Now the Calman Commission on Scottish Devolution has provided its own contribution to the genre. Minutes from a meeting of the Commission's Engagement Task Group show that it has rejected public meetings in favour of focus groups:
A couple of questions immediately come to mind on this:
Who decides which focus groups are allowed to present their opinion?
Can I submit my opinion as a private individual?
If it’s a “yes” to that second one, then I don’t think there’s any need for public meetings specifically on the narrow range of themes and topics that the Calman Commission is empowered to deal with.
What I think could be a worthwhile idea would be for the Unionist parties to launch with the SNP and perhaps the BBC, a series of Scotland-wide debates in the run-up to the referendum, which, even following Salmond’s timetable, is less than two years away. The full range of constitutional possibilities could be argued upon and it would have the added benefit of luring the Unionist Elite out of their bunker and forcing them to meet the *real* people who will be deciding Scotland’s future.
5 comments:
The Calman commission intends to intereact with no one outside the Who's who list of Unionists. Not even the public that are so strongly unionist (they claim).
Contrast this with the National Conversation. I have been to a National Conversation town hall meeting in Larkhall(!)(O'Neill if you don't know it its the closest Scotland gets to Larne or some other red, white and blue town in NI) and it was genuinely really interesting with a large turnout and a vast array of views shown.
Calman is scared to even meet with the public, never mind hear thier views.
Calman is scared to even meet with the public, never mind hear thier views
I do worry about this kind of attitude in the longterm. Sooner or later they're going to have to "connect" with the Great Unwashed" (the majority of whom, I think are not strong conviction Unionists but passive ones, open to persuasion) and get them to vote to mainatin the Union.
If I can do it on here in my own small way, the establishment with their infinite greater recources, PR people and the like, are most certainly capable of fighting a much better campaign than they're doing at the minute
Unionism and Democracy seem to be at odds with each other a lot this weather. Why oh why are they afraid of hearing the people?
What about the other members of the Union? Why is it always Scotland that gets to decide with everybody else just having to accept their decision?
Let's have a real debate about the Union and involve all its members.
It seems to me that by appearing to threaten the Union you ensure that your interests are addressed.
This implies that English people should campaign to end the Union.
By threatening the Union their interests will be dealt with.
And if the Union does break then their interests will be dealt with.
Sounds like a Win Win to me!
You go for it Baldrick...............Sounds like a plan lol!
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