In April this year I joined the Scottish National Party in order to argue the case for Independence without the distraction of the British left prevalent in Solidarity and the Scottish Socialist Party. Yet Solidarity and the SSP are supposed to be pro-independence parties. Both are members of the Scottish Independence Convention. The purpose of the Scottish Independence Convention or SIC is to bring parties, organisations and individuals together to work for the common aim of Independence. However I wish the SIC success in their aim but only time will tell. What I do hope for is for an Independence Referendum that we can win for Scotland's velvet revolution of sorts. Yet consider Solidarity and the SSP rarely mention Independence on their websites and nothing on the need for an Independence Referendum. The SSP website is a clutter to say the least.
On the SNP website just click on Independence and Independence White Paper published where there is a link. Next click on Choosing Scotland's Future and there it is about the Independence Referendum proposed in the White Paper part of the National Conversation which the SNP used for feedback from the public. On this page is the National Referendum which is proposed and as pointed out here as the next step. The Scottish Government intends to bring forward the Referendum Bill early in 2010. The Scottish Parliament will be invited to pass the legislation.
Anyway the SNP have proposed an Independence Referendum albeit likely to be a multi-option one. The Unionists disagree in holding an Independence Referendum yet opinion polls show great support in Scotland for a Referendum on Scotland's Constitutional future. With this in mind I have always argued for public pressure to assist the present Scottish Government in their wishes. I would argue that parties and both political and non- political organisations should lead the way and lets take to the streets.
On a brighter note we have the Scottish Independence Convention, SNP White Paper and a new group of non-political individuals calling themselves March For Your Future (MFYF) a group dedicated to raising awareness about the need for Independence and a march through Edinburgh to be organised for April 2011. In view of this I believe a sea of change will grip Scotland and demand for change will come in it's own time. Already there is a need that is recognised that Scotland needs a Parliament with full fiscal powers.
And this leads me onto what I want for Scotland. Firstly a Republic through Independence and ditching the monarchy and crown powers the bad elements of the British state. However I am a Republican Socialist and that is part of my struggle in the mix when campaigning for Independence. We need to address what is bad in capitalism and build a fair democratic free society. A genuine and true Scottish Workers Republic. And that must be built through class struggle and public pressure from below. We cannot get a Workers Republic by parliamentary means.
So what is required for socialism? Well we need Conventions of Republican Socialists to meet and organise for class struggle. I understand the SSP have had an Republican Socialist Convention held in November 2009. This could be argued to be a healthy development. But it is required that such events go beyond organising by one group of party individuals. There is also the Scottish Republican Socialist Movement to consider and their experience on understanding the nature of the British left. Such Conventions require a united voice from Republican Socialists in the Scottish Left or nationalist left in the SNP. We need to see more Conventions that lead to Scottish Republican unity and to begin to take the campaign to parties, organisations and for us to hit the streets. In short we need to educate those in both politics and the public the merits and advantages of Republican Socialism and a Workers Republic built after Scottish Independence.
Scotland's class struggle in history is both nationalist and socialist as recognised in a good article by John McAllion of the SSP. Correctly the break up of the British state will provide a bigger platform for Republican socialists to agitate and educate workers and the poor that the Workers Republic is in every body's interest.
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