At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the Scottish National Party for a progressive one.
Nobody would blame you. How could they? Just look at how loud the SNP are on Palestine; in 2010, the late Alex Salmond had attacked Israel’s actions on the high seas against a Gaza-bound boat. His protege and successor, the no-nonsense Nicola Sturgeon, was similarly quick to condemn Israeli violence against the Palestinian people a decade onwards. However, neither First Minister has said more on this than Humza Yousaf, who went so far as to accuse Israel of deliberately starving his own wife’s family.
Though John Swinney has certainly jumped ship on oil, he remains just as outspoken as his predecessors were in advocating for the Palestinian people. In his time in office so far, the First Minister has called for ceasefires, sanctions, and a recognition of a Palestinian state. Swinney is not the only one fighting on this front, with cabinet minister Stephen Flynn having promised that an independent Scotland would abandon Israel on the world stage.
The SNP is by no means shy in speaking about foreign policy, but what are words if not just wind? My question is this; as the ruling government of the country, do the Scottish Nationalists practice what they preach in regards to all that they say about Palestine? It certainly looks like Stephen Flynn doesn’t.
ASLEF, the train drivers union, has recently demanded that the government to exclude a company that was complicit in the occupation of Palestinian territory from a major train contract. This would be in accordance with the Scottish Parliament’s decision to disqualify complicit companies from contracting with the government. What did Secretary of Transport, Stephen Flynn, do? Why, he rejected these pleas, of course. The same man who voted to sanction Israel’s illegal settlements down in Westminster now turns a blind eye to it up in Holyrood.
This isn’t the first time Flynn has got cold feet on the Middle East, either. It was just last year he was challenged by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups to oppose any investments on the Rosebank oil field, claiming that it would fund the illegal occupation. The Aberdonian MSP, however, has kept suspiciously silent in response to the letter. Some even allege that Flynn is amongst those members in the cabinet pushing for the approval of the oil field. It might be that he cares much more about the wants of his constituency’s voters than he does for the needs of the Palestinian people.
With Flynn struggling to stay true to his supposed policies on Palestine, then what does this imply about the wider party? After all, it was Scotland’s First Minister who chose to make Flynn a cabinet member. Will the SNP ever bite, or is it stuck just barking away?
“334029 SCOTRAIL” by eastleighbusman is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
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SNP train driver row: have they abandoned Palestine?
At first glance, it’s easy to mistake the Scottish National Party for a progressive one.
Nobody would blame you. How could they? Just look at how loud the SNP are on Palestine; in 2010, the late Alex Salmond had attacked Israel’s actions on the high seas against a Gaza-bound boat. His protege and successor, the no-nonsense Nicola Sturgeon, was similarly quick to condemn Israeli violence against the Palestinian people a decade onwards. However, neither First Minister has said more on this than Humza Yousaf, who went so far as to accuse Israel of deliberately starving his own wife’s family.
Though John Swinney has certainly jumped ship on oil, he remains just as outspoken as his predecessors were in advocating for the Palestinian people. In his time in office so far, the First Minister has called for ceasefires, sanctions, and a recognition of a Palestinian state. Swinney is not the only one fighting on this front, with cabinet minister Stephen Flynn having promised that an independent Scotland would abandon Israel on the world stage.
The SNP is by no means shy in speaking about foreign policy, but what are words if not just wind? My question is this; as the ruling government of the country, do the Scottish Nationalists practice what they preach in regards to all that they say about Palestine? It certainly looks like Stephen Flynn doesn’t.
ASLEF, the train drivers union, has recently demanded that the government to exclude a company that was complicit in the occupation of Palestinian territory from a major train contract. This would be in accordance with the Scottish Parliament’s decision to disqualify complicit companies from contracting with the government. What did Secretary of Transport, Stephen Flynn, do? Why, he rejected these pleas, of course. The same man who voted to sanction Israel’s illegal settlements down in Westminster now turns a blind eye to it up in Holyrood.
This isn’t the first time Flynn has got cold feet on the Middle East, either. It was just last year he was challenged by a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups to oppose any investments on the Rosebank oil field, claiming that it would fund the illegal occupation. The Aberdonian MSP, however, has kept suspiciously silent in response to the letter. Some even allege that Flynn is amongst those members in the cabinet pushing for the approval of the oil field. It might be that he cares much more about the wants of his constituency’s voters than he does for the needs of the Palestinian people.
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With Flynn struggling to stay true to his supposed policies on Palestine, then what does this imply about the wider party? After all, it was Scotland’s First Minister who chose to make Flynn a cabinet member. Will the SNP ever bite, or is it stuck just barking away?
“334029 SCOTRAIL” by eastleighbusman is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.
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