eu principles secession

8/9/2019 EU Principles Secession

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Handle with care: Scottishindependence and the CatholicvotePosted on: 30th June 2014 |

Author: Jim Gallagher Category: Politics and current affairs

In Septem er! the people of Scotland "ill e as#ed! $ShouldScotland e an independent countr%&' Jim Gallagher arguesthat appl%ing the principles of solidarit% and su sidiarit% to thereferendum (uestion could e a prudential approach forScottish )atholics to ta#e* +o these central tenets of )atholicSocial ,eaching guide -oters to"ards a $.es' or $/o' ans"er&

ith 3 months to go! de ate in the Scottish independence referendum is hottingup* Some of the domestic de ate! especiall% on social media! is o-erheating*Perhaps it is figures li#e the S President or illar% )linton "ho "ill most help

Scots $to see oursel-es as others see us'*

or Scottish )atholics in particular! no od% "ill ha-e more influence! surel%! thanPope rancis* )hoices a out secession or creating a ne" state ma% depend oncircumstances ut! he sa%s! $All di-isions "orr% me'* In his inter-ie" "ith aSpanish ne"spaper ut referring not 5ust to the )atalan case he sa%s!perhaps more pointedl%: $the secession of a nation "ithout a histor% of forcedunit% has to e handled "ith t"ee6ers and anal%sed case % case*'

,he ta loid headline $Pope sa%s /ope' ma% ha-e o-ersimplified the papalmessage7 nonetheless! supporters of Scotland remaining in the 8 "eredelighted % his inter-ention* ,hose on the other side argue that the pope "as notruling out independence! merel% counselling a prudent approach to "hat is! for)atholics! a prudential (uestion*

Is there a distinctive Catholic approach to this question? +oes the )atholic )hurch in Scotland ha-e an%thing to contri ute to thise9istential! national (uestion! prudential or other"ise& Past s%mpath% to thenationalist cause in the Scottish hierarch% has gi-en "a% to a "ise neutralit%!encouraging )atholics to -ote according to their o"n est 5udgement* And thechoice is eing de ated in church groups across the countr%* ,he )hurch ofScotland! also neutral on the (uestion! has argued! after s%stematic consultation



and de ate in the General Assem l%! for thoughtful consideration and ci-ilisedde ate* elcome calls! oth*

an% )atholics find themsel-es pondering the same choices as other Scots*Some ma% regard the (uestion as one "hich ans"ers itself: Scotland is a nation

and for that reason alone must ecome an independent state* ;ut most do notshare nationalist acti-ists' gut commitment to nationhood* Instead the% as#! "hat"ould independence mean! and ho" might it change Scotland& ould it ma#e it aetter place a richer place! a more e(ual place! a greener place&

nsurprisingl%! the nationalist ans"er to an% such (uestion is $%es': anindependent Scotland! the% sa%! "ould e richer! more e(ual and greener* <icherecause independence "ould create more economic gro"th and increaseScotland=s G+P* ore e(ual ecause Scotland is alread% rich and there "ould ea etter s%stem of "elfare! protecting the poor! gi-ing the right incenti-es to "or#

ut support for those "ho cannot* Greener ecause it "ould e po"ered %sustaina le energ% and free of nuclear po"er stations >and nuclear "eapons too?*International aid "ould increase as "ell* In truth! e-er% interest group isencouraged to elie-e that its o 5ecti-es "ould follo" naturall% fromindependence*

It is eas% to e c%nical a out so much shameless promising! especiall% as allthese putati-e changes are to e deli-ered "hile maintaining -er% close economicand other lin#s "ith the rest of the 8! if the Scottish go-ernment are to eelie-ed* ,here "ould e a shared currenc% and a host of other continuing 8institutions! from the ;an# of @ngland to the ;;)* hether the rest of the 8"ould e so accommodating is open to dou t! ut if such closelin#s were maintained! ho" "ould change come a out&

Independence as an end to austerity? In truth! there is some sincerit% here* ost -oters seem to e preoccupied %"hether the% "ould e richer or poorer* ;ut some! perhaps despairing of progresson social 5ustice! genuinel% elie-e independence "ould deli-er it* A sense ofindependence as a means to the end of social 5ustice is often found among those!including )atholics! concerned at pu lic spending and "elfare cuts* $ ote .esand end austerit%'! runs the argument* ;ut at the same time! other influential

proponents of independence are e(uall% enthusiastic to cut ta9es and ma#e anindependent Scotland into a ta9 ha-en* Bne of the S/P's remar#a le politicalachie-ements has een to sustain the commitment of people "ho "ant to createt"o! (uite different! ne" countries* At least one group is li#el% to e disappointed*

o" are -oters to 5udge& Bne "a% is to focus on the (uestion on the e9am paper*,eachers "ill e familiar "ith students "ho ans"er the (uestion the% "ish the%had een as#ed! rather than the one in front of them* And the (uestion in front ofScots is not $Should Scotland e a more e(ual countr%&'! ut $Should Scotlandecome an independent countr%&' If the choice is prudential! ma% e the prudent

thing is to loo# at the #no"n conse(uences of independence*



,he one certain conse(uence is that Scotland "ould ecome a separate statefrom the rest of the nited 8ingdom* Political lin#s "ould e se-ered* Scotland"ould send no Ps to estminster* )riticall%! it "ould no longer share its ta9 andpu lic spending in the 8* It "ould! if %ou li#e! stand on its o"n t"o feet! pa%ingfor its pu lic ser-ices! pensions and "elfare from ta9es raised in Scotland alone*

,he conse(uences ha-e een predicted % e-er% independent forecaster* Pu licspending in Scotland is alread% a out 10C higher than in the 8! so can onl% esustained if ta9 income is 10C higher as "ell* istoricall% that "ould ha-e eenfeasi le: re-enues from /orth Sea oil supported the ;ritish econom% in the 1DE0s*;ut oil is finite and re-enues are no" much smaller and declining* Scotland=spu lic e9penditure needs "ill increase more than the rest of the 8's! ecause itspopulation is ageing faster* ithin the 8! Scotland can rel% on shared resourcesto sustain spending* Bn its o"n! it "ill to ha-e to ma#e "hat is euphemisticall%called a $fiscal ad5ustment' cuts in pu lic spending or ta9 rises of more than 10C

of the Scottish udget*/one of this sa%s independence is impossi le! ut it certainl% does not suggestthat independence "ould end austerit%: (uite the opposite*

Sharing and social solidarity ,hese arguments are! ho"e-er! the stuff of secular politics* )atholic -oters shoulde loo#ing for something more principled* )atholic Social ,eaching does not gi-ea #noc#Fdo"n $.es' or $/o' ans"er* Sometimes )atholicism and national identit%ecome ent"ined in Poland! Ireland or! much less comforta l%! in Slo-a#ia'shistor%* ;ut the )hurch predates the institution of the nationFstate* It is! in oth inname and approach! uni-ersal and international! rather than nationalist* Bf coursethe )hurch recognises the legitimac% of secular national go-ernments* ;ut thechoice of secession! creating a ne" nation state % rea#ing up an e9isting one isnot (uite the same thing! as rancis' carefull% crafted remar#s impl%*

,he argument for Scottish nationalism is not! as the pope points out! one ofdecolonisation or freedom from con(uest* e need not loo# to li eration theolog%to guide us* ;ut social teaching does offer some pointers* ,"o themes arerele-ant: the first is an argument from social solidarit%7 and the second tac#les theimplications of the principle of su sidiarit%*

,he ma5or theme of all of the )hurch's social teaching! from RerumNovarum on"ards! has een a out social solidarit%! mutual support and sharinget"een different groups or classes of people to produce a more 5ust! more e(ual!outcome* Solidarit% et"een people of different social groups most nota l% therich and the poor has geographical conse(uences* ider geographicaloundaries of social solidarit% are more li#el% to produce sociall% 5ust outcomes:the rich li#e to put "alls around themsel-es! "hether in gated communities orsmall! rich ta9 ha-ens*

,he nited 8ingdom is an interesting case in point and in contrast* Although it is amultinational state! it has a high le-el of social solidarit%! guaranteeing "elfare andpensions in each part of the state irrespecti-e of the income generated there* So!



for e9ample! ales en5o%s higher le-els of pu lic spending than the nited8ingdom a-erage! on the asis of its needs! ut it could afford ma% e 30C lessfrom its o"n ta9a le resources* ,he former 8 Prime inister Gordon ;ro"ndescri ed this as a #ind of $social 5ustice et"een nations'* ,he argument fromsocial solidarit%! and social 5ustice! therefore! tends to "iden rather than narro"national orders* Indeed it tends to argue for solidarit% and sharing of resources"ider than present national orders: ut that is not on offer in this referendum*

It might e argued that the principle of su sidiarit% pulls in the opposite direction:originall% concei-ed as a principle in opposition to the allFencompassing state!su sidiarit% argues that matters should e determined at the lo"est practicalle-el! nearest to those affected! "hether in the famil%! the local communit%! regionor nation state* ,he #e%! ho"e-er! to su sidiarit% is to ma#e the appropriatedecisions at each le-el* Some matters are est dealt "ith -er% locall%! others at as"ide a le-el as possi le* ,he classic cases of the latter are ta9ation and economic

management* ;usiness corporations! for e9ample! pla% one ta9ing authorit% offagainst another! and reduce the ta#e to all of them as a result* And e-ennationalists agree macroeconomic management cannot e underta#en forScotland on its o"n*

,he internal organisation of the nited 8ingdom toda% is a careful alance* orScotland >li#e /orthern Ireland and ales?! -irtuall% all domestic matters! asidefrom "elfare! are decided domesticall%! in the Scottish Parliament* Bther issues"hich are est dealt "ith at the "ider le-el such as macroeconomicmanagement and most of ta9ation are decided at estminster* So too is"elfare! to em od% in a practical sense the principle of social solidarit%* ,his"hole institutional frame"or# is in fact an em odiment of the principle ofsu sidiarit%! and is de-eloping stepF %Fstep! as the Scottish Parliament gainsadditional ta9ation and orro"ing po"ers in 201 ! "ith more planned thereafter*

An informed judgement Indi-idual )atholics "ill ma#e their o"n choices* ollo"ing the pope=s cautiousapproach! and appl%ing rancis' $t"ee6ers' to the case of Scottish independence!most "ill not e guided % the illusion that independence can e "hate-er %ou"ant it to e7 none should e misled into thin#ing that it is a $get out of 5ail free'card for austerit%* Some ma% ne-ertheless ta#e the -ie" that selfFdetermination isa principle of such importance that Scotland should lea-e the nited 8ingdomand stri#e out on its o"n* ;ut most "ill "eigh up the issues! and should in m%-ie" e guided % the t"in principles of solidarit% and su sidiarit%* Solidarit%strongl% suggests continuing social 5ustice et"een the nations of the nited8ingdom: not merel% a prudent approach for Scots ut a principled argument forsharing resources to support in particular the most -ulnera le! "here-er the% arein the nited 8ingdom! on the asis of their need! not their nationalit%* Su sidiarit%is enshrined in an approach "hich ena les Scots to com ine this solidarit% "ithpo"erful domestic institutions ta#ing decisions democraticall% in their o"ninterests*



,here is much still to pla% for in this de ate! and the final months of the campaign"ill see man% ups and do"ns* Some political anal%sts ha-e suggested that)atholic -oters! in the est of Scotland in particular! hold the #e% to thereferendum result and certainl% the% are eing assiduousl% courted % nationalistpoliticians* e "ill perhaps learn in Septem er "hether the% ha-e ta#en their leadfrom Pope rancis! or irst inister Salmond*

Jim Gallagher holds a Fellowship at Nuffield College, O ford and is a visiting professor in the Glasgow !niversit" School of #aw$ He was formerl" %irectorGeneral %evolution in the &rime 'inister(s Office and 'inistr" of Justice$

eu principles secession

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