Every week Kevin publishes his very own “Kev’s Column” online, this week he takes a look at the forthcoming Scottish Independence Referendum.
The 18th September 2014 will be a historic day for our country whatever the result of the Referendum being held on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom.
When the debates on devolution for Scotland and Wales were being held 20 years ago those opposed to devolution argued that it would set the United Kingdom on the course to break up. Most of those in favour argued it would allow for national differences to be recognized within the framework of the United Kingdom, strengthening it for the future. A few even pointed to the results of not granting Home Rule to Ireland in the 19th & early 20th Centuries as a warning of what could ultimately happen if devolution was blocked.
The Referendum next month will confirm who was right, but there are far bigger issues at stake not just for Scotland, but the whole of the UK. If the Scottish vote goes “Yes” we will within two years live in a different country. For the first time in centuries England and Scotland might be foreign countries to each other.
Since the SNP won a majority in the Scottish Parliament in 2011 it was inevitable that a Referendum on Independence would be held. I read the occasional comment from some indicating that Westminster could have blocked it to prevent the UK breaking up. Whilst this may be a point legally, the political reality is that to block such a referendum after that result would have been playing into the Separatists hands.
There is a firm case for Scotland to remain in the Union, not just for Scots but for the UK as a whole. Those of us who are Unionists should never be afraid of having the debate about its merits, it strengthens us when we do.
This column is not intended to make the case for Scots as to why they should stay in the Union, that is for fellow Scots to do. This column is intended to explain my view and why I so firmly hold it.
My view is simple. I hope the Scottish people will cast a positive vote to stay in the United Kingdom. I believe my country is stronger united, not divided into its component parts. Over three hundred years England and Scotland have worked together as a United Kingdom to build a nation that has shaped the world far more than we could have done as separate parts. From building the largest empire the world has ever seen in the 19th Century to holding out alone against the forces of Adolf Hitler in the 20th Century keeping the flame of freedom alive in Europe.
Our Permanent Seat on the UN Security Council, Our Parliamentary Democracy, Our Shared Language that is now the global language, all show the success of the Union between our two nations.
There are of course issues we can all cite about how the Union could work better, not least answering the West Lothian Question (The situation where Scottish MPs vote on matters affecting England that are devolved to the Scottish Parliament in their own constituency.) and the future of the Barnett Formula. Yet these are issues we can resolve via discussion, not divorce. We might disagree on the details, but the fundamentals benefit us more.
My belief is not just one based on the dry analysis of economics or a worry about the diminished standing a residual UK would have. I passionately believe we are better together and will face the challenges of the future more ably as Great Britain.
Some of the arguments used by the separatists try to make out Scotland is uniquely different to London and the rest of England. The reality is many communities in England are also very different from London and the South East. Torbay has more in common with many Scottish Coastal Communities in terms of its economy and society than it does with the Square Mile of the City of London. There is a different tradition of Scots Law, but this is respected in the devolution arrangements now in place.
Some in England argue that if Scotland left the UK it would more likely the Conservative Party would win General Elections across the remainder of the UK. This view is based on a very simplistic look at the number of MPs returned at the last General Election, ignoring the fact that Labour got a majority of English MPs in 1997 & 2001, with them also having more English MPs than the Conservative Party in 2005.
I do not want a Labour Government after May 2015, but if that is how my country, including Scotland votes, then that is the position I accept. If that happens I will work positively as the bay’s MP to do the best for our area, whilst campaigning for a different outcome overall in 2020.
The few who suggest my party should support the break-up of the United Kingdom for short term political gain miss the whole essence of being part of it. We have our beliefs and preferences for policies, but ultimately we are loyal to Britain and its democratic system. Some-one who describes themselves as a Conservative, but who wants to try and win elections by breaking up the United Kingdom, the nation we seek to serve, is not aware of the true meaning of the word.
In reality if Scotland did break away Labour’s targeting in England would change as it did between 1992 and 1997 meaning elections would not be as predictable as some suggest. Likewise who knows how Scotland will vote in years to come. In the 1950’s the Conservatives were strongest north of the border, with an MP in Glasgow until 1979. Nothing will change overnight, but the Conservative Party’s growth in Wales over the last ten years gives some indication of what could happen north of the border in future.
This column could become a long document if I set out my views on every aspect of the Scottish Independence debate so will conclude by saying I hope Scotland will vote No to separation and Yes to a positive shared future. I hope all of us in England will say to Scotland before 18th September, Let’s Stick Together.