The Claim of Scotland by H. J. Paton

Author:H. J. Paton [Paton, H. J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Scotland, Great Britain, Europe, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Political Science, Nationalism & Patriotism, Political Process, History, General
ISBN: 9781000439656
Google: BhFDEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2021-10-12T07:22:57+00:00

10. White papers and reports

In setting out the complaints of Scotland it is easy to give an impression of unrelieved gloom. In comparison with the South of England the prospect has long been gloomy enough, and it can be improved only by fundamental reforms. But in spite of difficulties Scotland does make progress and does share in the benefits of the Welfare State. Her level of wages, though lower than that in England, is going up, and the number of her unemployed, though far too large, is nothing like what it was between the Wars. The more cheerful aspects of the situation should not be forgotten although here we have to take them for granted. Whatever may be said on this subject, the fact remains that the present system of government and administration continues to drain away the wealth and skill of Scotland to more affluent regions in the South.

Similarly it remains true that government policies are determined by conditions in England and are too often applied to Scotland with little regard to her special needs and problems. But it would be misleading to give the impression that these needs and problems were given no consideration at all. From time to time we have reports and white papers to enlighten and guide us. We may think them inadequate, but at least they are there, and some of their recommendations may sometimes, after long delays, be translated into action.

It would be ungracious to ignore these efforts, but it is impossible to discuss them here with the thoroughness they deserve. All that can be done is to give some very summary impressions.

In 1961 we had the Toothill Report, which developed further a still earlier report by Professor Cairncross. The Toothill Committee was set up, not by the Government, but by the Scottish Council (Development and Industry). In order to secure strict impartiality the Toothill Committee had on it a majority of Englishmen, and in its report it made as many as eighty-one recommendations. Some of these perhaps showed too firm a grip on the obvious: the Scottish people ought to show initiative and enterprise, and managers should develop London connexions. The more detailed, and more useful, recommendations cannot be discussed here, but two important principles were put forward. The first, which had been advocated by Professor Cairncross ten years earlier, was that instead of aiming as in the past at the immediate relief of unemployment the Government ought to foster economic growth. This suggestion was prompdy turned down. The second, not too elegantly expressed, was that where a ‘region’ suffered from the general financial measures of the Government there ought to be, where practicable, regional differentiation if uniformity resulted in a regional sacrifice out of proportion to the national gain. This reasonable proposal is almost bound to remain a pious hope unless we have a revolutionary change in the system under which Scotland is governed; but the Committee would have no truck with the idea that the functions of London departments should

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