“Quo vadis? (Where are you going?)”, he asked. Jesus’ reply was : “Romam vado iterum crucifigi (I am going to Rome to be crucified again)”. The story goes that Peter was imbued with renewed courage and returned to Rome to continue his ministry, was arrested and duly crucified.
You might well ask what relevance this obscure story has to the YES campaign, so allow me to explain.
Over the course of the campaign, I have been pleasantly surprised, if not astonished, by the groundswell of activism that has been displayed by the ordinary citizens of Scotland.
The individual, self-financed, local YES groups are playing a role in the campaign which is, in my opinion, of greater import than that of national organisations such as YES Scotland, Business for Independence, SNP, SSP, RIC etc.. Notice that I use the word ‘import’ rather than ‘importance’ since I attach equal value to all who strive for the common goal of independence.
The import, or significance, of the grass-roots activism is such that politics in Scotland will be changed, radically, no matter the outcome of the September vote. Ordinary citizens of all ethnic, religious, secular, class, income and gender backgrounds have stood up to make their voices heard. This groundswell is particularly remarkable amongst the younger generation.
Speaking as someone who was steeped in the old party political tradition and who despaired at the disconnect between the ‘masses’ and the political ‘elite’, I have to confess that my own passion has been re-ignited by the commitment demonstrated by this new ‘citizen movement’.
It is, in my opinion, of the utmost importance that this commitment be carried forward post-September 2014.
Jim Sillars always makes a point of encouraging audience members to ‘not go home’ after the vote, but to continue their new-found activism by ensuring that politicians deliver the policies vital to a socially, and economically, just Scotland. Jim also challenges the audience to have the confidence to put themselves forward for political office in the Scottish Parliament, independent or devolved, and I agree with this in its entirety.
However, let me throw you a curve ball. While it is unarguably correct that ordinary citizens should strive for a parliament which more closely resembles the demographic of our country, there is another area which is of equal importance, that of Local Government.
For too long our councils have been in the hands of placemen and women who toe the party line and relegate the interests of their constituents to second place. In some cases, constituents are relegated even further by the obeisance of councillors and councils to ‘business interests’. Paid council officials are allowed to walk all over Joe Public with barely a bleat of protest from those who are elected by that same Joe Public to protect them and to represent their interests.
Witness the seemingly-endless school closure programmes, strange and unwelcome planning decisions etc.. Consider the practice of Glasgow City Council who allow their arms-length property department to charge Maryhill Food Bank a rent of £5,000. A food bank, for goodness sake.
Local councils have just as much, if not more, influence on the day-to-day lives of ordinary citizens. They are the providers and controllers of Education, Social Work, Housing etc..
It is noticeable that, for the most part, local councils have been relatively quiet and disengaged from the debate aside from those who make a point of barring YES groups from using council premises and those who instruct schools to give only the Unionist argument to pupils and to ban formal debate of the referendum question.
So to all of you, members of the new citizen movement, I say this: “Don’t leave ‘Rome’. Stay and fight the good fight. Represent your neighbours at a local level when the chance comes and remember that, for Peter, crucifixion was the ultimate triumph. Your triumph will be the delivery of true local democracy bereft of favour to ‘party’ or ‘outside influence’.”
“Quo vadis?”
“Right into the corridors of power so stand aside, if you please.”
Sam Gracy is the author of the novel 'Banks of the Molendinar'
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