History o ers up a lesson for our cause

IT was striking during the week how many times the inauguration of John Swinney was referred to as a historic moment. Indeed it was, as the change of the head of any government will be recorded in history.

Some months ago, I promised to give my views on how Scotland’s independence can be regained and this seems an appropriate time to do so, because it was 25 years ago this week that the Scottish Parliament’s second incarnation met for the first time.

Everyone with an interest in Scottish politics and history remembers the late Winnie Ewing’s memorable opening words: “The Scottish Parliament, adjourned on the 25th day of March in the year 1707, is hereby reconvened.”

I also recall Donald Dewar’s powerful speech that day: “There shall be a Scottish Parliament.

“Through long years, many long years in the case of many of us, those words were first a hope, then a belief, then a promise. Now they are a reality.

“This is indeed a moment anchored in our history. Today we can reach back to the long haul to win this parliament, to the struggles of those who brought democracy to Scotland, to that other parliament dissolved in controversy over 300 years ago.

“Today we can look forward to the time when this moment will be seen as a turning point – the day when democracy was renewed in Scotland, when we revitalised our place in this, our United Kingdom.”

Now obviously I disagreed with

Dewar over those final few words, but 25 years and seven first ministers later, the Parliament is still here and while it does not get everything right, the Scottish Parliament has led to a sense of renewed confidence in ourselves, a feeling that we really can run our own aŒairs.

Regular readers will know that I try not to write about events, anniversaries, matters and issues that are less than 50 years old – Sir Walter Scott thought 60 years was a suitable waiting time – but I would also point out that it was 30 years ago today that John Smith, the best prime minister we never had, died suddenly of a heart attack. In retrospect, the dream of Labour died with him, and the party in Scotland has become so in thrall to the Union that it cannot ever be the people’s party again – for polls show that half of the people of Scotland want to end the Union.

In September, there will be another milestone to mark. It will be 10 years since the independence referendum, and we must mark that anniversary not with gnashing of teeth and wailing but with a renewed sense of purpose to go about gaining independence.

As a history writer, I want the Scottish Government, the SNP, Scottish Greens and all those who voted Yes and those who have since been converted to our cause to learn from Scotland’s history, ancient and modern.

We must stop all talk of achieving independence as if it’s a new concept. Rather all our utterances, written and verbal, should state that we want to REGAIN our independence, emphasising that from 843 – the year King Kenneth MacAlpin united the

Picts and Scots under his rule – to 1707, Scotland was a sovereign independent country and recognised as such by popes, European monarchs and even English kings and queens. Except, of course, for Edward I and the dictator Oliver Cromwell.

It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant many Scots are about this nation’s long history, but then the teaching of Scottish history in schools was positively discouraged by British governments.

Mentioning British, we must not ignore the fact that Scots played a vital role in the building of the British Empire and that this nation had its share of slavers as well as soldiers and sailors who fought for that Empire. The British Empire has been dead as a dodo for many decades now, and despite the odd nod to tartanry and the pipes and drums, what we see now is a Britain that is based around the concept of English exceptionalism – hence Brexit, which frankly is the biggest single recent reason for Scotland to leave the Union.

Donald Dewar spoke in 1999 about the “many long years” it took to create the renewed Scottish Parliament. It is my firm belief that we must learn a major lesson from our history and not rush to a new referendum before there is a solid majority – say 55% for a year – in the polls for Yes. That will take time, possibly a long time, and one of the major planks in the approach to gaining that majority must be to educate all our people about Scotland’s history. If people knew of Scottish successes in the past, they might just conceive of us going on to greater success outwith the Union.

I also strongly believe that we are now so diŒerent from England that reality needs to be recognised and the Union ended, and we know a lot of English people feel the same.

So how do we get out of this unequal Union? By politics, that’s how. The first target must be for a majority of those voting in an election to vote for parties that advocate independence, chiefly the SNP and Greens. Without that majority vote, the Unionists can legitimately say that Scots are not united in wanting independence. With that majority, we can argue at Westminster for a second referendum, and if it is not granted then the Scottish Government of whichever hue must be ready to “go international” as I put it, appealing to the United Nations and the various international courts to give we Scots the right to self-determination. UDI? Why not?

Again, a lesson from history – for hundreds of years, Scotland dealt as an independent nation with other countries, and the Auld Alliance with France, for example, could be rekindled in a heartbeat.

Constitutional issues – monarchy or republic, in the EU or not and the reform of our political and legal systems – must be set aside until independence is won.

It is going to take time, but history shows us that all the greatest journeys start with a single step.

Let us start by invoking the concept, the notion, the IDEA of Scotland.

It’s a beautiful idea.

If people knew more of our past, they might then believe in success outwith the Union