I’ve been meaning to blog for
a good while now on the issue of what makes a Just Scotland, as well as
reflecting on the journey many people in Scotland have made and are making from
the Labour Movement towards supporting Independence. This was very much on my
mind recently - as many of you will know, our Convener of Govan SNP, Steve
Butler, sadly passed away in December after a very short illness.
Steve was the Constituency
Officer Manager for Jim Sillars, and so when I joined the SNP on the back of
the 1988 Govan By-election and the Anti-Poll Tax campaign I got to meet him for
the first time. I was aware of his background in the trade union movement and
am proud to say he was my mentor and someone whose values I shared.
Steve became a good friend and
colleague and his contribution, and kindness to many people will never be forgotten.
A typical story about him comes from when he was covering the polling station in
Priesthill in 2011. A conversation with
the local Minister resulted in him helping to repair the church organ. He believed
in action and his many small acts of assistance were as big a contribution to
his community as a lifetime of political debate and activism.
For the wider political picture
I would recommend an interview with a
young Steve Butler from 1975 - with an equally young Christopher Hitchens
for the New Statesman, which sums up a lot of Steve’s political thoughts …………..” Steve Butler, a young shop steward from Rolls- Royce in
East Kilbride, told me why he had left the Labour Party in Glasgow and signed
up with the Nationalists (for whom he hopes to become industrial organiser).
‘Self-government would be a step towards socialism,’ he said. ‘I used to
identify with people like Foot but since they took office I’ve given them up.”
Anne McLaughlin reminded me of
this interview and has also written a very moving tribute and in blogging it
would be remiss of me not to direct you towards that at … http://indygalonindependence.blogspot.co.uk/
When
I first heard of Steve’s sudden illness, I had just attended two meetings
organised by the STUC as part of its campaign “A Just Scotland”, which is
looking at the significant challenges facing Scotland, as part of its approach
for the Referendum campaign. The comparisons with other countries as part
of this process gave plenty of food for thought.
Senior
Trade Unionists and Academics made rational and measured contributions.
Among the key findings I noted
were ;
(1) The infamous IFS report
does not suggest that an Independent Scotland would have less money to spend,
and should have compared an Independent Scotland with Scotland in the UK, and
not Scotland v the UK.
(2) More importantly,
they state that the key issue in terms of finances is one of demographics
- an issue that remains whether YES or No is successful.
(3) Income Inequality - the UK
has one of the highest gaps in Europe
(4) If all workers not in
receipt of the Living Wage, were to be paid it, there would be increased income
tax revenues of £550m.
(5) Only in 9 out of the last
69 months have real wages risen.
(6) Workers whose pay and
conditions were covered by collective bargaining in 1979,have gone from
81% in Scotland to 23%.
(7) Trade Union membership in
Scotland now stands at 32.3% of workers, in Sweden that figure is 69%
These are fascinating
statistics, and demonstrate the real challenges the country faces, and the STUC
should be thanked for facilitating these events.
It does however reveal key
weaknesses in the Better Together armoury. As John McInally of the PCS
put it.........."if No means more cuts, austerity, and more privatisation then
Scotland will leave the UK. “ As Ed Miliband has just confirmed that a
future Labour government in Westminster would still sing from the same austerity
hymn sheet that hits the poorest hardest then what was a concern has just
become a reality – a No vote means more of the same with NO possibility of
change. That is only tip of the iceberg – and I’ll address that in a future
blog post, but at the moment it’s sad to reflect how far the Labour party has
moved away from its roots and fails to recognise the opportunities for real
change through supporting workers rights and building a new dynamic in an
independent Scotland.
The key message that trade
union activists recognise is that employment law affects pay, conditions, and
the wider economy including welfare. A Fair Work Commission, and a National
Convention on Employment and Labour Relations would be a good place to start on
addressing these challenges. That opportunity is there to be grasped, and
increasingly many people are participating in shaping and discussing what makes
a Just Scotland and what is our Common Weal and thinking outside narrow tribal
party interests. A YES vote isn’t a vote for the SNP , it’s a vote for the
possibility of change and for opening the door to new opportunities. A NO vote
is a vote for more of the same diet of austerity and squeezing of public
services that hasn’t served the workers of Scotland well in the past decades.
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