Allan Massie: Patriotism applies to all parties

Some believe a vote against the SNP is a vote for keeping the Union. Picture: Ian Rutherford

People are starting to put their political allegiances second and plan to vote tactically to keep the Nats out and the Union intact, writes Allan Massie

Divisions of opinion are natural in any society, natural and quite common in families too. Sometimes they may be reconciled in conversation; sometimes we may agree to differ. Parliamentary democracy is best understood as a national conversation, a means of, among other things, making the unwelcome acceptable. Most of the time this works quite well. Losers accept the legitimacy of the result. “The people have spoken, damn them”, as defeated candidates have been known to say.

The result of last September’s independence referendum was clear. Scotland voted No. The SNP leadership has, correctly, accepted the result, while reserving the right to call for another referendum if circumstances seem favourable. This is reasonable. And, I would say, quite proper, even though last year, in their efforts to galvanise their troops, SNP leaders spoke of the referendum as a “once in a generation” opportunity. Some may even have said “once in a lifetime”. So indeed it might have been if the margin of defeat had been even greater, if for instance, the Yes vote had fallen some way below 40 per cent.

Nevertheless, one of the features of the campaign was the enthusiasm marshalled on the Yes side, and this hasn’t be dampened by defeat. Moreover, it generated an impressive and unprecedented surge in membership of the SNP. This is now said to stand at 105,000. Evidently many who never before thought of joining a political party have signed up for the SNP. Some may fall away; many won’t. The party now has an active membership that other parties can only envy.

No voters make their point during the referendum campaign. Picture: Ian Rutherford

For the most part the referendum campaign was well conducted, excesses being limited to the fringe. Distressingly, however, the mood has darkened – the tone of public utterance become sharper and more abusive. This is mostly , but not entirely, on the Nationalist side. The consequence is that Scotland is more divided – and, I would say, bitterly divided – that it has been for a very long time. Perhaps even since the 17th century, the most bitter and horrible in our history.

Verbal abuse of opponents has become common. Nationalists speak of Westminster and Westminster politics with contempt or hatred, rather as in the 1920s and early 30s members of the German National Socialist Party spoke of the Weimar Republic. Scots who oppose independence are reviled as traitors and Quislings – though, ironically, Vidkun Quisling regarded himself as a Norwegian nationalist. Last weekend a swastika was daubed on the office window of an Aberdeen branch of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. This was odd as well as nasty, not only because there are few people less like Nazis than the Scottish Tories, who are mostly quiet and respectable folk not given to street violence, but also because in Germany it was the Nazis themselves who proudly paraded under the swastika.

The atmosphere is strained. The SNP is unquestionably far more popular than it has ever been. Equally unquestionably it is also unpopular as never before. The writer of a letter to this newspaper complains of the other parties “ganging up” against the SNP. If so, this is happening at the grassroots level. There have been no electoral pacts aimed at the SNP. Indeed, only this week the Scottish Tory leader, Ruth Davidson, delivered a sharp attack on the Liberal Democrats, partners in the outgoing Westminster coalition. The Unionist parties are still fighting each other.

Yet there is evidence that informally, and individually, many are preparing to cast their vote in favour of whichever candidate representing one of the three Unionist parties has the best chance of defeating the SNP candidate. One hears of people – indeed, one has met some – who are intending to vote Labour in seats which Labour are defending, though they have never previously even contemplated voting Labour. Elsewhere – in, for example, Gordon, where Alex Salmond is the SNP candidate – Tory and Liberal Democrat voters are considering which party is more likely to beat the SNP, and preparing to vote accordingly.

People thinking on these lines are behaving rationally. A vote against the SNP is a vote for the Union. Whether David Cameron or Ed Miliband is in Downing Street matters less to a great many Scots than checking the SNP and so preserving, even perhaps strengthening, the Union. And why not? Governments come and go. The differences between the Conservatives and Labour – even the differences between the fiscal and economic policies of George Osborne and Ed Balls – are not so great; and in any case much of what is done at Westminster doesn’t nowadays, since the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, directly affect Scotland. It’s reasonable to think that supporting the Union is more important.

It’s illogical – even ridiculous – for Nationalists to object to this. After all they insist that independence, come what may afterwards, is all that matters. So they shouldn’t, indeed can’t reasonably, object if those who value the Union and are opposed to independence, accept their argument to the extent at least of voting for whichever unionist party in their constituency is most likely to beat the SNP.

Things become unpleasant, and the division within the country becomes dangerous, if supporters of independence won’t or can’t accept that their opponents are also patriotic Scots who want the best for their country and people. Unionists, I think, would mostly accept that Nationalists want what they believe is best for Scotland. They are riled when Nationalists don’t extend the same courtesy to them. The absurdity is that I have no doubt that Nicola Sturgeon recognises that Jim Murphy, Ruth Davidson and Willie Rennie are all committed to the well-being of Scotland and the Scottish people. She just thinks they’re on the wrong track – as they believe she is.

In short, the SNP has no monopoly of Scottish patriotism, and, when it claims to speak for the Scottish people, it insults and irritates, even infuriates, those who value the Union and believe it serves our best interests. The SNP is not Scotland, only a part of Scotland; and the country will be a happier and healthier place if it can bring itself to accept that this is the case.