Scots - we're no like you by the way
Scots - we're no like you by the way
SNP Central Policy - Scottish Independence and how that affects parliamentary behaviour
Summary
A review of the policies of the Scottish National Party (SNP) the dominant party in the Scottish Parliament with First Minister Humza Yousaf. To understand their position (over the obvious call for independence) I look at a few key moments:
2014 Scottish Independence Referendum
2106 UK Brexit Referendum
Differentiating policy positions
Contents
Disclaimer
Before I discuss Scotland’s differentiating policy positions under the SNP, I’d just like to be clear that I am not affiliated with nor advocate for the ruling party in the Scottish Parliament the SNP in any way.
On the contrary, when I lived in Scotland, I never voted for them.
SNP and Scottish Independence
The Scottish National Party - by its name - wants an independent Scotland1.
In 2014 there was a Referendum on whether Scotland should be an independent nation. 55% of the population voted no and 45% yes so the Referendum was settled that Scotland should remain in the UK.
The then leader of the SNP Alex Salmond resigned and the Referendum was “settled for a generation”. As an aside, Salmond returned to politics and is now leader of the Alba Party he launched in 2021. Alba has 2 MPs in Westminster and 1 in the Scottish Parliament, though Salmond does not sit himself after failing to win votes in the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary Election.
However the SNP are seeking a second vote #indyref2 and seek various ways to demonstrate a differentiated will of the Scottish people from that of the UK to justify a second Referendum.
Scotland and the 2016 UK Brexit Referendum
A telling statistic on Scottish will vs. UK was could be considered the 2016 UK Brexit Referendum results.
Though the overall result was counted UK-wide to Leave the EU, in Scotland 62% voted to Remain in the EU which equated to overall majority in every constituency in Scotland which voted to Remain in the EU.
The 62% Remain vote in Scotland was in contrast to the overall UK-wide Remain vote of 48.1% (represented by a 67.2% turnout rate in Scotland of eligible voters2 vs. 72.2% turnout UK-wide).
The SNP has presented the result as “Scotland being dragged out of the UK by the larger country England” as a differentiator of Scottish voter preferences, therefore the will of the Scottish people not represented by the UK Parliament in Westminster.
The argument for a second Independence Referendum is that this is such a significant change in the Status Quo for Scotland from the 2014 Referendum that it warrants a secondary ballot to test the will of the Scottish people in the new UK constitutional setup.
This has not happened to date.
Differentiating Scottish Policy Agenda
As further differentiation approach to show a different will of the Scottish people and the outlook of the Scottish nation, the Parliament under the SNP has embarked on an agenda of ambitious policies. Examples include:
2020 COVID Response from Scotland differentiating from the UK with internationally recognised confidence in the eloquent First Minister at the time Nicola Sturgeon3 as leader (since then retired from politics, with investigations of embezzlement - unerelated, this is about the 2020 response)
Free period products 2022 4
Gender Recognition Law 2023 - UK Parliament exercised it’s veto power for the first time ever since 1998 launch of the Scottish Parliament to overturn this Scottish Law5
Stance on Gaza (separate article as below)
Scottish Government stance on Gaza: How they got it right:
In Conclusion
The SNP continues to keep the pressure on the Westminster Government for a second Scottish Referendum.
With a second Referendum not possible without the approval of the UK Parliament, this will rely on a sway of public opinion to try to force the issue with MPs.
As such - this impacts the way the Scottish Parliament under the SNP behaves keen to differentiate from the UK as much as possible with a wave of liberal forward-thinking regulations and approach to engaging with the broader international community to build Scotland as its own brand.
Related Articles
Substack
A previous article discussed the setup of the UK v Scottish Parliaments (“King of England my arse!”):
A follow-on article discussed the approach of the Scottish Government to the current Gaza crisis (Nov 2023) in contrast to the UK Parliament approach:
From the SNP website under “Scottish Independence” in the banner is a link to an extensive website on independence and building the case - https://www.yes.scot
UK Electoral Commission Website 2016 Brexit vote results: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/elections-and-referendums/our-reports-and-data-past-elections-and-referendums/results-and-turnout-eu-referendum
BBC News 19 Nov 2020 “Covid in Scotland: How do Scots rate their leaders in the pandemic?“ - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-54973255
BBC News Period poverty: Scotland first in world to make period products free: 15th Aug 2022 - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-51629880
The Guardian The Scottish trans rights law that has turned into a constitutional crisis: 18th Jan 2023 - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/18/scotland-gender-bill