I only occasionally do book reviews in this blog, largely because I am not the world's greatest reader of them and so do not often think about writing them. But there have to be exceptions. In the last day I have speed read two versions of the new book by Robin McAlpine from the Scottish think tank Common Weal entitled ‘How to start a new country'.
Let me get the necessary statements of conflict out of the way before going further. As I suspect many readers will know I have worked with Common Weal. I wrote a White Paper on Scottish taxation for them. You might expect me to be biased about this book as a result. And I am. But that's only important because if I had not liked what they had to say I would not have given it blog time: there would have been better things to do.
I am writing because I think this book shows an enormous breadth of imagination in taking on massive issues that were not addressed in 2014 and which now lay the foundation for future debate on Scotland at a time when Brexit risk brings that very sharply into focus.
Almost inevitably I could not read this book without thinking about Brexit. As the book patiently addresses what might seem like boring and quite technical issues like the transition to being an independent country, the funding required to manage that process and the whole structure of the parallel organisations necessary to ensure Scotland would hit the ground running as a fully operational state you simply cannot help but think how extraordinarily beneficial it might have been if someone, somewhere who had proposed Brexit might have even had a couple of ounces of the sense the Common Weal team reveal in seeking to address all these issues in advance, which they have, and for which I applaud them.
And this thinking on their part is not broad brush. It's detailed. Take for example the discussion on Scottish defence, which is an issue to which I had given remarkably little thought. Someone clearly has, and what is described is, for example, a Scottish navy with a clear sense of purpose. That's considerably more useful than a Royal Navy with two aircraft carriers serving no known useful function.
Take too the economy. Here the detail is impressive. And for those with the time I suggest the longer of the two versions, simply because the detail addresses issues necessarily skimmed over in the shorter version.
Having addressed the transition in an appropriately robust fashion that I think soundly legally grounded the book makes four things clear. They are that Scotland must have its own currency. It must have a strong macroeconomic framework. This must work for everyone. And at the heart of making it do so there must be a robust tax system based on a proper understanding of the role of tax in a modern economy. I confess that the last issue, as addressed in the longer version of the book, appears to have been influenced by my thinking. This is a new state to be built on the understanding that MMT coupled with modern tax practice can deliver
.
There will, of course, be issues overlooked in the book: in less than 200 pages that is inevitable.
And you can be sure that, like all plans written throughout the history of time, things would not quite pan out like this.
Neither of these facts are a flaw though. What this book does, quite magnificently in my opinion, is three things.
First it says there are people in Scotland who are willing to do the hard thinking for little reward. Nations are built on the back of such people.
Second it says that they don't just have vision (although there is ample evidence of that): they also have the essential eye for detail the absence of which has blighted Brexit.
And third, the book answers difficult questions without flinching from the fact that they are hard. This is a book that says those who want an independent Scotland are realists.
I applaud all involved. Even if you have no interest in the issue of Scottish independence, this book, by looking at essential issues through a new lens, will make you ask questions in a refreshing way. It would be worth it just for that.
And as a footnote, I checked in the discussion of citizenship as to whether there was any way I might qualify. I don't. That was my one frustration.
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Thank for this and I will order a copy.
Question; are there any ideas in the book regarding, post independence, what a border between Scotland and England would look like that might be appropriate to the detoriorating situation of the Irish/Brexit problem in the event of a ‘hard brexit’
The issue is discussed quite well
Although I would say it makes assumptions that do not always apply to that border
Buy a small house in Dumfries & Galloway (a lovely, uncrowded part of the country) where housing is relatively cheap. Gradually change your domicile and at some time in the future become Scottish. Simple. 🙂
Scotland is better prepared than Ireland ever was for independence. It will do fine if it can ever summon the courage and the will.
You have an Irish passport. Why would you want a Scottish one as well? (My son already has Irish and British ones and was born in Scotland and has a Scottish great grandmother; wonder if he’d be eligible?)
Is there someone alive now who will be the first to have all four passports — the grand slam — after the rupture?
I might want to live in Scotland….
Now that you have endorsed it I will get myself a copy.
To get citizenship you might have to pass a test in the Scottish Language., fortunately there are a few to choose from.
I liked your last sentence; the thought had been crystallising in my mind as I read the piece.
The one thing we always make clear is that all are welcome here, regardless of race, creed or colour. If you choose to live and work in Scotland, you are Scottish. Hence all EU citizens living here having the vote in 2014, despite polling showing quite clearly how they would vote.
I’m interested though – I was born and raised in Scotland, but moved to London in 2008. I didn’t get a vote in Indyref (despite owning property in Scotland at the time)…
Would I be considered Scottish? Could I get a passport for the country of my birth? despite not living or working there anymore?
Seriously, I’m interested, because I’d like to remain within Europe and my faux Irish accent isn’t fooling anyone at the Eire passport office 🙂
You qualify
Shortly before the vote in 2014, I was giving a Polish guy all the reasons I could think of to vote Yes.
One reason (I imagined) was the benefit of living in a country (independent Scotland obvs) that actually liked being in the EU, and I hoped he would spread the word amongst his friends.
I thought it would be a great idea to point out that the Polish President Donald Tusk was about to become President of the European Council.
He was not enamoured of the idea, and told me that his fellow countrymen dislike Tusk – and they don’t like politicians in general. For all I know, I might have converted him from a Maybe to a No.
thing about Brexit was the elite never expected anyone would vote for it…
What’s the difference between ‘reading’ and ‘speed reading’?
Is the latter a pretentious boast or another way of saying “have read a few bits”?
Try Googling the terms
I assume he meant he read it quickly. I don’t think there was any need for your sarcasm.
You are right
It was the campaign for Indyref 2014 which revived my dormant political instincts, having been repressed by years of no obvious alternative to the neo-liberal orthodoxy, and one of the things that impressed me was the breadth of thought that was being put into the questions of what an independent Scotland could look like. The Scottish government’s own blueprint was an impressive document, and thee were many others: one of the more impressive can be found here: https://www.scribd.com/document/134771714/An-Evidence-Based-Case-for-Scottish-Independence but there were many others. The issue was not that “massive issues … were not addressed in 2014” but that the debate was not allowed to be framed around these practical approaches.. That was a large factor in Brexit too, and I have no doubt that it will be the same in Indyref2 when it comes. I look forward to reading this contribution: McAlpine is an impressive thinker.