Review
by our Scottish political affairs
correspondent
Roch Winds: A Treacherous Guide to the State
of Scotland
Cailean
Gallagher, Rory Scothorne and Amy Westwell
Edinburgh:
Luath Press, 2016. pp177.
ISBN
978-1-910745-58-8
£8.99
(plus £1.00 inland postage if ordering direct from the publisher)
The
authors of this short volume are three young (aged 23–25) graduates from the
better universities who were active on the Yes side in the 2014 referendum in
both the official Scottish National Party (SNP)-controlled Yes Campaign and the
now defunct “National Collective”, which included large numbers of Scotland’s
luvvies. At the same time they ran a blog critical of how many on the Scottish
Left accepted unquestioningly that a Yes vote would, if not herald an immediate
socialist dawn, bring about a more prosperous and equal Scotland. They have now
changed their tune and are now much more sharply critical of the SNP, calling
themselves revolutionary communists.
The
title , meaning “Rough Winds” causing political change comes from a poem by Hamish
Henderson, a poet and folk song collector who was possibly a secret member of
the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB).
The
three authors acknowledge having different views about what is to be done but
claim to be “all indebted to, and break from a Marxist tradition”, explicitly
calling themselves “revolutionary communists”. They cite Gerrard Winstanley,
Rousseau. Adorno, Lenin, Rosa Luxembourg and several others as their inspiration
– an interesting pick and mix. Although they are doubtful that that there is a
sufficiently numerous left-wing constituency in Scotland they see hope in
Jeremy Corbyn’s ascendancy to the Labour leadership.
This
is not a book for those seeking detailed discussions of the state of Scottish
politics nor for expounding the finer points of what should be done. A “Spiky Provocation” is how the foreword
fairly describes it.
Over
the course of four chapters the authors provide a concise survey of the present
state of Scottish politics, how it was arrived at, and offer some suggestions
about what needs to be done. Their main target is what they call “social
nationalism”, the SNP’s policy of combining of Labour’s social democratic
rhetoric and its more traditional nationalism, which is hostile towards class
politics. This provides a fig leaf for the SNP to claim to be all things to all
men (and women), for the time being. They attempt to account for both the
long-term decline of Labour and post-referendum collapse. It is an agreeable
read, amusing where appropriate but some of their colourful metaphors go on
just a bit too long after the point has been made.
They
do however, have some sharp words about the SNP’s performance in government,
for instance including attacking Alex Salmond’s grovelling to Donald Trump when
he helped Trump to ride roughshod over the local council when it temporarily
halted him destroying a Site of Special Scientific Interest that stood in the
way of a “vitally needed” new golf course. This is only one example of the SNP
bowing before big money. It is critical of both “Old” and “New” Labour, and of
various “Left” groups including Common Weal who seem besotted with emulating a
mythical Scandinavian model. Another target is the new Scottish establishment,
the self-appointed “Civic Scotland” who think they have a divine right to
decide what is good for the Scottish people, which usually means organisations
funded by the SNP government endorsing whatever the SNP wants to do.
The
book was, of course, written before this year’s Scottish parliamentary
elections, when the SNP lost their majority but not their dominating position.
It is amusing to note that some of the SNP figures cited as fresh faces are
already distinctly shop soiled.
The
book is, perhaps inevitably, better at diagnosing the problem than offering a
cure, but there can be no doubt that their call for an increase in working
class consciousness is the right one.
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