Scotland’s nationalists can afford to relax

An interesting article in the Financial Times, from Harry Reid former editor of the Herald, saying that Scotland's nationalists can afford to Relax.

I have to agree with his starting paragraph when he says:

Serenity is not a word often associated with politics, particularly nationalist politics. But since the Scottish National party won its dramatic victory in the Scottish parliamentary elections five months ago, Scotland has been a serene place. Less fractious, more relaxed.

Scotland seems to be happy to be ruled by a party that genuinely has Scotland foremost in it's mind rather than always having to look to London for oversight. It has also been helped by a good degree of consensual help by most of the parties during the start of what could have been a difficult time for the Scottish Parliament, in this they have been helped by the fact that the Scottish Labour party is in disarray and disbelief that Scots should have turned their back on them. Happily this has meant them not being much of a force in Parliament during the first, possibly rocky, months.

Harry also continues with what has undoubtedly been the strongest part of the SNP government, that they have realised that we need no more legislation. He says:

The secret of the governing party’s success so far is that it has concentrated on effective administration rather than legislation. Scotland, like the UK as a whole, had suffered a surfeit of legislation from Labour, some of it ill thought-out and ill drafted. This was a particular problem in Scotland, where there is no second chamber to refine and improve poorly considered and rushed legislation. Even the SNP’s enemies concede that the loss of the imperative to legislate has had a benign effect.

The one blot on the landscape, is that which is at the heart of the SNP, Independence, I don't think that Scotland is quite ready for it. It needs a few more years of decent government from all parties before the country as a whole has the confidence to go it alone. It needs confidence that it has the people, the energy (in more ways than one) , the Businesses and in addition the belief that we will not lose out if we go it alone.

There are also a few rumblings that things may not be so easy for the SNP over the next few months. These have culminated in the vote against the SNP's record on implementing its manifesto. By 70 votes to 48, MSPs voted to recognise that the SNP was elected on the basis of promises it failed to keep and called on ministers to make a statement on why its pre-election promises are no longer government policy. It will also likely have to deal with receiving much less of a rise in spending from the Labour Government when the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) is announced next week, a rise of less than 2% is expected contrasted with rises of above 5% in the past 3 years. This may be balanced against the gaining of 900m pounds not spent in previous years that will be released to Scotland.

These will be problems that the SNP has to face over the Winter, but if they continue as they have started then they will probably rise over these setbacks. There is also the point that none of the other major parties are really ready to force the point at Holyrood at the moment as they are unlikely to achieve anything by forcing setbacks on the SNP apart from a backlash from the public who voted for a change of government.

You might wonder why a Conservative voter is looking at the SNP and saying your doing well and bring on Independence. I do as well, sometimes, but I am foremost Scottish and then Conservative, I believe that Scotland is strong enough to run itself. It has unique challenges and options that are not now best served by a Central Government in London. What the SNP has shown is that different parties and people can work together to get what is best for Scotland and this must remain the most important thing that a Scottish Government must do.


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