Raisons d’Être
Welcome to Better Nation, our Scottish blog, built on four things its editors share: a love of ideas, an essential optimism, an anoraky obsession with politics, and a particular interest in the nation of Scotland – as it has been, as it stands now, and its future prospects.
The title comes from Dennis Lee, famously quoted by Alasdair Gray (and attributed to Gray on the walls of Holyrood itself): “Work as if you lived in the early days of a better nation”. We believe devolution has been a pretty successful endeavour thus far, but that the current constitutional arrangements are unlikely to be the final settled will of the Scottish people.
As a result, it is already a better nation than it was when the Vigil camped out under Calton Hill, but even the most cursory glance around Scotland shows continued poverty, movement away from sustainability, a business sector hardly thriving, a nervous public sector, stretched voluntary organisations and shortcomings in our democracy.
Our MPs and MSPs all seek to improve Scotland in the way they each best see fit, no matter what colour of party flag they wave or particular leader they serve under. However, for a country of our size, that is a daunting task, so this blog will aim to be, at worst, constructive criticism of their exploits, and, at best, a show of support for our politicians from interested Scots. Most in politics do have a genuine desire to improve how their country runs, and we will try to give a fair wind to their intentions, even when we have to disagree profoundly with their methods.
Independence for Scotland will, of course, be considered in various ways and at fairly regular intervals. This blog ain’t no Calman Commission where ideas are excluded before the exercise begins but it is also no National Conversation where an answer is pencilled in before research and analysis is conducted.
We aren’t naive enough to think that a blog can make a difference, however fun it may be to write and however fascinating the debates. However, whatever we end up writing between us as the days, weeks, months and perhaps even years draw on, we hope we will at least get to provide another chronicle of Scotland as it becomes a better nation.
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The founding editors were a merry band of three: James Mackenzie, Jeff Breslin and Malcolm Harvey, Scottish political bloggers who forged friendships through their respective online presences. Malc’s off on his own, Kate Higgins came and went, and Aidan Skinner and Kirsty Connell joined. The flexibility that a panel of editors affords remains part of the key appeal for this blog.
Regular updates without onerous individual effort should be an easier recipe for a substantial, interesting blog, and, as we hope to disagree regularly, also for debate between ourselves as well as with any readers we are lucky enough to find. There remains scope for organic growth in the editorial team over time.
The aim is that this blog will also be festooned with guest writers, invitational posts from around the globe, staged debates and cross postings with other parts of the blogosphere. Furthermore, there is a corresponding Twitter feed @NationBetter, because it is important to remember that sometimes you have to go backwards in order to go forwards (and also because every permutation of “Better Nation” has already been taken!)
We will only feel it has been a success if we provoke fierce and intelligent debate, but please be nice.
#1 by Scott on September 8, 2010 - 9:36 pm
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Sounds good, and well done on attributing the title properly — but you mean Dennis LEE. The book of Lee’s Gray is remembering is called *Civil Elegies*, and is well worth a look.
Cheers,
Scott
#2 by Jeff on September 8, 2010 - 9:45 pm
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By golly, you are correct!
Thanks for pointing that out Scott. Imagine getting a spelling mistake in our raisin d’etre post. Shocking.
#Jamesfault
#3 by Malc on September 9, 2010 - 4:12 pm
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At least we just have a spelling mistake in our Raison d’Etre. The SNP have a reference to something called “independence” in theirs, something which they seem to have forgotten about…
#4 by James on September 9, 2010 - 4:27 pm
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To be fair to us, we’re misquoting the Sunday Herald. Now it’s fixed, our error can be preserved for perpetuity just here.
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#5 by Philip R Hosking on October 12, 2010 - 3:35 pm
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Hello there,
Interesting blog but I see you’ve forgotten a links section for the Celtic nation and Duchy of Cornwall. There are plenty of Cornish blogs you could fill it with. Just ask.
Equally if you get the time please visit the Keep Cornwall Whole campaign website: keepcornwallwhole.org/ Your support would be welcome.
Equally you can vote for our campaign here on 38 Degrees: 38degrees.uservoice.com/forums/78585-campaign-suggestions
Oll an gwella
The Cornish Republican.
#6 by James on October 12, 2010 - 5:01 pm
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Thanks Philip, and I hope you won’t object if they go into the UK section. To be honest, why we’ve got separate Welsh and Norn Irish and UK sections I’m not sure – the latter looks like England apart from Sev at the Guardian…
#7 by Philip R Hosking on October 16, 2010 - 3:38 pm
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So some Cornish blogs then:
Cornish Zetetics: cornishzetetics.blogspot.com/
Mebyon Kernow party leader Dick Cole: mebyonkernow.blogspot.com/
If you want more let me know.
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#8 by Jim Brown on April 3, 2012 - 10:14 am
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What’s with all the spelling mistakes.Very professional!
#9 by Kirsty on April 3, 2012 - 10:48 am
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I think this might be an after-effect of the hack last week – we’ll look into it!
#10 by Hansel on September 11, 2012 - 5:57 pm
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I’m not trying to start an argument, but I noticed that there are sections for Scotland (obviously), Wales, NI, and the UK, but no section for England.
One of the other commenters noted that most of the links under the UK section are very English-centric. Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be better to have a proper section for England, and then have some different ones as UK links?
As I said, I’m not looking to start a fight, but I was curious.
#11 by James on September 11, 2012 - 6:14 pm
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That’s a good question, and you wouldn’t be able to start a fight with it even if you tried. I’ll talk to the gang about a possible switch there when we have time.
#12 by Hansel on September 11, 2012 - 6:28 pm
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Sometimes, I can be a little unthinking about phrasing things, and I wind up accidentally causing offence.
I was worried that there was, or is, some reason for it, and I simply haven’t delved deeply enough into the site to see. If that were the case, I might come across as a self-entitled English snob.
Thank you for your reply, though. It’s very kind of you.