My baptism of fire at Westminster proved we must move beyond this political paralysis
Dave Doogan MP, the SNP leader at Westminster, reflects on an extraordinary first week in his new job and the movement beyond the ‘political paralysis’ of UK politics
I am told baptisms of fire are no bad thing, but it was nonetheless quite the week to begin in my new role as the SNP’s new Westminster leader.
That said, I was acutely conscious that the depressing reality for most people watching Westminster during the last few days is that they are no longer surprised by the chaos, they have come to expect it. Chaos at Westminster is now the permanent pattern of that place.
This weekend we are left with a Labour Party that has lost all control of their own government, with a raft of ministerial resignations, leadership plots and a Prime Minister now living in complete limbo, left waiting for the outcome of a by-election expected to be contested by Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham.
By this stage I think people fully understand that Labour's chaos comes with a real cost. All the hot air at Westminster doesn’t heat a single home, when Labour politicians are fighting amongst themselves they aren’t fighting to cut energy or fuel bills and when the Prime Minister is digging in to save his own job, his UK government isn’t focused on securing and saving the jobs of ordinary people.
As the Labour Party gears up for a prolonged civil war, a Prime Minister on his last legs is now presiding over a UK government that is politically paralysed in the middle of a cost-of-living emergency.
In truth though, that paralysis is nothing new. After a decade of deep decline and constant chaos, people are wise to the fact that the entire Westminster system is frozen in failure.
Because as divided as the Labour Party now is, it is as nothing compared to the dysfunctional and disunited union that now defines the Westminster status quo. As is so often the case though, the clarity of that crisis also opens the door to opportunity – the chance to imagine and create a different future.
Just as people see the permanent pattern of chaos at Westminster, the results of our recent elections showed another pattern merging across these islands. Westminster is yet to wake up to the reality that change is coming, in fact it is already well underway. The historic reality of three nationalist First Ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland points to a new future that builds beyond Brexit Britain. A shared future where neighbouring nations take their own decisions and follow their own democratic direction.
In the meantime, Westminster will continue with its endless game of Prime Ministerial musical chairs, but beyond that bubble the real democratic momentum on these islands will continue to drive that constitutional change.
When the world is so uncertain there can never be a better time to create our own future. If we want a different future, if we want change – then we need to create it for ourselves. With independence and a true partnership of equals, we can create a new democratic dividend which delivers for all the peoples of these neighbouring islands.
Dave Doogan MP is the leader of the SNP at Westminster
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.