The Scottish Government has published their vision for immigration policy after independence. But the rhetoric and whiffs of Scottish nationalist exceptionalism fails to off-set the lack of detail
"rhetorically adept at pushing progressive sentiments and liberal buttons, it’s vanishingly short on details" Beautifully put. I give it a 10!
That is SNP government approach.
Step 1 - Press release, press conference, announcements and other malarkey "pushing progressive sentiments and liberal buttons,". Contrast with Westminster, Tories, TERFS, Labour and other sundry despicables.
Step 2 - Implement a wafer thin policy. Wait for the predictable and the unpredictable to go wrong
Step 3 - Blame others (Westminster, Tories, TERFS, Labour and other sundry despicables) and Go back to Step 1.
This avoids tough choices and having to communicate them. Makes government so much easier... till it doesn't.
And yet Starmer has said even less on the issue? For fear of losing the red wall again. He can barely deviate from the most toxic Home Secretary in living memory.
Labour do need to articulate its vision on immigration policy, the current reluctance is likely because they don't want to give the Tories a clue about policy thinking so far out from the next GE
A little praise is unexpected and certainly overdue Dean. I wouldn't be so quick to assume that labour would be so keen to enact a similar plan however.. recent comments from Starmer include "smash the gangs". Moreover, Very little from Starmer on labour migration. If any party has been burnt by giving too much away in an election campaign.. it's labour
In the next piece I intend to outline why the SNP are correct about the problems they outline. We do need more seasonal immigration for particular sectors and they're correct to make the case that immigrants contribute more than they take out. I've got a fair bit of flack for saying this before, but it needs saying. I recall having it out with a Breitbart variety anti-immigrant writer I've knew back at uni, and wrote two pieces about how they play games to distort the immigration debate. You may like them:
1. CASE STUDY: HOW THE ALT-RIGHT IS DERANGING OUR IMMIGRATION DEBATE
I'm no Starmer supporter so this is not an apology for him. The frustrating point about the SNP is the hypocrisy so nicely illustrated in Dean's piece. For understandable electoral reasons Starmer is saying very little so can't be accused of hypocrisy. The SNP has a coherent, consistent record of delivering talk that is "pushing progressive sentiments and liberal buttons" but fails everyone. It has failed Drug users, ferry users, NHS patients, our finances with underwriting deals for billionaires, marine protection, bottle recycling, women and trans people. They appear to behave as if they are arrogantly incompetent. It is heart breaking the waste of opportunity.
It's sort of like I said about Sturgeon: excellent at politics (as in kissing babies, winning votes) but hopeless as a technocrat (actually pulling levers to obtain desirable policy outcomes). The gap between SNP rhetoric and policy reality is stark across many areas.
Thanks for the considered responses. I just dont share your criticism. Really ferries? What did the the SNP do wrong? Ferguson and Calmac screwed it up, in any case the overspend in HS2 will put the ferry debacle in perspective. Sturgeons handling of COVID was a million timers superior to the UKs, and was recognized globally. Sturgeons changes to income tax and stamp duty is exactly the kind of progressive tax changes that Labour have LONG promised but failed to deliver. Scotlands child payment policy has been internationally heralded as a game changer in the fight against child poverty. As for Starmer playing politics over immgration I agree. He has no choice.... but why hold the SNP to different standards?
Oh, as a Scottish Labour member I am very eager to scrutinise the party policy on immigration. I just can't really critique it until I know what it is...which I agree is frustrating, but I'm positive it's 1992 fear factor. Labour is psychologically haunted by the idea its pre-1992 GE tax/budget candour helped lose that election. The party is strangely terrified of the Tories even when its clear 'change' is the mood du jour. I reckon it's the embarrassing legacy of producing so few PMs (and those which we did produce only Blair won re-election on full terms). Hesitancy, caution plus the constant struggle with the loony left, always more intent on heroic defeat than obtaining power.
Ferries? The first minister forced the issue through when CMAL didn't want to sign without the guarantee. That was just plain wrong. The investigations have all been knobbled.
HS2 - Are you seriously saying being better than this conservative government is a mark of anything worthwhile.? New motto for SNP "Not quite as crap as Boris!"
COVID. - As a performance yes. As an outcome No it wasn't.
Tax. - Aye maybe it is but if you canny spend it wisely it nae use to anyone other than online posters. The point we are making is SNP= good chat poor outcomes.
Child payment - Aye maybe. But the greatest improvement to poverty comes from a vibrant economy. Scotland's economy is not growing well. SNP may be slightly more or less 'deficient and inadequate' as Westminster's Gov but rest assured SNP is still deficient and inadequate.
Different Standards? No my point was that Starmer is saying nowt of substance. This piece was about a document supposed to be of substance that turns out to be the same old formula of nice words with no plan. Hypocritical and because it takes up space and thought it is worse than the useless silence of Starmer.
Joining the single market and encouraging immigration without equivocation is something we should all agree on. Otherwise Scotland will be a retirement home when we retire.
Maybe so. But are you not going to have another go at defending the Ferries, the drug deaths, etc.
Would you be interested in creating a shared view of these topics?
Have you ever heard of "Adversarial collaborations"? The Nobel prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman came up with the idea. Rather than batting smart notes at each other maybe we could create some common ground. Look it up and let me know.
"rhetorically adept at pushing progressive sentiments and liberal buttons, it’s vanishingly short on details" Beautifully put. I give it a 10!
That is SNP government approach.
Step 1 - Press release, press conference, announcements and other malarkey "pushing progressive sentiments and liberal buttons,". Contrast with Westminster, Tories, TERFS, Labour and other sundry despicables.
Step 2 - Implement a wafer thin policy. Wait for the predictable and the unpredictable to go wrong
Step 3 - Blame others (Westminster, Tories, TERFS, Labour and other sundry despicables) and Go back to Step 1.
This avoids tough choices and having to communicate them. Makes government so much easier... till it doesn't.
It's really no way to run a country...or make a case for independence.
And yet Starmer has said even less on the issue? For fear of losing the red wall again. He can barely deviate from the most toxic Home Secretary in living memory.
Labour do need to articulate its vision on immigration policy, the current reluctance is likely because they don't want to give the Tories a clue about policy thinking so far out from the next GE
A little praise is unexpected and certainly overdue Dean. I wouldn't be so quick to assume that labour would be so keen to enact a similar plan however.. recent comments from Starmer include "smash the gangs". Moreover, Very little from Starmer on labour migration. If any party has been burnt by giving too much away in an election campaign.. it's labour
In the next piece I intend to outline why the SNP are correct about the problems they outline. We do need more seasonal immigration for particular sectors and they're correct to make the case that immigrants contribute more than they take out. I've got a fair bit of flack for saying this before, but it needs saying. I recall having it out with a Breitbart variety anti-immigrant writer I've knew back at uni, and wrote two pieces about how they play games to distort the immigration debate. You may like them:
1. CASE STUDY: HOW THE ALT-RIGHT IS DERANGING OUR IMMIGRATION DEBATE
https://deanmthomson.substack.com/p/case-study-how-the-alt-right-is-deranging?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
2. BRITAIN DOES NOT HAVE AN ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION CRISIS
https://deanmthomson.substack.com/p/britain-does-not-have-an-illegal?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2
Hi John,
I'm no Starmer supporter so this is not an apology for him. The frustrating point about the SNP is the hypocrisy so nicely illustrated in Dean's piece. For understandable electoral reasons Starmer is saying very little so can't be accused of hypocrisy. The SNP has a coherent, consistent record of delivering talk that is "pushing progressive sentiments and liberal buttons" but fails everyone. It has failed Drug users, ferry users, NHS patients, our finances with underwriting deals for billionaires, marine protection, bottle recycling, women and trans people. They appear to behave as if they are arrogantly incompetent. It is heart breaking the waste of opportunity.
It's sort of like I said about Sturgeon: excellent at politics (as in kissing babies, winning votes) but hopeless as a technocrat (actually pulling levers to obtain desirable policy outcomes). The gap between SNP rhetoric and policy reality is stark across many areas.
Thanks for the considered responses. I just dont share your criticism. Really ferries? What did the the SNP do wrong? Ferguson and Calmac screwed it up, in any case the overspend in HS2 will put the ferry debacle in perspective. Sturgeons handling of COVID was a million timers superior to the UKs, and was recognized globally. Sturgeons changes to income tax and stamp duty is exactly the kind of progressive tax changes that Labour have LONG promised but failed to deliver. Scotlands child payment policy has been internationally heralded as a game changer in the fight against child poverty. As for Starmer playing politics over immgration I agree. He has no choice.... but why hold the SNP to different standards?
Oh, as a Scottish Labour member I am very eager to scrutinise the party policy on immigration. I just can't really critique it until I know what it is...which I agree is frustrating, but I'm positive it's 1992 fear factor. Labour is psychologically haunted by the idea its pre-1992 GE tax/budget candour helped lose that election. The party is strangely terrified of the Tories even when its clear 'change' is the mood du jour. I reckon it's the embarrassing legacy of producing so few PMs (and those which we did produce only Blair won re-election on full terms). Hesitancy, caution plus the constant struggle with the loony left, always more intent on heroic defeat than obtaining power.
Thanks also for your polite response.
Ferries? The first minister forced the issue through when CMAL didn't want to sign without the guarantee. That was just plain wrong. The investigations have all been knobbled.
HS2 - Are you seriously saying being better than this conservative government is a mark of anything worthwhile.? New motto for SNP "Not quite as crap as Boris!"
COVID. - As a performance yes. As an outcome No it wasn't.
Tax. - Aye maybe it is but if you canny spend it wisely it nae use to anyone other than online posters. The point we are making is SNP= good chat poor outcomes.
Child payment - Aye maybe. But the greatest improvement to poverty comes from a vibrant economy. Scotland's economy is not growing well. SNP may be slightly more or less 'deficient and inadequate' as Westminster's Gov but rest assured SNP is still deficient and inadequate.
Different Standards? No my point was that Starmer is saying nowt of substance. This piece was about a document supposed to be of substance that turns out to be the same old formula of nice words with no plan. Hypocritical and because it takes up space and thought it is worse than the useless silence of Starmer.
Sorry to be so blunt.
Joining the single market and encouraging immigration without equivocation is something we should all agree on. Otherwise Scotland will be a retirement home when we retire.
Maybe so. But are you not going to have another go at defending the Ferries, the drug deaths, etc.
Would you be interested in creating a shared view of these topics?
Have you ever heard of "Adversarial collaborations"? The Nobel prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman came up with the idea. Rather than batting smart notes at each other maybe we could create some common ground. Look it up and let me know.