Regional politics

Regional politics is pretty high on the news agenda this week. The Flemish Nationalists made huge strides in the local elections here in Belgium on Sunday. And the Scots finally managed to pin Cameron down to a date and agenda for a referendum on Scottish independence.  The Flemish ‘Nats’ will probably, at best, (in their view) only loosen the ties that bind Belgium together.  The SNP seem also resigned to not winning the referendum in 2014. History shows that it takes two attempts to get constitutional changes past the British public.  That was the case for the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly-  and I knew (in my heart of hearts) – that it would also apply to the referendum two years ago on a fair(er) voting system for Westminster.   

 But two questions spring to mind. First, if the Scots do gain independence are they prepared for the wave of Tory-adverse English émigrés who will be queuing at up the border to get away from a country where the first principal of governance is that no policy should run contrary to the interests of of ‘the Square Mile’. If there are no Scottish Labour or SNP MPs in Westminster, the UK (will is ill retain that name? might be (under the current unfair voting system) perpetually condemned to Tory rule? This must present a paradox for the Tories: to go down in history as the party that allowed the (partial) dissolution of the United Kingdom, whilst securing the prospect of a monopoly of political power south of the wall.  The Tories will campaign against Scottish independance, but cannot be unaware that losing - which is unlikely - would bring them substantial benefits

 

Second, (and rather flippantly): if the Flemish achieve their ambitions of independence, what will become of Belgium’s football aspirations? (Perhaps not the most politically relevant question – but one that has some pertinence tonight as Belgium is playing Scotland in their respective bids for a World Cup qualifying place in Rio).  As I finish writing this Belgium has just scored (twice)– doing something substantial, I suspect, for national unity.