Why nationalism is evil

In correspondence with a friend I recently referred to the Scottish National Party (SNP) as “evil”.  While not disagreeing, my friend asked me why I had used that word.  This was my response:

“Perhaps "evil" is a bit strong, but I used it because, while pretending to be sweetly reasonable, they [the SNP] are actually populists appealing to the basest instincts of nationalism.  Scotland first.  Make Scotland great again.  It's Scotland's oil.  Our tribe is better than your tribe.  It's all the fault of the English (or if it isn't, we'll manufacture some grievances).

I wasn't surprised that Glasgow should have registered the largest majority for "Yes" in the referendum.  When I lived in Glasgow before (i.e. 1967-9) I sometimes attended football matches between English and Scottish clubs (Celtic vs Leeds, Rangers vs Newcastle).  The obscene language denouncing the fucking English bastards - and the hostility underlying it - were quite worrying.  There is, unfortunately, a deep-seated dislike of the English in the Scottish working class, and, however much they may deny it, the SNP exploit it.

Responsible political leaders should try to bring people and nations together.  The SNP do the opposite - which is why I described them as ‘evil’.”

Further to all this, I have a theory that what the SNP have (partially) succeeded in doing is to identify the English with the ruling class - toffs like Cameron and Osborne, well-educated and well spoken Oxbridge graduates like the Milibands, Blair (who sounded English even though he was born and partly educated in Scotland), Balls, May, Johnson and Cable.  Gordon Brown and Alastair Darling managed to hold the line until 2010 - but thereafter Labour support in Scotland declined.  The SNP have thus managed to transform class warfare, which used to benefit Labour, into anti-English warfare. 

(One could argue that class warfare is not morally superior to nationalism, but I would disagree.  However ill-motivated, class warfare attempts to remedy an injustice. Where successful it results in greater social equality, which I hold to be a Good, whereas nationalism only benefits those who exploit it to win power (i.e the SNP)).


I know there is an alternative theory that New Labour was too right wing for Scottish working class voters, and the SNP outflanked Labour on the Left and thereby stole its voters.  I don't think this holds water.  Scottish Labour's high water mark was 1997 and 2001, when Labour won 56 out of 72 seats in Scotland (at both elections) and the SNP won 5 and 6 respectively.  Even in 2010 the SNP still only won 6 seats on a reduced share of the vote (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elections_in_Scotland#1997).  The big change occurred after 2010 when Labour had left office and austerity was imposed by the Coalition (albeit Labour failed to oppose it convincingly).

In any case SNP policies are not particularly left wing - except perhaps on Trident, but it is debatable whether they have public support on this issue (see https://www.ipsos.com/ipsos-mori/en-uk/scots-split-support-nuclear-weapons-britain).

Jeremy Corbyn is clearly not an expensively educated toff, and I still harbour the hope that his mildly leftish policies will appeal to Scottish voters.  However, much of his programme (abolishing tuition fees, funding NHS and Education, building Council houses, re-nationalising water) is not relevant in Scotland since these matters are devolved.  It doesn't help that Scottish Labour grandees (Brown, Darling, Murphy) are not very supportive.

Nationalism is primarily an emotional rather than a rational force - which is why it is so difficult to counter it with facts or logic.  Perhaps the best hope is that the shine will soon come off the SNP administration (I think this may have started to happen, but Sturgeon still seems to walk on water).  In the meantime those who value the Union should stress the cultural and historical links between Scotland and England while gently ridiculing and parodying the Braveheart crap.

©  2018  Robin Paice