IN her column yesterday, Carolyn Leckie is undoubtedly right with her call for a break with neoliberalism (Scotland could lead shift to left in Europe, December 10).
However, in her desire to remind your readers of the complicity of UK governments both Tory and Labour with its failed policies, she rather lets the EU off the hook.
The truth is that the central objective of EU economic policy is support for market economics and individualism, as opposed to collective action.
This has been faithfully implemented by social democrats across the EU such as Spain’s PSOE, Greece’s PASOK, New Labour in the UK and most notably the SPD in Germany – against the interests of their voters.
In the case of Germany, the pass was sold in 2010 onwards by the Schroder-led SPD, who attacked workers’ rights and decisively tilted power in favour of business.
That has screwed down wages and demand in Germany, sparking an export-led boom for the bosses and putting Germany, laden with the the resulting billions, in the dominant position in the EU.
READ MORE: Scotland could lead the progressive transformation of Europe
This is the root of the politics and economics which crushed Greece and has visited hardship and austerity across the EU.
It is also a major factor in the rise of the far right in Germany, France, Hungary and Spain among others, who gained support from swathes of people who once put their faith in Labour/Social Democrat politics, feel deserted by them and turned to populism in desperation.
That was why during the 2016 referendum my party, the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), favoured Remain in the knowledge – now confirmed – that a Leave vote would trigger a field day of quasi-racist, Union Jack-waving reaction.
However, this did not lead us to a starry-eyed love-in with the hard-nosed neoliberals of the EU.
We are and remain opponents of the economics of greed and individualism at its core.
When faced with economic and environmental crisis, the urgent need is for collective action to lead real change.
Of course independence is vital to this process but it has to be independence with the purpose of making the lives of Scotland’s working-class majority better.
The SSP daily campaigns on the vital challenges of poverty, low pay, housing shortages and austerity alongside working with others in the Yes movement to advance the independence case.
In Scotland, the UK, Europe and indeed the planet, there is a need to develop a politics capable both of delivering economic and social gains while averting the looming climate catastrophe.
Such a process will need to start at national level but needs to be built around the understanding that to achieve this, collective action nationally and international will be essential.
Ken Ferguson
Press Officer, Scottish Socialist Party
The UK “union” has one dominant country ruling over a few little brothers. The EU “union” has a large number of smaller states like Scotland. Germany and France have sway but cannot rule the little brothers. The UK “union” has all-encompassing powers, the EU “union” has far from all-encompassing powers.
Carolyn Leckie is so right when she says an independent Scotland could help lead progressive reform inside Europe.
Campbell Waterman
via thenational.scot
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