It's just passed election time here in Scotland, and it has been a pretty noteworthy affair all round. Confusing ballot papers, inefficient machine counting, disruption at a number of polling booths, and the end result of Scotland not electing a Labour government for the first time in half a century.
Scotland is a politically interesting country. Like many places, the great fault line of Scottish politics is nationalism, but we're at least fortunate in that our breed of nationalism is benign. But what really makes Scotland interesting, in my view, is that it's a country where the vast majority of people could in some measure be described as politically 'cautious' in a way that might lead you to expect large numbers of Conservative party votes. Where religion exists in Scotland (rapidly retreating under the relentless onward march of secularism - a religion in its own right), it's politically conservative - we're a nation of Calvinists. Scots would tend to hold views on immigration and criminal justice that would naturally place them to the right of the political spectrum.
And yet, Scotland is also the birthplace of the Labour party and the centre of lively left wing political radicalism, and for fifty years was the unassailable fortress from which Labour sought to rule the rest of the UK.
Part of the reason for this dichotomy is the position and perception of the Conservative party here in Scotland, as well as the composition of the nationalist movement itself. The Tories, of course, are strongly identified here in Scotland with 'Englishness', which places them at a distinct disadvantage. A Scottish Tory walks the ever difficult high-wire of attempting to maintain a 'Scottish' appearance while distancing themselves from the inevitably Eton/Oxbridge educated leader down south.
The second challenge a Tory faces is the almost fanatical levels of hatred levelled at Margaret Thatcher, which have been seared into the Scottish political conciousness. Because of the real or imagined (I make no attempt to judge either way) catastrophies Thatcher heaped upon Scotland, she is probably the most polarising figure in modern Scottish history. Imagine the hatred your liberal friends pretend to have for George W. Bush - now multiply that a hundred fold, and you can begin to imagine how hated Thatcher is in parts of Scotland, particularly the west coast and former industrial heartlands.
Thanks to Thatcher, there is effectively no party of the centre right in Scotland. The Conservatives are a spent force, and thus the electorate have two realistic choices for government in the devolved parliament - the SNP and Labour.
The SNP are an interesting bunch. Formed from the merger of a number of nationalist parties over the years, they are riven at their core by a left/right divide. The only thing that really glues them together is the prospect of an independent Scotland. Which is what makes these times so interesting. With the SNP now the largest party in Holyrood, they are going to be facing some real internal challenges. The fundamentalist wing of the party will not want to budge on a referendum for independence, but with only 47 seats, the SNP will have to negotiate with another major party to form a government. Alex Salmond will have to convince the die hards of his own party to be patient.
The way ahead is deliciously uncertain, for once, in Scottish politics. The SNP, although in the driving seat, would do well to remeber that support for independence in Scotland remains low (remember, we're cautious). The electorate will want to see proof of the SNPs ability to govern the devolved parliament before we countenance independence. But if Alex Salmond can inject some much needed charisma into the normally drab proceedings at Holyrood, and begin to earn the SNP a reputation for competence, then the prospects of an independent Scotland at some point in the future become much greater.
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