(en) Britain, Don?t Mourn. Organise - Edinburgh anarchist statement on the referendum result by afedscotland

Yesterday Scotland voted against independence. Today half the country are mourning, their 
hopes of a new state and it?s social democratic promise dashed. The other half are 
relieved, if perhaps not enthusiastically celebrating, the potential uncertainty removed; 
things will persist as before. ---- We neither mourn nor celebrate. The scaremongering of 
the No campaign would likely have proved largely unfounded. So too would the promises of 
the Yes campaign. In reality our lives would have continued mostly as they did before in 
either event. We will trudge to the same jobs we hate along the same roads, through the 
same congestion on the same expensive transport. We?ll do so so we can pay our wages back 
to the capitalist class in the same shops, to pay rent to the same landlords and mortgages 
to the same banks. We?ll take our kids to the same schools with the same education system, 
when we?re ill we?ll wait to use the same hospitals. We?ll escape our jobs to the same 
parks, beaches, museums and pubs.

An independent Scotland would in most respects have resembled the Scotland of the UK, a 
patriarchal, capitalist, environmentally destructive society. A country with the most 
unequal land ownership in the developed world ? where 50% of the land is owned by just 432 
individuals. A country dependent on North Sea oil for much of its exports ? oil that must 
be left in the ground to prevent climate catastrophe. A country with huge poverty and huge 
wealth and little in the way of organised working class action to change that dynamic.

And in so continuing to uphold the same institutions, the same structures of power, the 
same business interests, and the same political configuration, our fight against the 
state, capital and oppression continues.

Social movements

It has become popular amongst some on the pro-independence to claim that even in defeat 
politics has been radically altered. People are engaged with politics for the first time, 
turnout was 85%. A new broad popular social movement is born, the referendum was never 
about a vote for the Nationalists (capital N1). The campaign they built to push for 
independence will now re-orient itself against the Scottish and British governments and 
push for material concessions, emboldened by how close they came and bringing newly 
radicalised people with them. But a high turnout in itself tells us very little of what 
will come next, the complacency that we have already changed politics is dangerous.

Leaving aside the tactical mistake of offering the SNP the support they wanted to pass the 
referendum and then hoping to win concessions rather than making those concessions a 
precondition of support, this seems at best an optimistic prediction, which is far from 
certain to be realised. It is highly probable that the movement built to advance a radical 
case for independence will fail to maintain the unity it has shown pre-referendum in a 
post-referendum situation. A new left unity party (perhaps Left Unity itself) seems likely 
to form out of the Radical Independence Campaign and will have to compete for votes with 
the Scottish Green Party. The disintegration of the SSP last decade bodes ill for the 
lasting chances of that configuration. If the parliamentary left can regain even the 
position it held from 2003-2007 it will have done exceedingly well (in its own terms).

Undoubtedly many from the radical independence movement will want to maintain 
extra-parliamentary organisation, though how much of it is truly independent of the 
parliamentary parties will be an open question. But as with the referendum itself 
elections have a tendency to draw activists away from direct struggle and towards 
themselves however good peoples? intentions are. Perhaps the most debilitating effect of 
the referendum campaign was its draw away from other, more meaningful, sites of struggle ? 
the boycott workfare campaign, anti-deportations and pro migrant work, environmental 
organising and so on. Of course, that is not to say that no independence campaigners 
continued their engagement with these causes, but no one has unlimited time and energy to 
contribute, and that expended on the referendum could have been better placed elsewhere.

Ecology

As the independence referendum moves into the past, other issues may start to regain their 
prominence. Foremost must be the commitment of politicians in Westminster and Holyrood to 
continuing extraction of Scotland?s share of North Sea oil.

The independence debate was consistently shaped by the prospects for oil production and 
how the proceeds will be distributed. Even where criticism did exist and a call for a 
?green new deal? was made, the focus was to argue for renewables. Whilst greater use of 
renewable energy is to be welcomed, it is far from sufficient. As Jason Moore has 
highlighted energy revolutions of the past have always been additive and substitutive. 
Market logic plus intervention for renewables will only give us both renewables and fossil 
fuels. As alternative grow fossil fuels prices will fall and maintain their use alongside. 
Real decarbonisation of society requires the fuels be left in the ground and their value 
written off.

You cannot build a ?green? capitalism. You certainly cannot create it in time. There is 
too much money invested in fossil fuels? in drilling, in mining, in fracking. The ruling 
class will never voluntarily give up this wealth, or allow it to be simply voted away. ?To 
survive we must act now? and ?couple bleak reality with the utopian impulse? to demand a 
complete transformation of our society2.

An independent Scotland would have relied heavily on fossil fuels ? not least to maintain 
currency reserves and a positive balance of trade. The extraction of North Sea oil will 
instead continue to prop up the UK?s trade deficit. As part of a larger economy that 
dependence may now not be brought as clearly to the fore. But that reliance must be 
exposed, and it must be broken. That will be an expensive and difficult task, but one 
which we have no choice but to take up ? there will be no future for Scotland or the UK if 
we do nothing. We must create the movement which makes that possible. Too much time has 
been spent on bourgeois constitutional questions while the rich consolidate their wealth 
and power, impose austerity and hardship and leave the planet to burn safe that adaptation 
will be good enough for them.

So tonight, drown your sorrows. Take time to regain your energy and when you?re ready come 
back to join us. The better society that had been pinned on independence doesn?t need a 
new state. Keep talking to your neighbours and your workmates. We have a world to win and 
only our own working class self-activity and organisation will secure it.

1. We?ve discussed previously the obfuscation of ?good? and ?bad? nationalism and the 
left?s claim that independence has nothing to do with nationalism. In our opinion both yes 
and no campaigns de facto represent competing nationalisms, whatever their intentions to 
the contrary.

2. Goodbye to the Future ? Out of the Woods.

| Tagged climate change, Edinburgh, independence, referendum | Leave a comment
Referendum rant from an immigrant
Posted on September 18, 2014 by afedscotland
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Re-blogged from Edinburgh Anarchist Federation.

This is going to be a bit of a rant rather than a carefully crafted piece because I 
desperately need to get it off my chest. I haven?t written anything about the referendum 
yet and I haven?t weighed in much on lots of the discussions that friends and people 
around me are having (although I have been listening), because my frame of reference is 
different since I became an anarchist. I?m also not eligible to vote, because I?m not a UK 
citizen yet and am from the US, which isn?t a Commonwealth or EU country. If I were still 
a progressive Democrat like I was when I grew up, I would be excited about setting up a 
new capitalist representative democracy, which is of course what the actual question of 
the referendum asks if we want to do. It wasn?t until I started reading more and more 
about anarchist communism some years ago now that I decided that I thought they were right 
about representative capitalist democracy ? that we can?t use this system to change this 
system. Growing up and participating in election campaigns was like banging my head 
against a wall ? even if we won, the damn politicians we elected never seemed to be able 
to eliminate poverty or stop environmental exploitation. Now I think that?s because Lucy 
Parsons was right; we should ?never be deceived that the rich will permit you to vote away 
their wealth.? Poverty and white supremacy and patriarchy and environmental exploitation 
are about power. The people who control power are not going to relinquish it because we 
asked them politely. They never have previously and they aren?t suddenly going to start 
tomorrow. If we want change, we have to use methods that aren?t built into the system, 
methods that are directly democratic and collective and that threaten power.

A friend of mine involved in the Radical Independence Campaign last night was giddily 
excited about the referendum today. She talked about how amazing it is that all these 
people in Scotland are engaging in this discussion about what kind of society we want to 
live in, about a more equal society, a different system ? and I didn?t speak, because 
she?s so happy and I feel so frustrated. Because she?s very right about that in a way ? it 
is impressive that so many people in Scotland are having political discussions with their 
friends, are getting to know new people and talking to them about politics. It?s very 
frustrating that very little of that discussion is actually about what kind of society 
people want to live in ? it is mostly about what kind of state people want to live in. To 
me, as an anarchist communist, that?s a pretty big difference, a pretty serious boundary 
to the conversation. The discussion about independence has been about what kind of state 
people want to create. I don?t want to create a state and I?m not sure what to say when 
people ask me what kind of state I want to create. I see the possibilities of 
state-creation as limited, not unlimited. I?m not just anti-capitalist ? I?m also 
anti-representative-democracy and anti-state-socialism. I?m for direct democracy and 
libertarian socialism, and I don?t believe that we?re going to get either of those things 
by setting up capitalist states.

I think it?s pretty cool that 97% of Scotland is now registered to vote and that most 
eligible voters will be voting today. I think it demonstrates that people like to be asked 
questions directly. Lots of people get that representative democracy sucks and that it 
doesn?t make a difference who they vote for in elections, so they don?t vote. But when 
they?re asked directly what they think should happen, they show up. People occasionally 
claim that a more democratic society wouldn?t work because people don?t like constantly 
having to make decisions, but I think that?s rubbish. Decision-making is hard, but not 
having control of your own life is harder. A referendum isn?t direct democracy ? it?s a 
question framed by those in power offering a choice they are willing to give, which of 
course is why it?s a question I don?t even particularly want to answer, because what 
they?re willing to offer is another capitalist state. But I think it illustrates something 
about our potential for political engagement anyway.

What would be even better than 88% voter turnout is if all of the people who vote today 
because they want a better society, all of the people who voted yes for change, all of the 
people who spent hours campaigning for independence, were all out again on Friday, and 
Saturday, and Sunday, and all of the days after that, fighting for change. Because no 
change is actually going to happen unless we fight for it. Imagine if all of the people 
involved in the Yes campaign sat down with their colleagues and workmates and agreed a 
list of demands to present to the boss of things they want changed where they work.  In 
fact, imagine if they confronted all the bosses who are part of the Yes campaign right 
now!  Imagine if all of the people involved in the Yes campaign picketed every business 
and charity in Scotland still using workfare. Imagine if all of the people involved in the 
Yes campaign blockaded the UKBA/Home Office in Glasgow every time they wanted to take 
their van out to arrest and detain an asylum seeker during the next two years in which 
we?ll still be in the UK even if the Yes campaign wins.  Tomorrow I hope everyone who has 
so far been happy to campaign alongside the viciously cissexist Wings over Scotland 
because independence was more important than trans people will publicly demand that WOS 
publicly apologize for its previous cissexist comments.  I hope that all of the people 
with Green Yes in their profile picture on facebook posting about how Scotland can make 
millions of pounds from oil in the North Sea will stop being selfish idiots.  If all of 
those people stepped outside of the system, outside of charity and letters to your MSP and 
being politely consulted and then ignored, not to drop out but to fight, then an 
independent Scottish government would be quaking in its boots. Change happens because we 
make them change, because they?re worried about what will happen if they don?t change. I 
would be happy to see some of the reforms that people are talking about happen in an 
independent Scotland. But I know that they won?t happen unless we make society 
ungovernable without them.

Lots of people voting today in Scotland want a more equal society. How much more equal? 
How much inequality is okay? How many children in poverty is okay? How many adults? How 
many people sleeping rough? How many people on poverty wages? How many people working 
stupid, pointless, soul-crushing jobs, selling disposable crap? How many racist comments? 
How many hotels refusing black people beds for the night? How many catcalls on the street 
are okay? Do we want a society like Sweden or Norway? People are still poor and miserable 
there. Not as many people, maybe. But some people still are. Are we okay with that? Do we 
think that?s as good as it can get? I don?t. And today I won?t be voting for change, but I 
will still be organizing for it. And I hope that tomorrow, everyone who voted will be 
joining me, will be pouring their hopeful words into direct action, because that would be 
something to get excited about.

(and to the woman at the teachers? strike rally I went to a few years ago who asked me 
which politician I would be voting for, and when I said that I wouldn?t be voting, said to 
me that her grandmother had gone to prison for the vote and that she hopes I never teach 
her children ? while we stood together with our placards taking industrial action ? and in 
fact to everyone else who has ever ridden the high horse of a hollow bourgeois vote over 
direct action to try to make people who don?t care what colour tie their boss wears and 
who aren?t even allowed to vote feel guilty ? fuck you thoroughly.)

ps My image editing skills are a bit who-cares this morning but images are good for 
blogposts, so sorry about that.