Letter to the Editor from Australia
Dear Comrades,
I would like to congratulate Lalkar for its
outstanding, and most illuminating article, ‘The National Question in Scotland‘ in Lalkar Issue 214. As the British comrades can appreciate, the
debate on possible Scottish secession doesn’t command a great deal of attention
here in Australia, notwithstanding the many British descendants who comprise
this country. Thus, the Lalkar article was most welcoming, in particular
in examining the complex England/Scottish history.
One of the ‘highlights’ of the entire Scottish
nationalist argument is that put forth by section’s of the Scottish proletariat
and sections of the British ‘socialist’ movement, which champions Scottish
‘independence’. Thus, the question is submerged by extremely deceptive slogans
presented from a ‘left’ angle, espousing English ‘oppression’ of the Scottish
‘nation’, which, on the surface, sound most alluring to people of the left,
even to socialists and communists, to support Scottish secession. This is why
the Lalkar article, as contributed by the Communist Party of Great
Britain (Marxist-Leninist), provides an enormous service to the British
proletariat (and elsewhere), by clarifying the argument, not from empty
‘revolutionary’ phrase mongering or romantic, mythical nostalgia, but from the
concrete science of Marxism-Leninism.
The article begins with one of the most important.
The definition of a nation. For this, Comrade Stalin’s groundbreaking work,
Marxism and the National Question, is applied. This differentiates between a
nation and a political state. Comrade Stalin makes four distinguishing features
of a what comprises a nation: (1) community of language (2) community of
territory (3) community of economic life (4) community of culture. It is also
revealed that nations are not something that have existed from time immemorial,
but are in fact a recent development, aligned to the rise of the bourgeoisie
and capitalism. This explains the uneven development of nations, as capitalism
itself developed on an uneven scale throughout the world.
Further clarification of what constitutes a nation
comes from exposing author Neil Davidson and his work, The Origins of Scottish
Nationalism. While Davidson’s work exposes the myth of Scottish nationhood, he
makes serious theoretical mistakes, in the main by his rejection of Comrade
Stalin’s Marxist analysis of nation. Not surprisingly, Davidson’s rejection of
Comrade Stalin’s work is rooted in his acceptance of Trotsky’s bankrupt
theories. Both Davidson and Trotsky foolishly cite Switzerland as ‘proof’ of
the ‘incorrectness’ of Stalin’s definition. This falls apart, as the Swiss
state is laid bare, causing Davidson to resort to such absurdities as a nation
constitutes a sense of consciousness, even going to the extreme of quoting a
Zionist mystic, who declares a Jewish ‘nation’ because he feels it in his
heart! The extraordinary thing is that Davidson dismisses Comrade Stalin’s
materialist study of nationhood, only to apply it expertly to shatter Scottish
nationhood!
I also found most
illuminating the history of feudal Scottish history. This withering analysis
exposes the real content behind the Arbroath Declaration, namely to allow the
feudal elements to continue their exploitation of the peasantry, to the battles
at Stirling Bridge and Bannockburn. William Wallace, the heavily romanticised
figure of ‘national liberation’ for the Scottish ‘nation’ by the oppressive
English is also revealed to be fighting in the name of the nobility. As Comrade
Stalin’s work emphasised, the four characteristics of modern nationhood are not
sufficient by themselves to constitute a nation, but the absence of just one of
the criteria excludes nationhood. The Lalkar article reveals the absence of
economic unity, lack of language unity, and absence of cultural unity, as
witnessed by the Highland/Lowland divide. In the paragraph, ‘Bridging the Gap’,
we see how, following the union of England and Scotland in 1707, it was the
rising Scottish bourgeoisie which began to forge a British identity. This
Scottish bourgeoisie found great impetus following 1746 and the victory of the
British state over feudalism after the Jacobite uprising. From here the British
nation was born.
The question of whether
Scotland was/is an oppressed nation, a victim of English colonialism, is dealt
with, as is the concept of ‘internal colonialism’, by presenting statistics
which illustrate the strength of Scottish industry, in terms of coal, linen and
tobacco, in the 18th century, which outstripped the rest of Britain. Success in
industry continued into the 19th and 20th centuries. Scottish participation in
politics and other professions is also illustrated. Dealing with accusations of
English ‘cultural imperialism’, we see how prominent Scottish intellectuals
contributed to the British identity. The eviction of Scottish peasants in the
18th century are revealed to be the product of the rise of capitalism, not
English ‘foreign’ aggression. The Scottish bourgeoisie played a leading role in
Britain’s colonial plunder of the world, most graphically recorded in the
account of the rape of India.
It is hoped that the entire British
proletariat read and study this entire article, which I humbly believe will
make an extremely important contribution to the unity of the British proletariat,
their scientific understanding in their fight to destroy imperialism, and to
combat the efforts of bourgeois nationalists, especially of the most deceptive
and alluring ‘left’ variety, to split and weaken them. The article has
certainly enriched my understanding of what constitutes a nation, which is
invaluable to all Marxist-Leninists, whether applying it Britain or elsewhere.
Fraternally Yours,
Mark Window