How would you describe the Scottish Independence movement (Scottish Nationalist Movement) in terms of class?

Question

I have a huge paper topic that boils down to describing the Scottish Independence movement in terms of class, class struggle, class conflict, etc.

We all had to choose a different nationalist movement and I chose Scotland and have a TON of information on it, but it really is not based on a class struggle!

Any ideas? Thanks!!

Answer 1

Unfortunately, I think that you are right: describing the Scottish Independence movement in Marxist terms as a facet of class struggle demands a considerable stretch!

However, maybe you don’t have to bend all of the facts in order to make Scottish Nationalism somehow fit the envelope of “class struggle”?
Maybe the requirements for your “huge paper” allow you, instead, to analyze the ways in which class considerations affect the prospects for Scottish Independence?
If so, I suggest that you read the material at the link below “The Development of Scottish Nationalism: 6.4.1 "The Sleeping Political Giant" - The Working-Class and Nationalism."

This piece seems to me to neatly encapsulate the efforts of the SNP’s middle-class-intellectual base to enlist mass support from Scotland’s working class citizens.

Answer 2

I'm not sure that the Scots nationalist movement is based on class. Class struggles and struggles of nationalism are two different things. As I understand it, the Nationalist movement is a movement of the north, the majority of those in the south being unionists. A full list of members and the constituencies they represent at:- http://www.answers.com/topic/members-of-the-scottish-parliament-2007-2011 seems to go some way to bear this theory out. I do accept there is a fairly strong representation in the Glasgow area - which one would have to accept is natural labour ground andwhich seems to bear out the other view that the party is left-of-centre and has an attraction for disgruntled labour voters. However, its strong showing in rural areas in the north and west, which would seem to be more traditional areas, would indicate an 'across-the-board' appeal to voters, rather than to one class.