The SNP needs to embrace its own currency and the Green New Deal

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As The National newspaper in Scotland has reported, the SNP leadership are presenting a 33 point resolution to their spring conference that, in effect, adopts the report of the Growth Commission that reported last year, excepting on the issue of currency.

I am deeply disappointed for the cause of Scottish independence and Scotland itself. The change on currency that has been proposed is a sop: it drops the commitment to the pound but it does not commit an independent Scotland to its own currency on its first day in existence. The result is that the plan still shackles Scotland to uncertainty. Worse, it leaves open the possibility that the pound will still be used. And that would be a disaster for Scotland as it will have no control over its economic policy, at all, in that case.

I note that amendments to this proposal can be tabled until late this month. I sincerely hope that a much more radical policy alternative will be put to the conference as a result. For the second time this morning I have to note the curse of supposedly left of centre economists who are actually dedicated to the structures of neoliberalism to the enormous cost of the societies that they claim to have close to their hearts.

It's time for the SNP to do three things.

The first is to commit to its own currency.

The second is to base its economic policy on the GND - which suits Scotland better than almost any country on earth given its potential to exploit it to advantage.

And third, it has to make clear that both commitments would represent the real gain from independence, which would be to leave the disastrous economy policies of London behind.


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