End of an Era
I wouldn't call Magnus Linklater a fan of the SNP, but even he seems to sense that the political mood of Scotland is changing and that we may well be witnessing the end of an era at Westminster.
I believe this to be true and if the Westminster Parliament does not reinvent itself after the May 2015 general election, I suspect Scotland will vote to become an independent country within the next ten years.
Triumphalist thousands wake up to their nationalist calling
Delegates during the SNP conference at the SECC in Glasgow - PA:Press Association
By Magnus Linklater - The Times
One should never judge the national mood from a party conference. They are exercises in self-congratulation that exist in a bubble of their own making and are a false barometer of public opinion.
This one may be different. For one thing the SNP conference in Glasgow was, by a mile, the biggest that Scotland has ever seen. Never has the SNP witnessed crowds like it. The SECC can house 3,000 delegates, and, for the big speeches, every seat was taken. Outside, in the corridors and the bars, members poured through in a torrent of yellow ribbons and beaming smiles. The SNP is in triumphalist mode; this is more than just a political party — it is becoming a cult.
“Even I am a bit overwhelmed by it,” admitted the former education secretary Mike Russell. He remembered his first conference, some 20 years ago, when the delegates could have fitted into a corner of the hall, and you measured attendance by the number of faded kilts and moth-eaten sporrans. This, he said, was different. “Scotland has woken up,” he pronounced.
It has certainly woken up to Nicola Sturgeon. The party leader’s appearances on the platform yesterday were greeted with pop-star ecstasy and standing ovations. She wore red: red dress, red lipstick, red shoes. She will not, I hope, mind me mentioning it. It was, after all, as much a political statement as an exercise in fashion. Her every pronouncement was greeted with whoops and cheers. The message that she and every speaker wanted to convey was that this moment in Scotland’s political history marked the point at which the SNP broke out of its Scottish enclave and became a big player on the UK stage. With poll predictions suggesting that it could win as many as 40 or even 50 seats at the general election, the party intends to hold the balance of power at Westminster.
Does this, however, mark a genuine shift in the mood of the country, or is it just a spurt of hyper-nationalism? Alex Salmond is probably not the best man to answer this. His role was intended as loyal acolyte to the new leader. It didn’t quite work that way. A question-and-answer session to help to sell his book, The Dream Shall Never Die, was intended to take place in a modest space to the side of the main stage. The crowd was not having it and insisted that he move centre stage. “This,” he announced from there, “is a real change in the psyche of our fellow citizens. It has changed the nation.”
It was time to try out that proposition on the citizens themselves. One thing is true — there is no lack of strong opinions. They fell into three categories: that the Yes campaign lost because of the hostility of the national media, and in particular the BBC; that political debate since the referendum has energised the country; and that the SNP is now seen as the pre-eminent social democratic party in Scotland and not just as the party of independence.
“There is an umbilical link between independence and social democracy,” said Christine Grahame, the Nationalist MSP.
Tommy Sheppard, a lapsed Labour member and now an SNP candidate, said he thought the SNP was now more than just a political party, it was a movement. “We have to show some humility,” he said, “because now we are carrying a torch for the majority of people.”
“We are not a political party, we are a community of interests,” said Pete Wishart, MP for Perth & North Perthshire. “It consists of people who have never been involved in politics before but who see us as a home for aspirations.” Among women, the election of Ms Sturgeon as leader is a plus for a party previously seen as male-dominated. “She’s not only a woman, she speaks our language,” Sheila Irvine said. “I feel I could sit down with her and have nice cup of tea and a chat.”
Ms Sturgeon showed not only that she had stepped out of the shadow of her predecessor but that she was taking the party into territory that he had never contemplated. If the SNP does become a commanding presence, not just in Scotland but in the corridors of Westminster power, the credit will be hers.
One should never judge the national mood from a party conference. They are exercises in self-congratulation that exist in a bubble of their own making and are a false barometer of public opinion.
This one may be different. For one thing the SNP conference in Glasgow was, by a mile, the biggest that Scotland has ever seen. Never has the SNP witnessed crowds like it. The SECC can house 3,000 delegates, and, for the big speeches, every seat was taken. Outside, in the corridors and the bars, members poured through in a torrent of yellow ribbons and beaming smiles. The SNP is in triumphalist mode; this is more than just a political party — it is becoming a cult.
“Even I am a bit overwhelmed by it,” admitted the former education secretary Mike Russell. He remembered his first conference, some 20 years ago, when the delegates could have fitted into a corner of the hall, and you measured attendance by the number of faded kilts and moth-eaten sporrans. This, he said, was different. “Scotland has woken up,” he pronounced.
It has certainly woken up to Nicola Sturgeon. The party leader’s appearances on the platform yesterday were greeted with pop-star ecstasy and standing ovations. She wore red: red dress, red lipstick, red shoes. She will not, I hope, mind me mentioning it. It was, after all, as much a political statement as an exercise in fashion. Her every pronouncement was greeted with whoops and cheers. The message that she and every speaker wanted to convey was that this moment in Scotland’s political history marked the point at which the SNP broke out of its Scottish enclave and became a big player on the UK stage. With poll predictions suggesting that it could win as many as 40 or even 50 seats at the general election, the party intends to hold the balance of power at Westminster.
Does this, however, mark a genuine shift in the mood of the country, or is it just a spurt of hyper-nationalism? Alex Salmond is probably not the best man to answer this. His role was intended as loyal acolyte to the new leader. It didn’t quite work that way. A question-and-answer session to help to sell his book, The Dream Shall Never Die, was intended to take place in a modest space to the side of the main stage. The crowd was not having it and insisted that he move centre stage. “This,” he announced from there, “is a real change in the psyche of our fellow citizens. It has changed the nation.”
It was time to try out that proposition on the citizens themselves. One thing is true — there is no lack of strong opinions. They fell into three categories: that the Yes campaign lost because of the hostility of the national media, and in particular the BBC; that political debate since the referendum has energised the country; and that the SNP is now seen as the pre-eminent social democratic party in Scotland and not just as the party of independence.
“There is an umbilical link between independence and social democracy,” said Christine Grahame, the Nationalist MSP.
Tommy Sheppard, a lapsed Labour member and now an SNP candidate, said he thought the SNP was now more than just a political party, it was a movement. “We have to show some humility,” he said, “because now we are carrying a torch for the majority of people.”
“We are not a political party, we are a community of interests,” said Pete Wishart, MP for Perth & North Perthshire. “It consists of people who have never been involved in politics before but who see us as a home for aspirations.” Among women, the election of Ms Sturgeon as leader is a plus for a party previously seen as male-dominated. “She’s not only a woman, she speaks our language,” Sheila Irvine said. “I feel I could sit down with her and have nice cup of tea and a chat.”
Ms Sturgeon showed not only that she had stepped out of the shadow of her predecessor but that she was taking the party into territory that he had never contemplated. If the SNP does become a commanding presence, not just in Scotland but in the corridors of Westminster power, the credit will be hers.
