Independent thinking in cultured debate

OUR seventh and penultimate nationhood debate saw a lively crowd at the Volunteer Hall in Galashiels getting to grips with the thorny issues of cultural identity, independence, Trident and economics.

The panel, chaired by David Lee, assistant editor of The Scotsman, featured Chris Ballance, Green MSP for South of Scotland, his Conservative counterpart Derek Brownlee, Christine Grahame, SNP MSP for South of Scotland, Catherine Maxwell Stuart, Lady of Traquair and Labour candidate for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale at the May Holyrood elections, and Jeremy Purvis, Lib Dem MSP for Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale. Here is a flavour of the two-hour debate:

Q: 300 hundred years after the Act of Union, what does Scot-land mean to you in 2007?

CG: This is a historic moment in time and it's historic also for the Scottish Parliament, which is an infant parliament in many respects. In the eight years I have been there, I've seen its skills grow across all political parties and committees and I suspect there are others round this table who won't go the whole hog towards independence but will go many steps along the way.

JP: I don't agree with separation or independence. It's going to take more than one institution to solve Scotland's problems. Setting up barriers is a distraction. I agree with parliament having more powers, but we should be able to work with our neighbours.

CMS: I am firstly a Borderer, secondly Scottish, thirdly British and fourthly European. I feel Scotland should be much more confident. I often feel we are not proud enough as a nation and have a natural reticence which we need to lose. I also believe we come from the most beautiful country in the world. We need to promote it more overseas.

DB: Scotland means home to me. It is an extremely successful nation; we have always punched above our weight. I don't think all our problems are because we are not independent.

CB: Scotland to me means our land and our people. It also means environmental justice - looking after our land to hand it onto our children. It means social justice, creating a land where everyone has opportunities and those left behind are looked after. It also means bringing democracy from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament and local communities. If a referendum produces a majority on Scottish independence, that is the road we will go down. I dislike current policies which sends our troops to Iraq for someone else's war and which see British nuclear weapons sited in Scotland.

Q: Do you support the retention of Trident?

CMS: I'm totally against Trident. But it's not an issue for the Scottish Parliament. Should Scotland become independent, we just can't take ourselves out of NATO.

DB: Whether you like or loathe nuclear weapons, they have maintained the peace during the Cold War. In an unstable world, they are an insurance policy and we shouldn't forget the importance of deterrence.

JP: It's an issue for every citizen in the country. It's a travesty to say there's been peace in the world because of nuclear weapons and a travesty to say there's been consultation by Westminster.

CG: We already know where weapons of mass destruction are - they are in Scotland. We're talking about a different world since 9/11 - no nuclear deterrent is going to work against them.

CB: We have a commitment to use the law of Scotland to remove Trident from our soil. We will make it illegal to move weapons of mass destruction up and down Scotland's roads and into our waters.

JP: I oppose the replacement [of Trident], but we have to be quite careful not to enter into facile arguments such as Strathclyde Council passing a motion saying: 'We are a nuclear-free zone.' The SNP has to be clear what it is saying about NATO because Scotland could be under a treaty obligation to attack another country.

Q: Is a growing sense of pride and confidence in Scotland leading us down an inevitable road to independence?

DB: My hunch is no. But if it is the collected will that people want to be independent, that will happen. I don't see any conflict in saying we can be proud to be Scottish and proud to be part of the UK.

CMS: In the Borders, people can be independent and passionate in a small region. I feel we have been ignored by politicians for years. We are slightly closer now with a Scottish Parliament, but it is dominated by the Central Belt. That's what we should be spending our time fighting over, not independence.

CB: I think we are moving towards independence and our cultural identity is growing. It was Scottish artists, writers and the cultural community who were at the vanguard of the argument for a Scottish Parliament. Our people are much more confident and this leads to a sense of nationalism.

CG: Three hundred years after the loss of our independence, we have managed to retain elements such as a distinctive legal system. Our culture has sustained itself through centuries of attempts to Anglicise or even Americanise it. Even Thatcher's 'no such thing as community' failed here.

CMS: Do we all really believe we live in a country which is repressed?

CG: The way the BBC does stories on education, health and justice is all wrong because they are referring to English legislation which doesn't apply here. This is misleading to the public. The BBC should recognise there are now these component nations. [An] independent Scotland would have its own news bulletins.

DB: You have to be careful about thinking culture is determined by politicians. Americanisation does not come through an act of parliament - it's the way the world is changing. Culture comes from so many sources, and Scottish culture has lasted for centuries because it has its own intrinsic values.

Q: Does the Scottish education system still offer a unique kind of education or is it following the English model?

CMS: Our education system with its distinctive system of Highers and the four-year degree is one of the strongest arguments in favour of the Union. The English are almost pushing towards the Scottish system. But we should teach more Scottish history.

DB: I don't know how distinctive our system is. What we should be concerned about is what works. The Scottish education system in parts is very good but we are failing those who are not as academically able.

JP: Our education system is a jewel in the crown. We abolished league tables and have a more holistic approach.

CB: There isn't enough teaching of Scottish culture. Also, there is too much focus on teaching children to pass exams and not enough on being good citizens. The Executive has failed on its own targets of class sizes.

CG: I was one of five children and went onto to become an English teacher. That was when you could work yourself up from an ordinary background. But there are a number of children nowadays who are 'trapped' by lack of opportunities.