The Independent, The Wedlock In Addition To Speak Nonsense

I made the fault of reading the UK paper The Independent’s leader endorsing the electrical flow coalition terminal night. It included this:

“For all his verbalize of no deals alongside the SNP, Miliband is jump to rely on that political party to larn his legislative programme through. This would live on a disaster for the country, unleashing justified fury inward England at the decisive influence of MPs who – dissimilar this championship – practise non want the Union to exist. If that were to live on the illustration piece Labour were the minute biggest political party either inward price of vote share, or seats – or both – how could Labour principle alongside authority? They could not. Any partnership betwixt Labour in addition to the SNP volition damage Britain’s frail democracy. For all its faults, some other Lib-Con Coalition would both prolong recovery in addition to give our kingdom a ameliorate endangerment of continued existence.”

I’ve read a lot of nonsense during this election, but I practise non retrieve I remove maintain seen anything quite so idiotic every bit this.

It seems probable that to a greater extent than or less one-half of Scottish voters volition vote SNP inward this election. They mightiness live on voting SNP because they desire independence, but they may also live on voting SNP because they similar their policies for how the UK should live on governed. Perhaps voters retrieve the SNP volition ameliorate stand upward up for Scottish interests. But whatever their reason, they are beingness told that if they vote this way, they volition live on effectively disenfranchised. The Independent agrees alongside both the Conservatives in addition to Liberal Democrats that SNP MPs must at all costs remove maintain no influence, withal slight, on the authorities of the United Kingdom.

I fully empathize why the Conservatives are taking this view. They promise that past times playing the English linguistic communication nationalist card, which they remove maintain done since the forenoon subsequently the independence vote, they tin flame attract to a greater extent than votes inward England. Nick Clegg has gone along alongside the thought because he wants excuses to avoid a coalition alongside Labour. Of class the correct fly press remove maintain been shouting almost the ‘threat’ posed past times the SNP, non because it makes whatever sense, but because their run is to maximise the Conservative vote. But I did non retrieve that anyone who was supposed to live on independent took whatever of this nonsense seriously. Apparently I was wrong.

The Independent believes that because the SNP desire independence, they must remove maintain no influence on the authorities of the UK. What terrible things would whatever SNP influence Pb to? How exactly could 50 strange SNP MPs forcefulness the 600 residuum to practise unspeakable things to this country? The Independent does non say, but it does say that in that place would live on justified fury inward England at the prospect. Why justified fury? Again no hint. It is only asserted that whatever partnership betwixt Labour in addition to the SNP volition damage Britain’s frail democracy.

Now it seems to me blindingly obvious that i way to damage a republic is to tell a grouping of people that their votes tin flame solely count every bit long every bit they practise non vote for a detail party. It does non thing how many people inward Scotland vote for the SNP, it seems nosotros remove maintain to ensure that the SNP plays no run inward the authorities of the UK. Which agency your vote cannot count. The logic of this declaration is that the SNP, because it advocates independence, should non live on allowed to pose upward MPs for election. That would live on ridiculous in addition to profoundly undemocratic. So instead nosotros volition let the Scottish people to vote for the SNP, but so ensure their elected MPs tin flame remove maintain no influence. That seems fifty-fifty to a greater extent than undemocratic!

Now if I was a SNP voter, I would live on furious at beingness disenfranchised inward this way. I would retrieve to myself, am I solely allowed to remove maintain run inward UK elections every bit long every bit the people who I vote for play no run inward government? What form of United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland is that? If I was i of the 55% who voted against independence, I mightiness wonder if I had made the incorrect decision. Even if I did non vote for the SNP, I would live on rattling concerned that my choices were beingness express inward this way.

And so in that place is the thought that the Union is somehow safer inward the coalition’s hands. What the Union needed from its Prime Minister the forenoon subsequently the vote was a statesman similar spoken communication almost the healing of divisions in addition to the importance of working together. What nosotros got from Cameron was an elbow grease to placate some of those inward his ain political party past times talking almost English linguistic communication votes for English linguistic communication laws. Whatever the merits of the argument, it was the incorrect fourth dimension in addition to house if you lot were serious almost preserving the Union. Cameron has continued to play the English linguistic communication nationalist bill of fare inward this election: non because he wants to halt the Union, but because he wants to a greater extent than votes. He has no trouble organisation almost how this goes downwards N of the border, because his political party remove maintain so few votes there. But if the Union ends, it volition live on through Scottish votes in addition to non voters inward England.

So how precisely does electing a authorities whose original political party has no involvement inward Scotland, in addition to which thence is happy to stoke upward English linguistic communication resentment against Scotland, supposed to live on ameliorate for the continuing existence of the United Kingdom? How is denying sure enough Scottish MPs whatever run inward UK authorities suppose to encourage Scotland to stay run of the United Kingdom? Now peradventure the leader writers at the Independent were looking to a greater extent than or less for arguments to back upward the coalition, in addition to given how hard that is, this was the best they could do. Perhaps their middle was non inward it. But to fighting that to encourage Scotland to stay run of the Union nosotros should disenfranchise a expert proportion of Scottish voters, in addition to that this volition live on expert for democracy, is genuinely Orwellian.