Alex Salmond had a pithy way of arguing the gradualist case for independence in the mid-1990s. He told me in an interview at the time: “Better a slice of bread than nae loaf.”
The logic was unarguable. Why go hungry when some food was available, albeit not the slap-up dinner you desired? Why refuse some powers for Scotland just because you would prefer full powers?
Salmond refused to choose between feast or famine. It was a compelling argument then and it still is now.
The SNP needs to rediscover the spirit of gradualism in its independence strategy. This is overdue. However, there is another policy area where nationalists would be wise to embrace an incremental approach.
That policy area is Europe. The SNP should stop being fundamentalist about membership of the European Union. Instead it should adopt a mindset of gradualism.
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The cold hard truth is unavoidable: there is no immediate prospect of reversing Brexit. It would be suicidal for Labour to fight the next general election on rejoining Europe and the SNP is some way short of the independence majority that would allow Scotland to return as a full member state any time soon.
A middle way is possible in the medium term. Feast and famine are not the only available options. The harms of Brexit can be eroded over time and by degrees if the SNP embraces European gradualism.
First, however, the SNP needs to shake itself free of the debilitating belief that even the tiniest effort to improve Britain’s relations with Brussels is somehow a betrayal of the Remain cause.
Look at the SNP response to Sir Keir Starmer’s desire to “make Brexit work” on food standards, professional qualifications, veterinary checks, work permits and security co-operation. A common phrase in SNP press releases these days is “the pro-Brexit Labour Party”.
SNP thinking on Europe is, at best, inconsistent.
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In Theresa May’s time the nationalists largely resisted moves towards a soft Brexit, accusing those who wanted a better deal of being — yes, you’ve guessed it — pro-Brexit. In the years that followed any engagement with Brexit was seen as supping with the devil.
These days the SNP occasionally takes a sip with a long spoon. It backs some moves towards closer ties with Brussels while at the same time condemning as Brexiteers anyone who wants to put those ties on a more sensible and sustainable footing.
What this moment requires from the SNP is a new realism: a recognition that in the regrettable absence of full membership of the EU the party is in favour of incremental improvements in this island’s relationship with the Continent.
Europe is not standing still. The shocks of Ukraine, Covid and Brexit have produced an EU newly capable of change. There is persistent talk of a “variable geometry” Europe with opt-ins and opt-outs on currency, defence and Schengen travel restrictions. The Europe the SNP wants to rejoin will not be the same Europe we left.
A middle way on Britain’s relationship with Europe is already happening. Rishi Sunak has been pushing for months for the UK to rejoin the Horizon research and development scheme. In recent weeks he hesitated because he was wary of the terms and conditions. Nevertheless, some kind of deal seems likely soon.
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Elsewhere the SNP would rather go it alone than join a UK replacement for Erasmus, the EU student exchange programme. The UK version is called the Turing scheme. Instead the Scottish government has been working on its own arrangement, which I understand is close to being announced. It will be interesting to compare the Scottish and UK versions. There will be questions for the SNP if the UK one offers better opportunities.
Meanwhile, Labour says it would be happy for Scotland to rejoin Erasmus while remaining in the UK. This would be as part of a reset of Whitehall attitudes towards the UK’s devolved legislatures. Choices, choices, choices.
The SNP struggles to embrace gradualism on Europe for the same reason it struggles to embrace gradualism on independence: sometimes subtlety does not pay. The party used its fundamentalist position on Europe to attract Scots who voted No in 2014 and Remain in 2016, with great success. Then it used its fundamentalist position on independence to pander to the party’s most monomaniac members, largely out of fear.
The world has moved on. Here in 2023 a gradualist approach is required on both counts. Yet the SNP finds itself too flat-footed to perform any kind of convincing pivot.
There is a very practical reason why the SNP needs to sort itself out on this. An incoming Labour government will move quickly to improve relations with Brussels. The SNP will have to decide whether or not this is a good thing. Sure, argue for independence, but do not stand in the way of progress here and now.
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We need to get away from thinking about Europe like pregnancy. You are either pregnant or you are not. There is no middle way. On Europe, and for that matter on the Scottish constitutional question, there are shades of infinite grey.
One virtue in a gradualist approach is perhaps underappreciated. Setting aside binary choices takes the heat out of issues that have wreaked terrible social damage over the past decade, over both EU membership and Scottish independence.
There is no reason why Brexit supporters cannot support some easing of relations between London and Brussels, if this can be shown to benefit Britain. And there is no reason why independence supporters cannot back a stronger Scotland within a rewired UK, if it is clearly in Scotland’s interest.
Gradualism allows a return to actual politics. The test should be whether something works, not whether it is badged Leave or Remain. Or, for that matter, Yes or No.
