The May 2021 elections in Scotland could well prove to be pivotal, but not in the way the Scottish National Party would have us believe.
On 6 May, people in Scotland will vote to elect 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). It is likely that the Scottish National Party (SNP), will again form a majority government at Holyrood.
Under the leadership of Nicola Sturgeon, and her ‘old friend and mentor’ Alex Salmond before her, the SNP has managed to successfully subvert political and economic reality by presenting the Scottish people as victims of the English in Westminster. This type of malicious ‘grievance’ politics has been at the heart of the SNPs rise to power in Scotland. It has allowed the SNP in government to pose as the voice of the Scottish people.
That said, their faux-democratic credentials have taken a bit of a beating recently. As much as it might try, and with little or no opposition among the major parties in Holyrood, the SNP is not having it all its own way. The SNPs election strategy for the May elections – the Roadmap to IdyRef2 – has proven particularly obnoxious to numerous people and groups outside of the political mainstream in Scotland.
What is motivating many to speak out and act is the naked authoritarianism of the Scottish Government and their Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Bill.
Veteran SNP MP and former Deputy Leader, Jim Sillars said that the Hate Crime Bill is, ‘one of the most pernicious and dangerous pieces of legislation ever produced by any government in modern times in any part of the United Kingdom’. [1]
Michelle Ballantyne an MSP for Reform UK, who voted against the Hate Crime Bill, is running in the May elections on a platform to repeal the Bill. She argues, ‘Free speech means being able to debate openly… and hearing opinions we might not like or agree with.’ [2]
Ewan Gurr is standing for Restore Scotland, told us that ‘The Hate Crime and Public Order Act is one of the most odious and pernicious pieces of authoritarian legislation to have ever sought Royal Assent in a civilised and democratic society, which has placed such a historic value on robust public and private discourse.’
Currently the Hate Crime Bill, which was passed in March, is awaiting Royal Assent – a mere formality as the last time it was refused was during the Reign of Queen Anne in 1708.
At its core, the Scottish Governments’ Hate Crime Bill shows utter contempt for democracy and public. Their anti-democratic impulse has rarely been clearer. They have ridden rough-shod over democratic life in Scotland through the imposition of the Bill, despite opposition from all quarters of Scottish society.
The Bill passed through Holyrood intact and with ease – 82 MSP’s in favour, 4 abstentions, 11 no votes and 32 against (28 Conservatives, 3 Labour and 1 Reform UK) – despite hundreds of critical submissions made to the consultation process of the Bill. These along with opposition from lawyers, academics, Scottish Nationalists, religious groups, comedians and even the police, were roundly ignored by the Scottish Government as it pressed on regardless. The whole process of the Hate Crime Bill is a horrifying illustration how successful the Scottish Government has been in ring-fencing itself from any meaningful political opposition or public scrutiny.
The Hate Crime Bill is based on a nightmarish fantasy on the part of the Scottish elite. They view the Scottish people as nasty, homo/trans phobic, racist, misogynistic, knuckle-dragging deplorables, whose language needs to be controlled, even in the privacy of their own homes, as much as in the public square. The Hate Crime Bill destroys the crucial political distinction between private and public life.
Therefore, it is good to see a host of new parties and individuals standing in the election in opposition to the Hate Crime Bill and in defence of Democracy more broadly. This is a wholly positive disruption to the stale domination of Scottish political life by the SNP. The more alternative political voices there are in this election the better. It may just be the beginning of an important and democratically inspired departure in Scottish politics?
On Monday, author and sociologist, Stuart Waiton and I launched the website ‘Abolish the Hate Crime Act’. Our hope is it will be used as a resource in the run-up to the elections in May. For those wishing to cast a vote for a democratically inspired candidate, the website’s ‘Wall of Shame’ highlights how MSPs voted on the Hate Crime Bill. The sites ‘Wall of Fame’ by contrast lists individuals and parties standing in the May elections, who oppose the Hate Crime Bill. There are also articles and submissions to the consultation, in the run-up to the Bill’s passing. Beyond the Holyrood elections we offer the site as a vehicle where alliances can be formed to challenge the Act and the anti-democratic and authoritarian drift in Scotland.
We urge Scots to vote for an anti-Hate Crime Bill candidate on 6 May. It is no less than a vote for democracy.
Alex Cameron (April 2020)
Visit the Abolish the Hate Crime Act website.
References
[1] https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/politics/scottish-politics/2966266/jim-sillars-hate-crime/
. . . . . . . . . .
Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now#