I’M still light-headed after marching and rallying in Edinburgh. But the irony of marshalling in Johnstone Terrace in the lee of Edinburgh Castle can’t be overlooked. A fellow traveller from Edinburgh WFI, looking up at the castle, remarked: “Remember, they built that when we were an independent nation!”
But that is the only nostalgia I will allow myself. Not like Labour and their conference closing with 1972's Children of the Revolution, and the Tories starting with 1976's Dancing Queen. This backwardness on the part of the two main Unionist parties was furthered exemplified at the weekend with May attempting to woo disaffected Labour voters by claiming to offer not the ideology of right wing-ism, but policies and a future that is “decent, moderate and patriotic”.
Her article in the Sunday press further claimed that the Tories were a “party for everyone in our country”: another backwards nod to some notion of one nation of moderates, far removed from and far safer than Corbynism and Momentum.
READ MORE: AUOB Edinburgh march biggest pro-independence event in Scotland's history
The Tories know that their nemesis is Brexit and Scotland’s independence. But the paradox has to be that the Tory conference exposed more rifts than the Labour party, which for once held it together publicly with little or no massive fall-out. Neither party dared to break out from their Brexit woes potentially opening any other front. Telling, then, that the only blood-referencing came from Arlene Foster and the infamous remark that her red lines were blood lines, whilst side-stepping the future of a united Ireland, and a complete disregard for Scotland.
Richard Leonard waited till after his party conference to sack two moderates. Is this Leonard’s attempt to turn Labour here more toward the left and Corbyn, or merely machinations to disguise a lack of polices and any hope of governing either here or at Westminster?
Will Scottish Labour voters be fooled by May’s offer? Are they so craven they will openly vote Tory,or return to tactical voting to keep SNP out? Could May be so Machiavellian that her “offer” is nothing more than a gambit to frighten Labour moderates into breaking away to form that new party? Would some new party prevent Labour haemorrhaging to the Tories whilst again attempting to crush Corbyn?
Political parties, politicians and their policies should be able to change minds and voting patterns, not for party and ideological benefits but rather for the advancement of the country and us, the people. I don’t see that with either Tories or Labour. Rather the people and our future are viewed both cynically and speculatively.
READ MORE: LIVE: Nicola Sturgeon's SNP conference speech
I don’t believe there is any speculation about the inevitability of independence. Perhaps that’s why Saturday’s march and other gatherings are such threats. I don’t expect to change minds because I’m waving a flag or carrying a banner. Those events are for me and my ilk. They’re to energise us, remind us we’ve never gone away, nor are we alone, operating in our localised bubbles. That’s important, especially when you don’t belong to a political party or a group and all that comes with such clubby membership.
Consequently, Saturday’s march should reinforce the work we still have to do. There’s no point in remonstrating that Unionists don’t march in numbers anywhere like Saturday’s, nor that their Scottish party memberships are less than Saturday’s marchers. All they have to do is get the vote out when it matters.
So what are we doing to get the vote out next time, every time, until we win indyref2? It’s the messages we carry, the hopes and inspirations we bring with us.
Selma Rahman
Edinburgh
THE actions of the so-called “Constitution Reform Group” in putting forward their plans on how the future constitution of the UK should look highlight everything that is wrong with the House of Lords and the democratic deficit in this country.
Apparently a bunch of old Lords – with no consultation with even the devolved Parliaments/Assemblies, never mind the actual public – can sit in the House of Lords and put forward legislation that will impact on everyone. The arrogance of this highlights the contempt that these members of the establishment have for everyone else. Our views don’t matter.
The UK is not a fully functioning democracy while the House of Lords sits and those in that chamber have the power to propose, alter and amend legislation that affects everyone. Of course the Lords is stuffed full of retired British nationalist politicians and political hangers-on and donors to the various UK parties. In no way does its membership reflect wider society. It is a throwback to the days before democracy and should be abolished. The actions of the Constitution Reform Group simply highlight that the House of Lords is not fit for purpose in any country wishing to embrace democracy.
Cllr Kenny MacLaren
Paisley
READ MORE: House of Lords wants to reform the Act of Union to 'save the UK'
NOT content with the elected, albeit unrepresentative, House of Commons imposing rule on Scotland against its will, we now have the prospect of members of the unelected House of Lords, a legacy of royal power and privilege which has no place in a modern society, trying dictate the future of Scotland in the United (sic) Kingdom.
This group calls itself the “Constitution Reform Group”, but the lessons of history show that the UK Constitution isn’t worth the paper it isn’t written on!
If they were serious about reform, instead of entrenching the failed relationship between Westminster and Holyrood they would be working on ending patronage and elitism and replacing the Lords with a largely elected second chamber.
Pete Rowberry
Duns
FAROE is a county of Denmark with her own parliament. In 1973, Denmark joined the EEC but the Faroese decided not to be part of this agreement; the Danish Government and the EEC were happy with their decision. In 2016 England decided to leave the EU but, although voting to remain, the Scots were not allowed to express their decision. Can there be any justification for this difference?
D Stewart
Insch
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here