Following demands for more radical action at SNP conference,campaigners set out their proposals for stronger legislationAs Andrew Sparrow reported on Friday, the SNP leadership suffered its only defeat of conference over land reform. After a vigorous debate, or delegates voted to remit a resolution commending the Scottish government’s land reform bill back by 570 votes to 440.
Of course,there’s no doubting the massive popularity of the SNP leader and the Still Yes enthusiasm of her audience. But SNP delegates increasingly understand there’s more to politics than the timing of the next referendum and more to being politically active than blindly toeing the party line. That’s why the land reform upset was hugely vital. It marked the appearance of a new force in Scottish politics – the grassroots of the SNP...
The review group recommended that the bill have provision that a holding company needed to originate in the EU to hold land in Scotland. The Scottish government’s line is that they left that out because the EU isn’t very good at identifying who is behind companies, but you shouldn’t not effect something just because it’s difficult.”The fact that 750000 acres of Scotland will still be held in tax havens by a global, and untraceable elite,is inexcusable. The removal from the bill of a measure which would have tackled this is partly whats caused such exasperate among SNP members and land activists, as now even the UK government have stronger proposals for this problem.whether the present bill can’t be amended to become more effective in making land more affordable and available in our lifetimes, or then SNP manifesto writers need to commit to a new land reform bill in the next parliament. Land reform is not just about one piece of legislation. It needs to be a generational shift. I know that in some quarters this has been characterised as a rebellion,but were not doing this to give the SNP a kicking. We’re exercising the democratic process that exists within the SNP. I mediate we’re an empowered party at the grassroots.
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Source: theguardian.com