Some might agree with Syniadau that the SNP's vote for Scotland to be part of NATO was right; others might agree with Glyn Beddau that it was wrong.
Having listened to broadcasts from other party conferences, where nothing was debated, where no policy was decided, where the party hierarchy was not held to account, I thought that the NATO debate at the SNP conference was a breath of fresh air.
A party conference where delegates were allowed to argue passionately for and against what they believe to be the best policy followed by a knife edge vote, where the arguments presented to conference made the difference to the outcome of the vote - that is what party conferences use to be for should be for!
How many other Governing parties, in the so called Democratic West, would allow such a debate and such a vote? Very few!
Agree or disagree with Conference's decision (I disagree) it was fantastic to have such an open, honest and hard hitting debate – decided by ordinary party members.
The fact that UK Party Conferences have become nothing more than staged managed rallies rather than a place to argue policy and that Scotland still has a party where debate is open and free - should, in-itself, be an argument for independence and a reason to vote YES in 2014!
I agree Alwyn. The party leadership had to win the argument, and they only just managed to. Whatever people want to say, the SNP is democratic and not a command and control party. Holding the debate in the open in front of the people of Scotland will do them no harm.
ReplyDeleteI'm ambivalent on Nato membership myself, and not from Scotland. If I lived in Scotland my main questions would be on Trident, having a non-nuclear clause in the constitution, and a stance on Iraq and future illegal wars. Salmond has given assurances on all of those issues in a democratic way, which helped him and his colleagues win the debate.