Sense and sensibility

The decision to postpone the Holyrood debate on Thatcher's legacy is a triumph of sense and sensibility in Calton's opinion. Whether or not there is such a thing as society is a pertinent question in 21st century Scotland and worthy of debate. Delaying it by one day will hopefully ensure that MSPs from all parties can contribute their views and will avoid the slur of insensitivity being cast upon the Scottish Parliament.

There is no doubt in Calton's mind that there has been a marked decline in neighbourliness and a marked increase in insularity in many areas of Scotland since the 1970s, particularly urban areas. Whether this was caused by Margaret Thatcher's policies or would have happened anyway is harder to determine. The decline of traditional industries and the sell-off of council houses certainly broke up some communities but can hardly be blamed for the rise of the individualism which now characterises our society. Communities are often born out of adversity and so it is more likely that the boom years of the Blair-Brown Government are responsible for the me-first-to-hell-with-everyone-else mentality we now have, although it may have its roots in the Thatcher years. Certainly New Labour did little to reverse Thatcher's policies; in fact the gap between rich and poor accelerated under their government. The question now is: how can we create a caring society? It will be interesting to see if any MSPs have the answer to this on Thursday.