Birth of a Phantom Revolution

Scottish Left ReviewIssue 33

Birth of a phantom revolution

Author: Aileen Orr
Aileen Orr describes how the cross-party Independence Convention came into being

Scotland is still a strange mix of cultures, clans and class mixed with the last vestiges of Calvinism and the occasional hedonistic, tartan-draped warrior who really shouldn’t have watched Braveheart so many times. Who are we? With so little positive media coverage about ourselves, its difficult to know. How can we talk about Independence, or the passage to freedom, if we don’t know why we want to go there, and is ‘there’ a bad place or a good place? The critics of the process declare doom and gloom, a poor third world country, taking handouts from anyone who wish to donate. I suppose the Barnett Formula is the kind of sanitised subsidy they allude to, a system of control, ensuring complete subservience, for when bellies are full, why bother complaining? When the rebirth of the new Parliament came, it was the cost of the building which provoked the most passion. Every aspect of the media attacked it, the taxpayers fumed and the Saltire never did fly, and yes, the roof did fall in. It was a frustrating start for everyone, though the conspiracy theorists did blame Tony Blair - who else? - for his unionist antics and careful manipulation of the Scotland Act, though I believe Donald Dewar did have a hand in it. The comedy of errors continued. It was the start of a loveless marriage with the Scottish people, and like most relationships it only had two places to go. It was on these rocky foundations the Independence Convention was conceived.A group of friends gathered in Kinross just to let off steam. Some were members of political parties, some not, some local, some from as far away as the Borders, but linked with a common aim - all felt they needed a voice. Most had been members of think tanks and discussion groups before, but frustrated by the lack of ambition, all had faded away and allowed their exasperations to fester. All had strong feelings about where they wanted Scotland to go, but no-one could agree in which direction the initial move should be taken. But it was agreed, independence was the core which held all the components together, and the movement was taking its first steps. The lack of any debate in the Scottish Parliament touching on independence had spawned a frustration with first the SNP and then the other parties and individuals purporting to support an independent Scotland. Though the members of the Independence Convention felt there was enough interested personalities to take up the challenge of raising the issue, it would mean members of all parties standing up to be counted and possibly the unthinkable; a uniting of voices. It was a tough remit, and many dismissed it as just plain mad. Although it had been attempted before, it failed. The burden became too heavy because political parties had tried to take over and power-grab ownership of the movement. This was prior to the new Parliament, and past attempts were just that; in the past. The difficult child had grown up enough to bite back.The inaugural meeting took place at the SNP Conference in Inverness 2003, with guest speaker Tommy Sheridan. In a room booked for 80, treble the numbers turned up, with a jumble of SNP, SSP, TV cameras and reporters, the bulk of the audience were forced to stand outside in the hotel car park while stewards inside had to open all the windows to allow them to hear the speakers. The atmosphere was electric, reminiscent of a 1970s trade union rally, but with the Saltire rather than the Red Flag. It was old fashioned politics at its best, feisty and fun, and the number of young people who stood through the whole proceedings confirmed to us we were on the right road; if the movement could attract teenagers and students, it could hold well when it came to stimulating interest within Civic Scotland and beyond. The media coverage was odd. The stance taken was that it was an attack on the SNP leadership, though the SNP were very much in the frame – Alex Neil had spoken on behalf of the Party. The content of Tommy’s speech was either not understood or just too radical for the delicate Scottish media, which had to appeal to some non- entity who ruled with an iron rod. In a ring-round of reporters we were told their stories were either pulled or sanitised. Independence was a silly notion which had to be exposed as just that, a prejudice which took over two years to wrestle with before the launch in 2005. It was obviously going to be a mammoth task to appeal to the media but the chances were we would have to go it alone and fight through newspaper politics in the effort to have our own free speech. We were, in effect, ASBOed by our own press.The negotiations with like-minded parties and activists became the battlefield for dominance due to, in the main, entering discussions with not likeminded people, and many of the group felt pretty disenchanted with the political power broking of some individuals. But we held our positions though it was only one spear per man/woman. There were many nights when meetings were so volatile, the individuals so centred to their own beliefs and status, it felt like continuous stalemate, where door slamming and character assassinations became a nightly ritual. We all felt a degree of battle fatigue and indeed did have to regroup now an again to rethink the way forward and regain some sanity. As we found out pretty quickly, success is a grim business. However, by this time in 2004 the Steering Committee, a sub committee of the main group, did include members of the Greens, SSP, SNP and pro-independence activists from civic Scotland who were working productively towards making the Convention viable and effective. The growing pains were disappearing, the troublesome child had become an adult.When the launch came on St Andrew’s Night 2005 we knew it would either fly or fall, for we were setting out our stall for all to see, and the night had to take the debate forward. Held in Our Dynamic Earth SNP leader Alex Salmond, Mike Danson an economics lecturer at Paisley University, SSP leader Colin Fox, joint Scottish Greens leader Robin Harper, Joyce Falconer performer and actress Elaine C. Smith all set the scene. There was something comforting in watching and listening to a group of people who are not always natural allies, laughing and supporting each other. Politicians have been cruel to the Scottish people. The scars of austerity linger on, but the craving is still there for freedom to make decisions alone. A few politicians gathering and agreeing on the subject of Independence, offering new platforms, is a first step, but it’s a long stride. The broad church was now sitting, and it felt good. But how to harness the strength of feeling and how to stimulate post-launch enthusiasm?The major concerns from the launch came back to media negativity. Despite the number of cameras, journalists and microphones the coverage was poor. In some newspapers, no mention was made of it at all - a phantom revolution. Seeking some solutions, we spoke to many journalists in private. It appeared the same problems remained from our fringe meeting in Inverness two years past, and yet the same prejudices and the same old excuses were back with vengeance (they had never really gone away). It seemed ironic that we had carefully nursed the project to this stage and the media was ‘frightened’ to touch it. Had the Scottish press created their own touchstone on independence? If you fear something you can either confront your nightmare or run away from it; so far, the broadsheets and tabloids had run a ten furlong dash leaving only a few brave soles to raise the dreaded ‘I’ word. For those of us working on the Convention, it seemed bizarre; the opportunity for debate had been missed, or deliberately dropped, from all but a few avenues of media exposure. If the launch taught us anything it was how to embrace people, not the paparazzi. But the struggle continues.We are left now to extend the hand of the debate to the Scottish people themselves. By taking the issue out to the regions of Scotland so often ignored, away from the central belt, the disenfranchised are offered a voice, an exchange of opinions and ideas. In addition we constructed a website for the new IT generation, another lifeline in rural areas too. Engaging with people through meetings in cold dismal halls has long lost its appeal, but the forthcoming launch of Artists for Independence is to fill the breach. Culture is a powerful tool. It has a cross generation appeal through concerts, plays and art which dig deep into the national heritage of all Scots. Its difficult to hear how we speak, our accents, the way we look, and our humour. Being a Scot is rarely portrayed on television, with very few exceptions and the mixing of races through the years has produced its very own brand of humour, yet to be discovered. By stimulating interest in performers and their art, we hope to highlight independence in a new form - not as an underground movement, but part of daily life. The music on local radio, the play on TV and the pictures we see on bill boards and advertising pitches, the radical idea of portraying ourselves is coming your way soon. Sooner, if Elaine C. Smith, The Proclaimers, Dougie Maclean and friends have anything to do with it, which they will.The first task of the Convention was to stimulate debate on Scottish independence, and the forum to be the voice for everyone, for and against. It has been a long and demanding road with high emotion and a considerable amount of soul searching. But the humour and camaraderie evolving from these hard times has enthused us all. As the movement towards Independence progresses, and the unionist hold on the media loosens, only then can free discussions and debate broaden to include everyone who lives and works in Scotland. For those living outside the country, an opportunity to link into, and to be part of, a living, breathing nation with hopes and aspirations for itself. If Scotland is ever to be more than a flag in the wind, its people need to shake off their subservient past, and all the baggage which goes with it, and to look into their future with the same aspirations as any nation. The Scots first task though is to find a mirror and start to recognise their own reflection.

Aileen Orr is the Chair of the Independence Convention Steering Committee