Last week, the question of Scotland’s future was declared ‘off-limits’ after a meeting between the Scottish First Minister and the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. But who has the right to set Scotland’s limits, and why? And shouldn’t we approach our ideas of Scotland with a greater sense of possibility and imagination rather than limitation from above?
Just before the new Prime Minister took up his post, he gave a pitch to Scottish voters via The Scotsman newspaper. But much of it was a copy-and-paste of pitches also sent to Wales and to regions of England, only with the place-names swapped around.
In his pitch to Scotland, the new Prime Minister advised Scots to follow his lead as Mayor of Manchester, and to ‘take greater public control of essential services such as water and transport.’ But water is already nationalised in Scotland, unlike in England where it was privatised, and transport is already a devolved power of the Scottish Parliament.
Likewise the Welsh media outlet, Wales Online, took issue with the pitch to Wales it received, saying it was ‘error-filled’ with regards to Wales.
In his first visit to Scotland last week, the new Prime Minister said he would not discuss ‘constitutional changes' (such as independence), and yet his pitch to England has been very much constitutional - advocating a structural rebalancing of power through devolution and local decision-making. So the pitch seems to be both constitutional change and no constitutional change, depending on where you are.
Who will speak for Scotland?
Earlier this year Scotland elected the largest pro-independence majority in the history of the Scottish Parliament, combining the seats of the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Greens.
No pro-Union party has won a Scottish Parliament election since 2003. Yet when Unionist leaders put themselves up to become First Minister of Scotland and Scots decide not to elect them, they can simply be elevated to a position from which we can’t unelect them - a seat in the House of Lords. From there they can legislate on Scotland’s behalf without having to ask anyone to vote for them again.
Last week it was the turn of Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, now elevated to a position for life in the Lords. This stands at odds with what Sarwar himself said about the Lords not long ago: ‘The House of Lords … has no place in 21st-century politics. It is unacceptable … to have unelected representatives wielding such power.’
Scotland’s political direction is often viewed as little more than an unfortunate error to be bypassed, circumvented or ignored by central authority. In England Andy Burnham speaks of decentralisation and power to local places, but his first act in Scotland was to declare our self-determination ‘off-limits’ and to elevate someone to a Lord in the Palace of Westminster.
Màiri Mhòr’s advice
There is a flagstone at Makars Court in Edinburgh, engraved with a quote from the 19th century Gaelic poet Màiri Mhòr nan Òran. The quote reads:
Cuimhnichibh gur sluagh sibh
Is cumaibh suas ur còir1
(Remember that you are a people / And stand up for your rights)
That feels like a message for our times. And couldn’t our independence representatives be far bolder and more pro-active in speaking up for Scotland and our democratic rights?
What I really want is an imaginative, creative, energetic Scotland, where instead of having our ‘limits’ set from afar we are free to pursue our own infinite possibilities.
This to me has always been one of the big prizes of Scottish independence - that by making our votes actually count for something we could have a much more empowered, representative, and imaginative democratic life.
A bit about me. I am a writer, illustrator, and map-maker based in Edinburgh. My work aims to make Scottish history and culture more accessible through a variety of unique creative projects. I am the author of 3 illustrated books covering Scottish history, culture, current affairs. My latest book, the Atlas of Scotland, uses hand-drawn maps and illustrations to tell Scotland’s story, including Scotland’s historic European and international connections. Here you will find links to my website, my online shop, and my accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
Quote from The Highest Apple / An Ubhal as Àirde (Francis Boutle Press, 2019)
Brilliant and thought provoking article Andrew, beautifully written to inform and embolden the troops! Hope we get there one day!
I was listening to an interview with Jerry Adams yesterday and the difference between how us English perceive the union and how the north of Ireland and Scotland perceive the union is stark.
It's noticeable that the leaders of Northern Ireland,.Wales and Scotland all want independence. I don't blame you. Why would you want to be lashed to the mast of Westminster?