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Articles by Jonathon Shafi
Scotland’s problem isn’t colonialism – it’s class
We don’t need to rewrite our history to demand a better future I S Scotland a colonised nation? This was the subject of a recent debate on The National Podcast.
SNP’s fantasy route back to EU through indy doesn’t stack up
H OW effectively are the SNP dealing with Andy Burnham? It is a question that needs some examination.
The Scottish Government’s reforms offers a promising path to stronger local democracy
In recent weeks, The Scottish Government has opened a major debate about the future structure of local government. As part of its recent publication on the issue, the government argues that some councils are “too small to be strategic” while others are “too big to be local”. The answer to this, it is floated, is a redistribution of power between a smaller number of regional authorities and a substantial number of community authorities.
Jonathon Shafi: Neoliberal myths are unravelling in an era of soaring costs
DURING the Scottish election campaign, the SNP introduced a manifesto pledge around food pricing, which caused much consternation. The idea was to legally cap the prices of essential items in supermarkets. Given the party’s track record when it comes to making big statements without a strategy for delivery, it was met with scepticism and immediately cast as a pie-in-the-sky policy. Here, apparently, was another “populist” bung for the electorate ahead of the vote.
Scotland Has More Pro-Independence MSPs Than Ever Before
In the aftermath of the Holyrood 2026 election, Scottish National Party (SNP) leader John Swinney is winning plaudits from party activists who, not so long ago, were facing what felt like an existential crisis for their political project. Having lost Nicola Sturgeon, a once untouchable leader, to a police investigation into party finances, the post-Sturgeon period was dominated by scandal and bruising internal feuds, culminating in a short-lived spell at the helm for Humza Yousaf.
Scotland Has More Pro-Independence MSPs Than Ever Before
In the aftermath of the Holyrood 2026 election, Scottish National Party (SNP) leader John Swinney is winning plaudits from party activists who, not so long ago, were facing what felt like an existential crisis for their political project. Having lost Nicola Sturgeon, a once untouchable leader, to a police investigation into party finances, the post-Sturgeon period was dominated by scandal and bruising internal feuds, culminating in a short-lived spell at the helm for Humza Yousaf.
Jonathon Shafi – The left and elections: how radical are the Greens?
Author Jonathon Shafi Date 20 April 2026 Type Video Share button Facebook Share button Twitter Share button Jonathon Shafi assesses the opportunities and challenges for the left electorally at Counterfire’s Revolution! weekender Before you go More war, escalating authoritarianism, a deepening cost of living crisis – the left faces big challenges. But resistance is also growing. Counterfire has been at the heart of the mass movements against war, in solidarity with Palestine, and against austerity.
Scottish Nationalism In The Multipolar Age
Author Jonathon Shafi Date 12 November 2025 Type Analysis Share button Facebook Share button Twitter Share button Jonathan Shafi analyses the shifts in the global economic order and their impact on the question of Scottish independence The misnamed ‘rules-based order’, which has structured global relations for 80 years, is being dismantled, giving way to a multipolar system composed of vying regional spheres of influence.
Le génocide se poursuivra-t-il indéfiniment ?
Alors que les Gazaouis agonisent sous les bombes, un basculement silencieux s’opère : les États-Unis négocient directement avec le Hamas, marginalisent Israël et redessinent leur stratégie au Moyen-Orient. Déclin de l’unipolarité américaine, montée en puissance des États du Golfe, isolement de Netanyahou, fissures au sein des élites israéliennes : l’architecture régionale vacille. Le soutien à Israël, jadis pilier de l’ordre impérial, devient un fardeau stratégique. Par Jonathon Shafi [1].
ERS Scottish Spring conference draws crowd in Edinburgh
Sometimes it is useful to take some time to digest an event fully, and come to some considerations about it. A few weeks ago, on April 26th, the Electoral Reform Society Scotland collaborated with a range of civic organisations, democracy campaigners and academics to bring together a conference titled: A Scottish Spring – Building a democracy fit for the 21st Century.
Israel Can’t Do This for Much Longer
The recent release of Israeli American hostage Edan Alexander was the product of direct negotiations between the United States and Hamas. Presented as a confidence-building measure to establish a wider cease-fire, Israeli representatives were not party to the discussions. This was seen as a historic departure in US-Israeli relations and precipitated serious debate over the interpersonal dynamics between Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel in the Cold
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Dissecting The Crisis In The SNP — Independence Captured
Already beset with something akin to a funding oblivion, the SNP stands to lose around £1 million in short monies due to the number of lost MPs. Yet finances and an electoral downturn represent only two of the problems which face the party. The following prognosis argues the SNP is undergoing a more profound crisis than the expected effects of political gravity can account for. This also means registering that the post-2014 era is now firmly over as we enter a new chapter in Scottish politics.
SNP in the midst of a multi-dimensional problem
Author Jonathon Shafi Date 15 August 2024 Type Opinion Share button Facebook Share button Twitter Share button John Swinney, First Minister of Scotland.
SNP Conference: ERS Scotland’s packed fringe event rings out for strengthening local democracy
A vibrant and powerful local democracy creates the basis for building strong communities. From the pandemic to the cost-of-living crisis people have shown they are willing to devote time and care to those in need. When citizens come together to make decisions about the place they know best, Scotland’s towns, cities and villages can flourish.
Gaza: a war crime is a war crime
This article was originally published in the Conter Both the British government and its official opposition have given their full, and unequivocal, backing to the war crimes now unfolding in Gaza, in direct contradiction to the Geneva Conventions on collective punishment. Even before the latest assault, and the massive attack both the Israeli government and its British, EU and US allies are preparing, conditions inside Gaza were criminal.
After Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP’s Lack of Political Vision Is Total
This year, for the first time since 2014, the Scottish Programme for Government (PfG) was announced in Holyrood by someone other than Nicola Sturgeon. Published every year in September, it is meant to set out the actions the Scottish government will take over the coming period.
Labour or the SNP? It’s Not Much of a Choice for Working Class Scots
Keir Starmer’s announcement that Labour won’t oppose the two-child benefit payment cap has provoked a range of critical and angry responses in Scotland. Labour MSPs Mercedes Villalba and Monica Lennon publicly “slammed” the Labour leader, while former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale, who railed against the Tory policy in 2017 in a debate on welfare “reforms”, reposted her speech in Holyrood. The SNP, meanwhile, argued the saga once again illustrates the need for independence.
Privatisation is Killing Glasgow – And No One’s Coming to Help | Novara Media
In a recent piece examining swingeing cuts to services and public amenities in Glasgow, I argued that the city faced nothing short of a crisis. A crisis visible to all working class Glaswegians: the deleterious state of the city centre, the cuts to cleansing and the associated public health consequences, the poverty rates and housing insecurity. The best word to describe the latest development can only be humiliation.
Humza Yousaf is Playing a Dangerous Game
For around seven hours on Sunday 11 June, Nicola Sturgeon was questioned in police custody. The former first minister was arrested that morning and later released without charge, pending further investigation. This is the third arrest so far in the ongoing criminal investigation into the SNP’s finances. It follows those of the erstwhile chief executive Peter Murrell – who is also Sturgeon’s husband – and the former party treasurer Colin Beattie.
The SNP Must Choose: Scrap Nukes or Join Nato
In the 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, the Faslane naval base was chosen as the location in which to host the UK’s nuclear-armed submarine fleet. The deep waters of the Firth of Clyde on the west coast of Scotland would provide a suitable and secluded venue for the early weapons of mass destruction. Today, the base holds a stockpile of 225 nuclear warheads, each eight times as powerful as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
Wanting Scottish Independence Shouldn’t Have to Mean Loving the EU
In the aftermath of Brexit, the liberal left imbued the European Union with a set of moral values despite its track record: internationalism, democracy and inclusiveness. Leading the charge was the SNP, who in the wake of the referendum prioritised ‘stopping Brexit’ over developing a strategy for independence in the heat of the political crisis precipitated by the Leave vote.
Who’s to Blame for Deep Poverty in Scotland?
Events in Scotland could hardly be more dramatic right now. As the crisis engulfing the SNP takes new twists and turns, it’s rightly the most prominent story in the country, given the gravity of events. But in the last week, another important piece of news broke in the form of a major new report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The paper reveals a stark rise in levels of “deep poverty” in Scotland.
There’s No Coming Back From the SNP Crisis
The police investigation is the very least of it. by Jonathon Shafi 11 April 2023 Scotland’s first minister Humza Yousaf and former first minister Nicola Sturgeon. Russell Cheyne/Reuters Where to start with the crisis engulfing the SNP? It’s a good question, since the divisions, strategic dilemmas and the very public police investigation into the actions of the party’s erstwhile chief executive represent multidimensional political entanglements.
Nicola Sturgeon’s Legacy: Cuts, Privatisation and a Party in Chaos
How will history judge the Nicola Sturgeon era? That depends on how successful the hagiography of it is. Her personal talents and abilities are undoubted. For many, she has been a ray of light under the shadow of what feels like permanent Tory rule. But there is precious little of substance to report when it comes to delivering for Scotland’s working class who propelled the SNP to a position of unrivalled dominance in the aftermath of the 2014 independence referendum.
SNP Leadership: No Matter Who Wins, the Indy Cause Loses
When all is said and done, we can expect the SNP’s electoral prospects to go into decline, regardless of who the eventual leader is, argues Jonathon Shafi This is an abridged version of an article first published at Independence Captured. Avid readers of Independence Captured will know that the decaying political foundations being exposed by the SNP leadership debate have been developing for some time.
George Kerevan: Economic disorder and Scotland's future
This week, we continue our interview series taking place throughout the SNP leadership election in which we reflect on the Sturgeon era and the future of Scottish politics. Previously, we spoke with Roza Salih and Darren McGarvey.The views expressed do not necessarily reflect my own. In this edition, I am delighted to bring you a discussion with George Kerevan. George is a journalist, economist and former SNP MP.
Neoliberal Politicians Are Destroying Glasgow
There is no euphemising the situation in Glasgow: the city faces a crisis in the wake of the latest council budget. The scale of the cuts planned by the SNP-led council is staggering.
Darren McGarvey: The chickens are coming home to roost
This week, we continue our new interview series taking place throughout the SNP leadership election in which we reflect on the Sturgeon era and the future of Scottish politics. The feature started last week, with Roza Salih.The views expressed do not necessarily reflect my own. In this edition, we speak to Darren McGarvey. Darren is the author of two widely acclaimed books. His first book, Poverty Safari: Understanding the Anger of Britain's Underclass made a huge impact on Scottish public life.
A new era in Scottish politics
This project is an attempt to generate a critical analysis of the SNP leadership from a pro-independence perspective. The core of my approach has been to illustrate the deficiencies in the independence strategy, the inconsistencies in the prospectus and the way in which the illusion of a referendum has been utilised as an electoral ploy. There has been a need to swim against the tide and cut against the grain to show why great declarations about the imminence of independence were misplaced.
What Now For Scotland?
For those in the know, Nicola Sturgeon’s resignation as Scotland’s first minister and leader of the SNP has been on the cards for some time. Among party hierarchy, it’s been a topic of open discussion. Media circles and the networks of patronage that orbit the Scottish governing class have long speculated about life after Sturgeon. But while rumours of her departure had intensified this month, leading to public rebuttals, now proved false, no one expected her announcement to come with such haste.
Unraveling the ScotWind scandal
Last weekend, the Herald on Sunday published a major story examining the ongoing scandal around ScotWind based on a new Common Weal report. ScotWind: One year on revealed Scotland is set to lose tens of billions of pounds in wind energy revenues. This follows a policy paper produced by the think tank detailing the disastrous consequences of Scottish wind privatisation. In this week’s newsletter, we speak to Dr Craig Dalzell, who has been at the centre of the research.
Sheku Bayoh’s Death Shows Scotland Is No Progressive Haven
Last week, the independent public inquiry set up to examine the events surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh in police custody reconvened. Bayoh, who came to Scotland from Sierra Leone as a teenager, died aged 31 in Kirkcaldy, on Scotland’s east coast, after being forcibly restrained by officers. The case has become one of the most high profile of its kind in Scotland.
The best we can do?
The following tells a story. One in which rhetoric consistently fails to match reality. Where democratic involvement in the policy-making process is usurped and ignored. And where headlines fail to materialise. In the process, the relationship between citizens and institutions disintegrates. Independence supporters must be able to properly appraise the record of the SNP leadership for the project to have a future worth its intellectual salt.
On Tom Nairn (1932-2023)
Tom Nairn, aged 90, died on Saturday. Born in 1932, his passing was marked across the political spectrum in 2023. Tariq Ali, who first met Tom in 1968, regards him as “one of the UK's most gifted” leftwing thinkers. “His work, agree or disagree, has always been intellectually exhilarating,” he adds.
The SNP Have Joined Forces With The Tories To Create ‘Green’ Scottish Tax Havens
Last week, in Inverness, Scotland’s first minister met with the UK prime minister for a working dinner. On the eve of a new pitched battle between the two governments, ostensibly around the Gender Recognition Reform bill, Nicola Sturgeon and Rishi Sunak found agreement on other matters. Indeed, they were in total alignment when it came to one issue in particular: freeports. Or as public relations advisors have badged them: ‘green freeports’, aka subnational tax havens.
The SNP at a crossroads
The constitutional impasse following the verdict of the Supreme Court raises numerous questions. In doing so, it also exposes an underlying weakness in the intellectual and political development of the SNP. Such a claim appears to jar with the party’s continuing electoral prowess. But now the SNP is at something of a crossroads.
2023 Will Be Make Or Break For The Scottish Independence Movement
Welcome to Scots Corner, a new biweekly column for 2023, focusing on Scottish politics. As we leave 2022, Scotland is entering a new political environment. This is the consequence of the recent supreme court ruling, which officially decided that the Scottish government cannot hold an independence referendum on its own.
Is this what democracy looks like?
Last week I managed to spend a few days in the Highlands (forgive the lack of a newsletter). There is, truly, no better place to find perspective. Listening to the calming sound of the water as it lapped into Cuil Bay left the noise of the building site outside the window where I write in the distance. The air is fresh, meaning you can inhale without navigating exhaust fumes or vape mist.
It is time to judge the SNP leadership
Thinking about the Supreme Court outcome in the midst of a World Cup, there is perhaps an apt metaphor we can draw upon. When Scotland plays Brazil, the result is not a foregone conclusion. On the day you wonder if against all odds, there be some kind of upset. For a minute before the announcement, I can’t deny that kind of feeling. That was my heart talking. Though not because the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the Scottish Government would have brought independence all that much closer.
Giving up the initiative
In 1959, John F Kennedy, then a Senator, made a speech in which he stated: “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis'. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger–but recognize the opportunity.” It had all the poetry and elegance of language for which he was known. Yet, in one respect, he was incorrect. The Chinese word for crisis, does not contain anything resembling the notion of opportunity.
The currency capitulation
We don’t need to rehearse the political events that have take place since 2014, here and internationally. The need for an updated case for independence is obvious. After a bland “scene setting” paper, and a threadbare “democracy” paper, it has to be said that expectations for the economics of independence publication were not exactly high.
Judge me on education record
Over recent months Independence Captured has sought to mark out some broad tendencies around the national question and the operation of the SNP leadership. Today, as SNP conference debates education policy, we zoom in a little, to examine the Scottish Government’s track record on this issue. I interviewed the author of Class Rules: The Truth about Scottish Schools, by James McEnaney, to explore the topic.
Chaos reigns...but is there an independence plan?
The period of “national unity” as part of the mourning period for the passing of the Queen feels like an age ago. In many ways this is not unexpected, given the morass Britain is currently in. Yet the scale of events was less predictable. The new Chancellor in delivering his so-called “mini budget” has alarmed the markets and the economic mainstream to the extent that the pound fell to its lowest against the Dollar that at any point in history.
Where is the independence case?
Welcome, readers, to another edition. Apologies for the slight delay in this week’s newsletter. It is written in my spare time, and that has been a little more limited over the last few days. First, some news. There are now well over 500 subscribers to Independence Captured. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to do so. To those of you who have taken out paid subscriptions, I hope you can see that it is not going to waste.
The SNP and the Corporate Lobby
As a socialist operating in Scotland, it is not an easy job to build and popularise a critical perspective of the Scottish governing class and the SNP. Often this is for understandable reasons, given the frustrations of the era are largely channelled through the UK Government. When it comes to the SNP leadership, the true nature of how they govern is subordinate to what has proven to be a well managed public relations campaign, feeding off Westminster malfeasance.
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