Yesterday the National Collective released a letter signed by over 1,300 artists in support of Scottish independence, with unsurprisingly strong representation from the Scottish literary world. I signed it (Duncan Lockerbie), as did Tapsalteerie poets' Bill Thom (
The Quait Chiel) and Calum Rodger (
Know yr Stuff), as well as Alice McGrath, who we worked with to republish Tom Mcgrath's
Sardines.
The letter is an important contribution to the debate, much more so than the opinions of celebrity A or celebrity B, or whoever it is that campaigners have decided to wheel out in support of their viewpoint this week. The letter shows a genuinely strong level of support for independence from people who live, work and create in Scotland. It shows that independence is not just for "nationalists" or, if it is, then it's not in the same sense and with the same connotations that the term "nationalist" usually carries. Support for Scottish independence doesn't come at the expense of other races, cultures or nations. In fact quite the opposite: for many an independent Scotland is an oppportunity to build a more inclusive, fairer and equal society, regardless of who people are or where they come from.
The fact that so many artists have signed this letter shows that independence would certainly not be, as
Will Hutton put it in a Guardian column this weekend, "the death of the liberal enlightenment before the atavistic forces of nationalism and ethnicity". Quotes like that, and sadly the opinion is shared by many, show a lack of understanding of the variety of motivations for supporting independence. It also betrays a lack of engagement with the people at grassroots level who have been pushing for it.
So far I've kept Tapsalteerie out of the debate. We're publishers, not political campaigners, and there are people more expert than us who'll do a much better job at that kind of thing. But as a fledgling publisher, one of the few who publish Scots language writing, and as somebody with a - very modest - part to play in the cultural life of Scotland, it would simply be weird for me not to not say anything at all. Especially considering the role that writers have played in developing ideas of Scottishness, as well as my role in helping Scottish writers make their work available to the public.
So I was delighted to put my name, on behalf of Tapsalteerie, to this eloquent and inspiring statement:
We believe that Scotland can and should be an independent country.
We believe that Scottish culture will flourish come what may, but that political independence will give the people of Scotland the opportunity to build a better country, both socially and politically. We believe that our culture is shaped by how we choose to conduct politics, and that democracy is better served with power closer to home. We believe that with independence the people of Scotland and their elected representatives will be able to address the issues Scotland has to face as a nation.
We understand there are uncertainties. We embrace them. We understand that a yes vote is not a panacea to solve all Scotland’s ills. We are not voting yes because we think Scotland is better than other countries. We are voting yes because we believe it is equal to them. We are voting yes because we have imagined a better country. Now, we want to build it.See more, including the full list of signatories.
