In the wake of Morgan

At the Opening of Parliament earlier this month our new Makar Liz Lochead’s poem ‘Open the Doors again’ saw her revisit, and reiterate much of ‘Open the Doors’ by Edwin Morgan, the poem she herself read at the Opening of Parliament in 1999.  While it was a moving tribute to her predecessor, it was also a timely reminder of the message of what Scotland expected, and still expects, of her Parliament. Both poems are powerful and the advice they offer worth heeding.

 Unfortunately, in the past Parliament has failed to heed those warnings. Voting down the Minimum Pricing Bill in one breath and the Supermarket Tax in another exposed the Unionist parties as ‘a nest of fearties’. But these poems, like all great poetry, prompt some introspection. This majority is a golden opportunity and if we fail to let the ‘light of the mind shine out’ of this session then the people will punish us and we will deserve it. There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic. I cannot be alone in thinking that this session of Parliament will be the reconvened institution’s coming of age. That ‘phalanx of forelock tuggers’ who merely managed the first two terms like a boat not to be rocked and hamstringed the ambitions of the third at every turn, are now firmly where they belong: in the minority.

The news that Morgan had left £1m to the SNP came as a surprise. Surprise not that he believed in Independence and that the SNP are the party to deliver it, nor at his generosity, rather surprise that poetry can make you a millionaire. It is profoundly moving to see a man of such intelligence, wit and foresight gifting such a large portion of his estate to the party and the cause.  It must also stick in the craw of all those who take an inordinate amount of pleasure in insinuating that because the SNP received a donation from Brian Souter that we are a xeno-, homo-, and anglo-phobic party, because, after all isn’t that the just the nature of Nationalism? Do they really think that Edwin Morgan would have donated £1,000,000 to that sort of Nationalist party? How do they square that circle? Any ideas please comment below.

There was some talk of erecting a statue of Morgan in Glasgow’s West End. That would certainly be a refreshing contrast to the horse fondling Imperialists and dour faced Slave Traders which pox our towns and cities. When it comes to statues we could learn a lot from Dublin. However, better than building just a statue let us work together to build a New Scotland of which Edwin Morgan would be proud. Then we can say, in a Latin harsh with Aramaicisms, “Si monumentum requiris, circumspice”. If you seek his monument, look around you.

Looking ahead

As you probably heard, we won.

Some of GUSNA and Sandra White MSP celebrating in GUU

Well done GUSNA and all involved in this historic election! As a society, and as individuals, we worked with a wide range of campaigns and talented, dedicated people. It was humbling to campaign alongside those whose hard work over the decades laid the foundations which made this result possible. Our celebrations were well earned. 

We do remember, occasionally, that we are also students.  Exams may be over, library books returned and Friday suitably Dafted but the campaign for independence doesn’t take a three month summer break so neither does GUSNA. We'll be taking some time to sort out our online presence so stay tuned for more web-based general GUSNAness. We will also be planning for the Inverclyde by-election, the Council elections, GUSNA's 85th Anniversary and the small matter the Independence Referendum. We have a great team at GUSNA and I for one am looking forward to an exciting, hectic year as we get ever closer to the achieving our goals and reclaiming Scotland's freedom. 

Damn, it feels good to be a Nationalist.

The view from the doorsteps...

GUSNA have been hitting the doorsteps of Glasgow pretty heavily this past week and the response is encouraging. Two common themes have emerged:

·         Swing voters are swinging in our direction. Those who are unsure are persuaded by the SNP’s record in office and many voters who were once proud to be loyal to the three London parties are turning away from them in disgust. Lib Dems can stand the Coalition and Labour voters are sick of being patronised. They are turning away from these hollow shells of once respectable parties and they are turning to us.

·         Independence. This week has been a real eye-opener personally on the issue of independence. While I always knew that many Scots disagreed with their preferred party’s stance on the matter, I had failed to realize just how popular independence is among the people. This past week I have lost count of the number of men and women I have spoken to whose passion for Labour, Lib Dems or Tory is matched, or even outstripped, by how passionately the support independence. No wonder the London parties are terrified of giving the people of Scotland their say on their own future!

The campaign has just less than a month to go and we are fighting hard for every vote. Pounding the streets all day, through all weathers is not always easy or fun and I must pay particular tribute to the four GUSNA members who battled through the horizontal rain at 8:30 yesterday morning to deliver surveys in Woodlands. We all get tired but I find that no matter how exhausted I am, I simply have to watch Andy Kerr on Newsnight or Iain Gray fleeing from voters with actual opinions and, as if by magic, I find myself full of energy and ready to do all I can to make sure these dangerous numpties never again get to control Scotland. 

Austerity cuts, cutting the chances of recovery

This powerful article, written by GUSNA's own Dan Paris, puts the results of the last Westminister election in their political and historic context and illustrates the dangerous situation the Con-Dem cuts have created . It first appeared on the excellent Newsnet Scotland website and is reproduced with the author's permission. 

It’s worth reminding ourselves how we got here.  In the aftermath of the banking crisis, we approached a general election at a time when national debt was spiralling out of control.  The leader of the opposition, David Cameron, argued that in order to control the debt we needed to implement deeper cuts and to implement them more quickly than the cuts proposed by the Labour government. Labour and the Lib Dems argued that this approach risked jeopardising economic recovery.  Nick Clegg said, "There isn't a serious economist in the world who agrees with the Conservatives ... [that] we should pull the rug out from under the economy with immediate spending cuts."

The economy was understandably by far the most important issue in the election.   Life was suddenly becoming more and more difficult for millions across Britain.   Unemployment was up.  After years of prosperity, many people were finding themselves sitting on an overpriced mortgage or credit card debt they couldn’t afford.  The public agreed that the national debt was too high, but the prospect of cuts to public services during already difficult times was difficult to deal with.

After years in the political wilderness, the Conservatives must have felt very optimistic.  They were against a hugely unpopular prime minister; a man who’d never faced election as party leader, lacked charisma, and who as former Chancellor could be blamed for the failure to regulate the banks.  They were in a prime position to regain their status as the natural party of government and sweep to power on a promise to undo the damage of years of mismanagement.

And yet, something interesting happened, the Conservatives lost the argument.  For the first time, televised debates brought the political arguments directly into voters' homes.  It was as close to a single issue election as we’re ever likely to see.  Faced with the arguments a majority voted for parties that rejected the Conservative plans: Labour, Lib Dem, SNP, Plaid Cymru.  Only slightly over a third of the electorate voted Tory. They were the largest party, but could hardly herald this result as any sort of victory.

Keep Reading...

NUS Scotland in Labour bias shocker!

This piece, which features on the NUS website, makes the staggering claim that ''the SNP have joined Scottish Labour [sic] in coming out against fees''.

http://www.nus.org.uk/en/News/News/NUS-Scotland-welcomes-SNP-commitment-against-fees

I attempted to comment on this frankly hilarious piece of revisionism on their site, but it has yet to appear. It may be languishing in moderator limbo or as I cannot see any other comments, perhaps such luxuries are reserved for card carrying NUS members.

Does NUS Scotland think the student's have been fast asleep for the last decade?

We all know that Labour are the party who introduced tuition fees through the back door, abandoning completely the principle of education as a right and the idea of the Democratic Intellect. The SNP on the other hand abolished the £2000+ Graduate Endowment in 2008 and increased student support. Without this myself, and scores of other Scots would not have made it to University, not for want of intellect, but for the unforgivable crime of not being born into wealth. No, it is not the students, but NUS who have spent the last decade asleep. When they wake up to the situation, or rather 'if', they will find Scotland and the world much changed.   

While I welcome Labour in Scotland's conversion to the principle of free education, forgive me for being skeptical, given its timing, and their track record. Everyone, even NUS Scotland, knows that it is the Labour group in the Scottish Parliament who have joined the SNP on this policy and not the other way round. It is the desperate acts of a party on the run, bereft of ideas, looking to the SNP for leadership. Well, they could learn a thing or two...free of charge!

Mike Russell and Sandra White on campus!

Another week on the campaign trail kicks off with a visit from two very special guests: Mike Russell MSP and Sandra White MSP. GUSNA were on hand to help with leafleting and speaking to students on campus. We managed to squeeze in a quick coffee with the  pair of them between their meetings with Student Representative Council President Tommy Gore and Principle/Pantomine-Villain Anton Muscatelli. It was great of Mike and Sandra to take the time to show their support for the students at Glasgow Uni at this crucial point in the history of Glasgow Uni. Cheers guys!

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