Tariq Ali: Farewell to the United Kingdom

[Karmadillo]

http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/05/08/farewell-to-the-united-kingdom/

Let It Bleed
Farewell to the United Kingdom
by TARIQ ALI

The British General election was dramatic. On the superficial level because three party leaders— Miliband (Labour), Nick Clegg (Liberal-Democrat) and Nigel Farage (UKIP—a racist, right-wing populist outfit)…resigned on the day following the Conservative victory. On a more fundamental level because the Scottish National Party took virtually all the Scottish seats (56 of 59) wiping out Labour as a political force in the region where it had dominated politics for over a century. Scotland was where the Labour Party was founded. Scotland it was that gave Labour its first leaders and Prime Minster (as well as the last one). Scottish working class culture was in most cases much more radical than its English equivalent.

It was Labour’s 1945 victory and social-democratic reforms that had made Home Rule, leave alone independence, an abstraction. It was Margaret Thatcher’s triumph in 1979 that was the first nail in the coffin of the United Kingdom, not because she stigmatized the Scots as some of her successors have done but because the majority of Scots loathed her and everything she stood for. She boasted of putting the ‘Great’ back into Britain, not realizing that the unintended consequences of her policies would be the ‘break-up of Britain’ as the title of the ultra-prescient Tom Nairn’s book had suggested even before her election triumph.

A large majority of Scots never voted for her. They reached breaking point under Tony Blair and New Labour. It was the proudly vaunted Thatcherite politics of Blair, Brown and their Scottish toadies that accelerated the rise of civic nationalism and fuelled desertions from Labour to the SNP that realized the only way to defeat Blairite Tories was by positioning themselves to the left of Labour on every major issue: the SNP opposed the Iraq war, defended the welfare state, demanded the removal of nuclear weapons from Scottish soil and slowly began to build up support. Labour remained in denial. The first tremors were ignored. The tectonic plates shifted last week and has destroyed them. It will take time but Scottish independence is now assured and a damn good thing too as it will weaken the neo-imperial and military pretensions of the UK state and could open a real debate (not the fakery witnessed on the BBC and other networks) in England leading to constitutional reform (including a written constitution and a democratic electoral system) and the emergence of a radical alliance in England, an insurgent force that breaks with the decaying Labourism that has crippled the Left for a century, first the official Communists and later their Trotskyist offspring. Remnants of both ended up in New Labour (the thuggish Stalinist John (now Lord) Reid and the creepy Alan Milburn who as Health Secretary opened the doors to privatization and is now a well-paid consultant of private health firms and a virtual Tory. There are others.

As I’ve argued at length in The Extreme Centre: A Warning, this is a Europe-wide phenomenon. There are NO fundamental differences between centre-right and centre-left parties anywhere. In parts of Catholic Europe (Spain and France) gay marriage proved divisive. Not so much in Britain. The notion that a Labour government at Westminster could have reversed the neo-liberal course of capitalism is nonsense. It might have made it more palatable through statistical chicanery and sweet talk. Nothing more. So those on the Left unable to break the Labourist addiction should be happy. Their illusions could not be betrayed.

<edit>

We need an alliance of all radical forces to build an anti-capitalist movement in England. A movement that is both new but also prepared to search the past for help: the Grand Remonstrance of the 17th century, the Chartist rebellions of the 19th century, the more recent developments in South America, Greece and Spain also offer a way forward. As for the Labour Party, I think we should let it bleed. Here the Scottish route offers hope.

[malaise]

1. Very good read

Thanks

Third way 'lite' means long term licks.

[villager]

2. "It will take time but Scottish independence is now assured"

Exactly.

Tory overreach will insure that the irreconcilable differences between the countries finally rupture.

I wonder what the equivalent might be here in the U.S.?

[Maedhros]

13. I would be perfectly happy if the Left Coast were to go its own way.

I find that living in Oregon, but having to live with a Federal political system dominated by Neoconfederates, very tiring.

[DocMac]

16. I'm moving to Oregon in a couple months.

I'll be staying on the left coast.

[villager]

21. I think by mid-century, the tensions wrought by collapsing empire and ecosystems will break up

...the current U.S. into smaller regional polities.

[Jim Lane]

22. In both countries, it seems it would mean a major gain for the right wing.

The equivalent in the U.S., in terms of numbers, would be approximately if New York and the six New England states broke away to form an independent country called Northeast.

Ali writes, per the OP:

It will take time but Scottish independence is now assured and a damn good thing too as it will weaken the neo-imperial and military pretensions of the UK state and could open a real debate (not the fakery witnessed on the BBC and other networks) in England leading to constitutional reform (including a written constitution and a democratic electoral system) and the emergence of a radical alliance in England, an insurgent force that breaks with the decaying Labourism that has crippled the Left for a century, first the official Communists and later their Trotskyist offspring.

He's saying that the departure of Scotland will help the left? In the 2005 election -- the last one that resulted in anyone other than the Conservative, David Cameron, becoming Prime Minister -- Labour took 41 of the 59 seats in Scotland, while the Conservatives took only 1. This week, Labour and the Conservatives each took 1 seat, because of the SNP surge. Scottish independence would mean that it would never again give Labour (or any leftist party in the UK) the big edge that it gave Labour in 2005.

The loss of a big chunk of your support is not a promising start for "the emergence of a radical alliance". The equivalent here would be that we'd be fighting for Congressional majorities and to elect a President but the terrain would be a map from which Northeast or California had been excised. By my count, the current California delegation to the House has 39 Democrats and 14 Republicans, and it has two Democratic Senators. I'm too lazy to tabulate the numbers for Northeast but I'm confident it's also a Democratic bastion. Independence for either entity would immediately increase the Republicans' majority in each chamber of Congress, and would remove quite a few electoral votes from the "blue wall" that Democrats look to.

The probable result here would be that the part of the country left behind would be, on average, more conservative than the unified whole had been before independence. The result of that would be that the more left-leaning of our major parties would move to the right to try to remain competitive. That could just as easily happen in the UK if Scotland leaves.

[villager]

23. Scotland will be far more left-leaning, and far less compliant with Imperialist military plans

Last edited Sun May 10, 2015, 11:23 AM - Edit history (2)

...including the siting of bases, missiles, etc.

Which would, in turn, put a crimp in Tory military plans, if there was no longer a "K" in "UK." (To say nothing of a "U!&quot

[Jim Lane]

25. Wouldn't the Tories just say "Now we need to spend MORE on the military"?

They would point to the loss of Scottish bases as necessitating compensatory buildup elsewhere.

My cynical assumption is that the siting of bases and missiles is less about actual security -- no one expects Russia to invade Scotland -- and more about spending large sums to generate profits for the UK's version of the military-industrial complex.

[villager]

27. With their suddenly smaller tax base, I guess they *could* say that. But that would hasten...

...their further unraveling in England proper. Maybe see the Welsh next, out the exit door?

[ananda]

3. Dante has a special place in hell for people who ...

... stride the center and won't take sides.

[BrotherIvan]

4. The left in this country has been neutralized as well

Is it ready to stand up and fight neoliberalism or do you want some more?

There are NO fundamental differences between centre-right and centre-left parties anywhere. In parts of Catholic Europe (Spain and France) gay marriage proved divisive. Not so much in Britain. The notion that a Labour government at Westminster could have reversed the neo-liberal course of capitalism is nonsense. It might have made it more palatable through statistical chicanery and sweet talk. Nothing more.

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. "There are NO fundamental differences between centre-right and centre-left parties anywhere."

"...The notion that a Labour government at Westminster could have reversed the neo-liberal course of capitalism is nonsense."

Sound familiar? He could have been talking about us. While there are, of course, important differences between our two main parties, they are pretty much in lockstep when it comes to maintaining the existing order. And in assuming that it is appropriate for us to be throwing our military weight around all over the world.

I'm with Tariq Ali: "We need an alliance of all radical forces to build an anti-capitalist movement..."

[Octafish]

8. The guy who helped Cameron is coming here to help Hillary.

I kid you not.

Former Obama Campaign Manager Led Austerity-Loving Tories to Victory

After bringing American-style negative campaigning to the UK, Jim Messina says he's coming home to throw his weight behind Hillary Clinton

by Lauren McCauley, staff writer
CommonDreams, May 7, 2015

After the surprise win of the United Kingdom's Conservative Party in Thursday's national election, the spotlight has now fallen on American political operative Jim Messina, who led the pro-austerity party to victory.

Prior to working the British political machine, Messina served as campaign manager—or self-described "mastermind"—of U.S. President Barack Obama's successful 2012 election bid and, before that, White House deputy chief of staff under Rahm Emanuel from 2009 to 2011.

Before his appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on Friday, host Joe Scarborough introduced Messina, who was hired as an official adviser to the party of Prime Minister David Cameron, as "the man being called a traitor by liberals worldwide."

During the interview, Messina credited the victory of the austerity-driven Conservative Party to a "resounding economic mandate for the prime minister."

CONTINUED...

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/05/08/former-obama-campaign-manager-led-austerity-loving-tories-victory

The ecstasy of gold, is how Ennio Morricone put it.

[hifiguy]

10. And the Hillary Defense Force

seems to think it is just ducky that he helped re-elect Cameron.

WTF are these people ON?

[Maedhros]

14. What are they ON? A powerful mind-altering drug called "hyperpartisanship."

They care only for winning the Blue vs. Red fight. "Policy" and "ideals" are roadblocks.

[hifiguy]

15. They are, as Jerry Seinfeld once put it, rooting for laundry.

[NYC Liberal]

19. So, someone supports Hillary and Hillary is supposed to take the blame

for everything he's done? What world do you live in?

[MaggieD]

24. Guys like Messina are hired guns

They aren't really idealists. They are just making a living.

[Octafish]

26. Yeah, like Goldman Sachs pushing Austerity through the politicians they own.

Take England. Greece. Spain. The USA...

Goldman Sachs Blandfein says UK has no choice but austerity

[libodem]

6. Thacher for them

St. Ronnie for us. Effing coffin nailers.

[hifiguy]

7. Most interesting.

Tariq Ali is always worth reading.

[Kurska]

9. As much as some seem to deeply desire the death of the United Kingdom

They already had a referendum, they lost. Are they just going to keep having one every 2 years until they get their way?

[hifiguy]

11. An independent Scotland is inevitably a "when" and not an if. nt

[Kurska]

12. Disagree

I don't think people are going to favorable about an issue getting dragged up again when they already voted on it.

SNP is playing a losing game.

[jeff47]

20. Yes, that's why they just won big. Because of their losing game.

SNP was a sideshow. And after this latest election, they control almost every Scottish seat. I wish I could "lose" that badly.

[closeupready]

18. Why not. If it works, go with it.

[closeupready]

17. If Scotland goes, no way in hell they hold N. Ireland.