Finally, there is epidemic. Despite all its vaccination delays, Scotland has protected its population far more than any country in mainland Europe, big or small. He did this because he is a member of a consortium where resources are stored and risks are shared. Britain was sufficiently foolish to spend millions of pounds building the infrastructure to produce a local vaccine – to know if it would never work. The stakes are placed, the military has contributed to the deployment and is a success that is amazing (and more than a little jealous) worldwide.
When Scott comes out of lockdown, when the death toll starts falling, it will be a central dividend. Like the holiday program, an injection of support from some smaller countries can match. Last year £ 137 of public money was spent in Scotland for £ 100 paid in taxes: a higher proportion than any country in the world. No new independent state could lose 27% – but when Scotland’s finances are integrated with the world’s fifth-largest economy, much more is possible.
The Scottish Conservative told me yesterday that if Boris wants to help next time, ask him to send it to Sage Sunak. And not just because the Chancellor has a better personal approval rating. He became the Union’s financial network: a reminder, which was perhaps the worst time in the history of peace in Scotland, was the Union. It is not (only) about money: it belongs to the family of nations.
It is not that such arguments have failed in Scotland. It’s just that they still have to be built with the same energy and power that the nationalists have deployed – and that many people in London have already given up. John Steinbeck said in a letter to Jackie Kennedy, “You spoke of Scotland as a lost cause.” “But this is not true. Scotland is a failed cause.”
The same goes for the Sangh: it is not a lost cause at all. But this will happen when enough trade unions come to see him.
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Lorsque les u00c9cossais sortiront du verrouillage, lorsque le nombre de morts commencera u00e0 chuter, ce sera un dividende de l'Union. Tout comme le programme de congu00e9, une injection de soutien que peu de petits pays pourraient u00e9galer. L'annu00e9e derniu00e8re, 137 u00a3 d'argent public ont u00e9tu00e9 du00e9pensu00e9s en u00c9cosse pour 100 u00a3 payu00e9s d'impu00f4ts: un ratio plus u00e9levu00e9 que dans n'importe quel pays du monde. Aucun u00c9tat nouvellement indu00e9pendant ne pourrait afficher un du00e9ficit de 27% - mais lorsque les finances de l'u00c9cosse sont intu00e9gru00e9es u00e0 celles de la cinquiu00e8me u00e9conomie mondiale, beaucoup plus de choses sont possibles.
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u00abSi Boris veut aider la prochaine fois, demandez-lui d'envoyer Rishi Sunaku00bb, m'a dit hier un conservateur u00e9cossais. Et pas seulement parce que le chancelier a de meilleures notes d'approbation personnelle. Il en est venu u00e0 incarner le ru00e9seau financier de l'Union: un rappel que, peut-u00eatre dans la pire pu00e9riode de l'histoire de la paix en u00c9cosse, l'Union u00e9tait lu00e0. Ce n'est pas (seulement) une histoire d'argent: il s'agit du pouvoir d'appartenir u00e0 une famille de nations.
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Ce n'est pas que de tels arguments aient u00e9chouu00e9 en u00c9cosse. C'est juste qu'ils doivent encore u00eatre fabriquu00e9s avec la mu00eame u00e9nergie et la mu00eame vigueur que les nationalistes du00e9ploient - et que trop de gens u00e0 Londres ont du00e9ju00e0 abandonnu00e9. u00abVous avez parlu00e9 de l'u00c9cosse comme d'une cause perdueu00bb, a du00e9claru00e9 John Steinbeck dans une lettre u00e0 Jackie Kennedy. u00abMais ce n'est pas vrai. L'u00c9cosse est une cause non gagnu00e9e. u00bb
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Il en va de mu00eame pour lu2019Union: ce nu2019est absolument pas une cause perdue. Mais ce sera le cas si suffisamment de syndicalistes en viennent u00e0 le considu00e9rer comme un seul.
