The Refusenik

A bit of balance. An article by your influential* scribe which isn't going to attack the Nationalists of the SNP (that's all of them, I guess) for once but the Nationalists of the Labour Party. 

Do we (The Labour Party) really need to follow the SNP down the path into patriotism? It seems as daft as trying to out-UKIP UKIP.  

Aims and Values
......
To these ends we work for the patriotic interest of the people of Scotland:
-          For the success of a permanent and powerful Scottish Parliament.
-          Decisions on policy that is devolved to the Scottish Parliament will be decided by the Scottish Labour Party.
-          In common purpose with all parts of the Labour Party and Labour Movement across the UK for the advancement of Scotland’s interests and the benefit of all.
-         etc etc etc

What does this word Patriotic mean in this context? I know that Murphy (who I have a lot of time for) peppers his speeches with it. Fair enough if he feels it deflects accusations from the shouty airheads. But in our Constitution???? 

We're about the people! We're emphatically not about the 'country' with its imagined histories and legends, and meaningless symbols and flags, its irrational belief in the rightness of 'itself', however you think 'we' define 'ourselves'. 

That word should be kicked right out. I propose an amendment : delete patriotic.




*yes, I'm as deluded as any other fucker out in the shouty plodsphere