22.08.1996

Labour’s referendum sop

The right to national self-determination

Discontent rumbles on in the Scottish Labour Party over the proposed referendum for a Scottish parliament. The imposition, by Blair’s inner circle, of a two-question referendum as party policy has caused a significant split within the membership in Scotland.

Up until recently Labour Party policy was against a referendum in principle - a general election victory would be mandate enough. The rebels, like the leadership, appear to have backed down on this point. However, they are now fighting a rearguard action in favour of one question, rather than separating out the question of taxation.

Last weekend, in an attempt to put down this rebellion, the leadership sent an open letter to every constituency party denouncing them and calling for all groups and sections to unite behind Blair’s leadership. The dissidents, including MPs such as John McAllion and Maria Fyffe, accused the leadership of stifling debate and maintained that the call to end the debate was “totally alien” to the Party’s democratic principles. They warned that their campaign would continue.

There are two issues here. Firstly the idea of democracy within the Labour Party. It should be remembered that throughout its history the Labour Party leadership has consistently ignored party policy and conference decisions it has not liked. In that respect Blair is no different to Kinnock, Callaghan or Wilson, to name just a few. Perhaps what is different now is that Blair is trying to dictate party policy from on high, rather than just ignoring the awkward parts as the others did. Both methods are undemocratic in their own way.

Secondly, Labour’s Scottish parliament with or without three pence in the pound tax-varying powers is a sop - a worthless facade. It fails to deliver to the Scottish people the democratic right to self-determination, to decide which powers to retain in Scotland and to decide its relationship with the rest of Britain and Europe. In this respect nothing less than the total abolition of the current ‘United Kingdom’ state (and its monarchy) and the establishment of a federal republic of Scotland, Wales and England will enable the Scottish or the Welsh people to exercise the right to self-determination. Whether it is one question or two, Labour’s referendum, as it stands, will not ask the right questions.

Therefore it has to be met with a campaign of active abstention. A campaign has to be launched which shifts the debate from whether or not we have a talking shop with virtually no more powers than a local council, to fighting for a form of government that gives the Scottish people the mechanism to exercise their democratic right to self-determination.

Only then can we start to remove the democratic deficit.

Andy Maclean