Jimmy Reid’s article (Nov/Dec Scottish Left Review) on Labour’s neglect of the National Question - John Kay

Jimmy is oddly reticent in his own contribution in the fight to change this in the Labour movement. As Scottish Secretary of the Communist Party, Jimmy led the trio making the party’s submission to the KILBRANDON Commission (in the 60s?). The others were Alex Murray and Finlay Hart, and in the submission they argued for a devolved Parliament for Scotland with powers and made the point that if in future the Scottish people decided on independence then that was their right.

Then in 1968 at the Scottish Trade Union Congress Mick McGaghy submitted a motion from the Scottish Miners Union calling for a devolved Scottish Parliament as a national democratic right. The latter point was something that was barely considered in the movement.

I attended this Congress and can vividly recall Willie Ross and other right wing Labour leaders fiercely lobbying delegates to ensure the motion’s defeat. It was opposed in Congress by Danny Crawford of UCATT – not with valid arguments but with jibes about McGaghy’s Irish roots. That was the abysmal level of argument.

With the motion facing defeat the miners agreed to remit. Years later a motion on proportional representation from the miners moved by George Bolton went through a similar process and was remitted. Both these motions were significant for the STUC in light of later developments.

The campaign continued through 1979 and the Callaghan referendum and the infamous 40 per cent Rule. Even so, the YES vote narrowly won on actual votes. Incidentally in the campaign many Labour notables like Tam Dalygil and Brian Wilson linked with the Tories on the NO side.

It was the STUC in the 1980s that played a major role in the formation of the Campaign for a Scottish Assembly with all the political parties except the Tories involved, and included churches and civic organisations and was chaired by Professor Robert Grieves. This became the catalyst for the later Scottish Constitutional Convention, which arose from the working group established by the campaign with Campbell Christie General Secretary of the STUC heavily involved.

This is important recent history in view of the fact that the Constitutional Convention’s guidelines and proposals became the crucial constitutional basis for the present Parliament, including PR.

All members of the Scottish Assembly Campaign participated in the Convention except the SNP, with some of their more sectarian elements describing the assembly as a “Mickey Mouse Parliament”. Changed days, indeed!

And changed days, with a coalition of Labour, LibDems and Tories apparently discussing extra powers for Parliament (so far no details). With the idea of another Constitutional Convention being floated, why don’t they take it up and incorporate issues like a written Constitution, a federal system and independence? Alex Salmond says he’s for it and it could open up a whole new public discussion and debate and lets include people, Canon Kenyon Wright and others offering their services. What a boost for people’s involvement.