I HAVE read with interest the view expressed by several of your correspondents regarding the need to have independence front and centre in the manifestos of all parties purporting to support it. I have absolutely no disagreement with that. It is absolutely essential.
Where I take some issue is with the assumption that declaring for independence is enough. Currently, polls indicate support for independence is running at around 50%, so that defines pretty much the limit of the turnout that can be expected if the campaign is run on a simple “independence or not” basis.
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I’m sorry to say that having about half the voters supporting independence does not constitute a mandate, as by definition the other half don’t support it. In reality it’s likely that a fair few of the 50% will take cold feet following a Project-Fear-on-steroids election campaign, and a others will vote SNP/Alba/Green around about the time hell freezes over. That means a lot more than half of people need to be convinced of the need for independence before the election campaign starts.
With the options available at Westminster right now it shouldn’t be all that difficult, but it needs the parties involved to get down to defining what could be better in an independent Scotland. There’s no lack of source material from Common Weal, Believe in Scotland, the Scottish Currency Group, Lesley Riddoch and many other thinkers.
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People need to be persuaded, but only the already converted like you, dear reader, delve into the details of the various debates themselves. Not everyone agrees on everything. They never will. That’s the nature of democracy. The ideas discussed do, however, paint pictures of how we could do so much better if we weren’t shackled to a state with so many faults and self-delusions.
The key is to highlight these faults: belief in the need for austerity, fixation with low levels of taxation, acceptance of the inexorable decline in public services, nostalgia for the power of a long-gone empire and so on. Explain why none of the UK political parties can be expected to deliver any meaningful change, ever. There’s plenty of evidence out there to demonstrate that. Then identify what can be done better.
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Above all, this must be visible to and readily understandable by people who don’t generally get any more information on politics and economics than the media is prepared to feed them. The media has to be bypassed using clearly articulated messages of hope and opportunity, to counter the fear they continually pump out. Think about “Labour isn’t working” posters; Brexit nonsense on the side of a bus; The Vow. Think how successful they were. Then think how much more successful they could have been if any of them had actually been true.
As I have said before in these pages, arguing amongst ourselves about process without having won the argument is futile. First we need to recognise there is an outstanding argument and set out to win it. Public opinion will do the rest.
Cameron Crawford
Rothesay
I HAVE been reading the various letters in The National over the past while about the independence movement getting our message out to the general public, especially to the undecided section of voters, in regard to Scotland regaining its independence. As has been pointed out, short three-word slogans seem to be the way that works, as happened in England and Wales with regard to Brexit (Take Back Control) and in the General Election of 2019 where the Tories won using again another one (Get Brexit Done).
My wish is for posters across Scotland to be used in the same way to try to persuade the necessary majority that the time for independence is now. My suggestion would be a simple one: “INDEPENDENCE MEANS PROSPERITY”.
I would love to see more three-word slogan suggestions from other indy supporters.
John Vosper
Port Glasgow
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