I tell the story often of the Scout trip to Norway for an international jamboree. The Group Scout leader was also the local school janitor. A lovely man but Labour was for the working class. No argument or example my father offered him that voting SNP for independence worked.
The Scouts were to spend the first week in camp and then would be housed with families of the local Scout troop. The same for the leaders. During this week the Group Scout Leaders eyes were well and truly opened. This was the early 70s when things were quite different from now. The school janitor was placed with a leader whose wife was a cleaner at the local hospital. She took him to her workplace to show him round. She was very proud of the place she worked in. As she showed him round members of staff from all levels greeted her by her first name. He found this amazing. No-one at home was willing to listen though. Very few listened in the intervening years.
Throughout the week they all met up for activities, coffee and chat. The Group Scout Leader came away from Norway with a dramatic change in his political outlook. People in his level of work had far superior standards of living, family holiday homes, better services. They paid more in tax but they earned more. More impressive was the oil fund. A government that was forward thinking rather than throwing it all away on debt repayment, wars, whatever else the UK government were using it for.
Fast forward to last Saturday. The yearly Oliver Brown award ceremony hosted by Scots Independent newspapers. This year the award went to Leslie Riddoch for her writings, recordings and talks on how independence is possible.
I sat back to listen to her acceptance speech and very quickly started a wee smile. Lesley had had the same light bulb experience that the Group Scout leader had. The difference this time are twofold. The people are looking for information (well, those who have opened their eyes). The second is that Lesley, being the investigative journalist she is, went looking for more information. Asked questions of many people.
She embarked on what she thought would be a wee series of programmes called Nation. As most of the broadcasters would probably never touch such an idea she found a fantastic wee film team and looked to crowd fund. Sadly, from what she said on Saturday the first film may be the last. Seems funding is not forthcoming. I have found the link to watch the film on youtube here:- NATION 1 Faroe Islands – the connected nation
Please go watch her film. If you think it helps show please share her film. Please consider sending her some money to get the second one filmed
My eyes have been opened far wider after watching this film. 50,000 people whose only resource seems to be fish are achieving such remarkable things on 18 islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Scotland with 5,000,000+ people and with its cacophony of resources has the potential to be a staggering… (I’m struggling for words to describe it)… success story around the globe. We just need a few more people to have faith in their country of Scotland, to make it happen.