Was this the real reason Cameron allowed the Scotland referendum?
![Misjudged: It seems David Cameron has found a way to impose the worst excesses of his neoliberal agenda on us all, using English voters as his weapon [Image: Ceasefire Magazine].](https://voxpoliticalonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/140207scotland.jpg)
Misjudged: It seems David Cameron has found a way to impose even MORE “bloody imperialism” – the worst excesses of his neoliberal agenda – on us all, using English voters as his weapon [Image: Ceasefire Magazine].
Have we all been victims of the greatest confidence trick of the early 21st century?
Let me put a scenario to you:
1. The current government has been slowly putting plans into action to privatise as much of the government as possible, and under the excuse of austerity and the label ‘value for money’ has managed to get rid of a fair chunk:
– Education is increasingly in the hands of mostly unaccountable, private academies.
– The Prison Service is being sold off one prison at a time, and the Probation Service is all but gone.
– The Royal Mail was sold off for a song, a move that benefitted a gang of Tory donors.
– Billions of pounds of NHS contracts are being awarded to private, and often American, healthcare companies.
– The emergency services are next on the list, with Air-Sea Rescue already sold to a private concern.
2. However, there is no way that this programme can be completed within a single term in office. The Tories know that their austerity programme has been exceptionally unpopular, even amongst their core middle class demographic, so it is likely that the 2015 election will be Labour’s to lose rather than the Conservative’s to win.
3. Wales and Scotland are solid opposition territory, and there will be no gains there. So how can the Tories energise the English vote? They need a core policy that will resound at all levels of English society and it cannot be the Health Service as they are busy dismantling that and they would really rather nobody discusses it if possible.
4. The answer is the devolution of powers and the West Lothian question. Now before the Scottish referendum only a few commentators south of the border were discussing the West Lothian question or the Barnet Formula, and only in the context of a victory for the Yes campaign.
5. Immediately after the referendum was won the first words to come out of the Prime Minister’s mouth is that he will hold to his promise to grant Holyrood more powers, but only in conjunction with laying down legislation to effectively ban opposition MPs from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from debating or voting on ‘English matters’. This will be hugely popular with English voters and could deliver the next election to the Tories.
6. This is a major constitutional change that Cameron will try to fast track before May 2015. He is talking about a draft bill to be in place in January 2015.
7. Remember that the referendum was allowed to happen, and to become a binding agreement, by Cameron. He could have simply ignored the SNP’s referendum completely.
7. So was it allowed, or even encouraged, in order to bring this all to pass? Were the ambitions of Alex Salmond and his SNP used as a Trojan Horse? It would explain why Cameron and his cronies only rode in to save the day with promises of more devolved powers at the very last moment.
So what else could Cameron and his Tories achieve in a second term?
a. The repeal of the Human Rights Act to be replaced by a seriously watered down Bill of Rights which shall not hold the government to account. This may also require the UK to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and thus the European Council and the International Criminal Court.
b. The complete privatisation of all non-core governmental services.
c. The withdrawal of the UK from the EU.
d. Draconian immigration policies and regulations.
e. The deregulation of the financial sector.
f. The removal of all remaining employment rights and the crushing of the last unions.
This neo-liberal agenda would deliver billions of pounds in profits for the mega corporations at the taxpayers’ expense. It would drive down wages and further increase the wealth gap between rich and poor. Services would be seriously reduced in availability and quality as each would be run to maximise profit for the providers’ shareholders.
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What do you think of Craig’s assessment?
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It’s a conspiracy theory that depends a great deal on the Scots behaving in just exactly the way Cameron is counting on.
Also, thinking about it, wouldn’t Cameron have simply campaigned for a Yes vote, and that way get rid of the Scots’ Labour and SNP presence in the House of Commons for good?
I think that’s crediting Cameron with too much intelligence. He’s an opportunistic chancer who agreed to the referendum because he thought it would be an embarrassing loss for the SNP. Instead it came close to a win until he promised more devolution at the last minute.
Now he’s realised he’s made another fine mess and is trying to dig himself out of it.
I think he’s got a very good point, and me and the mrs certainly agree that abandoning Europe along with the ECHR & ICC have clearly been in post for the last 4 and a bit years
Vive la revolution…
Sounds like a plan.
Craig is spot on the conservatives have only ever wonted to be like the USA and that is very pain to see and has been for the past 30 years. maybe that’s what the public wont as that’s what selfish people who live in relative comfort wont
the only reason that Scotland failed in not getting enough votes for independence was because the majority of Scots albeit a small majority are comfortable with life and to have voted yes for independence would have put their comfort at risk
giving more powers to Scotland Wales a Ireland would indeed make the conservatives much stronger and labour would never get reselected for government
As for the vote on the EU that would also fail for the same reason the Scottish vote for independence failed as the small majority in the uk live a comfortable lifestyle and a trip into the unknown would never be on the cards as there selfishness would clearly see to that
It seems entirely plausible – wining, in the English electorate’s eyes, the referendum, has probably saved Cameron’s tenure as tory leader AND won him the election over the ineffective MIlliband.
Time to start packing and get out of this God-forsaken land…
I still reckon it was Gordon Brown ‘wot won it’, as Tom Pride put it.
Gordon brown delivered a good speech but when he was prime minister did nothing for Scotland
it seams that the public will never learn the lessons that talk is cheep and means nothing in the uk
The Scottish people were indeed conned and there is no way David Cameron will give them what they wont
he will only give them as little as possible to get reselected back as prime minister and then scale back on what he has given them
Salmond had not put the case for Scotland’s independence in a professional manner with regards key areas like would they keep the pound and costs etc
salmonds overall speech was good thou but without the through research beforehand he was found wonting hence that’s why he lost
he had two years to be word perfect before hand so i myself am at a loss at some of the questions asked of him in which his reply was unsatisfactory he should have nailed it but as i say failed to do so
he had no option but to resign as he knows himself that he could and should have done better
Gordon browns speech was just that a good speech a speech that anyone passionate about a subject would make
oh well lets hope that the next speech for their independence in ten years time fairs better
Cameron is trying to tie English changes in with Scotland. That was never part of the agreement and he should be held to what he agreed. Otherwise I reckon we’ll see some very uncivil unrest north of the border.
A neat assessment.
In politics (or poli-tricks) nothing happens by accident. A queen was offered to draw out a knight and lead to check (and possibly mate).
This (so called) government is legislating democracy (and freedom) out of existence and into the hands of inherited wealth and profiteers through a global corporatocracy.
Devolved power is no power under the constraints they will leave in their wake. It will simply mean a buffer of responsibility, they can wash their hands, ‘retire’, raise the drawbridge and leave the peasants to fight amongst themselves.
Which most will do.
This article has probably hit the nail on the head. It was clear from the start a No vote would occur. There was never any possibility that the monied people North or South of the border would allow it and lose billions in the process.
As for Scottish and Welsh MP’s again this is exactly what was achieved, though it has long been a grievance that Scotiish and Welsh Mp’s vote for issues that have no effect on their populations it has never been enough to make an outright ban on them voting popular.
The loss of Labour MP’s from Wales and Scotland will undoubtedly give us a permanent Tory ruling class. Back to the “good old days” I’m sure most Tories would call it.
The failure of working class people to support each other has been the worst since time began Mortgages and Iphones taking precedence over human consideration has led us ultimately to the fate that awaits us next year.
The unions, Labour party and working man have allowed themselves to be bought for a few trinkets and generations to come will pay the ultimate price.
May our children’s suffering be be mercifully short ……………..
Only 1 thing missing..it allows Westminster continued access to revenue from Scotlands Oil. Its rumoured there are 1 or 2 new finds not yet publicised…
I’ve always thought it was ‘all about oil’. This helps explain…
http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/entry/scottish-independence-uk-dependency
This holds some ground and is bloody scary stuff, it’s like a bad dream, is this really happening? God help our children and their off springs what chance will they have.
They are all pure evil, do they understand the meaning of compassion or is that not in their “Oxford” dictionary?
This is interesting: https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.counterpunch.org%2F2014%2F09%2F16%2Fbritains-waning-imperialism%2F%23.VB2feLzuMAI.facebook&p%5Btitle%5D=Britain%E2%80%99s%20Waning%20Imperialism%20%C2%BB%20CounterPunch%3A%20Tells%20the%20Facts%2C%20Names%20the%20Names&display=popup
^^^^^^^^^ Sorry error – see this: http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/16/britains-waning-imperialism/
And of course there is the threat from the global corporations via TTIP…
I am not a Conservative voter yet the bile generated by the prospect of the ENGLISH people getting a permanent Conservative Government, once free of Labour MP’s elected in Scotland and Wales, does not fill me with anything except joy.And the reason for my pleasure at seeing a government elected that I personally dislike can be found in the simple fact that such an outcome will finally reflect the wishes of the majority of ENGLISH voters.This concept is quite an old one,it is called democracy,maybe it is time for Westminster to try it rather than continue to use the gerrymandered boundaries and very much smaller constituencies of Wales and Scotland to generate am artificial Labour majority.No democrat fears real democracy,only closet fascists defend the present system.If the English people want to elect a TORY government then I shall hate the result but defend to the death their right to make such a mistake.That is how democracy works!
It’s been said before: Take away the Scottish MPs and the result of every election since universal suffrage arrived would have been the same. There is unlikely ever to be a permanent Tory government anywhere in the UK.
If the proportion of MPs from each party in Scotland had remained the same that history would be important . The situation is now markedly different from what it was until the early 60s . . though it may be about to change again: if the Labour party withers in Scotland – not impossible – it should be much easier for the tories to come through . . though even the most dominant party falls out of favour eventually, and since the tories have become notorious for financial sleaze (though the tolerance threshold keeps moving their way) they would eventually bring about their own dismissal .. Plus, if their dominance was too great the urge to splinter would be increased . .
Eijnar, your description of events is the exact inverse of what has really been happening.
In reality, the English electorate has almost invariably had precisely the Government it has voted for. It is the Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish who have repeatedly found themselves governed by parties they have voted against.
It would have been too difficult to steer this ship home from start to finish is my view . .much more feasible is that the late surge by Yes provoked panic and when you panic you make mistakes . Ed Milliband leapt in and agreed to a deal which was open to exploitation to his serious disadvantage . . . The problem for the tories of seeing this move through is that it will be pored over in the MSM (hopefully) and their cynicism will become even more evident . .Nor will they deliver fully on the Scottish pledges . . . So both scooterman Ed and Scooterman Dave could be stoking an earlier revival of the independence movement than they’d like . . .
Cameron will die before we let things get that bad.
I thought Cameron might be playing some long game. Maybe. Who knows.
But I think he would if he could.
If everyone who is feeling they are being treated badly put as much energy into finding out their rights &the law.
We could all STOP this government in there tracks.
It would remind all of the MPs and the PM etc…
THAT THEY WORK FOR US :)
Start Learning everyone lets start asking questions and teach each other the laws that we discover
i predict a massive increase in the SNP vote in the General Election and the next Holyrood election which will open another route to independence for Scotland in another 2 years.
If there is, it will be because former Labour voters were hoodwinked into believing SNP spin. See http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2014/09/22/did-labour-really-lie-to-scotland-about-pensions-no/
There’s more to it than that. Labour will get the blame when Westminster reneges on “The Vow”, because they fronted the No campaign. There will only be one Tory MP to blame, but a lot of Labour ones.
I guess it is a possibility and certainly agree with the likely outcomes of a second Tory term in office but the No campaign, although Tory led, was a cross party campaign.
To ensure a Tory victory in the next election it would have been a lot easier to let the Yes campaign win.
Had that happened the Tories would have ended up with a second term.
I have no doubt that Cameron and his cronies have long term plans based on their good over the good of the people but I am not sure this was it.
The No campaign was led by Alistair Darling, a member of Labour.
If ‘Yes’ had won, Cameron would have been disgraced as the Prime Minister who oversaw the collapse of the United Kingdom. He would have been forced to resign and the Conservatives would have had to elect a new leader – most probably one who could not rally mass support. Remember, Boris can’t become leader until he’s elected to Parliament and that can’t happen until May next year because he’s too chicken to face Farage at Clacton.
If you’re thinking that the loss of all those Scottish Labour MPs would have made a Tory victory certain, you probably haven’t heard that the Scottish vote has never – ever – influenced the outcome of a UK general election.