Why Westminster political elites fears Scottish Independence.
If anyone witnessed the House of Lords debate on Scottish Independence. 29/01/14, they would have witnessed unelected peers of the realm discuss why they thought Scottish Independence would be an act of destruction that would not only harm the UK it would be bad for the Scottish people. As much as the debaters stated that they respected the right of the Scottish people to decide their own future, there was a tone of fear and desparation in the voices of the speakers, especially the Scottish contributers. The right hon Lord Robertson of Kirk Douglas or wherever, actually said that the Scottish people gained out of union because of the amount of Scottish voices on tv and radio. As if that is a fair exchange for vast amount of Scottish oil revenue going into the UK treasury. Lord Robertson, who made his name as head of NATO, is typical of a section of Scottish elites that have gained out of union. For his support of Trident, and his support of the illegal war in Iraq, there is no way such a individual could ever back nationalism. His pie is cooked in Westminster.
What the Labour party in Scotland fear regarding independence is that the Scottish Labour elite will no longer have any influence in the UK, and no longer have access to Westminster sources of influence and patronage. These are individuals who may speak on behalf of workers, but are really interested in their own personal ambition. Scottish Independence would also be disastor for Labour in England. The Scottish Labour Party at one time could provide up to fifty MPs in UK elections, which could make a difference between winning or narrowing the gap with the tories. With Independence there will be no more Scottish Labour MPs to support the English and Welsh, and it could lead to a complete hammering for Labour. It could also lead to a tory dominance of England and Wales and Northern Ireland for decades.
For both Tories and Labour, the Union is important. The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which gives the UK a veto on all resolutions. Which means that even if the majority of members in United Nations support a resolution, the UK can use it's veto and like a dictator ignore the democratic will of the world. Scotland is also the best geographic area for keeping Trident. With Scottish Independence the UK will need to find another area for housing and storing their nuclear weapons. And if they can't find a suitable place then this will affect their military relationship with the USA, who basically own the UK nuclear weapons system. Scottish Independence will also affect the UK relationship with NATO and the EU. They will need to re-negotiate their position with both bodies.
The Liberal Democrats are all but finished. Come the next election they will be replaced by UKIP in a new coalition. In Scotland they have only a hand full of MSPs. They have managed to gain some seats in Tory cabinet, with the last two Scottish Secretarys of State being Liberal Democrats, despite the Liberal Democrats having no influence in Scottish politics.
And then there is question of the billions of pounds of oil revenues. This goes to the Treasury, and the Treasury decides how to spend it, whether bailing out failed banks or financing military adventures. Since the 1970s the Westminster establishment has squaudered the oil revenues, using it to finance privatization under Thatcher, and finance PFIs under Blair, and deregulate the bank sector under Brown and Balls, as well as support illegal wars, or supporting the London financial sector. Whilst Tories cut public spending it is clear that oil revenues are not used to tackle poverty or create jobs.
For economic, military and political reasons, the Westminster elites of the Tories, Labour and Lib-dems fear Scottish Independence, and do not give a hoot about the people.
If anyone witnessed the House of Lords debate on Scottish Independence. 29/01/14, they would have witnessed unelected peers of the realm discuss why they thought Scottish Independence would be an act of destruction that would not only harm the UK it would be bad for the Scottish people. As much as the debaters stated that they respected the right of the Scottish people to decide their own future, there was a tone of fear and desparation in the voices of the speakers, especially the Scottish contributers. The right hon Lord Robertson of Kirk Douglas or wherever, actually said that the Scottish people gained out of union because of the amount of Scottish voices on tv and radio. As if that is a fair exchange for vast amount of Scottish oil revenue going into the UK treasury. Lord Robertson, who made his name as head of NATO, is typical of a section of Scottish elites that have gained out of union. For his support of Trident, and his support of the illegal war in Iraq, there is no way such a individual could ever back nationalism. His pie is cooked in Westminster.
What the Labour party in Scotland fear regarding independence is that the Scottish Labour elite will no longer have any influence in the UK, and no longer have access to Westminster sources of influence and patronage. These are individuals who may speak on behalf of workers, but are really interested in their own personal ambition. Scottish Independence would also be disastor for Labour in England. The Scottish Labour Party at one time could provide up to fifty MPs in UK elections, which could make a difference between winning or narrowing the gap with the tories. With Independence there will be no more Scottish Labour MPs to support the English and Welsh, and it could lead to a complete hammering for Labour. It could also lead to a tory dominance of England and Wales and Northern Ireland for decades.
For both Tories and Labour, the Union is important. The UK is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, which gives the UK a veto on all resolutions. Which means that even if the majority of members in United Nations support a resolution, the UK can use it's veto and like a dictator ignore the democratic will of the world. Scotland is also the best geographic area for keeping Trident. With Scottish Independence the UK will need to find another area for housing and storing their nuclear weapons. And if they can't find a suitable place then this will affect their military relationship with the USA, who basically own the UK nuclear weapons system. Scottish Independence will also affect the UK relationship with NATO and the EU. They will need to re-negotiate their position with both bodies.
The Liberal Democrats are all but finished. Come the next election they will be replaced by UKIP in a new coalition. In Scotland they have only a hand full of MSPs. They have managed to gain some seats in Tory cabinet, with the last two Scottish Secretarys of State being Liberal Democrats, despite the Liberal Democrats having no influence in Scottish politics.
And then there is question of the billions of pounds of oil revenues. This goes to the Treasury, and the Treasury decides how to spend it, whether bailing out failed banks or financing military adventures. Since the 1970s the Westminster establishment has squaudered the oil revenues, using it to finance privatization under Thatcher, and finance PFIs under Blair, and deregulate the bank sector under Brown and Balls, as well as support illegal wars, or supporting the London financial sector. Whilst Tories cut public spending it is clear that oil revenues are not used to tackle poverty or create jobs.
For economic, military and political reasons, the Westminster elites of the Tories, Labour and Lib-dems fear Scottish Independence, and do not give a hoot about the people.
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