Defeat and renewal : the Scottish National Party in the eighties

De ea and Renewal: he Sco ish Na ional Pa y in he Eigh ies Jack BRAND S a hclyde Uni e si y Wo king Pape n.23 Ba celona 1990 SUCCESS, SORROW AND THE SNP Since he end o las cen u y, he e ha e been wa es o suppo o Sco ish home ule. In he 1880s, he i s Sco ish Home Rule Associa ion was ounded la gely ollowing he I ish example. I s membe s we e o e whelmingly Libe als. I was well suppo ed in Sco land, bu he cou se o wo ld e en s o e ook i . A e he Fi s Wo ld Wa , he Labou Pa y quickly ook o e he second posi ion in B i ish poli ics and a new Sco ish Home Rule Associa ion exp essed he s ong in e es in Sco ish au onomy (1). Acco ding o he Au ho ized Ve sion, ha wa had been ough o he igh s o small na ions, and many Sco s assumed ha hey quali ied. Economic e en s his ime came in he way o success, and B i ish, including Sco ish, poli ics became class poli ics. Many membe s o he Associa ion we e, howe e , ou aged by he lack o in e es o he Labou leade s. They spli o and o med he Na ional Pa y o Sco land (1928); la e he mode n Sco ish Na ional Pa y (1934) (2). Un il he ea ly six ies, his o ganiza ion was a iny inge body which had some imp essi e leade s, bu i was a he di e en om he ea lie associa ions. These la e had wo ked o Sco ish "au onomy" in which a Sco ish go e nmen would look a e Sco ish domes ic a ai s, and de ence and o eign a ai s would be handled in London. The SNP, om he beginning, sough a Sco land which was comple ely independen . I was la gely his policy which condemned he SNP o he sidelines. In I eland na ion and class s uggled o be he basic clea age in he poli ics o he coun y and na ion won hands down. In Sco land class i ually obli e a ed any conce n wi h he na ion. In he ea ly six ies, howe e , wi h i ually no wa ning, Na ionalis candida es began o ge mo e and mo e o es. By he 1970 Gene al Elec ion, he majo pa ies in Sco land ealized ha hey had a new compe i o and, as Table 1 shows, a he Gene al Elec ion in Oc obe 1974, hey co1lec ed hi y pe cen o he o e, won ele en o he se en y wo Sco ish sea s, came second o Labou ( he dominan Sco ish pa y) in hi y six o hei o y one sea s and hey did no loose any deposi s. Thei success e o ized he Labou go e nmen in o edisco e ing hei ancien commi men o Home Rule and in oducing legisla ion o i ; one o he wo mos impo an policies o his Pa liamen . I was los , la gely because Labou MPs we e no p epa ed o uni e o le i h ough, and hei own Go e nmen ell. The e ec on Sco land and he SNP was e y d ama ic. A he esul ing Gene al Elec ion, he Nacionalis s c ashed o se en een pe cen o he Sco ish o e, los nine o hei MPs and we e in o al, sna ling, sel -des uc i e disa ay. Table1 MOVEMENT TO PARTY This pape is conce ned wi h wha happened wi hin he SNP a e his disas e . My a gumen is ha he e has been an impo an change aking he o ganiza ion om a mo emen o a mode n ype o pa y, wi h he esul ha he e will be qui e se ious changes in which he Na ionalis s will ope a e. The e ha e been h ee majo in e nal deba es which I shall s a e he e and hen explo e in he nex h ee sec ions. The mos s iking change is ha he SNP is now a pa y wi h le -wing policies, o en mo e adical han hose o he Labou Pa y. Up o he la e six ies he o hodoxy wi hin he pa y had been ha he SNP was nei he a pa y o he igh o he le bu was a pa y o Sco land. As such, i ough o ha e no policy o he han Independence, o ha policy alone could sol e Sco land's p oblems. Since 1979 he e has been a igo ous deba e esul ing in he unwilling accep ance o a need o a ge Sco ish wo king-class o e s and his mean adop ing policies which would a ac hem. The second majo deba e has been o e whe he he pa y should pu sue a g adual oad o independence o whe he hey should accep no comp omises and coope a e wi h o he bodies only in he cause o comple e independence. The inal deba e e ol ed a ound whe he , ha ing go id o English domina ion, Sco land should pu sue a pa h wholly on he own o whe he she should seek o en e he Eu opean Communi y since his would ac as a coun e oil o he English connec ion. ADOPTING THE SCOTTISH WORKING CLASS Fi s o all, why has he SNP mo ed o he le and wha is he signi icance o his o he u u e o he pa y? In an ou s anding s udy o Eu opean poli ics, Angelo Panebianco s esses he impo ance o he gene ic imp in in he de elopmen o pa ies (3). In he case o he SNP, one pa o he genesis was ha he mo emen was se up la gely by people who had been in he Labou Pa y in Sco land. I ha e e e ed o his when I discussed he Sco ish Home Rule Associa ion. The o ganiza ion is hea ily in luenced by he a angemen s o he Labou Pa y and he ea ly publica ions show a conce n o employmen and housing o he Sco ish wo king class. One canno , hen, say he e was no p eceden o placing he SNP on he le o B i ish poli ics. On he o he hand he e we e no links be ween he pa y and he wo king class mo emen . On he con a y, pe haps mo e in Sco land han in any o he pa o he Uni ed Kingdom, he Sco ish wo king class was unionized and hus i mly associa ed wi h he Labou Pa y; wi h he excep ion o he s ongly P o es an wo king class in he wes o Sco land which was Conse a i e as a esul o an i-Ca holic eeling and ha ed o I ish Ca holics (4). Nei he g oup was likely o suppo he SNP. Thus he sympa hy o he ea ly SNP o he pligh o he wo king class was eally middle-class sympa hy o a g oup wi h which hey had no close ies. Wi hin a ew yea s gene a ion which had ounded he SNP mo ed-on and hei successo , a e 1945, aced a Labou go e nmen which was e e y bi as hos ile o Sco ish au onomy as he Conse a i es had e e been. Unde hese ci cums ances, he uling app oach in he iny SNP was ha hei s was a pa y o he whole o Sco land. Class poli ics was i ele an o a socie y which was being exploi ed, no jus by capi alis s, bu by English capi alis s o whom he English wo king class seemed o lend willing hands. A e independence i would be up o he people o Sco land o decide whe he he coun y was o be Socialis o Conse a i e o Libe al o any hing else. The Sco ish Na ional Pa y had no hing o do wi h his and many o i s membe s doub ed whe he he pa y would e en su i e once he coun y egained i s eedom. To unde s and his pe iod p ope ly, one mus emembe ha he SNP was a iny pa y a he inges o Sco ish poli ics. In 1960 i had wo b anches in he whole o he coun y and p obably unde one hund ed membe s. I was as much as hey could do o keep ali e he idea o na ionalism. To a la ge ex en , he change in he o unes o he SNP owed a g ea deal o he all in suppo su e ed by bo h he main B i ish pa ies (5). F om 1961 onwa ds he economy showed clea signs o going w ong and no one seemed able o handle i . E en he new Labou go e nmen in 1964, wi h a s ong commi men o b ing down unemploymen h ough i s ade union connec ions, was impo en . La ge numbe s o people who had always o ed o hese big pa ies ceased o u n ou o hem; some wen o he Libe als o e en he Na ional F on and a la ge pe cen age s a ed o o e o he SNP (6). Tha mus be pa o he explana ion o he ise in he o e o he Na ionalis s, bu i is no he only one. They could, o example, ha e o ed Libe al especially since ha pa y s ill held mo e sea s p opo iona ely in Sco land han in G ea B i ain as a whole. Somewha less imaginable is ha hey migh ha e o ed Communis . In ac , since he e hnic clea age was second only o he class clea age in Sco land, i is no su p ising ha , when nei he o he class pa ies in Sco land seemed able o deli e mo e economic secu i y, o hei o e s, he SNP should be he second choice. The Na ionalis s we e, howe e , he choice o cons i uencies on he pe iphe ies o Sco land. Despi e hei ea ly successes in he Cen al Indus ial Bel sea s o Hamil on and Go an: bo h won a by-elec ions om Labou : hei wins in 1974 ha dly ouched he la gely wo king class sea s in any o he majo sou he n indus ial owns (7). Despi e he ac ha Labou su e ed a ca aclysm in he 1979 elec ion in B i ain as a whole, his was he i s elec ion whe e i became clea ha he o ing pa e ns in Sco land, and o some ex en in he No h o England, we e a he di e en om hose in England as a whole. The Labou Pa y eme ged as he hegemonic pa y in Sco land and has e ained his posi ion e e since. Despi e he Conse a i es' dominance o his and all subsequen elec ions in B i ain, hey consis en ly los g ound in Sco land. Since he 1987 Elec ion, he Conse a i es ha e no e en been able o elec su icien Sco ish MPs o s a he majo Sco ish pa liamen a y commi ees. Gi en ha las de elopmen , h ee s a egies we e open o he SNP. They could ha e decided o appeal o he Sco ish people as a whole wi hou ega d o class o o he di isions. To a la ge ex en , hey do his, as hey ha e always done, bu he wo o he op ions imply impo an changes o emphasis. They could appeal o Sco ish middle-class o e s and especially o Conse a i es. Since he e a e only en sea s now ou o he se en y wo who e u n Conse a i es in Sco land, his would no do much o a ain he a ge majo i y among Sco ish sea s. Much mo e a ac i e is he inal s a egy which is o appeal as champions o he wo king class and hus s eal Labou o e s. They a e a much la ge p opo ion o he Sco ish elec o a e and a mo e gli e ing p ize. The e a e o he easons o ecommending he le s a egy. Among he gene al economic decline o B i ain since he wa , he olde indus ial a eas ha e done wo s o all. Sco land has pa icula p oblems because i ually all i s economy was based on he hea y enginee ing o he Sou h Wes : on shipbuilding and o he s eel based indus y (8). Today he e is only one la ge shipya d on he Clyde ( un by No wegians) and only one (hea ily h ea ened) s eel mill. Thus, as he able shows, he e ha e been massi e numbe s o indus ial closu es in Sco land and unemploymen is much highe han he B i ish a e age. I he SNP going o a es he p ocess o indus ial decline, i mus e hink a new manu ac u ing s a egy. Wi h so many on unemploymen bene i and o he o ms o s a e aid, and wi h so many o he s employed in a ious public sec o jobs, bo h compassion and common sense seem o poin he SNP in a le wa d di ec ion. Table2 The e is ano he eason o a mo e o he le . Du ing he hund ed yea s when Sco ish home ule has been an issue, among i s ie ces opponen s ha e been he Sco ish business class. They ha e always ea ed ha English ma ke s migh be closed o hem and hey ha e no el con iden ha hey could compe e on equal e ms wi h o he a eas ei he in B i ain o elsewhe e. Many indica o s o hei skills sugges ha hey a e igh o be a aid. In ac he si ua ion is mo e se ious han ha : One o he s iking ea u es o Ca alan na ionalism, as I unde s and i , is ha i was suppo ed by i ually all he Ca alan eli es including he business eli e. The e e se o his has been ue in Sco land. The Chu ch o Sco land was gi en a p i ileged posi ion in he Ac o Union (1707). So also we e he lawye s who ope a ed he Sco ish sys em comple ely di e en ly om he legal sys em in England and Wales. The local go e nmen sys em was also gi en a p o ec ed posi ion and he same could be said o o he Sco ish eli es such as hose unning he Uni e si ies and he majo cul u al ins i u ions in he wo ld o a , music and, o a lesse ex en , hea e. The e ec o all his was o make hese ins i u ions s aunch suppo e s o he Union. In he case o he educa ional and cul u al ins i u ions, his was compounded e en mo e by he ac ha he heads o he as majo i y o hem a e English (9). Wi h all he e conside a ions, i migh seem appa en ha he SNP should u n o he le . I was no . The deba e on he p oposal ha he SNP should mo e le was hea ily in luenced by he in e nal dynamics o he o ganiza ion. In he i s place, al hough i had been g owing since 1962, he pa y was s ill domina ed by a small g oup o people who had un i , in some cases, since be o e he wa . Robe MacIn y e had been he i s success ul SNP pa liamen a y candida e in 1945. A hu Donaldson had been a na ional o ice-bea e be o e he Wa . The e we e se e al o he s less p ominen , bu who s ill had con ol o he machine. Al hough se e al o hem had been socialis s in hei you h, ha was a long ime ago and o hem he Labou Pa y was he enemy. Labou ecip oca ed his eeling. The expe ience o keeping he pa y going a a ime when a g ea many o hei ellow Sco s p obably hough hey we e a li le mad, seemed o ha e s eeled hei esol e o keep he pa y as i was. The ce ainly did no wan o loose con ol jus a he poin when he pa y had become an es ablished pa o Sco ish poli ics. A mo e impo an ea u e o he pe sonal his o ies o his old gua d was ha hey came om a ime when Sco ish na ionalism was mo e o a cul u al mo emen . All he alk o sa ing s eel wo ks o shipya ds was impo an o hem, bu no o he i s impo ance. One ele an ques ion is why hese old men and women s ill e ained hei posi ions in he pa y. one quick answe is ha MacIn y e and Donaldson, a leas , we e skilled and de ious ope a o s. The o he is ha many o he new membe s who came in o he pa y in he 1960s and 1970s espec ed hem o ha ing kep he mo emen oge he h ough he bad imes. Thi dly, many o hese younge membe s came in o he pa y o a sho ime, bu he e was a e y conside able u n-o e . O en hey wen o o wo k in o he o ganiza ions such as he an i-nuclea mo emen o he po e y lobby while he old gua d s ayed on as hey had done o many yea s. Finally, and pe haps mos impo an , mos o he new membe s we e non-poli ical in he sense ha hey had no been deeply in e es ed in poli ics be o e: ce ainly no o he ex en o joining a poli ical pa y. They did no ha e clea poli ical iews o he han a eeling o Sco ishness and he con ic ion ha he English we e doing be e han hey we e (which hey we e). As such, he simplis ic, non-poli ical iews o he old gua d appealed o hem. They younge gene a ion who p essed he pa y o wo k ou policies sounded oo like he Labou and Conse a i e poli icians wi h whom hey had jus dispensed. In he ac id deba e abou wha had gone w ong in he 1979 elec ions his old gua d and he majo i y o he pa y membe s who ag eed wi h hem o med one side o he a gumen . The o he was aken up by a g oup o young Na ionalis s, mos o hem in hei wen ies, who we e opposed o he "non- poli ical" app oach o hei elde s (10). The 79 G oup was se up on h ee p inciples. I was Na ionalis , Socialis and Republican. Nobody qua eled wi h he i s basis o he g oup. In suppo o he second basis, he G oup a gued, as I ha e al eady desc ibed, ha he na u al base o he Na ionalis o e was he wo king class. Se e al polls had shown ha he SNP was he second choice o he majo i y o Labou o e s, whe e his was no ue o o he o e s (11). In any case, i one we e o a ac Labou o e s o he SNP: he only hope o ic o y: he SNP had o become he wo ke s' pa y and socialism was he ideology o a wo ke s' pa y. Finally, he G oup a gued ha he e was no place o he Mona chy in a mode n Sco land. I was a p op o he class sys em and a jus i ica ion o snobbe y. No hing could be mo e alien o he li e o a Glasgow housing es a e han he Queen and all he appa a us o Royal y. I he SNP we e o become a mode n pa y, i had o be done wi h all o ha . The mos impo an eac ion o he ounda ion o he 79 G oup was ha his was ac ionalism. Al hough he e had been disag eemen s abou policy in he pas en yea s, no ac ion had been o med. The SNP s ood o a uni ed Sco ish e o o gain eedom and could ind no place o o ganized in e nal opposi ion g oups, ying o ake o e he pa y o hei own ends. The e was ano he way o in e p e ing he eac ions o he SNP es ablishmen o he 79 G oup. They ep esen ed a new gene a ion in oducing he ideas o he 1970s, dis espec ul o he elde s and eage o occupy he leading posi ions in he pa y. Basically i was a clash o gene a ions. I ha e discussed he es ablishmen and he banning o he 79 G oup in an ea lie a icle (12). I is signi ican ha he se en membe s who we e expelled om he Pa y o hei e usal o abandon he p inciples o he 79 G oup we e eadmi ed o he Pa y a e a pe iod o only six mon hs only. Much mo e impo an was he o icial accep ance by he pa y o he le -wing ac ic. To c own his, mos o he leading posi ions in he pa y, by he la e eigh ies we e in he hands o he le wing. Why had his u n-a ound aken place. The pa y which once expelled he apos les o socialism, now elec ed hem as hei leade s. Why had his happened? The i s eason was simply he passing o ime. By he mid-Eigh ies, he Old Gua d we e e y old and, in many cases, beyond e en he hono i ic posi ions. Al hough he e we e many "non-poli icals" who sha ed he an i- ac ional iews o he old gua d, he e was no one o a su icien s a us o occupy hei posi ion. The second and m o e ob ious eason was ha he policies o M s. Tha che 's Conse a i e Go e nmen had pa icula ly bad e ec s on Sco land. As egional aid was cu o , e en he su i ing hea y indus ies began o close down. In he huge wo king class housing es a es, he cu s in wel a e bene i s c ea ed mo e po e y wi h ewe and ewe ways ou . Unde hese ci cums ances i was di icul o he SNP o ake any hing o he han an an i-Conse a i e s ance. This migh no be socialis in he e ms o Ka l Ma x, bu i ce ainly mean ha he Na ionalis s could no bu iden i y wi h he Sco ish wo king class i hey wan ed o appea o be agains he go e nmen . Finally, he Conse a i e go e nmen ushe ed in a pe iod o p ospe i y o he Sou h o England which sel -e iden ly was no sha ed by Sco land. Fo he e o o u ning on hei ele ision se s, Sco ish people could see how well he sou he n English wo king class we e doing. They could look a ound hem and see how badly hey we e doing in compa ison. To make ma e s wo se, he symbol o ha Conse a i e e olu ion was an English woman wi h a peculia o ced sou he n English accen who seemed o ally alien o he needs o a Glasgow high- ise o a c o on Ba a. My con en ion has been ha he de elopmen o B i ish poli ics made i almos ine i able ha he SNP should mo e o he le . Jus o d i e he poin home, he h us o SNP policies became he h us o he 79 G oup a gumen . Thei main conce n we e he p o ec ion o Sco ish jobs. The e idence o his s a emen is easy o p oduce. The 79 G oup had backed up i s ad ocacy o socialis policies wi h campaigning o sa e jobs in i ms which we e scheduled o close. Pe haps hei mos amous ac ion was in suppo o he women wo ke s in he Lee Jeans ac o y in G eenock. In he yea s a e he G oup was dissol ed many mo e ac o ies and wo ks we e shu down o which he mos impo an was p obably he huge s eel s ip mill a Ga cosh and he h ea o he e en la ge wo ks a Ra ensc aig. Fo a coun y wi h i s indus ial pas and i s my hs buil upon hea y indus y, he p o ec ion o hese s eel wo ks had a special place. In he yea s since he 79 G oup was closed down and hen i s leade s eadmi ed, he e ha e been many o hese campaigns. The closu es o i ually all he many la ge ac o ies in Sco land ha e been accompanied by demons a ions and delega ions led by he SNP: no jus by he leade s o he deceased SNP ac ion, bu by he Chai man and o he majo igu es in he pa y who ough igo ously agains he G oup. To make he poin e en mo e o ce ully, du ing he long and bi e mine s' s ike, suppo om he Labou Pa y lagged when i became clea ha he leade o he union: A hu Sca gill was a ie ce le -wing c i ic o he Labou leade ship. By he midpoin o he s ike, i could no be said ha Labou en husias ically suppo ed he s ike pa y p essu e was exe cised on he mine s o accep he se lemen (13). By con as , he SNP decla ed i s suppo o he mine s igh om he s a and ne e wa e ed. To close his sec ion i is impo an o say ha he le policies o he SNP we e no con ined o ques ions o indus y and indus ial ela ions. The SNP was and is a pa y which suppo s unila e al nuclea disa mamen : a policy only adop ed by he Labou Pa y o wo yea s pe iods in he ea ly six ies and he ea ly eigh ies. The SNP has ne e wa e ed. I is also opposed o he peace ul use o nuclea powe and ce ainly o nuclea dumping. SCOTLAND AND EUROPE The wo o he policy changes in he SNP can be deal wi h mo e