Independence is inevitable but we need a media that is up to scratch
Comment: Scotland needs a national broadcaster that sees Scotland as a nation, writes Carolyn Scott.
Scotland is stuck right now in a post-devolution, pre-independence hiatus.
We have control over our education and our healthcare, but not our welfare system or defence. We can change some of our taxes, but we can't opt-out from giving billions of pounds to projects that the people of Scotland just don't believe in, like Trident. It appears that independence is inevitable -- but this strange limbo we're stuck in is no good for anyone.
Throughout the independence campaign we regularly debated the most fundamental question -- what is Scotland? A nation, a country, a state? As that definition of what Scotland is changes with devolution, many other elements of what defines a nation are left trying desperately to catch up, and in the case of Scotland's media, some aren't doing very well.
Our cultural identity in Scotland has always been strong. When we speak of Scottish music, Scottish art, or Scottish literature, we can form a very specific idea in our head of what we are referring to. Our culture defines Scotland as a nation. We don't hear the words Robert Burns and think 'British', just as we don't think of Highland reels when someone says 'British folk music'. But it takes more than just culture to define a nation.
Devolution certainly gave Scotland back some of that sense of being a nation, and that sits comfortably within our cultural view, yet one thing which fundamentally defines a nation is its ability to communicate with itself, and portray itself on the global stage. That requires a national broadcaster -- an area which we don't have any devolved power over.
Sure we have some Scottish media but it's not owned by Scotland. It's provided for us by corporations, or in some cases now crowdfunded community interest groups. This model of media means that the news creators are always beholden to something. Something other than the simple task of reporting on issues of importance for the greater good of the nation.
Reporting on current affairs and news must be funded with a no-strings-attached mentality. Not to make a profit (that's highly unlikely in broadcast media), not to campaign for any cause or political ideology, simply to give clear impartial news. You only need to briefly look at our newspaper media to see the effect that corporate ownership has on news -- it taints it, it corrupts it, and it perpetuates this often ill-placed obsession with sensationalism -- because sensationalism sells.
We cannot, and should not, have a broadcast media that decides its headlines based on what sells, on what generates the most traffic, or goes "viral" online. And the only sure-fire way to ensure that there is a well-funded national broadcaster presenting a national news programme is to publicly fund it.
Devolution has led us down a path which will ultimately lead to independence. It has strengthened our national identity -- but we're now in the strange situation of being a nation without a broadcaster. The nation of Britain does have a broadcaster of course, the BBC, and it does a fairly sterling job at representing that nation. The problem is, the "nation" of Britain only really exists in media now. The BBC failed to keep up with devolution, and it's now stuck in the past, desperately trying to adapt to a changing Scotland.
I am not one of those who believe that the BBC was biased throughout the referendum. There may have been individuals within the BBC who chose to focus on issues they believed in but that will happen anywhere. In my view the biggest problem with the BBC is that it is a foreign media. Throughout the referendum it was simply doing what it was set up to do -- to reflect the nation of Britain.
Our "national broadcaster" does not currently define Scotland as a nation, it defines Scotland as a region. If you want to find out about the "big" issues -- foreign affairs and global conflicts -- you tune into a news programme beamed to you from London. You may hear the occasional Scottish voice but it's a London-centric outlook on global issues. We then get the Scottish news, a regional round up of car crashes and drug busts. And that leads us to view ourselves as a region. A region unable to discuss foreign issues, a region without a global identity. It's what allowed many Scots to believe they were "too wee, too poor, too stupid".
Independence is inevitable. With support growing following the referendum, and with the highest level of support existing in the youngest demographics, you're living in denial if you think it'll never happen.
The issue now is when and how, and there are a few options. We can continue down the track we seem to be on -- every few years campaigning for a few more powers to be handed over, in reluctance, after painful negotiations in which nobody really comes out a winner. This could go on for years -- how many more Scotland Bills will it take for us to get to the stage where someone just says, "look, you've got all the powers now, there's no more to give"?
I dread this process. I dread the atmosphere it creates within Scotland. I dread the continual incapability to change this nation because "we're still waiting on that power". It would be much healthier to just gain independence -- to have that opportunity to truly rethink what it means to be a nation. To build the nation that Scottish people want.
Independence is inevitable but we would probably already have it if it weren't for our confused national identity and our lack of a national broadcaster. The BBC shows signs of waking up to devolution -- the Scottish Six would be a very good start. I believe that if we had the chance to really see ourselves as a global voice -- one which is perfectly well qualified to discuss Middle Eastern conflicts, American elections, and global human rights issues, and to do so from right here in Scotland -- we would see ourselves as a nation. A nation capable of self-determination. A nation strong enough to stand alone.
In the meantime we live in a hiatus that does nobody any good. Unionist politicians will continue to cry out that the government is obsessed with independence and unable to accept the result, and the government will continue to struggle to mitigate cuts handed down to us from Westminster.
Commentary by Carolyn Scott. Carolyn has been active in documentary-making and new media for several years, most prominently as an executive producer with the feature-length documentary Scotland Yet, and throughout 2015 as a presenter and producer with NewsShaft -- an online radio platform dedicated to Scottish politics. Carolyn currently co-produces and presents the documentary radio series Eyewitness Scotland with Jack Foster. She has a very cute dog called Dougal.