Scotland Needs Reform!

Our country has so much potential, but both Labour and the Conservatives have broken promise after promise for the last 30 years. And Reform makes promises but has delivered nothing. Promises are cheap!

Our Independence Contract with You is not just another party manifesto. It sets out the reforms that Scotland needs in the first 100 days following independence and thereafter. It has been produced with advice from a range of independent economists, think tanks and advisors on costs and savings.

You are worse off, both financially and culturally. Wages are stagnant, we have a housing crisis, our young people struggle to get on the property ladder, we have rising crime, energy bills are some of the highest in Europe, the NHS isn’t working, immigration is record low levels and progressive ideology is under attack.

The Conservatives have failed and Labour will fail too. A vote for either is a vote for more incompetence, dishonesty and failure. Reform promises anything you want, but is dishonest about how it is funded and how it can deliver.

We are ruled by an out of touch Westminster political class who have turned their backs on our country.

Independence is the alternative.

Only Independence will stand up for Scottish culture, identity and values. We will restore immigration to help grow our economy and stop the hostile environment enforced by Westminster. Restore a fully empowered Scottish Parliament. Repair our broken public services. Set fairer taxes. End Westminster government waste by removing its control over Scotland – forever. Slash energy bills by taking control of Scotland’s huge natural resources. Unlock real economic growth.

Only Independence will take back control over our borders, our money and our laws. Only Independence will secure Scotland’s future as a free, proud and rich nation.

Join the revolt.

Yours sincerely,

Andrew Sharpe

The Independence Movement

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Sounds good?

All sounds very good? Time to admit that 99% of what you’ve been reading is actually Reform UK’s “Contract with You” from their “Reform UK in Scotland” web site.

Stating popular messages is attractive to voters. That’s what populist parties do. The difference between Reform UK and Independence is that Reform UK has no detailed plans for delivering its “Contract”, and no evidence to support its claims. In fact its “Contract” for Scotland nowhere even mentions Scotland!

For example, when Reform presents its plans for constitutional reform there is no discussion of the UK’s nations and their role, despite claiming it will “make Britain a fully sovereign, democratic nation”.

It promises to “uphold British culture, identity, and values” whilst nowhere explaining what it thinks these are. Presumably Reform decides. And no mention of “Scottish culture, identity, and values”. Which is interesting, when you consider that three quarters (76%) of us identify as Scottish.

Now, you might argue that that Reform’s heavy emphasis on “British” (28 mentions in its Contract) is part of its core message. We all know we’re British and attempts to deny that are woke – right? But in Scotland only 22% admit to that identity compared to 71% in England, Reform’s home ground.

The “British” message can’t resonate anywhere nearly as well in Scotland as it clearly does in England. Reform can’t acknowledge this of course, as acknowledging that Scotland is different to England in itself weakens its core message

Why else might Reform resonate in Scotland? As the “Independence Contract” above shows, you can state some pretty popular criticisms about Westminster and the traditional parties of power – whatever your alternative is, or how well you describe it.

The difference in the Independence Contract is that its a message based on progressive populism: one that addresses mostly the same targets as Reform, but with alternative solutions that Independence can demonstrably deliver.

Let’s embrace progressive populism!