E P Thompson & a 2nd Scottish Independence Referendum
I’m not sure (without further research) what the late E P Thompson’s attitude to Scottish independence might have been. We do know that he kept his landmark study of the working-class specifically to England recognising that there were other issues to address in Scotland.
The National, a pro-independence Scottish paper- has published a letter (extract below) which quotes Thompson’s approach to history as a reason why a second referendum should be progressed against a perspective advanced by Alex Salmond when the initial Referendum was lost, that this would mean the matter could not be addressed again for a prolonged period.
EP Thompson, the Marxist historian, used a particular methodology when examining history to establish facts. This was simply that in looking retrospectively at history, we had to look at the matter in the context of the times being examined. What I believe Mr Salmond was saying was that in his judgment, if the Yes side lost the referendum the SNP would be wiped out, both at Edinburgh and Westminster. In his eyes, if this happened it would indeed be a generation at least before the SNP regained power.
WJ Graham (East Kilbride) The National 23rd July 2019
Thompson’s perspective which we can only assume the writer is referring to is in the preface to the Making of the English Working Class. Thompson notes.. ‘they lived through these times of acute social disturbance, and we did not. Their aspirations were valid in terms of their own experience..’
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