Neither nationalism nor unionism – but socialism

The Socialist Party does not defend the constitutional unity of the United Kingdom in any way nor does it align itself with the dominant unionist/nationalist ideology in in the UK. Revolutionaries do not, of course, defend the bourgeois State. Our refusal to stand by the status quo, however, does not mean to say that we support Scottish secession. We are not in favour of separatism. Nationalism poisons the minds of workers. The Socialist Party does not spread the illusion among Scottish workers that independence would be any gain for them. We insist that a sovereign Scotland will leave the workers in exactly the same position as before, exploited wage-slaves.

The appeal of Scottish nationalism to some working people in Scotland is, of course, a result of the failure of the Labour Party, dominant in Scotland for decades, to deliver their promises. The discontent can be funnelled into nationalism. Scottish nationalism does not strengthen the real force for socialism, a united, class-conscious working class, but fragments and weakens it. Socialism is international or it is nothing. Socialism sets out to abolish the antagonisms and divisions between the peoples of the world. We value the international unity of the working class. So we disregard any-reshaping of the frontiers of individual states. We do not favour the Scottish employing class over the British or European or of whatever nationality they may be. The nation state is an outmoded anachronism from the point of view of production, of finance, and of a harmonious development which can protect the climate, environment and eco-system of the world. It is not for sentimental but for entirely practical reasons that we are for a world plan of production to replace the anarchy of capitalism, production based on private property and the nation state. Socialism means taking industry and services into common ownership and running them democratically with need replacing profit as the motive. It means no privileged elite, only the right of people themselves to manage their own affairs. It means creating a brotherhood and sisterhood. The task before us is a vast one – the workers need to take on the entire ruling class without regard for ethnic divisions. Working class unity makes it impossible for the capitalists to go on in the old way of divide and rule. Working class unity is revolutionary.

The way out for the working class is not to be exploited by native as opposed to foreign capitalists but through the overthrow of capitalism and the creation of socialism which by its nature must be worldwide. The socialist transformation of society will not be achieved unless working people reject nationalism. Our slogan is for world socialism.

 The world is irresistibly being driven to internationalism and interdependence, the only race remaining is that of the human race as a whole.