National identity and nationalism is a modern phenomena rooted in the 18th and early 19th century. The age of nationalism saw a national heritage fostered by the foundation of national monuments and museums. Myth and fiction are the very things for creating a country. In Scotland we had Walter Scott penning romantic accounts of an imaginary Scotland.
The independence movement seek to persuade all those who live here that a better Scotland is possible. Nationalists endeavour to prove an independent Scotland would make everyone better off yet political power lies with a global elite and the economics is inter-linked across borders. Multi-national companies lobby and fund political parties across the world. No nation in a capitalist world has economic independence, they are all interconnected though obviously the more powerful economies dominate the rest. Given the growing globalisation and unification of the world – contrary to the will of nations and governments – some people cling to what is familiar.
Would an independent capitalism Scotland be any different than now - of course not. You've got to ask yourself, will the average Scot really gain much by Scottish independance? Or will he continue to be part of an exploited majority in a system run by a priviledged minority, whether they be Scots or English? If you think that some people have "rights" based on "nation" ("right of nations to self determination" or a "right of abode" based on national/ethnic criteria) then you are arguing for nationalism and the right of bourgeoisie to dominate its "own" working class, not internationalism. If you support the "right of a nation to self determination" you merge the population comprising this so-called nation into a homogenised mass with an over-riding common interest and common identity that is their national identity. Class differences are suppressed or even completely ignored for the sake of upholding this national identity. This is class collaborationism for the sake of an abstraction called the "nation state" which is itself a product of capitalism. Nationalism is not only a product of capitalism but a major means by which capitalism perpetuates itself. By buying into the illusion of nationalism you are aiding capitalism.
The idea that we should support the weakening of the big powers while giving more control to the national population illustrates the point about the class collaborationist nature of nationalism and the way in which it aids capitalism. Class differences are downplayed or ignored for the sake of national unity which carries with it the assumption of a commonality of interest between the local working class and the local capitalists. The problem, however, is not imperialism but capitalism. Weakening one of the major powers merely strengthens another in relative terms and in any case, all nation states - even the little ones - are "imperialist", latently if not manifestly insofar as capitalism into which they are incorprated has an inherently expansionist dynamic. The answer is not to strive for some capitalist pipedream of a community of free and equal nation states. The answer is to oppose capitalism everywhere and to transcend nationalism and the nation state which is the political form in which capitalism is typically administered. Communists seek to abolish nations, not establish them. But, of course, weaccept that a geographic region can have its own cultural identity while at the same time respecting the diversity of the rest of the world.
Exploitation and oppression is not based on nationality but one's relation to the means of production. When workers compete against one another for jobs by accepting lower wages, it triggers a race to the bottom. The only way workers will succeed in defending jobs with decent pay lies in workers standing together and embracing the principle that the labour movement was built on — international solidarity. Acting politically means confronting the power of the ruling class, not being absorbed by it. It means directly and indirectly engaging the state, not cocooning oneself within an alternative one. The global environmental crisis is truly of frightening proportions yet the underlying premise of capitalism, the maximizing of production and consumption, is never challenged by nationalists.
When we possess resources that are not used to improve our lives in the ways they could be used, when there are unemployed people who are both able and willing to do the work needed to release and improve those resources, and when people are suffering needlessly or living under deprived conditions as a result of the underemployment of resources and people, then we are failing as a society to realise our potential and have succumbed to artificially imposed limits of capitalist production. We are all citizens of the world willing to participate fully in the common work of building a prosperous life for all. The workers of the world must unite and fight for the interests of all working people regardless of nationality. United we stand.
The "nation" is bourgeois.
Socialists are opposed to the bourgeoisie.
Therefore, we are opposed to the existence of "the nation".
Therefore, we reject the "right" of a "national" state to exist.
Therefore, we do not support attempts to bring "national" states into existence.
Easy enough to understand, isn't it?
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