More turmoil for Labour?
Is Scottish Labour's position on independence changing?
Senior Scottish Labour figures back second referendum as party grassroots discuss future
If I remember correctly, Keir Hardie was in favour of Home Rule for Scotland (and Ireland) but that was more in line with his belief in International Socialism, not nationalism.:hmmm:
As a small history lesson, here's the reading for the Government of Scotland Bill , 1913 from Hansard: LINK.
A BBC Scotland article about the bill from 2014: LINK.
Moving onto current discussions, here's Douglas Fraser's (Business/economy editor, BBC Scotland) latest article:
What role could the economy play in indyref2?
Quote:
- A combination of Brexit and heightened expectations of another Scottish independence referendum have brought economic arguments back to the fore.
- Some arguments will be familiar from 2014, but important factors have changed: the rest of the UK is no longer 'the status quo' option.
- Choices made at Westminster would force an iScotland into stark choices between its biggest market, to the south, and a European future. But do the economic arguments matter?
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Brian Taylor's (Political editor, BBC Scotland) latest article:
Analysis: A mandate for Scottish independence?
Quote:
The issue of mandates has a venerable pedigree in Scottish politics. Venerable, but not always clear and sharp.
During a previous period of Scottish Labour frustration, the late Donald Dewar briefly flirted with the suggestion that the Tories had no mandate to govern Scotland, given their relative lack of MPs north of the border.
It swiftly occurred to the astute Mr Dewar that this was not an argument which sat at all easily with a Unionist perspective. It was duly dumped in favour of another more straightforward push for devolved self-government.
At the core of the Dewar dilemma there was a philosophical and psephological problem.
By challenging the Tory mandate, he was positing an argument based upon the presumption that Scottish voting held unique and unchallenged sway.
A supporter of the Union will always argue - must always argue - that the Scottish perspective sits within and alongside the concerns of that wider UK electorate.
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Mike.:hmmm: |
