We hope you had a great Christmas and Hogmanay and a good start to 2024!
Many of us will be glad to turn the page from 2023, which was a challenging year for Scotland, Europe and the world. However, in this newsletter we want to reflect on some of the positive things that happened in 2023 that make us hopeful for the future, as well as anticipate our plans for the new year.
2023 began with the sad news of the death of Tom Nairn in January. Nairn’s forward-thinking vision of an Independent European Scotland has been impactful for generations of activists, so it was fitting that his intellectual legacy was honoured at a conference in Edinburgh in November. It was an inspiring day which called for “a new era in British politics” as argued by Anthony Barnett, a good friend of Nairn’s and the driving force behind the conference. We felt particularly inspired by the words of Joanna Kopaczyk, who asserted that Scotland’s welcoming and inclusive civic nationalism could be a much needed role model for Europe. We strongly agree and would very much encourage you to watch Joanna’s talk here if you have seven minutes, or the whole conference here, if you have eight hours. May 2024 be the year when we manage to be true to Tom Nairn’s legacy and its promise to transform both British and European politics.
2023 was also a year of change for Scotland with the resignation of First minister Nicola Sturgeon in February and the election of Humza Yousaf in March. Amidst a lot of negative press, and the general focus on the coronation of yet another unelected monarch as the head of the British state in May, it hasn’t been an easy year for the Scottish government. However, support for independence remains as strong as ever, illustrating that the independence movement has always been far larger than the popularity of any one politician or party.
Likewise, crucially for us, support for Scotland’s European future remains very high. That’s why last November we started a new petition, which calls on Europeans to remember Scotland as they plan the EU’s future enlargement. The official launch, on St. Andrew’s day, featured an inspiring online debate with Lesley Riddoch, Morag Williamson and Olaf Stando.
While Scots miss Europe, they too are missed across the continent, and nowhere more so than in France, where the Auld Alliance has not been forgotten, as Claude Detrez conveyed so eloquently at last September’s rally in Edinburgh. Franco-Scottish ties will once again be celebrated at multiple festivals in France this summer and we at Europe for Scotland can’t wait to once again bask in the joyful atmosphere of the Festival Écossais, which Jane Mackinnon describes beautifully here. If you’re planning to attend this or any other European Scottish festival in 2024 do let us know and hopefully we can put you in touch with others that are also going.
So how can we build on the enthusiasm, the intellectual exchange and the positive energy that we witnessed at European Scottish festivals, at Yes rallies in Scotland and at the conference honouring Tom Nairn? First of all, of course, by continuing to be part of such events in Scotland, the UK and across Europe in 2024. But with European elections looming this June, we also have a more imminent and hopefully impactful plan on how we can contribute to put Scotland on the agenda across the continent.
The European elections will be about the future of Europe, as the new Parliament will oversee sweeping reforms as well as EU enlargement. The speedy decision to start negotiation for Ukraine’s accession illustrates that the EU has come a long way in offering a European future for countries whose people have demonstrated a strong desire to join. However, as plans for the EU’s future are drawn up, Scotland won’t feature in them unless we make a collective effort to ensure it remains in the hearts and minds of Europeans. This is why we ask all Scots to sign our petition to include Scotland in the conversation on EU enlargement.
So here’s our resolution for 2024: armed with the signatures on both our petitions, we will pressure MEP candidates to take a stand on Scotland ahead of the election.
Will you join us in this resolution and do your part to keep Scotland in the conversation about the EU’s future? Sign our petition and get 3 or more other people to sign it. Together, we can make a difference.
In European solidarity
EfS team