BY BRAD JAMES
Scotland set the high road for all sorts of convoluted waves of change and dictating the surreptitious evolution of politics when so many are voicing revolution. The leading party north of the border, the SNP, are the true paragons of representing their people and offering unadulterated democracy – it’s bittersweet irony that the Magna Carta was signed in ENGLAND 800 years ago this year. Under the banner of their new First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, the Scots and their refreshing brand of alternate policies and leadership – and the lack in England thereof – has been yearned for keenly south of the River Tweed. Using diplomacy and a firm stance of negotiation, the Scottish Parliament has bargained a raft of laws away from the hands of Westminster, among which include scrapping tuition fees for Scottish students, free prescriptions and the relocation of Britain’s nuclear defence, Trident, to be purged from Scottish soil. Riding the crest of the wave of her predecessor, Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon enters the fray of 2015 politics, pulling a fait accompli, accomplished by her former boss.
For many, the administration of the First Minister is seen as a breath of fresh air, a crisp northern breeze gusting heartily through the stale environment that is the corridors of power. Gushing upstream over Darwinian rapids of feral Machiavellian sentiment pervading Westminster. A woman, over 40, from lower class roots (being the daughter of an electrician and a dental nurse), she already represents a clean and healthy break from the litany of privately educated, Oxbridge alum, white, heterosexual, male statesmen we all have imposed upon us. Having been stalwartly a linchpin of the SNP since 1999, Sturgeon was an intrinsic part of their rise to prominence at Alex Salmond’s side, overseeing a feverish and optimistic surge towards democracy and independence with almost as much magnanimity and diplomacy as Gandhi’s peaceful steering of India towards independence. Although it was close, but no Hogmanay for the celebratory mood of the Yes campaign, it seems that the UK is heading by default for a two-tier government and a nation that is a union in all but name. So what can Sturgeon’s caviar do to feed our hungry political appetites, yearning for a delicacy amid Lib/Lab/Con gruel?
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Coalition is the word lending delirious cadence to wagging tongues as May draws nearer. But who will side with who when the – seemingly – inevitable outcome of a Hung Parliament swings from the gibbet of electoral sacrifice? The Lib Dems lack the clout they wielded to heal the rupture of No Overall Control in 2010. Moreover, people’s fragmented loyalty in trying to locate an alternative party is only increasing in popularity since the European Parliamentary elections last year (and high level Tory to UKIP defections and back again), meaning that unions on the green benches are of greater importance than the dwindling constitutional union that binds our country. Labour still have not recovered from the misdemeanours of Blair and the burdened, limping three-year tenure of Gordon Brown. Additionally, Ed Miliband seems to lack the charisma and temerity to be deemed leadership material by many.
David Cameron, on the other hand, never possessed a true mandate to govern from the outset of the last General Election. The rushed knitting together of Lib Dem and Tory ministers, some of whom were anathema to one another, demonstrated such . They therefore need someone to bolster his tenuous claim yet again. The Conservatives disavow any cosying up to UKIP, although for some ministers of either side, blue and purple party colours seems interchangeable, yet when the constituency yield of Lib Dems will be far lower this May, other bedfellows need to mark out their space on the mattress.
In this scenario, it seems that Labour have the most options when forming a government, in the shape of the Greens and SNP. The Greens are as verdant as their party colour suggests, offering fresh options over stale fare. Nicola Sturgeon’s SNP, having virtually dismantled the Scottish wing of the Labour Party in recent years, holds Scotland as a gift – for want of a better description – to the English Westminster frontrunner she deems worthy for the role. Having already indicated a leaning, she appears to know what needs implementing better than the partner she is jostling up to. Making a speech at University College London today, her caveat towards Labour was simple: if you want me in, end austerity:
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“It has failed to reduce the deficit as planned, and it has failed even more comprehensively to rebalance the economy. Economic policy is a means not an end; it is the means for citizens to lead happy, healthy, fulfilling lives. The entire focus of the Westminster debate is on the deficit. Now, the deficit is hugely important. But it is a symptom of economic difficulties, not just a cause of them. It’s simply untrue to say that we are ‘all in this together.’ The cuts have had a disproportionate impact on women, people with disabilities and people on low incomes. The most vulnerable are bearing the heaviest burden. This human cost is in itself too high a price to pay for current policies. But what the UK government is now telling us is this: austerity hasn’t worked, so we need even more of it. It is morally unjustifiable and economically unsustainable.” – Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon.
Her words indicate a very deep understanding of the real suffering of people and an eagerness to govern in a different manner than what the powers that be are accustomed to. Her speech denoted an attitude that advocates fair treatment for all. A break from austerity is sorely needed, one doesn’t squeeze their remaining pennies in financial hardship and hope that clutch alleviates the storm outside. The saying “speculate to accumulate,” rings true here. This has been the philosophy behind Scotland’s quiet roar. A rumble from the Highlands, shaking the bonnie heather with fair thinking to influence our entire island (Ulster included). Nicola Sturgeon is well aware that she has a strong bargaining chip and the tool of her bartering is the will of the populace. Let’s see how far our voice goes.
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