WHILST UK Government-led austerity has been imposed under different guises for four decades, albeit to varying degrees in each decade, it generally increases resentment of “others”, of which foreigners and those perceived as “not real” British citizens are the likely targets, thereby enabling racism.
In parallel, the UK Government-led racism also comes under many other guises, and has pushed these “others” into austerity, as exemplified by poor wages, jobs and housing.
What this governance has enabled is the Tory/Ukip Brexit, which is the new foundation of UK morality, and a new despicable format of “circular economy” with austerity and racism building upon each other.
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Mr A Johnson presumably did the maths in 2016, on what he needed to do to become UK Prime Minister, and the numbers of supportive Tory/Ukip MPs and the numbers of supportive Putin oligarch Tory funders, cumulatively, demanded Brexit.
Others hold the notion of Mr A Johnson as a great literary thinker, and man of principle, who wrote two letters (for and against Brexit) and then after careful deliberation, solemnly decided to do his duty for England, and promote Brexit.
Whilst the Tory/Ukip circle of austerity and racism was being developed, the nature of business in the UK was also changing, gradually moving away from warehousing stockpiles in a diametrically opposite direction, to the supply of product “just in time”. This required plentiful HGV vehicles and drivers, seasonal working, free movement, IT advancement, pooled sovereign regulation, and a customs union.
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With Mr A Johnson (PM), now committed to Brexit, austerity, racism, and Putin’s Tory-party-funding oligarchs, business had to be ignored, hence the quote “F*** business”. Later (April 2022), National Insurance would be increased to replace tax losses from reduced EU trade.
With the addition of Covid-19 and imperial Russia’s empire ambitions, the Tory/Ukip Brexit has readopted the older “warehousing stockpile” system as the new foundation for a Greater England, which inevitably increases and reinforces austerity and racism.
Scotland has learnt many lessons from 2014, including that submission to will of the Bank of England and retaining the GBP is no longer practicable. In addition, the question of Nato membership has reached the stage for the SNP/Greens where if it did not exist, the SNP/Greens would have to invent it, or similar.
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An independent Scotland, as an EU nation state, can break out of the austerity/racism circle as applied by the UK Government, but will require not only a much-enlarged direct shipping connection to the EU, but also more universal (equally applied) benefit provision, including of social care and the NHS.
Those No voters who seek austerity and racism in its current UK form will likely not change their viewpoint for several decades, or indeed until Hell freezes over (say 15%). There is likely an equal counterbalance at the other end of the spectrum for Yes that eschews such antidote as described above to the circle of austerity and racism and will not vote Yes2 (say 5%), and indeed campaign against the wrong sort of Yes.
Of the remaining 80%, Yes2 requires at least two-thirds to accept that the cost of breaking the circle of austerity and racism includes an EU border with England and a Scottish currency.
The current ConDemSlab approach is to locally accept the national UK approach, whatever it might be, even though it has been four decades in its all-party making. Post-Yes2, SNP/Green councillors will be essential in translating national universal funding into local universal benefits, so local votes do really count, and the SNP/Green voter turnout is essential, as is not voting for ConDemSlab candidates.
Stephen Tingle
Greater Glasgow
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