanting independence believe that if they get independence, there will never be another Conservative government in Scotland again. They are probably right.

They view the Conservative party as being an English party, a party of rich landowners and old aristocracy. The types who had their heads cut off during The French Revolution.

They would like to remove these perceived “rich English landowners” from Scotland.

They already have plans to cap the amount of land any one person can own.

This would perhaps be their first step towards social justice.

However – what the dreamers cannot see is that Scotland is no different to England.

People throughout the UK are all the same. There will always be those who do well, by fair means or foul, and those who don’t.

Those who will immediately do well in an independent Scotland will be in Government and related bureaucracy. They will have a field day awarding themselves high paid jobs, and the same corruption will occur as elsewhere.

There will be the same corruption between those in Scottish business and those in Government.

Scottish business will still behave the same as always – having battles with the workforce if necessary as recently happened at Grangemouth when the SNP Government was forced to side with industry to protect precious, Scottish jobs. Reality had to over-ride idealism.

Property developers such as Donald Trump will still get their way over the wishes of the people but with the support of Mr Salmond and The SNP Government

Scottish banks – the few that do not take their business immediately out of Scotland – will still behave in the same appalling way.

Landowners (in the cities and country) will still charge horrendous rents and behave badly.

Catholics and Protestants will still fight at football matches in Glasgow.

People will still be horrible to those with physical or mental disabilities.

There will still be a large Scottish debt which will require continued austerity.

It will still be necessary to target benefit cheats and cut back on the public sector bill

There will still be food banks.

But - The hated bedroom tax can be abolished and replaced with something less divisive.

Perhaps a mansion tax will be one of the first things that will be implemented – A real Robin Hood gesture

The SNP – like all dreamers - promise many things that will improve the lives of the less well-off.  However - they will not have the money to pay for it. We will be no better off after independence than we are now. In reality we may be worse off.

They claim that we will have North Sea Oil to pay for everything – but the oil is almost finished and what is left is increasingly expensive to get at.

At present we have The Barnett formula which gives every person in Scotland more than every person gets in England. That will end.

An independent Scotland will have to tax everyone in Scotland more than at present, and the government will still not be able to spend as much as they do at present.

The Labour party under Tony Blair governed the UK for about 10 years. Was there a noticeable improvement in social justice during those years?

Why will it be any different if we are independent?

Neither the Labour party in England or in Scotland back independence. 

The dreamers seem to think that independence will allow us somehow to avoid all the problems going on in the UK. But those problems are part of Scotland too and will be there after independence

However - A problem shared is a problem halved.

As part of the UK, Scotland can much better deal with whatever horrors the world and mankind may throw our way

Social justice is better fought for as part of The UK