Fair play, Neil. In the notes I include a link to my column in The Times, in which I set out this argument in more detail and, I hope, with a bit more finesse! So the written version is out there too.
Great Vid Kenny - the medium suits you although you might want to tidy your shelves a bit 😂
I have to agree with almost everything but ... it is the inconsistencies which have generated the hypocrisy charge that are the problem. We are in the middle of what should be a declared Inequality Emergency which is threatening our democracy. The middle classes have ignored the plight of the disadvantaged since the 1980s, consistently electing various shades of neoliberal governments.
You are right, it is time to come together, not around the niceties of political language but around a set of policies that attack the Inequality Crisis. For example, triple lock the minimum wage, replace council tax with a property tax tenants don't pay, invest massively in post 16 education and open it to everyone (oh and a new constitution that gives Scotland and Wales the right to negotiate new relationships including full independence - NI already has its own form of this freedom)
Scotland has done much more than England to address these issues and still has significant and growing support for Reform which shows that the scope and pace of this work must increase. And it is the middle class as well as the super rich who should be paying for it.
You are in an enviable position Kenny with the ability to say hard truths to the very people who need to hear them. You may already have the Inequality Crisis and its consequent threat to democracy as one of your themes, if not I hope you will consider adding it to the list.
Food for thought, however I have a question for you: would you not consider the SNP to be an inherently populist party themselves? Dismissing opposing arguments as "project fear" (as the Leave campaign did), railing against the "mainstream media" (as the MAGA movement does), decrying England's values as "not our values"... can they do a deal with Labour after dismissing them as "Red Tories" for decades?
To be fair, the term “project fear” came from the No campaign and was weaponised (I think foolishly ) by the Yes campaign. But yes, what you say is true of the SNP in certain guises and at certain points under certain leaders. I don’t see the current SNP as particularly populist.
Fair point, Swinney has to be fair toned it down a bit since the 2024 GE.
The SNP / Greens / Lib Dems were quite chummy prior to the last budget - I wonder if some sort of agreement between those three is on the cards? If they don't have the seats between them then all bets are off....
The SNP certainly believes that if it's the largest party short of a majority, the Lib Dems are the most likely means of securing a government. I'm not convinced the Lib Dems agree. I think an SNP/Green alliance is much less likely, given the bad blood and Swinney's lack of sympathy with their social and economic agendas.
Interesting points. I have long thought an issue in politics in general, both within the parties and their followers/members, is the concentration on the messenger and not the message. The same basic idea can be celebrated/disparaged, purely on who said it and not its individual merits. Possibly a side effect of too many people being in the political bubble fro a young age and not having as many other experiences.
Thanks George. This is undoubtedly true, and a frustration for policy wonks everywhere! It has to be said, though, that people are entitled to want their politicians to have authenticity and integrity, so personality and character are inevitably going to be factors.
I like the format - almost as if you’re talking direct to me.
Of course Reform have to be challenged and there are good contributions on Substack from people like Sam Bright on ways to tackle them.
Not sure if the accusation of Ian Murray’s hypocrisy is particularly important - the version I read was that the SNP accused him of swapping principles for power. A bit like Tony Benn used to call them “weather vane politicians”. However I agree that what happens after the next Holyrood election will be fascinating.
The reach of the Times in Scotland is small compared to the Sun, Express, Mail, etc, most of whom promote the divisive populist rhetoric of Reform. BBC seems to have Farage on every day. If this continues you may be right in your views that the rivals may need to find common ground but I doubt if that can happen bearing in mind the independence divide.
Afraid I'm going to miss these stories, I hate watching talking head videos, much prefer to read.
Fair play, Neil. In the notes I include a link to my column in The Times, in which I set out this argument in more detail and, I hope, with a bit more finesse! So the written version is out there too.
Great Vid Kenny - the medium suits you although you might want to tidy your shelves a bit 😂
I have to agree with almost everything but ... it is the inconsistencies which have generated the hypocrisy charge that are the problem. We are in the middle of what should be a declared Inequality Emergency which is threatening our democracy. The middle classes have ignored the plight of the disadvantaged since the 1980s, consistently electing various shades of neoliberal governments.
You are right, it is time to come together, not around the niceties of political language but around a set of policies that attack the Inequality Crisis. For example, triple lock the minimum wage, replace council tax with a property tax tenants don't pay, invest massively in post 16 education and open it to everyone (oh and a new constitution that gives Scotland and Wales the right to negotiate new relationships including full independence - NI already has its own form of this freedom)
Scotland has done much more than England to address these issues and still has significant and growing support for Reform which shows that the scope and pace of this work must increase. And it is the middle class as well as the super rich who should be paying for it.
You are in an enviable position Kenny with the ability to say hard truths to the very people who need to hear them. You may already have the Inequality Crisis and its consequent threat to democracy as one of your themes, if not I hope you will consider adding it to the list.
Thanks Kenny, I actually like the format.
Food for thought, however I have a question for you: would you not consider the SNP to be an inherently populist party themselves? Dismissing opposing arguments as "project fear" (as the Leave campaign did), railing against the "mainstream media" (as the MAGA movement does), decrying England's values as "not our values"... can they do a deal with Labour after dismissing them as "Red Tories" for decades?
To be fair, the term “project fear” came from the No campaign and was weaponised (I think foolishly ) by the Yes campaign. But yes, what you say is true of the SNP in certain guises and at certain points under certain leaders. I don’t see the current SNP as particularly populist.
Fair point, Swinney has to be fair toned it down a bit since the 2024 GE.
The SNP / Greens / Lib Dems were quite chummy prior to the last budget - I wonder if some sort of agreement between those three is on the cards? If they don't have the seats between them then all bets are off....
The SNP certainly believes that if it's the largest party short of a majority, the Lib Dems are the most likely means of securing a government. I'm not convinced the Lib Dems agree. I think an SNP/Green alliance is much less likely, given the bad blood and Swinney's lack of sympathy with their social and economic agendas.
Brilliant. And happy to be Team We.
Interesting points. I have long thought an issue in politics in general, both within the parties and their followers/members, is the concentration on the messenger and not the message. The same basic idea can be celebrated/disparaged, purely on who said it and not its individual merits. Possibly a side effect of too many people being in the political bubble fro a young age and not having as many other experiences.
Thanks George. This is undoubtedly true, and a frustration for policy wonks everywhere! It has to be said, though, that people are entitled to want their politicians to have authenticity and integrity, so personality and character are inevitably going to be factors.
I like the format - almost as if you’re talking direct to me.
Of course Reform have to be challenged and there are good contributions on Substack from people like Sam Bright on ways to tackle them.
Not sure if the accusation of Ian Murray’s hypocrisy is particularly important - the version I read was that the SNP accused him of swapping principles for power. A bit like Tony Benn used to call them “weather vane politicians”. However I agree that what happens after the next Holyrood election will be fascinating.
Thanks Ron. I will seek out Sam Bright on Reform.
Ian Dunt also has a fantastic take down of Farage et al although from an English perspective so it is unrelated to our election next year.
The reach of the Times in Scotland is small compared to the Sun, Express, Mail, etc, most of whom promote the divisive populist rhetoric of Reform. BBC seems to have Farage on every day. If this continues you may be right in your views that the rivals may need to find common ground but I doubt if that can happen bearing in mind the independence divide.
It may not be necessary. It may be very necessary. We'll see!