In the early hours of the morning of June 24th, everything we understood about the UK’s relationship with the rest of Europe changed.
The European Union and our belief in its goals of peace and economic prosperity is an enormous part of what it is to be a Liberal Democrat. We are internationalist, co-operative, tolerant. And as that reality sank in we realised there was another consequence: What did this mean for our relationship with the rest of the UK?
Scottish Liberal Democrats have spent years campaigning for a strong Scotland within the UK, for a federal UK that pools and shares resources. And in two referendums in the past two years the people of Scotland have agreed with both of those precepts: Remain in the EU and be part of the UK.
So we understand the dilemma of those who now feel themselves torn between commitment to two different unions being pulled apart by the Conservatives constitutional recklessness and a decision, the consequences of which, none of us yet know.
That is why the approach of Liberal Scotland in Europe is to have a free, open debate in our party on how Scotland can secure the best possible future relationship with the UK and the EU. The group accepts that may not be possible, but none of us is prepared to give up on it, before we even know what Brexit will look like.
And that is why Liberal Scotland in Europe has put forward a motion to this autumn’s Scottish Conference which aims to keep the party’s, and Scotland’s, options open.
Other parties may only be about unionism or nationalism, but the Liberal Democrats are about more than that. Our policies are decided by the membership, and as a membership we need to live up to our radical traditions and take on the challenge of finding a creative way forward for Scotland. We want to encourage our leadership to explore all possibilities, with all parties, to pursue the best possible outcome for Scotland.
There is a huge chasm between the Tories Brexit’ for all, and the SNP’s independence strategy. Somewhere between the two may be a federalist position that works for Scotland.
We welcome Willie Rennie’s ‘No Borders’ proposals, and we continue to believe that a Scotland at the heart of both Europe and the UK is the best possible outcome. It may be possible to achieve that vision. It may not. But we will never know unless we try, and without exploring options we could end up with none.
This period of political history may prove to be the most significant for our constitution in 300 of years. It is for the Scottish Liberal Democrats membership to decide what role the party will play and what route we will choose. But if we are to secure the best future for Scotland and the strongest relationship with both the UK and EU, we will need to leave no possibility unexplored.
If we fail to do that our children and grandchildren will not forgive us.
* The Liberal Scotland in Europe team is a group of Scottish members
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15 Comments
I live in the North of England. I have the feeling that the Great Britain that unionists believe in is a thing of the past. There is a nasty streak of English nationalism abroad. To be honest, If there was a referendum in England with the option of kicking Scotland out of the U.K. So Brexit would proceed more smoothly, I think it would pass. This is the impression I get from my work colleagues. Mind you, I’m currently working in Sunderland!!!
I feel that s split may be inevitable and that personally I may have to make a choice and travel in a reciprocal direction to my forebears and take my place in an indipendent Scotland within the EU.
I’d reiterate the point made by one speaker at the special meeting of the Scottish party the weekend after the referendum; that Scotland has essentially voted twice in referenda for what are now apparently contradictory options; to remain in the UK and to remain in the EU. As the article says we as a party should be doing what we can to bring about an outcome that accommodates both of these but that if that is not possible (and we have absolutely exhausted every other avenue) the people of Scotland should be given another vote to decide the issue…
Nicola Sturgeon has done more to alienate Scotland for English people than anyone since William Wallace. We might be able to put up with her puffed up strutting about and self importance if her Scottish Parliament didn’t depend on tax subsidies from poorer English people to keep it solvent.
Martin’s post is of course an excellent example of the kind of #EffectiveMessages that the Scottish people will be #VeryReceptive to.
Regardless of the Brexit vote, who’s to say that the European Union will even exist in 20-30 years time? I remain doubtful that the UK’s exit is the only problem that the EU has as an institution in the future.
Reform to the European Commission, even after Britain’s impending exit, is plainly not on the table.
@ Martin “Nicola Sturgeon has done more to alienate Scotland for English people than anyone since William Wallace”.
Not the most sophisticated posting I’ve read on LDV, Martin, and straight out of the Nigel Farage joke book.
But it’s funny you say that, because I was always under the impression that Edward 1 was the bullying aggressor who invaded Scotland. Certainly all the battles against Wallace were in Scotland, and his execution in London was particularly savage.
As for Nicola, whenever I visit Down South most people I talk to rather admire her. She more than held her own in the General Election debates…… and within Scotland there is a grudging respect for her from folk and politicians who are not in the SNP.
The subsidy nonsense can be easily refuted, so please give us some figures to provide an evidence base for your assertion. One thing I know is that we have a much more social democratic society north of the border…, which is why more and more English people are coming to live in Scotland…… including many junior doctors who’ve had enough of Mr. Hunt.
On the independence question, a Trident free, grammar school free country in Europe free from an all powerful Tory Government gets increasingly attractive.
We cannot reasonably stand in the way of a second Scottish independence referendum in light of the EU Leave vote. They surely, have the right to re-think and choose, given these new Brexit circumstances. Their choice is between a future with an independent Britain, or a future with the EU. They may not like the Sassenachs, but the Scots are both smart and pragmatic. As a Sassenach, I trust them to make the right choice, and you should too.
There really is only one option now.
Actively support independence for Scotland.
The English are doing their damnest to make sure Scottish MPs have no say in Westminster (they may be SNP now, but how about later?).
Scotland is not welcome in the Union if it wants a voice in the government of the UK.
It’s time. Time to go.
Reading between the lines that is about Lib Dem neutrality in a post Brexit #indyref2. I wouldn’t blame you if it came to that. But it’s a deeply sad state of affairs the scenario has to be even hinted at.
Hopefully the Scots leave and we can have a hard border. Let’s see how the Scots respond to building on all of their pretty countryside in order to appease Mama Merkel, especially without English money.
I cannot understand how anyone can support the petty nationalism of the SNP, which completely and utterly contradicts their wanting to be a part of a much bigger and more bureaucratic union than the UK , the EU !
It is motivated because of this , it is obvious , by anti English sentiment and a self importance that seems to think that if Luxembourg can , and Belgium , then why not Scotland ?
Well , Scotland can , but there are many of us who do not want socialism , or sameism , which is often what both mean , going hand in hand , and which is what the SNP offer in many ways . Yes, but we criticise the EU for its lack of respect for autonomy , yet do not want it broken up .We want it reformed .
We similarly want a UK with significance devolved powers and national identity in its government , a reason I do not support regional assemblies but do support some form of English governance, England exists , and wants to be heard !About the only thing about the SNP I respect , is they recognise that England counts too, and encourage our autonomous yearnings too.
But of course most of us who are Liberal Democrats , want unity and diversity , that means a staunch support for our uniquely special, until the nationalists attempted to ruin it , United Kingdom.
Willie Rennie take note , dilute that , and Ruth Davidson is going to continue to be praised by many of us not in her party !
To hold a 2nd independence referendum just now would be in my opinion very irresponsible. It would be asking the Scottish people to either vote to stay in an uncertain future within the UK which will not really become clear for another 2-3 years and quite possibly will need 5-10 year period after leaving the EU to get a true idea of the impact on Scotland.
Or vote to leave the UK for an equally uncertain future which might be in or out of the EU on unknown terms without any way of knowing what the relationship with the rUK would be in terms of trade, travel etc.
I think that only once we have a clear idea of where the UK ends up after leaving the EU and therefore knowing much more clearly what the future options that Scotland would have as an independent country would it be reasonable to hold a vote. It is very hard to see how we could reach that position during the rest of this Holyrood parliament.
I am sure that the vast majority of the SNP membership will be clamouring to have another go as soon as possible however considering that the SNP leadership did not start their summer drive towards independence until the end of August they are maybe less gung-ho than the rest of the party.
One of the biggest problems of the EU referendum was that people didn’t know what they were voting for. The last thing Scots or the rest of the UK needs is another referendum where people are crossing a box in the dark.
While it is lovely that English members want to give Scots another referendum, it’s worth noting that polls show that Scots don’t want another referendum. Sturgeon and other nationalist campaigners try to make everything about independence, and release a press statement every second day to claim as much. However, I think that the UK Lib Dems would be letting down Scottish members by falling for this tactic.
What Scotland needs, same as the rest of the UK, is a properly functioning government, whether it’s in Westminster or Holyrood. Westminster needs reform, and will benefit from the input of Scots. The Scottish government need to get on with governing, but dropping hints about another referendum and complaining about Westminster seems to be enough to distract from their own failings.
The Lib Dems should be challenging this spin, not going along with it.
The hostile comments (from both sides) are the dreadful consequence of ‘nationalism’. It is hard to think of a ‘nationalist; movement, which didn’t involve some enemy. Usually a perceived (or real) oppressor and grievances that go back at least centuries and in the middle east for all of recorded history.
Tribalism begets tribalism and grievance and resentment are not exclusively Scottish emotions and lurk in English hearts beneath a very thin veneer that some politicians are now trying to peel away.
I fear for the future as if our fragile economy should implode, blame and anger will flourish.
I’m very pleased to see this move and this debate. There are real choices before Scottish Liberal Democrats and if I were Scottish, at this stage I’d not want to rule independence out. The odd thing is that the arguments for the UK and for the EU were very similar. I suspect Kirsty’s take on current English views of Scotland are more typical of areas near Scotland, where medieval Scottish raiding parties reached, than of the Midlands, South or Westcountry. I think most English and Welsh Brexit voters simply did not think about the impact on Scotland and assumed they’d be getting the dear old UK as it was. Arguments about Scotland and about the Irish border and Good Friday Agreement simply weren’t pressed enough and when they were, the response was to dismiss them as alarmist, not to say, “OK, then, **** off!”
As an Anglo-Welshman I naturally do not want to see Scottish independence because it would push UK politics way to the right.