Book of Gerry Hassan and Chris Warhurst (eds), “A Different Future: A Moderniser’s Guide To Scotland”
‘Scottish politics has in many ways its own distinct agenda and party system, which differs from the rest of the United Kingdom. With devolution has come a new set of pressures and priorities, all of which require careful consideration. It is, therefore, a time that provides an opportunity for Scotland to forge ahead in tackling issues of government and governance. This is the niche that A Different Future attempts to fill.
To be called a ‘moderniser’ has become a term of insult in some quarters, much as ‘socialist’ was in the 1980s. Modernisers have a tendency to fall into the trap of repeating stock phrases such as ‘co-operation’, ‘community’, ‘new’, and especially ‘globalisation’. A Different Future is different, however, because many of the contributors are obviously keen to avoid such clichés. There is a passion and dedication that others lack.
The ambition that is shown by A Different Future is extremely admirable, yet it disguises the variable nature of the contributions. Some of the chapters are expertly crafted and carefully researched, whereas others appear to have a more flimsy basis. This may be a problem of selection. There are thirty chapters and, although they are arranged in sections, they move rapidly between disparate subject areas – public finances, land reform, tackling poverty, etc. Given the brief length of each chapter, there is little room for an argument to be developed and supported. Instead some of the authors tend to rely upon assertions rather than hard evidence.
The introduction to the work is itself guilty of this type of thinking. The assumption is made that Scotland is a social democratic country. There is, however, no detail provided as to what this means. No reference is made to works on social democracy, and no consideration is given to such theories (for discussions on the theories and development of social democracy see Giddens 1998; Gray 1996; Marquand 1991; Sassoon 1996, 1999). Even a cursory glance towards works such as that by Kitschelt (1993) would reveal that social democracy is fluid and can vary over time depending on the environment in which it operates. If the basis for making this statement is that Scotland consistently voted for the Labour Party in the 1980s, then this is difficult to square with the electoral statistics.
The most damning indictment of this line of reasoning is provided by several of the other contributions. All theorists agree that equality plays a fundamental role in social democracy, although they may disagree over its manifestation; yet if Arshad is to be believed then racism is a serious problem in Scotland. She declares that: ‘As statistics are now being disaggregated and comparisons can now begin to be made with other parts of the UK, the belief of Scottish egalitarianism and friendliness may well become another national myth’.
Combine this with Breitenbach’s similar fears of uneven gender relations in Scotland, and notions of equality have to be questioned. What is more undeniable is that there exists a strong public service ethic in Scotland, as is discussed by Smith; yet is even this sufficient basis to boldly state that Scotland is a social democratic country? Along with the disparities in gender and race relations, one could also point to possible problems in social, cultural and religious relations.
Similarly, Hassan claims that ‘the SNP are an old-fashioned social democratic party’. To make this claim requires some notion of what makes a social democratic party in the first instance. Without this foundation such assertions should not be made, otherwise there is a danger that possibly inaccurate statements become the accepted norm.
At times the political allegiances of the contributors shine through, and this is regrettable. A modern political agenda should be looking to move beyond the totemic symbols of the past, to develop the ‘new politics’. Several of the essays have a tendency towards commentary and anecdote before descending into ‘wish lists’ of future reforms.
But this is not to deny the value of numerous chapters. Warhurst and Thompson’s examination of knowledge, skills and employment demonstrates great insight and questions much of the current emphasis upon the knowledge economy as the saviour of post-industrial societies. Mitchell adopts a healthy cynicism when discussing the possibility of a consensus in Scottish politics, whilst the often contentious issue of Scotland’s public finances is tackled head-on by McCrone. It may make unpalatable reading for some, yet his examination of a complex subject serves to highlight the need to finance Scotland’s Parliament in a ‘stable and fair’ manner.
The strength of several of the contributions lies in their critique of the current situation, as opposed to their suggestions for reforms; whereas with others their reforming agenda appears powerful and well-developed.
Scotland is often accused by New Labour politicians of being ‘unreconstructed’, with the finger being pointed towards the public sector and governmental institutions. Devolution allows an opportunity to revise these bodies, and ways forward are suggested by several contributors. Stoker is very convincing in his examination of local government reform, providing an outline of the historic situation as well as putting forward a series of reasoned amendments.
In many ways it could be claimed that much of the book is aimed at reform at the micro level, without having first dealt with the need to convince the electorate of the positive impact that a Scottish Parliament and devolution could have. The lack of an emphasis on the role and impact of political parties, their leaders and internal considerations is interesting. Where two of the contributors go into more detail, there are other problems: Kerevan’s look at the SNP suffers from romanticism and McConnell’s view of the Labour Party is seen through rose-tinted glasses.
Unfortunately, a clear vision for a new, dynamic, modern society, deriving its strength from the globalised economy, does not emerge. Some form of conclusion, however cursory, would have been extremely useful in helping to tie up some of the loose ends. The sheer number of contributions would make this a difficult, yet worthwhile, exercise. Several common themes that occur throughout the book are detectable – in particular inclusion and citizenship – and there appears to be an aim of bringing all groups into an active Scottish society.
This project is worthwhile, as the new political situation in Scotland demands attention; yet it also has an impact on English politics. But whereas the Scots are keen to take up the challenge, many of the English appear reticent. Scottish thinkers are more willing to see where devolution could take them, how the country could develop and how an improvement in the lives of its citizens can be achieved.
There is an emphasis placed upon the development of a Scottish national identity, and the impact that it may have upon concepts of ‘Britishness’. This is an agenda that the English have been very slow in developing, tending to concentrate instead on why an English national identity was never fully formed. Works such as A Different Future thus provide an impetus to all those dealing with the impact of devolution.
Any book that implies that it is somehow the inheritor of the tradition of The Red Paper on Scotland, edited by Gordon Brown in 1975, has an enormous amount to live up to. Although A Different Future tries very hard to emulate its predecessor, it is not going to have the same impact.
Despite its faults, this varied collection is thought-provoking, and it provides a shift in the agenda to a forward-looking one – as opposed to one that is obsessed with a preconceived notion of Scottish history, which would do little to serve the needs of the newly developed country. Its healthy degree of scepticism toward the status quo is very much to be welcomed.
References
- Giddens, A . (1988) The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy, Oxford: Polity Press.
- Gray, J. (1996) After Social Democracy, London: Demos.
- Kitschelt, H. (1994) The Transformation of European Social Democracy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
- Marquand, D. (1991) The Progressive Dilemma, London: Heinemann.
- Sassoon, D. (1996) One Hundred Years of Socialism, London: I.B. Tauris.
- Sassoon, D. (1999) ‘Convergence, Continuity and Change on the European Left’ in G. Kelly (ed) The New European Left, London: Fabian Society.
Renewal, Volume 8, Number 2, Spring 2000, p90-92