From three of the best-known figures on the Scottish radical left, Scotland After Britain shines a spotlight on the reshaped terrain of pro-independence politics, situating Scotland’s independence within wider European and global trends. Examining socialists’ responses to the independence movement – from John Maclean and Tom Nairn to the Radical Independence Campaign – the authors make the case for supporting independence.
Scotland After Britain addresses the problems for socialist strategy in Scotland, providing a picture of what an independent Scotland could be like, beyond the social neoliberalism of the SNP. It lays out the type of policies that could be introduced in the short-to medium term by a left coalition government to begin the process of transforming Scotland.
How can the economy of a relatively small country be democratized while it still part of the world capitalist system? Key here are questions of external ownership, international trade and the currency. How could Scotland shift away from fossil fuels and reliance on oil to an economy focussed on renewables without sacrificing jobs? Tackling the myth of ‘non-racist Scotland’ and the question of migration, unionization of the service sector and considering alliances with other currently stateless nations on a similar trajectory, Scotland After Britain sets out the immediate steps which the Yes movement needs to take to win IndyRef2.
