Scotland’s IndyRef2, what it could mean for Labour and what it could mean for the quality of our politicians:

What of Scottish independence; IndyRef2? Should Labour fear the desire of the people of Scotland for home rule?

I like to say of Trident that, if the justification of spending £300billion on a weapons system that is an out of date answer for a threat that doesn’t exist is protecting jobs then, if our politicians lack the imagination to spend £300billion to better generate jobs, either they need better imaginations or we need better politicians.

The same is true of Scottish independence.

If the people of Scotland want home rule, then it is up to our politicians (our public servants) to make it work. If our politicians are admitting that they cannot do that then we need better politicians. It really is that simple. I don’t believe anyone in Scotland is arguing to annex Scotland from the rest of what is currently the UK but Scotland no longer wishes to be governed by farcical Westminster politics. Who can blame them?

The simple fact about Scottish independence is that it is the desire of the people and so we have a straight choice to make. Do governments work for the people that they govern or do governments exploit the people they govern?

Labour has nothing to fear from Scottish independence. If anything, Scottish independence will provide Scottish Labour with its probable only opportunity to regain strength and will allow Westminster Labour to focus on the rest of the UK. The sovereignty that was waved as a false flag during the EU referendum can rightly be flown for Scottish independence and, if there was any honesty in Westminster politics, is long overdue.

Just as Labour should embrace true devolvement of power from Westminster to regional centers, Labour should embrace the opportunities to restore Scottish sovereignty, respect its national interests, and champion a reformed relationship between Scotland and the remaining UK.

What Brexit has shown, what the Labour “coup” has shown, is that we have a lot of politicians who lack the capabilities to function in the modern political world. We can probably blame their ineffectualness on our country lacking a suitable framework for training and educating people to become politicians, so they can have that on us, but, as time have changed, so must politicians.

We are maybe at a crossroads, we can choose to permit things to continue as they are and we will eventually wind up with a British Donald Trump in charge or we can change course and have a conversation about how to have better political representation.

I prefer the latter choice.

(Originally written on 16/08/2016)