UK increases own military assets in Ukraine.  Even before Russian invasion, the Britons trained at least 22,000 Ukrainian soldiers (Operation Orbital).   Couple weeks ago Boris Johnson has promised to train another 10,000, probably in Poland.  Since February, Westminster has transferred £1.3 billion to Kiev, supplied thousands of NLAW anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers and artillery systems, including NATO M109.  Apparently small, but significant symbol of the British influence on Ukrainian affairs is that the final of the Eurovision Song Contest, which was to be hosted by Ukraine next year, will be organised in… the United Kingdom. 

Only people who cannot recognise changes in international politics may still think that the Ukrainian game is being played by (only) Russia and the United States.  Of course, the American hegemon still keeps general control over entire geopolitics of the Western hemisphere, but its choking economy forces the division of tasks.  The reality is that if the US does not focus on the Chinese question, it will not only lose its (already broken) primacy of the World’s first economy.  America will also be dethroned as the most important centre of global capital, which is already considering whether to change the side supported.  Howbeit Washington dominated and paralysed Europe for so many decades not to leave it without the enlightened Anglo-Saxon leadership now.  History and geopolitics have come full circle, when we are witnessing a bizarre, but absolutely serious attempt to rebuild the British Empire.  Not Americans but jingoist Britons are main Russia opponents in Ukraine. In fact the Westminster has taken full control over the foreign policy (including energy security) of Poland and the Baltic States.  The phantom menace of the full scall war in that region, with at least partial participation of the NATO members is absolutely real.  And all of that when people in the UK face the most depressing decline of the life conditions since early Thatcher.

And then the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon is coming with a promise of the next year referendum, but not with a single word questioning pro-war and pro-austerity line of the Westminster.  Is it only a tactical mistake or obvious SNP emergency exit to avoid keeping promises?  There is no way to effectively provide pro-independence campaign in the realities of the war scare propaganda.  That would just a gift for the Unionists to let them ague “Only the British Army can protect Scotland!”.  And there will be no proper answer, when under SNP Scotland wants to be first to fight for the Empire again!  What kind of the (former?) leftist would send £65 million to Ukraine not as a humanitarian aid, but for military purposes, just to keep war going?  If Scotland, together with the whole UK, starts to be involved in the full war and support it, there will be absolutely no space for any kind of pro-independence and pro-social campaign at all.  And just opposite, war could and should be strong argument for the Scottish separation, politics of disarming and non-alignment with military pacts, as well as focusing on economic issues and preventing social costs of the financial and energy crisis.  Only there is one condition: we have to be against this imperialist war. Always and despite the circumstances and propaganda.  There is no other choice.

If Scots do not want to die for the British jingoism – they have to choose the independence.  Independence means no war for Scottish people and no need to pay for the Tories crisis.  Simple and true slogans can make our future.  Social and national transformation of Scotland simply has to be pacifist or will fail in the interests of Imperialists only.  There is not only the war menace over Europe.  Even in Scotland, among our old comrades we can recognise symptoms of the “consummated opportunism”, this well-known “fellow traveller” of any liberalism.  So, either we oppose that misdirection, or we can farewell our chance for the social justice in own independent state.