http://livestream.com/IndependenceLive/PaulMason
he has been in Glasgow this weekend and I caught his appearance at a panel discussion organised by “Rise” a new party standing for the Scottish Parliament in May this year. Rise has emerged from radical left voices with quite diverse backgrounds associated with the Radical Independence Campaign during the Scottish Indyref. You’ll note in the above interview Paul Mason pays tribute to the atmosphere of the independence referendum and its relationship to the current developments of grassroots activism in England.
It has been encouraging to see the swell behind Corbyn, many on the English left were envious of the energy of the Scottish referendum and I think it’s fair to say that it had at least some influence on the Corbyn campaign.
Personally I am glad for what Corbyn is doing in Westminster, though I worry that his compromise (that suits no-one) on Trident will be ineffectual. I am also not convinced on his stance towards Scotland and respecting self determination here. There is a danger of Scotland ending up once again in a “be patient and vote Labour and wait for England to tire of the Tories” situation.
At the Rise meeting on Saturday afternoon, there was impatience in the audience to Paul Mason’s very interesting suggestions on the governance of the bank of England and monetary policy to the effect of “and how are we meant to change the governance of the bank of england”. There is a real impatience now especially here after the referendum with the idea of waiting for the old hierarchies to move.
This article below is interesting on some subtle differences between the Scots and English left;
“Since the election last year, I’ve gradually been piecing together an argument, which I’m only half ready to make, but which goes something like this: while the majority of England’s left has long followed an essentially Fabian strategy of trying to win power in existing institutions, the Scottish left can be better understood as Gramscian: it has built its own institutions (from campaign groups to theatre companies the Scottish Parliament itself), and ensured it dominates civil society”
and in this sense, Corbyn does come across as Fabian, I watched the live screening of an trade union event in Glasgow, and Corbyn spoke of his privilege to be able to ask these questions of David Cameron each week in the commons (ie. within the traditions of the institution of westminster), whilst Nicola Sturgeon spoke of the Scottish Parliament blocking the implementation of the trade union bill in so far as it would effect staff in the public sector in Scotland – a more immediate and practical result.
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