Looking to the future after a decade of division
Jamie’s Journal by Jamie Stone
On March 30, 1989, I put my name to the Claim of Right for Scotland. This was the document that declared the people of Scotland sovereign, and demanded a devolved parliament.
On that day, so did all the Scottish Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs (bar Tam Dalyell). I was there as a councillor representing Ross and Cromarty, as were representatives of all the other councils in Scotland.
Ten years later in 1999, I was elected as one of the first members of the newly established Scottish Parliament.
These memories come to mind as this year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Scottish Parliament. As we approached the milestone, I began to wonder if the parliament we see today is the picture of optimism and enthusiasm that we envisaged back then.
First and foremost, it’s worth noting that none of the SNP MPs in 1989 signed the document. Indeed, they took no part in drawing it up either.
This was particularly pertinent in 2018, when the then leader of the SNP in Westminster, Ian Blackford, introduced a motion praising the Claim of Right, and chastising present politicians for seeking to undermine its precious values. Upon learning of this, I allowed myself a wry smile in the Chamber of the House of Commons as the only person present who had helped draw up and then sign the document in question.
People like me saw the Scottish Parliament as - to quote the late John Smith - “the settled will of the Scottish people”. In other words, a Scottish Government that was comfortable with its place within the United Kingdom and content working with the UK government and devolved parliaments to deliver the best for the people of Scotland.
Back then, it was envisaged not unlike a healthy marriage – based on cooperation, teamwork and friendship. Not the toxic and competitive power play it has since become.
Going back to when the Queen came to open Holyrood on July 1, 1999, I can still recall the huge crowds which thronged the Royal Mile as we – the 129 newly elected members – walked up to the Mound to take our seats. The optimism was quite tangible. One lady in the crowd put it to me nicely: “I may not know who you are pal, but more than likely I ken your auntie.”
In other words, Scotland is a family. As the Concorde and Red Arrows flew over Edinburgh, we felt as if the future was very rosy indeed.
Fast forward to today.
It has not been a happy experience these last few years. Acrimony and division grew as the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 approached. The atmosphere became very different to what we had hoped in 1999, and it hasn’t been the same since.
I’m a proud Scot, and always have been. So, for me, these were dark times coloured by infighting, aggression, agony and resentment. It divided a nation, setting neighbour against neighbour, pitting brother against sister. I never want to see anything like that in my beloved Scotland ever again.
And yet today – for the first time in years – I feel times could be changing for the better. Political differences aside, I do detect a change of approach on both sides of the border.
So now here I am, sitting in Westminster 35 years after my name was put to the Claim of Right for Scotland. As they age, many politicians change their view. But on this, my values have never wavered.
I was the youngest councillor in Ross-shire back then – and I am now 70. I can see that we have a huge amount of work still to do. It is more important than ever that today people like me – and all who care about good relationships between fellow Scottish citizens – remain mindful of the way that the Claim of Right originally intended. Not just within Scotland, but how it was intended to strengthen our relationship with our neighbours on the other side of the border. After all, we are all Jock Tamson’s Bairns.
As I sit at my desk today, I can’t help but ponder on the recent turn of events. It’s been 10 years since the independence referendum, and the one actor who had the greatest trouble accepting the denouement has departed the stage for good. He simply couldn’t accept the past.
Unfortunately, the reality is that nothing any of us do today can ever change what’s been. But we can change the future…
• Jamie Stone is the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross.
