Showing posts sorted by relevance for query ian bell. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query ian bell. Sort by date Show all posts

Thursday 31 December 2015

Forgotten Scottish Voices



Many Scots artists, writers, scientists and explorers and more have been airbrushed out of history (as have many women!). 

I  James Clerk Maxwell;  I recommend BBC Scotland's TV program on one of the world's greatest physicists - James Clerk Maxwell
One of Edinburgh’s many great intellectual sons: James Clerk Maxwell (1831-79), the titanic Victorian scientist whose work was described by Albert Einstein as the “most profound and the most fruitful that physics has experienced since the time of Newton.” His genius touched pure mathematics, electromagnetics, optics (color theory), kinetic theory and thermodynamics, astronomy (the rings of Saturn), and many other disciplines. He was also a poet
He was the shoulders on which Einstein stood and he kept a photo of him on his wall. When the Berlin Wall came down engineers from East Germany came over to Ayrshire to visit Maxwell's grave. Yes in Germany scientific inventors and engineers are highly regarded! 

Yet in his home country of Scotland Maxwell is virtually unknown...... Scotland and the north of England were once the great centres of scientific, engineering excellence and manufacturing. In 2008 and statue to Maxwell was unveiled in George street, Edinburgh.  
James Clerk Maxwell
II  The Scottish suffragettes.  In the recent movie Suffragette, the role played by the Scottish suffragettes are totally ignored.

Flora Drummond, “The General”, who rode a white horse at the head of marches and Marion Wallace Dunlop (a descendant of William Wallace) who pioneered the hunger strike as a political protest. Dunlop was eulogised by George Bernard Shaw, who called for a statue of her to be placed in Trafalgar Sq. In Scotland the cause spread far and wide. King, the curator of the People’s Palace in Glasgow from 1974 to 1991, who was a driving force behind its acclaimed collection of women’s suffrage artefacts, says the movement was more radical in Scotland. Councils and churches put their shoulders to the wheel too. “What didn’t happen in England, but did in Scotland, was you would get a lot of the  authorities making statements in favour of women’s suffrage and support from a lot of the ministers.  The Church of Scotland was pro-suffrage and ministers spoke for votes for women.”  
Flora Drummond
There was also a Mary Barbour
- there has been a recent campaign in Glasgow for a statue in her honour. (1875 - 1958) was a Scottish political activist, councilor and magistrate. She was closely associated with the Red Clydeside movement in the early 20th century and especially for her role as the main organiser of the women of  Govan who took part in the rent strikes of 1915. 

Remembering the Scots at the heart of the suffragette movement by political editor Alison Rowat  - http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts_ents/film/13838704.Remembering_the_Scots_at_the_heart_of_the_suffragette_movement/?ref=rss

Also Labour party founder Kier Hardie had a close relationship with Emmeline Pankhurst.  Scottish ministers even preached for the votes for women. In fact it appears that Scottish voices led the way in this crucial movement...

James Connolly
III  Scotland and The Easter Rising:        

Scot James Connolly, as were many other Scots, was a major player in Ireland's struggle for Ireland's independence. Next April will mark the 100 year anniversary of Ireland's Easter Rising. Connolly was a founder of both the Irish Socialist Part and of the Scottish Labour party, long before Keir Hardie. The present Labour Glasgow city council believe any mention of Irish independence is too controversial a topic though to mark the anniversary in any way!  Old prejudices die hard it seems. Connolly was also the brother of well respected Scottish journalist Ian Bell's grandfather (who sadly died recently).

IV   Broadcasting
Even our Scots language is not recognised as an official language. Linguists accept the status of Scots as a language. Recently Osborne announced the BBC will not support the Gaelic language channel BBC Alba.  Of the £335 m raised in tv licence fees in Scotland - only £35m is spent on Scottish tv production. 

 V   Secularism versus
For me questions of how we are governed are nothing to do with religion, which should be a private rather than state matter.  This war of ideology with Muslims is really over whether religion should be part of government?? Religion needs to be taken out of schools and other institutions. 

and Independence
The term 'Independence' seems too strong a word for many in England - who apparently feel they are being very nice by helping us folks in Scotland out!  This is quite simply about de-centralising and growing up here in Scotland and running our own affairs - while still maintaining very close ties with the rest of these islands. .. Well perhaps we need to be more radical and have our own currency that is not tied into the world banking system...??  

Statue of James Clerk Maxwell in Edinburgh, 2008

We urgently need informed debates on these topics for Scotland - AND not by political parties - but by business people, scientists, economists etc.      

Does all this matter? Should or does history represent as truthful a view of the past as possible? We might argue history is always limited or represents one viewpoint.

Well yes it does, especially in today's world of mass communication. There is no reason to hide the truths.


Thursday 30 March 2023

100 Years of Scottish Independence Activism



Months before the Great War, Westminster passed a Homerule for Scotland bill 1914, at the time Ireland was also agitating for home rule.

1) First there was the Home rulers – Keir Hardy, a founder of Labour, a miner turned journalist, Cunningham Graham, John McLean. 

2) Then there was The Poets (late 1830s) – Hugh MacDiarmid, Hamish Henderson, Edwin Muir,

1950s National Covenant for a Scottish Parliament, which 2 million signed; 

 

3)  The Intellectuals 1960s – third generation, Stephen Maxwell, (theorist), Gavin Kennedy, Tom Nairn (political theorist), Isobel Lindsay, Margo MacDonald, 

 

*Yes majority vote Referendum 1979, not accepted by Westminster

 

4) After came The Activists, the fourth generation – Alex Salmond, Winnie Ewing, Mike Russell, Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney, Cunningham. Knocked doors, manned stalls, leafleting, marches, 

With a message of hope they eventually won power in Holyrood. 

 

*Mini-parliament 1999, Referendum 2014.with yes vote at 45%


*The thirteen year old UK Supreme court (set up by Blair 2010) dared to compare Scotland to Quebec, when all Canadian “provinces” have the right to hold a referendum on any subject under the Canadian constitution. Reducing Scotland, as one of the founding nations of the UK union, as less than a province. 


Margo MacDonald


Winnie Ewing & Nicola Sturgeon
Jim Sillars

(**George Kerevan failed to mention the very significant and important grassroots YES movement around the INDYREF vote 2014 building momentum around the exhilarating, hope-filled debates for a better future and our independence.) 

 

5) Yes Movement - alongside vigorous diverse hard working activism, creative arts, discourse, and online activism, consists of Believe in Scotland, the National newspaper, Common Weal, 

With the Intelligentsia, academics, and journalists - Tom Devine, Lesley Riddock, Ruth Wishart, George Kerevan, Alan Bisset, Kevin McKenna, Gerry Hassan, Ian Bell, Stuart Cosgrove, more.

 

Foreign-owned media and press is another major factor.

 

John MacLean
Hugh MacDiarmid


Cunningham Graham - First elected socialist and a founder of both the Labour party and the SNP

John MacLean – revolutionist and educator

Ramsay MacDonald – first Labour Prime minster, fiery advocate of Scottish self-determination.. Home rule – meant Scottish sovereignty within the British empire

Intellectuals - traditional values of community and love of ideas with radical reconstruction of nation.

Devolution of political power to localities, local control of land and recourses.


Cunningham Graham


Thanks to George Kerecan’s recent article The National –
 Four Generations failed to win Scottish Independence. Will the next”  He asks “why are we still propping up Westminster… and what is to be gained from playing within the Westminster rules of the Anglo state for yet another lost generation?”  “The latest generation activists have all but exhausted constitutional avenues within the arcane, anti-democratic British prison of nations, for achieving Scottish statehood.”

I’m surprised Sunak defends Northern Ireland's sovereignty rights – but not Scotland’s. How is this democratic?

 

What next? We must stop viewing Scotland in Westminster rear view mirror. I'm so tired hearing that Scotland – CAN'T – because matters are reserved to Westminster. 

Independence is a process and journey.


And start seeing Scotland as its own free nation. With its own story to tell. The baton is now being passed to a new generation, 

 

How will they respond?

Ramsay MacDonald

Four Generations failed to win Scottish independence. Will the next?  What is to be gained from playing within the rigged rules of the Anglo state for yet another lost generation? Scotland: we are only on our knees because we refuse to stand up.

 https://www.thenational.scot/politics/23364524.four-generations-failed-win-scottish-independence-will-next/

 

 


Friday 30 June 2017

Edinburgh book festival 2017: Brave new words


Journalist Ian Bell

“Brave New Words’
In times of turmoil words are a safety net, help us to shared understandings.

Edinburgh International Book festival 2017, 12th - 28th August - https://www.edbookfest.co.uk
The festival, begun in 1983 and is one of the world's biggest, will have 1000 authors from 50 countries and will host Illustrators, musicians, scientists, politicians, scientists, children authors and more.

Some famous authors this year will include - Zadie Smith, Judy Murray, Chris Hoy Jeremy Paxman, Patrick Ness, Chinnamanda Ngozi Adiccline.

**MUSIC – this year - Fiddler Aidan O’Rourke; Scott Hutchison, The Frightened Rabbit frontman; composer Sally Beamish. Music previously has included Alfred Brendel, Nile Rogers and more.
Lesley Riddoch

Liz Lochend

Iain MacWhirter
Words and stories are our passports to a better fairer world. Imagination is Free! Whether the words are carried in song, in poetry, in political ideas, in images, fairy tales, history, theories, journalism, truth or in stories.

Recently, In Grenfell Tower block Kensington, we all witnessed the most horrific fire, where probably hundreds must have died! (yet the first reports claimed only 6 – was this all a cover up?)
Ben Okria
Writer Ben Okria visited the site and wrote his poem – Grenfell Tower
How this tall burnt out blackened shell is a metaphor for our failings – our failings to recognise the CLADDING on our very discourse. He says - We need to tear down this cladding and open our eyes to what is around us. 

There are signs of hope – more people are reaching for investigative journalism where they can find it!
The young especially are now disregarding traditional news media and searching for answers elsewhere. Macron started a new political party only one year ago – and won the vote. Things are changing fast in our fast interconnected world. 
Enlightened discourse is always about diversity! And the book festival encourages open questioning and debate. Robert Burns ran his own Debating clubs at Tarbolton.

We must question opposite viewpoints. We live in complex times but there are gate keepers out here. We must question opposite viewpoints. Its worrying Theresa May actively dislikes 'division!' It is our very diversity that makes us stronger.

Words and ideas. TICKETS NOW ON SALE - https://www.edbookfest.co.uk


**Bohemians and Renaissance
In Edinburgh old town, the grand, the ordinary, the eccentric – all rubbed shoulders. It was this inconvenient bumping against each other that helped to make the Scottish Enlightenment happen.
Another factor that brought in fresh air, was after the union of the crowns, the royal court left for London! Which meant a breath of fresh air – as all he hangers on left too.

Poet Robert Burns experienced the flourishing Edinburgh in its last days (1786 – 1787)

They built the Georgian Edinburgh new town in the 1780s – finishing with the elegant Charlottes Square. The largest and most impressive Georgian development in the world. In Glasgow the marble staircased Town hall is vastly impressive – built over this period, when the tobacco and slave trade brought great benefit. There was also great expectations. 
The well to do no longer mixed …. and the Enlightenment withered.