The journey towards Scottish independence was never going to be easy. It was never going to be a smooth path leading Scotland painlessly into a brighter future—it’s just not in our nature. It was always destined to be an arduous journey, one that requires painstaking effort to convince the majority that our country could be better through independence.
The Past
Since 2014, Scotland has endured significant and painful constitutional changes that lacked democratic consent. Rather than leading the way, we have been forced into a dystopian future by decisions made far beyond our control. It’s the same old story for Scotland – we are a mere afterthought in a psychodrama based at Westminster. A psychodrama which has left us facing widespread poverty, deprivation and hardship.
Yet we find ourselves trapped in the aftermath of Brexit, enduring a political system that perpetuates inequality and failure. This system gave rise to Brexit, Boris and PartyGate. It coddles and shields special interests, particularly corporate power, while the majority are left to struggle uphill just to lead a decent life.
Perhaps if things were different then this would not matter as much. Maybe if we didn’t defend the bank’s interest during the financial crisis in 2008, nationalising their debts while they engorged themselves on their profits then things would be different.
We may not have had to endure Tory-led austerity from 2010-15. The bedroom tax, disability cuts and Andrew Llloyd Webber flying back into London to vote for tax credit cuts, were a slap to the face to ordinary folk who had to suffer while they dined on excess. Maybe if there wasn’t a possibility of Nigel Farage and his right-winged band of clowns being part of the next UK Government then our need for Independence would not be as strong.
The Present
It must have been assumed that ten years after the first Scottish Independence referendum that Scotland’s flirtation with nationalism would have been a remnant of the past. There would be no way that the SNP were still in Government a decade later or that support for Independence would stubbornly stay at around 50%. It would have been thought that people’s opinions would change and that normal politics would return. Yet Scotland seems to be in a stasis, where 50% of the country disagree with each other about the constitutional future of Scotland.
For many in the YES side of the campaign the Scottish Indy referendum was a carnival of democracy. We made lifelong friends and gained colourful and vibrant memories that hint to the future we could have had. Those days are gone. Instead we are left with a greyscale future where our voice is silenced. Radical ideas and policies that would genuinely improve our lives are discarded, leaving us with a dire and precarious future where decisions, (more often than not, bad decisions), are made for us and every escape route from this madness is blocked off by technicalities or power grabs.
The Future
There is a reason why pro-union politicians can not explain the democratic route for Scotland to achieve independence. It can not be answered because there isn’t any. There is no democratic route for independence for Scotland.
Scotland is in the pernicious position of needing permission to even ask the question of independence. The Scotland parliament is toothless on this issue, reduced to a mere talking shop when it comes to our constitutional future. Despite being touted as one of the most powerful devolved parliaments in the world, it is impotent when it comes to shaping Scotland’s destiny.
The options left to pro-independence campaigners are limited and some are far from ideal. Civil disobedience may take us forward but on the other hand, it may also stall any momentum that we have and lead us no where. It would also stick in the craw if the campaign for Scottish independence erred into undemocratic actions.
Asking pro-indy parties to work together and put aside their differences to bring about independence is pointless. Each party has their own ambitions which often go counter to other pro-yes parties.
Asking pro-Yes activists to put away their principles for the wider good may seem reasonable but asking people to discard their principles for constitutional change does not always work. It is precisely those principles—often the driving force behind their political engagement—that led them to support independence in the first place.
They’re are no simple answers. It may be that the passage of time and our persuasive skills are our greatest weapons. But asking for patience when you’re getting smacked in the face isn’t an easy pill to swallow.
