SNP or socialists – who is right on NATO and sanctions against Russia?

Matt Dobson

Socialist Party Scotland and the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI) condemns the invasion of Ukraine and Putin’s imperialist actions. While we give no support to western imperialism and NATO whose actions have contributed to this crisis, we do support the building of a mass working-class movement in Ukraine, Russia and internationally against the war, occupation and in defence of the right to self determination. 

The widespread use of economic sanctions by the major capitalist nations internationally will without doubt hit the workers and poor, not just of Russia but also of Europe and the world. Energy price rises and food inflation in particular will likely soar, adding to the cost of living crisis. 

In contrast, the Scottish National Party (SNP) government in Scotland and their 45 MPs at Westminster have been fervent backers of demands for sanctions against Russia. They also enthusiastically back NATO’s actions who, like Putin, have blood on their hands for ratcheting up the drive to war. Both Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP leader at Westminster Ian Blackford have demanded “the harshest possible consequences” for Putin following the invasion of Ukraine. 

The SNP leadership’s fervent support for sanctions, NATO and western imperialism marks them out as indistinguishable from Boris Johnson and the Tories. Indeed, Blackford called on all parties at Westminster to “act together, stand together”as one in this crisis. They have also demanded the closing down of the Kremlin-backed TV channel RT. 

Historically the SNP had always opposed NATO membership because of its support for nuclear weapons. It was only in 2012 that the SNP conference passed a motion to support an independent Scotland being part of NATO, at the behest of then first minister Alex Salmond. Even then it only passed a delegate vote by 394 to 365. The SNP also opposed the 2003 Iraq invasion by Bush and Blair and the NATO bombing of Serebia in 1999. Although in the atmosphere post 9/11 it supported the NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

The SNP leadership’s continued rightward trajectory now sees them at one with the interests particularly of British and US imperialism. Their vision of Scottish independence quite clearly would involve Scotland as a committed NATO member. Last summer SNP first minister Nicola Sturgeon joined the chorus for NATO forces to remain in Afghanistan “for as long as is necessary”, after a disastrous twenty year occupation as the Taliban advanced to retake Kabul. 

Perhaps the SNP leadership can explain to those innocent civilians who have suffered NATO attacks from Belgrade to Libya, let alone Afghanistan over the past two decades how NATO is their to protect democracy? The reality is that NATO’s eastward expansion towards Russia’s borders has been a key factor in escalating this crisis. As was Biden’s position, about which the SNP leadership raise no opposition to, of increasing arms supplies to the Kiev regime and the NATO states around it.

Blackford and Sturgeon in the run up to the invasion attacked Johnson and the Tories for their initial limited sanctions on Putin’s regime and supportive oligarchs. They were joined in this by the Scottish Greens. Of course the Tories have many corrupt financial links to these individuals, although many workers will rightly raise the question during this conflict of why target just the Russian billionaires, and why only when Russia invades Ukraine? Why not take the wealth off all the 1%? 

The SNP leadership have also supported, uncritically, the Zelensky Ukrainian regime, which is an anti-working class, right wing authoritarian government that have also had links to far right and fascist forces. It has now further restricted democratic rights since this conflict started. It has also repressed the national and democratic rights of those in Luhansk and Donetsk often with shell fire. On this the Nicola Sturgeon has been silent.

socialist solution  

Socialist Party Scotland, unlike the SNP, genuinely believes in the right to self determination and democratic rights for all, including minorities. That includes full language and cultural rights and the right to autonomy or even separation, including for Russian speaking minorities inside Ukraine. This cannot be achieved under military occupation by Putin’s forces or by the reactionary capitalist government in Ukraine.

The support and solidarity that is needed is to aid the process of the building of an independent workers’ movement in the region, including fighting trade unions and mass parties that fight for socialist policies. On this basis cross community workers’ unity and democratically organised self defence against the national and ethnic divisions that have been whipped up could be built.

Socialists call for the withdrawal not just of Russian troops from Ukraine but of NATO troops from Eastern Europe. The SNP’s pro capitalist position means they cannot fight for the demands that would really end this war and the threat of horrific division and ethnic cleansing.

This would include expropriating the global arms industry, putting it under public ownership and workers’ control and moving production over for social use. As well as seizing the wealth, property and means of production of all the oligarchic capitalists internationally and laying the basis for a socialist world that would end war and conflict permanently.