Independence campaign

Media Matters; how the media reports on indepencence matters

Stephen Richard — Sun, 10 Oct 2021 17:43:44 +0000

Media Matters; how the media reports on indepencence matters

Primary Author or Creator

David Patrick

Stephen Richard Sun, 10/10/2021 - 18:43

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Common Weal

Alternative Published Date

2021

Category

Media

Type of Resource

Podcast

Fast Facts

Craig talks to David Patrick, author of recently published book Front-Page Scotland which looks at how stories about Scottish independence were reported in the newspapers throughout the 2014 independence referendum campaign.

More details

Episode 102 of the Common Weal Policy Podcast

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/podcast/the-common-weal-policy-podcast-episode-102/

Keywords

news media

Scottish economy

Independence campaign

Language English

The Case for Scottish Independence; a History of Nationalist Political Thought in Modern Scotland

Stephen Richard — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 12:06:28 +0000

The Case for Scottish Independence; a History of Nationalist Political Thought in Modern Scotland

Primary Author or Creator

Ben Jackson

Stephen Richard Fri, 09/24/2021 - 13:06

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Cambridge Univerity Press

Alternative Published Date

2020

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Book

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

209pp

Fast Facts

An influential separatist Scottish nationalism began to take shape only in the 1970s and achieved its present ideological maturity in the course of the 1980s and 1990s. The nationalism that emerged from this testing period of Scottish history was unusual in that it demanded independence not to defend a threatened ancestral culture but as the most effective way to promote the agenda of the left.

Resource Address (URL)

https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-case-for-scottish-independence-a-history-of-n…

Keywords

independence

Independence campaign

Scottish politics

Scottish nationalism

Scottish politicians

Language English

Online Allies and Tricky Freelancers: Understanding the Differences in the Role of Social Media in the Campaigns for the Scottish Independence Referendum

Stephen Richard — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 11:36:08 +0000

Online Allies and Tricky Freelancers: Understanding the Differences in the Role of Social Media in the Campaigns for the Scottish Independence Referendum

Primary Author or Creator

Ana Ines Langer

Stephen Richard Fri, 09/24/2021 - 12:36

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Michael Comerford, Des McNulty, University of Glasgow

Date Published

Fri, 11/01/2019 - 12:00

Category

Media

Type of Resource

Research article

Length (Pages, words, minutes etc...)

Political Studies, Volume: 67 issue: 4, page(s): 834-854

Fast Facts

some campaigns – like Better Together – selectively adopt digital tools that fit with the command and control model; in other cases – like Yes Scotland – the application of digital communications technologies and the dynamics created by linking to other (digital-enabled) grassroots organizations can have transformative effects.

More details

Using the 2014 Scottish independence referendum as a case study, this article asks first, to what extent is the use of digital communications technologies, in particular social media, associated with fundamental changes to campaign organizations, specifically to the command and control model? Second, under what conditions are challenges to the model more likely to emerge? Using mixed methods, our analysis of the case demonstrates that radical organizational or strategic change is not inevitable, nor is there a one-size-fits-all approach. Technologies are not ‘just tools’ that any campaign with enough resources will adopt in similar ways. Instead, depending on a number of interdependent factors (i.e. context, resources, strategy, organizational structure and culture), some campaigns – like Better Together – selectively adopt digital tools that fit with the command and control model; in other cases – like Yes Scotland – the application of digital communications technologies and the dynamics created by linking to other (digital-enabled) grassroots organizations can have transformative effects.

Paywall access

Resource Address (URL)

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0032321718811252

Keywords

Social media

Believe in Scotland

Yes Scotland

Independence campaign

Language English

Within Our Grasp

Stephen Richard — Sun, 12 Sep 2021 06:49:55 +0000

Within Our Grasp

Primary Author or Creator

Robin McAlpine

Stephen Richard Sun, 09/12/2021 - 07:49

Additional Author(s) / Creators

Common Weal

Date Published

Thu, 01/24/2019 - 12:00

Category

Independence

Type of Resource

Policy Paper

Fast Facts

A campaign strategy that will apply maximum pressure on the Westminster Government and achieve independence within three years of its commencement.

More details

― The independence movement has many strong advantages just now but needs to be more realistic about its weaknesses. By far and away the biggest weakness is that we still do not demonstrably and consistently carry a majority of Scottish voters with us. Until that changes the lack of majority will become a barrier sooner or later and since there is no prospect of a close-at-hand referendum there is no case for postponing further the development and execution of a campaign designed to achieve a consistent, substantial pro-independence majority.

― The final goal of an independence movement is an agreement with rUK. The easiest way to do that is to agree mutually on a binding referendum and negotiation process (effectively a Section 30 Order) but there are other routes to reaching that agreement – so long as we remain focussed on getting there.

― The only routes to independence that should be categorically ruled out are anything that involves violence or anything that expects it to be achieve under UK law but without a public vote. The former is simply unacceptable, the latter is an illusion that won’t work.

― They can then be ranked in desirability but we should not make too many assumptions about ‘which one will work’. They all lead back to negotiation with rUK – even a unilateral declaration of independence would have the goal of quickly achieving an agreement. The only mistakes would be either to rule out options or to pursue them too quickly.

― An escalating Pressure campaign implemented in a properly coordinated way will make it harder for the Westminster Government to continue to refuse the democratic mandate of Scotland.

― The campaign will be escalated as quickly as the Scottish public allow and to the point where it becomes politically more “painful” for the UK Government to refuse independence than to recognise it.

― A non-party campaign vehicle should be formed to coordinate the pressure campaign and a “Transition Council” of experts charged with beginning the process of setting up the infrastructure of independence would serve both to signal that we’re serious with our campaign and to build public confidence in the transition to independence.

― It is estimated that it would take around three years from the commencement of the campaign to build sufficient pressure to result in independence. The longer we wait to start, the longer it will take to finish.

Resource Address (URL)

https://commonweal.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Within-Our-Grasp.pdf

Keywords

Independence campaign

Independence referendum

Independence negotiation

Unilateral secession

Language English