THE EU isn’t the enemy. It’s the continuing smokescreen originally used by the Tories, and this time round by a certain David Cameron and his inability to carry his eurosceptics. Having pandered to them by offering a referendum, then having failed to win any special concessions from the EU, he was left with no option other than calling the referendum.

The Tory party’s lacklustre “split” (for and against) campaign, and Labour’s “we don’t know who we are, what we want, not too sure about our leader” campaign inevitably saw the rise of the Leave voters. But who can blame those impoverished, both socially, economically, from years of Tory ideology from blaming the “other”, whether that was the likes of the nebulous EU, migrants, the desire to “control” everything that the EU “controls”, and thus voting to Leave?

And now as the rUK government rushes forward to “they know not what, nor have they decided what they really, really want”, we continue to be blatantly force fed the EU-bad narrative. Conversely, am I alone in thinking that’s there’s an awful lot of jingoism creeping into terrestrial TV? So many rousing, patriotism-heavy programmes, celebrating grand, historical royals (Elizabeth I and even earlier), the role of the navy, fighting off the very naughty Spanish (yes, mainland Europe) and last weekend the Coronation rerun?

Behind all this smoke-screening, there is an impotent rUK government toying with us during their parliamentary term time with headline-grabbing environmental policy attempts, and very little else in the way of a domestic programme. If any Scottish Government were to present a legislation-light programme similar to Westminster’s you can imagine the ridicule.

And that’s the smoke-screening again, hoping to disguise their wily ways and means (please, don’t depend on self-preserving Lords) of power grabbing – not least, but most importantly, agriculture and fisheries. Westminster may regard us as a leaching back water, or an unacknowledged source of income depending on which way the wind is blowing. But having used us and abused us over the centuries in an unequal “union”, will we sit by and let it continue? With the best will in the world, we know that our political aspirations as demonstrated through majority pro-indy MSPs and majority pro-indy MPs will not in itself produce independence.

Adding to that, we have a hung Westminster parliament in all but name, with the Tories dependent on and governing the likes of you and I via the DUP. That was achieved through bribery, plain and simple, and in my book bribery is symptomatic of corruption, and let’s face it, corruption is now a common currency in Westminster. Our MPs and MSPs will not deliver independence no matter their dedication, hard work and tenacity. We will.

We have to remember the grassroots, the everyday you and me and what matters to us. At various times and at various venues, with rousing speakers, writers and bloggers, we’ll argue the pros and cons of the EU, tax reform, basic income, currency, and more.

But in the end, going into the voting booth, it’s quality of life, better prospects for ourselves, our kids, grandkids, changing for the better.

We have to ensure that again, throughout 2018, we’re out there, even without an indyref2 date, answering doubts, challenging lies, rebutting slurs and smears. Putting that alternative narrative.

We can’t afford to be distracted by the Tories rerunning their old bogeyman. The EU isn’t the enemy.

Selma Rahman
Edinburgh